FESTIVAL LAURELS (all categories)
Jury Prize
WINNER: Confusions of a Wasted Youth by Karolina Zebrowska
Jury Member, Ben Rider (Festival Director) says:
If I hadn’t seen The Favourite, and if Marie Antoinette (the Sofia Coppola edition) hadn’t already been around… I’d probably have written that this is the best short film I’ve seen this year. But that well, isn’t the case. And that isn’t to say that Karolina Zebrowska’s short film isn’t the best short film… in fact, it really is the best I’ve seen this year (so far), and well, reeks of a feature potential. That opening of this review is actually nothing more than a film snob’s slobbering remarks. And, of course, this is a fantastic production and deserves some better opening… though I’d imagine having your film compared with those two auteur made films isn’t bad going.
The style, tone and mood of this sort of period piece now feels rather all too familiar and somewhat like The Favourite, or perhaps Marie Antoinette. But it is also its own thing. This feels quite comical, and romantically sweet – our lead character, portrayed by Emma Findlay, is snappy, charming and darn right loveable. There’s a lot of energy here, the edit is magnetic, and the photography is inviting. All in all, this is just a fantastically well-rounded film.
Nominees:
Fishing by Tornike Bziava – “The scale of the production, and the orchestration of the world within it, is very impressively done. Quite a grand short film!”
Lady M by Tammy Riley Smith – “There is a sense that this film has already been made and seen before – the mumbling actress wandering around demanding a role she’s too old for, and then getting it… and then sort of getting lost in the whole thing. Heck – it recalls the fantastic past Palme D’or nom Habemus Papum… though one should add that this is a very English production, has a great witty dry sense of humour in it and is far more rural in its design. It’s all very impressively packaged, and feels superior to most short films. ”
Lie Low by Jamie Noel – “A dark social drama, shot with precision and an impressive relocation to the countryside (something most of these urban social dramas fail to do). The film carries its inner-psychology quite deeply within its roots, and ultimately does so with an impressive follow through.”
The Survivor’s Guide of a Newspaper Carrier by Klifford Barkus – “A really well invisioned social commentary film, one which encapsulates the idea of the urbs and the little dwellings, and the people that live in them.”
Main Competition
- Best Short Film made for less than $5,000
Nominees: Inside Scoop from the Influencer by Alex G. Ringo, Confusions of a Wasted Youth by Karolina Zebrowska, So That’s How It Happened by Aylee Sustrom, Abra Cadaver by Duane Michals, One Way Ticket by Mark James Birch
- Best Short Film made for between $5,000-$10,000
Winner: You or Me by Yana Zinov
Festival Director says:
There’s a certain filmic magic to duplicity – one which You or Me succeeds perfectly in.
When I personally have done it, I have found that the core element of ‘make belief’, which primes all films and their so-called ‘worlds’, becomes more and more apparent. The falsification of time, space and make-shift paradox of camera angles, editing and general trickery, becomes all the more visible in terms of how fake the entirety of filmmaking is. It is because of this complexity, that having one actor play two parts can be so hard. Even at a ‘higher’ level of cinema, that being the ostentatious world of the financed film productions, it becomes more and more apparent how constructed the whole thing is. Take American Horror Story’s fourth season – Freakshow, or say David Cronenberg’s fantastically chilling Dead Ringers. Both examples exemplify that the dual performance, no matter how well executed, is a magic trick that the audience must play along with for it to work.
And so, returning all the way back to You or Me, one can pinpoint this magic show as a sort of presentation of both film making style, which has been successfully delivered (yes, I believed the magic show of both beings), and that of technical wizardry on a low scale budget.
Nominees:
Roadside Assistance by Ali Matlock – “The main tension, which is greatly enhanced by the filmic soundtrack, the gloomy photography, and the willing cast, makes for a proficient and fun ride of a film.”
The Perfect Murder by Vikkramm Chandirramani – “This one does feel like a sort of Hollywood thriller film… but its best parts are actually in its calmer moments, the sort that Douglas Sirk once commanded in the 50’s. There’s a sense of the bygone in this, and one can’t help but relish those retro moments.”
