WINNERS

MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Lichen

When a Park Ranger discovers critical levels of toxic air pollution surrounding his National Park, he endeavors to publish a controversial exposé on the industry responsible.

Best film (Under 40 min) - Directed by Zoe Robinson

Pollo Loco

When a young, power-hungry drug dealer discovers the love of his life has been unfaithful with a member of his crew, he and his right-hand man seek revenge.

Best Screenplay (under 40 min) - Derek Bauder & Giancarlo Beltran
Best Cinematography - Orlando Skidmore

The Fortune Teller

As a young man checks out of a motel during midnight, he meets the motel owner - a mysterious old man who thinks of various ways to stop the young man from leaving. The old man claims to be a fortune teller and insists on reading the young man's future, to which the young man reluctantly agrees. As the old man predicts the young man's fortune through self-invented methods, he starts to get involved in the young man’s life choices and even becomes angry at the young man, making the young man surprised and suspicious about the old man's true intentions. That's when the young man decides to challenge the old man's predictions through philosophical reasoning and even gambling.

Best Producer(Under 40min) - Belle Lau ,Grace Ngau

Take Care

A bereaved elderly man has let his life fall apart - until his deceased botanist wife reincarnates as a sickly plant. The two listen to each other’s needs and help however they can.

Best Animated Film (Under 40min) Directed by Kaylee Hatfield

Dark Feathers

Kate is a photographer and amateur ballroom dancer with a mysterious reputation—each dance partner has disappeared.

REMY is a private detective married to AMELIA, Kate’s dance instructor. Remy tells Amelia he has a professional interest in Kate to discover the fates of her previous partners, thus becoming Kate’s new dance partner. At first Amelia trusts Remy but soon suspects his interest is romantic, and she attempts to pull Remy back from Kate’s arms.

As Remy investigates Kate, his former fiancee JULIET becomes Kate’s favorite client, further complicating the situation. Remy is unable to discover Kate’s secret, and becomes the next possible victim.

Best Lead -Female(Over 40min) - Crystal J. Huang
Best Lead (Male) - Gilles Marini

Tito Boboy

An account of the Philippines as told by Professor Ciriaco Sayson Jr. This film chronicles his life and experiences, along with my cousins' testimony to his grandeur. This film is a celebration of life, a protest against violence, and a testimony to the art of being humble.

Best Emerging Filmmaker(Documentary-over 40min ) - John Sayson (Joint)

The Founder Effect

When a young boy goes missing in the town of Hope, his grandfather must grapple with their family history and navigate mysterious phenomena as he sets out on a quest of conscience to save his grandson from the shadows.

Best Film (Over 40min) directed by Justin MacGregor

Skinjacker

The Isle of Skye in Scotland has its fair share of myths and legends. One night, what appears to be a meteorite crashes down upon the island’s rocky hillside, cutting all power in the area. plunging the entire island into darkness as it disrupts the power supply. Yet, the silence is shattered by an unsettling, pulsating vibration that seems to beckon passing vehicles along the solitary track, luring them towards a sinister fate.

In this eerie blackout, engines sputter and tensions escalate, pitting locals, tourists, and a gang of thieves against each other in a chaotic showdown. As people inexplicably vanish, whispers of the 'Biasd Bheulach' spread, raising questions about the existence of the legendary 'Beast of the Odail Pass.' But what unfolds is far more chilling than any folklore could foretell.

Best Director (Over 40min) - David Izatt

The Mighty Mantaur

The life of wrestler Mike Halac (WWE's Mantaur. ) How Wrestling broke him, this is not a story about wrestling, its a story of a man who wrestles.

Honorable Mention - Faustus McGreeves

Us Together Alone

Milo and Ollie, half brothers, realize that loyalty and devotion can have horrendous results.

Best Director (Under 40min) - Gregg Prosser
Best Support (Female) - Lacy Marie Meyer

Axè, Salvador

"Axe, Salvador!" was born from the author's passion for Brazil and in particular for the city of Salvador De Bahia

Best Emeging Filmmaker(Documentary-over 40min ) - Domenico Rodolfo Grillone (Joint)

Who Is God

Humanity is a wonderful race. With amazing creativity. With the ability to create great empires and destroy itself. Human beings can create life. In its eternal solitude, humanity engendered its son.
The human as well as God will look for the creation to become the image and likeness of the creator.

Honorable Mention - Oscar Adan Lopez Parres

Weakness

Are you sure you want your wishes to come true?
A wizard's apprentice is overwhelmed by his burning desires.

