Palm Springs Shortfest Announces Winners, Along with $128,000 in Awards
The Palm Springs Shortfest is just wrapping up today, but their awards were announced this weekend. The festival, which is an official qualifier for the Academy Award shorts categories, announced winners in 18 categories.
Commenting on the festival’s record-breaking attendance this year, Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, “It’s been a remarkable year for ShortFest, with record attendance and a rapturous response to the programming by audiences, industry and filmmakers alike. The Film Market and industry programs were particulary active, adding hugely to the Festival’s success. I’m confident a number of major future filmmakers emerged here this year and will go on to enliven the feature film world.”
A full list of the winners is below.
Jury Awards
Best of Festival Award ($2,000 cash and Software Package courtesy of The Showbiz Café & Store; Ultimate Stock Footage Collection courtesy of FootageFilm; Post Production award courtesy of Greenhouse Studios; and Final Cut Pro courtesy of Apple. The winner of this award is eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration.)
“Bahiya & Mahmoud” (Jordan/USA), Zaid Abu Hamdan
Panavision Grand Jury Award (Panavision Camera Package valued at $60,000.)
“Umoja: No Men Allowed” (Australia), Elizabeth Tadic
Future Filmmaker Award ($2,000 cash and Pipeline Filmmaker prize courtesy of Film Source LA, Smart Post Sound, Rushes and The Pipeline.)
Mitsuyo Miyazaki, “Tsuyako” (Japan/USA)
Jury Special Citation – Excellence in Storytelling
“Nullarbor”(Australia), co-director and writer Patrick Sarell and co-director Alistair Lockhart.
Audience Awards
Audience Favorite Live Action Short
“dik” (Australia), Christopher Stollery
Runner-up – “Tsuyako” (Japan/USA), Mitsuyo Miyazaki
Audience Favorite Documentary Short
“Johnny & Lyman: A Life Together” (USA), Paul Detwiler, Michael Chen
Runner-up – The Unforgettable Hampton Family (USA), Julie Cohen
Audience Favorite Animation Short
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” (USA), William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg
Runner-up – Danny & Annie (USA), Dave Isay, Tim Rauch
Shortfest Online Audience Award
“Stephany + Me” (USA), Peter Shanel
Jury Category Awards
Best Live Action Short 15 Minutes and Under
First Place ($2,000) – “Cat and Mice” (Kattenkwaad) (Netherlands), Nova Van Dijk
Second Place ($500) – “Nowhere Elsewhere” (Au Milieu de Nulle Part Ailleurs) (Canada), Annick Blanc
Jury Special Citation for Best Onscreen Pairing
“Pass the Salt, Please” (USA)
Best Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes
First Place ($2,000) – The Hours’ Home (A Casa das Horas) (Brazil), Heraldo Cavalcanti
Second Place ($500) – The Shore (UK), Terry George
Best Animation Short
First Place ($2,000) – “The Lost Town of Switez” (Poland/Canada), Kamil Polak
Second Place ($500) – “Interregnum” (Canada), Nick Fox-Gieg
Jury Special Citation for Best Sound Design
“The Cord-Woman” (La Femme Á Cordes) (France)
Best Documentary Short
First Place ($2,000) – “75 Watts” (Canada), John Cullen
Second Place ($500) – “Collaboration Horizontale” (Ireland), Ciaran Cassidy
Student Categories
Best Student Live Action Short 15 Minutes and Under
First Place – “The Promised Land” (Israel), Vanessa Knutsen
Second Place – “Kiss” (Australia), Alex Murawski
Best Student Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes
First Place – “Bekas” (Sweden/Iraq), Karzan Kader
Second Place – “Negative” (Israel), Yoav Hornung
Best Student Animation
First Place – “The Birds Upstairs” (USA), Christopher Cinq-Mars Jarvis
Second Place – “Heavy Heads” (Denmark), Helena Frank
Best Student Documentary Short
First Place – “Goodbye Mandima” (Kwa Heri Mandima) (Switzerland), Robert-Jan Lacombe
Second Place – “Wajeh” (Israel/Palestinian Territories), Murad Nassar
Best Student Cinematography
Taj Musco (cinematographer), “Eh Jeung” (South Korea)
Alexis Award for Best Emerging Student Filmmaker (The recipient will receive Final Cut Pro courtesy of Apple.)
Taj Musco, “Eh Jeung” (South Korea)
Bridging the Borders Award (The winner will receive a HP professional mobile workstation, EliteBook 8760w; prize and promotional support provided by HP. The runnerup will receive Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5.5.)
Winner: “Bekas” (Sweden/Iraq), Karzan Kader
Runner-up: “The Promised Land” (Israel), Vanessa Knutsen