- Best Short Film made for more than $10,000
Winner: Fishing by Tornike Bziava
Festival Director says:
One of the most impactful things about The Fishing is its opening – a grand wide shot of a lighting fixture being put on display. The space, which is framed within frames of information in the background (the building site) and the foreground (the talking wanders, and the handyman overseeing the lighting fixture). The assembly within this shot, which sees the impact of real time, and the poetry of stillness (somewhat similar to the likes of an Abbas Kiarostami ‘take’). It is this opening moment that shows off the most as well, as there is a sense of orchestration with timing, and a general sort of choreography of the cinema within this singular space. Everything being shown here is in a particular order and for us to absorb as viewers.
The second half of the film seems to drift further into a sort of Polish comedy. I say Polish deliberately here, as it bears a sort of grinning socialist comedic element that is both grim and entertaining, reminiscent of the late Krzysztof Kieslowski’s work, say White. Its more entertaining than the first half, and is very much a fine pairing device to the first half.
All in all the film tends to be best as its own thing, and it sure does it all very well. This is a fine piece of filmic execution and one that could have easily been extended into a feature, or copied and repackaged as such. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the filmmaker seems quite adept to being in touch with cinematic tools. That’s why it is, after all, a winner. This is cinema finely presented!
Nominees:
Seven Seas by Martin-Philippe Tremblay – “There is a real sense of style, scope and character in this film. Tremblay does a great job in creating this voyage we want to watch and be a part of.”
Walter Treppiedi by Elena Bouryka – “It is produced with a great feeling of passion and atmosphere. Bouryka has a great sense of her characters and the importance their nuanced personalities have on the material.”
Lady M by Tammy Riley Smith – “Melissa Knatchbull’s self aware script, focussed on an actress hell bent on playing a role the director intends to cast with a younger performer, is both an original take on the Scottish Play’s qualities, as well as a fantastic foundation for this postmodern comedic trope of a character drama film flooded with comedy. The cast, production design and scale bring to life this whole theatrical affair, and they do so with a great level of competence and joy.”
Jesus Rides A Harley by Michael Boston – “The characters are fantastically hilarious, entertaining and hearty. It all feels a tad bit wanderlust in a way – this is a journey and we are going to have a massively fun road trip of a time… heck, pushing all of the feelings and laughs one gets, this has a certain forgotten charm to it, a sort of John Waters trash element. It’s this part that one can’t help but be saddened by. When did film as an art form get so serious? Why did people forget that films can be magical? This could almost be a subplot of A Dirty Shame that got lost… or yet another great short film by Michael Boston.”
- Best Feature Film made for less than $5,000
Winner: Plastic Boy by Sam Plommer
Festival Director says:
Plastic Boy is a microfeature through and through. It was, accordingly, shot on a mobile phone. Not to say that that is a requirement. But it helps… I mean, mostly in the sense of this being a film that was assembled by someone who had a very private and personal story to tell, and decided ‘to hell with it, I’ll make it myself’. Or at least that’s the impression that’s given through the film mechanics.
There is a faint murmur of the mumblecore here, though it is far from being a NYC film, and doesn’t have an ounce of the American run and gun. Instead, this film really utilises a few locations repeatedly, allowing the cast to be the main fixture and shine.
Ultimately, it is through this minimalist approach, one which underplays the film’s flaws, and instead really relishes on its strengths (the script, the cast, the pace and comedy of it all), where the film finds its steady footing and shines. Sure, it isn’t the most exciting project one could come up with for a mega low budget… but guess what – I reckon in a few years, because of this film’s minimalist quality, it won’t age that badly, and will still be quite enjoyable to watch. Just heed my advice – in five or even ten years, this film will still be worth a look at (which is more than what one can say about most films being made right now in the indie world – mine included!).
Nominees:
The Samaritans by Doug Bollinger – “This micro thrill/horror has the flavourings of the early 00’s and late 90’s of the horror genre, when anything happened, and it all became a tad self aware and postmodern. The photography is great, and the overall production values are quite consistent.”