Best Emerging Filmmaker (Under 40min) - Antonio Orbe

Points Of View

The story of the peculiar friendship between a homeless Romanian who panhandles in the center of Milan and a Film Director who lives nearby and shoots a documentary about him and his life and who, along the way, discovers an unexpected reality.

Best Director - Documentary (40min & over) -Pepi Romagnoli

Pirate Treasure

A stubborn, creative boy escapes the disappointment of reality by venturing into his imagination in search of pirate treasure, alongside his loving mother.

Best Emerging Filmmaker (under 40min) - Monty Langford

Searching For Choti

Embark on an epic journey with Mouli as he strives to fulfil a childhood dream of discovering the elusive and nocturnal Fishing Cat, deep in the heart of Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon. Guided by the Fishing Cat Project and armed with specialist infrared cameras, Mouli faces many challenges on his quest to uncover the secrets of this unique water-loving feline and capture its beauty in its natural habitat.

Best Short Film on Nature & Wildlife(Under 40min) -Directed by Chandra Mouli

Love On The Rocks

aj, a young man who gets fired at work ends up picking himself up at a late night bar where he comes across a girl whom we ignored months ago on a dating app finally ends up meeting her accidentally. Raj, who is tipsy tries to sway her without knowing that's the girl he didn't want, but ends up hurting himself in process while zipping up his pants in the bathroom. Emily, a young girl in her 20s doesn't recognize it's that guy from "loveline" goes along with the show as she is running out of things to say. After convincing Emily to drop her off at her house they both end up stuffing themselves with food. Late night and raj parks his car at Emily house. As raj stumbles to answer Emily as to what happened in the washroom he slowly moves to kiss her but little did he know that his friend would call him. Putting the phone down and going for the kiss again, Emily now turns away and they both get out the car. Raj drivers away thinking about her and suddenly gets a notification on his phone. And pop up shows and it's something he didn't expect

Honorable Mention - Keshav Barati

I Love You Most

Lucy, a loving woman tormented by guilt, is struggling to keep herself from drowning under the responsibility of being her twin sister's caretaker, and keeping her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Eric, alive.

Anna, Lucy's twin sister, suffers from a traumatic brain injury that affects her long and short-term memory - freezing her in time.

Lucy, on the contrary, remembers everything - a burden that stays alive with her. While Lucy wants her life filled with a loving family and a life partner, her circumstances block her from it. After dealing with a traumatic episode with Anna, an argument with Eric follows. Lucy is then faced with a distressing ultimatum: choosing between her love life, and her family life - choosing Eric or Anna.

Best Lead( under 40min Female) - Ayla Johnston

People Like Us

Extraordinary story of the Center of Family Love, a faith based residential care and education facility in Oklahoma, USA. In contrast to the paid for model of general American Health Care, the centre provides free of charge lifelong care for its residents. It is a registered non profit charitable organisation that raises its funding through a combination of philanthropy and commercial enterprise.

The center primarily cares for residents from young adulthood, throughout their lives - lives that have been impacted by birth or post birth learning disabilities, often concurrent with physical or other disabilities. The residents have a range of disability severity, and have accordingly scaled care needs.

Best Documentary(Over 40min) - Nicholas Mark Coleman

Death Of Mandanin

The film is a surreal short film in which the filmmaker was looking to converse and resonate with the film-making history, especially the part dates back to the last century. Though the movie is shot with modern digital devices, not with the traditional means of film-making. The filmmaker is also looking to provoke thoughts on the impact of modern devices on the ways of making new films.Since Un Chien Andalou (1928 France), numerous talented directors have started their very own depiction of human’s deepest desires in their works. The filmmaker of Death of Mandanin believed people’s hidden consciousness has served as a major drive that spurs people climb up the social ladder. However, in a society without a fair competition where almost all the dreams are flightless, one could hardly realize what he or she desires. It is also a manifestation of the death of people’s spiritual freedom.The film co-opted chapters from the Bible as hidden clues, it also blended in the film with elements such as Tarot, psychoanalysis, philosophy, poetry, contemporary communist movements, etc. The film describes the struggles of the people at the bottom from all aspects. The film conveys a tragic view that idealism will be disillusioned when suppressed by the social structure, but the film is also a heroic lament, at least it conveys a positive belief to find the way to ultimate freedom. The artistic feature of the film is that it fictionalizes a dialogue between God and the sleepwalker which also mocks the reality.

Best Experimental Work - Yucan Ye For Death of Mandanin

Black Sheep

When a young girl with Tourette's encounters a struggling street performer on a city bus, a quirky and inspirational friendship is formed causing the world around them to alter in unexpected ways.

Special Jury Award - Jamie Sage Cotton