Under the Crystal Dome by Cristian Parras – “There is a feeling that this sought of could have been like a Panos Cosmatos film. Only, I suppose, less strange. But it does something a little different than what your regular surreal films do. It tries to explain itself, as well as keep the film’s perspective locked with the logic of its characters, rather than say trigger some cerebral hemorrhaging. All in all, these 60 minutes are a breezy delight, and great counter programming.”
- Best Feature Film made for between $5,000-$10,000
Winner: The Reverend’s Secret Mission by P. William Grimm
Festival Director says:
The Reverend’s Secret Mission is far from being the most engaging documentary ever made, and it does at times feel rather self-indulgent about its subject matter.
But something should be said about its overall pacing. There is a real sense of sharing the story with the viewer, and this element, which at times feels like the storytelling of say Lilian Gish in Night of the Hunter. It is intimate, but also of the ‘old world’ in a sense. A recalled memory that is being told to us in a very formal and warm manner. We are children, and we should sit quietly and listen to this yarn.
All in all, it goes in wide, really leaning into the mystery of its key protagonist, and seems to relish details that a casual viewer wouldn’t really care about. All of this aside though, the film is quite impressively constructed. It uses archive footage to enhance its casual interviews and often provides some rich histrionics in terms of its paper and photographic source material, all of which really does bring Brian Hession and his life to well, life!
Nominees:
Dragonflies Only Live for 24 Hours by Richard Anthony Dunford – “A stylish piece featuring an impressively large cast with varying locales. There’s a real sense of ‘production value’ with this project, and an overall well maintained tone that keeps the film’s style consistent.”
Triggers by Tony Aaron II – “Though far from being the easiest watch, this film holds a sense of experimentation that recalls the likes of Sally Potter’s mobile phone film Rage. There’s a real feeling of anger and politics within Triggers, and it feels like a well thought out agenda… though some of it feels a tad preachy at times with its feature-length runtime.”
- Best Feature Film made for more than $10,000
Not enough titles to run this category.
- Best Webseries
Winner: Blackbetty by Marco North
Festival Director says:
“Blackbetty is a rare thing – a webseries full of classy photography, a stronghold and consistent genre (in this case the noir), and of course, the key ingredient of all well produced video material: the follow-through of the whole team.”
Nominees:
The Jacob & Stuart Show by Danny Gustafson – “There is a great sense of comedy and wonder in this one. It isn’t the most polished of webseries, but it sure does amp up the Michel Gondry surrealist-comedy crank to a full 10/10 of ‘ha ha!’ moments.”
Old Girls on The Road by Tracey Walker – “This is a fairly original webseries in terms of subject area. It has a hell of a lot of character, and quite frankly, it is better than most of the hobby-talk shows here in the UK (we have too many to list from gardening to shopping to antique roadshows). So, yeah, THIS ROCKS!”
Other Categories
Best Cinematography
Winner: Jamie Noel’s cinematography of Lie Low – “Noel’s photography is the film’s strongest hand. It is both creative in terms of its compositions and arrangement of space, as well as engaging and inviting. It often hides the scale of the film, reflecting a much higher production value than the actual resources at hand.”
Nominees:
Marco North’s cinematography of Blackbetty – “Something surreal, dark, brooding, malicious and delicious is delivered here. North’s imagery, his setting up of the locales, and the way with which the light forever feels out of reach greatly enhances the show’s quality.”
Sergio M Lorenza’s photography in A Cure for Loneliness – “An acute image drives this film forwards, and helps bring it to a cinematic level of a high production value product.”
Best Black and White Cinematography
Winner: Theofilos Kazantzidis’ cinematography of Shadows – “With the choice of black and white, this film is greatly enhanced, providing a harsh and retrospective image which is of the ‘old cinema’. It is beautifully presented here, and at times recalls the works of Theo Angelopoulos and his grand canvas.”
Nominee:
Marie Santa’s cinematography of Olga Vont – “Sharply delivered, and with a care for the composition which is enhanced by the choice of black and white.”
Best Actor
Winner: Sam Plommer in Plastic Boy – “This performance is bold, brave and hilariously tragic at times… just fantastic really!”
Nominees:
Jacob & Stuart in The Jacob & Stuart Show – “I assume these two are a single actor, and that their credit is a sort of Charlie Kaufman joke (like with Adaptation). It is hard to tell. Whatever the case, this is a fantastic hilarious performance of complete and utter madness.”
Tahir Moore in Triggers – “Moore brings a new meaning to the ‘ranting’ podcast host routine. It quite frankly measures up to the likes of Tracy Letts in Imperium, and carries a similar edgy energy, which helps liven up this film.”
Drew Schrum in You or Me – “Well, this feels like it was written as a showcase piece, and perhaps the only reason it really shines is because Schrum actually delivers his own script as more than just a showcase. It comes with a great methodical bashfulness that very few actors would succeed in doing.”
Wei Niu in Blue – “Wei Niu provides interesting textures of emotion for this short film. It is quite a bold performance.”
Best Actress
Winner: Samantha Bond in Lady M – “Both on and off the stage, Samantha Bond seems to be delivering as if she were in the spotlight. She demands our attention and effortlessly sucks the air out of the room… much like Lady Macbeth does when she tries to wash the blood off. It’s all a bit chilling and irresistible. ”
Nominees:
Hayley-Marie Axe in It’s Over – “Axe does a great job in making the small talk of this berating short film actually unbearable. It is quite an achievement really… it all feels very realistic and comedic.”
Annie-Sage Whitehurst in Roadside Assistance – “Whitehurst keeps her performance under wraps, maintaining a calm and centred being in an ever-mounting horror event.”
Larissa Kruesi in 8 Million is the Loneliest Number – “Kruesi provides the film with a depthful lead as Helena – what is essential to this sort of social speaker film. Though the production values wouldn’t warrant it, this film could have easily been expanded around this awkward persona to make a feature film of the ‘girl lost in the city’ routine.”
Clementine Mills in Molly & Noel – “Green Card does this subject matter in a much more depth and rich manner… though, perhaps one ought to highlight this film’s compact nature, and well, Mills and her co-star’s ease of character and conviction. She comes across as real and layered in her delivery. It is these two performances, and the well maintained production style, that makes Molly & Noel quite great.”
Best Ensemble Cast
Winner: The cast of Plastic Boy – “There’s a great sense of comedic timing with the cast of Plastic Boy. They also seem to be fully on board with telling this story with a great feeling of realism. Some great work here.”
Nominees:
The cast of Dragonflies Only Live for 24 Hours – “The entire team seems to be on-board for this film both emotionally and physically. There’s a real sense that (the director) Dunford has got the best from his collective team.”
The cast of Dreams, Washed Out- “There is a feeling that this film ought to have been made during the Cinema Du Look wave. Or even the Hong Kong New Wave. Regardless, it is excessively stylistic, and tastes like a daring meal at a fusion restaurant.”
The cast of The Samaritans – “This ensemble rack up the creepy and funny in equal measures. There’s quite a great variety of characters here, and Bollinger has done a great job in casting the right performers for the various parts.”
The cast of Jesus Rides A Harley – “They’re an odd misfit bunch, somewhat like the cast of a Jean Pierre-Jeunet film. They’re loveable. And the cast goes to great strengths to throw their energy into this, making it all the more fun to watch and believe.”
The cast of Rally On/Off – “It feels like a circus show – loads of people coming and going, and they are all sort of fascinating as a flock of caricatures.”
Jury Prize – Special Mention: Supporting Actresses
Winners: Samvedna Suwalka and Niharica Raizada in The Perfect Murder – “When the nightmare finally closes in on Kabir, it is his screen partners that really steal the show. They seem to be the anchors of the film, keeping it steady in the growing storm of varying waves and drowning drama.”
Best Score
Winner: Olivia Bec’s music for The Samaritans – “Bec’s soundtrack enhances and shines through The Samaritans. It is both tonal and a fantastically textured horror soundtrack.”
The score of Seven Seas – “The films emotional depth is greatly expanded thanks to the score featured within the short film. The crescendo of the film matches its soothing tunes.”
Adionetwork.com’s music in Confussions of a Wasted Youth – “One can’t help but acknowledge the pace and excitement this music provides the film.”
Best Genre Piece
Winner: Roadside Assistance by Ali Matlock – “There’s a great feeling of fantasy horror to this short. Its pace is slow, like a pot of water on a cooker… and it boils oh so delightfully once it reaches its point of no return.”
The Samaritans by Doug Bollinger – “Though not an outright thriller or even horror, The Samaritans walks the two thin lines, enjoying the pleasures of genre filmmaking to the fullest. There’s a creepy ghost vibe, dark-toned scenes and creepy music. Ooooh!”
Yort by Duane Michals – “As a silent picture, loaded with spring box entertaining and mysticism, one can’t help but love this ridiculous wild short film.”
Boxes by Michèle Jedlicka – “As a simple character film, Jedlicka finds a certain nuance in her work that resembles Buster Keaton’s work.”
Inhibited by Sonya Moorjani – “It walks a fine line of being a tense inner turmoil drama and an entertaining think piece. As a viewer, I immediately thought of the classic Stiller film The Cable Guy, and how the two were very similar but very different in tone. There’s something great about that, and how genre has shaped these differences.”
Best Direction
Winner: Spizella by Mehmet Tığlı – “The short encapsulates a great sense of style and vision. It is both a fable, and a social realist drama. There’s a real sense of knowingness within this film, and that goes beyond the cultural elements, and seeps into the cinematic real: we see the world, its time and can interpret it as such through its movements, the way with which the characters live and move, and how simple objects and moments can become great symbols of our lives. It feels like a film poem.”
Nominees:
No More Lights in the Sky by Danny Cotton – “The film’s variety showcase of different filming techniques and film genres, all handled with great care, is quite impressively done. It is at times a docu-drama, docu-horror and just a plain old moralist drama. There’s a hint of Abel Ferrara in here somewhere. Or at least, one can’t help but pull a correlation between Ferrara’s work in the 90’s, which often looked at the decay of moralism through the eyes of the VHS format, and the idea of a protagonist who documents the decay of modern civilisation, and this film’s examination of plight within a society that is being tested on by its government.”
Lady M by Tammy Riley Smith – “One could have made this film with a fluffy theatrical style. But that would have been the lazy route. Riley Smith does the opposite, pushing the theatrical into the cinematic realm, and it is done with a heap tonne of style, vision and awareness for the journey both in the actor’s mind (ie the characters) as well as that in the audience’s, which get to see such a varied world of the UK’s lesser absorbed qualities: bus etiquette, walking tunnels (minus the burning fire) and community theatre. It’s all done with a great feeling for thoughtfulness and passion.”
Under the Crystal Dome by Cristian Parras – “A constantly evolving mystery is hidden in this film. It feels like a pandora’s box of its own design. And there’s no denying the director Christian Parras having a strong vision of what he wanted and seeing it brought to the screen.”
151 by Natalie Forward – “Made with a great sense of delicacy, as well as a careful hand in the use of well polished technical content, 151 is an intriguing piece featuring a careful balancing act of tone and character.”
Best Writing
Winner: Jesus Rides A Harley by Michael Boston – “This feels a tad preachy at times, the script I mean. But it is also more than that, it is a reminder that a plain old simple trimmed down fable with a good message at its heart can be far more entertaining, recommendable and downright enjoyable than most of the short films being made these days. Boston’s characters really do drive the whole ordeal, their human dilemmas become intoxicating to watch.”
Nominees:
Framed for the Holidays by Daniel Appelt – “This pot boiler of a script feels like the sort of small scale film that once would have been produced on the backlot of a film studio to play to happy viewers during the Golden Age of Hollywood.”
Fishing by Tornike Bziava – “The film, which has a similar flavour to the Eastern European directors (such as Krzysztof Kieslowski) carries its social agenda hand in hand with entertaining comedic moments. It’s a bold wild journey.”
Walter Treppiedi by Elena Bouryka – “The story, built around journeys, captures what is best of road movies: a sense of movement, change, challenge and characters.”
The Survivor’s Guide of a Newspaper Carrier by Klifford Barkus – “Written with a lot of chutzpah. It’s fun, funny and memorable. The suburban bite recalls a sort of Joe Dante/John Waters vibe.”
Bored Bitch by Trëndelina Halili – “There’s a heap of interesting dialogue in this one. It is very intimate and immediate.”
Best Editing
Winner: Caitlin O’Brian’s editing of Old Girls on The Road – “The flow of this webseries is very fresh and well organised. There is a real sense of time, pace and tone – which makes for very enjoyable viewing.”
Nominees:
The editing of You or Me – “The fast pace and well-adjusted shaping of the one handler performance in this is rather scrumptiously done.”
Clair Maleney’s editing of Legacies – “In the context of the director assembling a narrative out of what has been documented, Meleney does an impressive job of finding a direction and purpose to the material and its order.”
The editing of Olav – “Thoughtfully assembled, and often done so with a care for preserving the performances of the actors in the best way possible.”
Special Mention
Special Mention Prize: Experimental Film
Winner: Same Old Scene by Paul Bloomfield
“An experimental wandering that really does drill into your brain a dreamy dusky setting of sleepy proportions. Beautifully shot.”
Special Mention Prize: Animation Video
Winner: Your Eyes, Will I Ever by KRILL Directed by Félicien Colmet Daâge
“The look, the presentation of its space and time is engrossing, hypnotic and beautiful.”
Special Mention Prize: Best Ending
Winner: Return directed by Valentina Bespalaia
“The long take which just keeps on going, moving from customer to cashier, is an impressively well orchestrated moment that helps build tension to the film’s ending, which is a fantastic punch line to the whole ordeal.”
Special Mention Prize: Makeup and Art Direction
Winner: Spores by Tommy Bardal
“This short film exemplifies the importance of design within film, and uses it to the maximum.”
Special Mention Prize: Social Comedy
Winner: Anorak by Andrew Ball-Shaw
“It is a film about beings that are insane really. It recalls the sort of comedy that no longer gets ‘green lit’ – the strange adult comedy, like ‘I Heart Huckabees’. We’d love a feature!”
Script Competition
Best Genre Piece
Winner: Sweetgrass Village by Margaret Ford-Rogers
“The film’s subject is quite obviously set up for a comedic turn, but what Ford-Rogers pulls off is more sophisticated than that. This is a comedy with a hearty edge!”
Nominees:
Patient by M Rowan Meyer
“A variety of fantastic characters make their way through this wayward TV Pilot. Had this been the naughties, this would have been the sort of comedy that would have ended up as part of the ‘prime cuts’ of ABC. It’s got that uncomfortably-comfortable comical way about it, like Hope and Faith and Scrubs (obviously).”
Evening of the Evil Eye by Angel Connell
“Perhaps the most original political comedy to make its way through our submissions!”
Best Technique
Winner: Kiri and the Dead Girl by Christopher Logan
“Written with a very slick scalpel. Lines are direct, specific… and the script’s presentation is quite fantastic. One has a feeling that this is a very polished product, and one with a particularly unique voice.”
Nominees:
The Prodigal by Conor Mullen
“Short, sweet and to the point. Mullen wastes no time on fatty scenes. This is a lean mean machine ready for filming!”
Cross Country by Rick Grogan
“It feels like a 90’s road film with a modern burst of energy. There’s a heap of characters, themes and a sense for the locales (and their own non-human personalities). It’s all very well arranged and presented.”
Best Micro Budget Script
Winner: The Prodigal by Conor Mullen
“With its respectful subject, Mullen provides a small world of the soldiering past within the quietened walls of a hospital room and ward. There is much to admire here – appealing characters and a short runtime that makes the film quite easy for filming and moving.”
Nominee:
Summer is Hot by Lamar and Melissa Vowell
“A tightly designed script that carries an awareness for budget and realistic production complications.”
Best Character Arc
Winner: Songbird on the Wire by Vance Berk
“Kershaw and the gang seem to be working against the clock in this pistol of a script. It fires off all the time, and is full of bangs!”
Nominees:
Memoirs of a Scots Irish Woman by Kaye Park Hinckley
“There is a great sense of purpose in these beings, and their history is both richly presented in the contemporary dialogue of the setting, as well as the harshness of the overall scenario. The script does need some work to adhere to correct formatting, but it is a diamond in the rough, and somewhat reminiscent of AMC’s Turn.”
Cross Country by Rick Grogan
“This ensemble of beings just plain rocks!”
Summer is Hot by Lamar and Melissa Vowell
“A bit of a variety piece in terms of tone, pace and even genre. Pushing these anchors aside, the script is quite lively thanks to its characters and the struggles they face.”
Music Video
Best Music Video
Winner: NU by Casota Collective
Nominees:
– Wanna Be Younk: 7ever feat Sid Wilson (Slipknot) Directed by Henry Lipatov“It is rare to see musicians have so much fun in their music videos. It is usually nothing more than a product endorsement and a hard sell for the whole ordeal. But there is a sense here of involvement and participation that is very genuine. I can’t help but recall White Nights by Oh Land. It’s got that same bliss to it.”
Your Eyes, Will I Ever by KRILLDirected by Félicien Colmet Daâge“A thing of rare beauty.”
– Kiss Me MalibuDirected by Mikel Arraiz“There is a feeling that the characters in this would have made for a wonderful film. Some creative editing hooks you in at the start, though the consistency gets a bit shaky as the plot unravels. Silent narrative shorts are rarely enjoyable, but this one is mighty entertaining!”
– The Rock by HARDCHARLIEDirected by Sense Hernandez“The sense of there personal is greatly enhanced by the way with which Hernandez and his team shot and cut this video. It’s rather impressive!”
Best Cinematography
Winner: Viacheslav Kazantsev’s cinematography of The Stop
“Yes, this is made in a studio, and probably is so consistent thanks to the conditions said sound stage provides… regardless though, such a simple premise is brought to such dizzying heights with this fantastically beautiful production.”
Nominees:
– Alexander Kohn’s cinematography for DRUGS by GiiRL“An explosive 90’s punk look grates our digital screens. Kohn understands remediation, and ‘gets’ retro video, uses it all to his advantage. This video is very much alive thanks to his wizardry.”
– Telmo Soares’ cinematography of NU“There is a glimmer of a cinematic past here. I can see the ghost of Sven Nykvist, in particular his work with Tarkovsky… but regardless of that, Soares has done a wonderful job of creating a consistent look for this video. Every frame is delicious.”
– Alberto Molinari’s cinematography of Adam“The images are fresh, and yet wonderfully 1990’s. I love it!”
Best Editing
Winner: Alexander Kohn’s editing of MAYBETHEPROBLEMISYOU by Giirl
“The assemblage of images – their splicing and the mixed media presentation, is a plain old delight. It has that very self-aware-postmodern speedy bounce that makes it pop and attract one’s eyeballs. Somewhat similar to the videos coming out with Grimes, though not as wild or expensive as Claire Boucher’s work.”
Nominees:
– Oliver Griffiths’ editing of Run by Further Than Forever – “It is far from being the most pretty video on selection… but it is cut with so much detail, and effort to keep the energy going with the rocky track, that one can’t help but love it.”
– J.B. Lawrence’s editing of Closure – “There is a bit of a whirlwind of images here. It moves fast, it grabs you, it comforts and ignites. Though there is not much in the way of actual ‘closure’, Lawrence’s video is a fantastically fragmented run of images and contrasting spaces.”
– Ian Roberts’ editing of Spod – “Roberts splices a whole tonne of footage in a very creative way. In fact, the photography doesn’t live up to the effort made in this video’s assemblage, which is many miles ahead of the other technical elements featured in it.”