BEST SHORT FILM
"After The Egg"
Directed By: Chelsea Slayter
Written By: Chelsea Slayter
A young woman becomes an unlikely caregiver for her estranged father and his new chicken friend. The pressures of caring for her father’s needs, as well as the chicken’s, begins to mount and she grapples with the idea of leaving him at an assisted living facility. Their underlying history comes to a boiling point when she accidentally leaves the door open and the chicken wanders off.
BEST FEATURE FILM
"Gangnam Girls"
Directed By: Charmi Nemchand Chheda
Written By: Charmi Nemchand Chheda
Four friends Karma Lhamo, Tshokey, Tara Dorji and Menda are childhood friends. Even though extremely different, they grow up supporting each other’s dreams. In their late teens, they have a fall out, and their friendship breaks. Menda tries to reunite and reignite the friendship but all her efforts are in vain. After a decade, Karma realizes it’s time to connect to her friends. She invites them for her weekend stayover, housewarming,which results in a series of highs and lows, heart warming and confronting situations, that eventually lead to revealing of secrets and a catharsis of intense emotions. It brings them closer, once again reigniting the strong friendship, love and trust that they always shared.
BEST STUDENT FILM
"Counting Down"
Directed By: Oya Babaoglu
Written By: Oya Babaoglu
A young psychiatrist in 1875 is promoted to be the head doctor of the city asylum, but she has a secret, she suffers from arithmomania - a form of OCD where sufferers have a strong urge to count. She is committed to cure herself all on her own, but she only has one week. Can she succeed?
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
"Mishandled"
Directed By: Samantha Marie Ware
Assistant Director: Britni Camacho
Every variable of this project stems from the absolute faith that someone like me could perhaps envision a genre-less, short tale that encapsulates the inner turmoils of a woman at the feet of her own self-sabotage; moderate substance abuse, her choice of men, and the occasional dissociation that gives her imagination a chance to paint what her own freedoms may look like. Not only did I write this project, I fully funded it myself. I needed to have complete control in the direction of this project as it's ultimately my story, and the lens, just like any visual tool can be revolutionary.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN AND COSTUMING
"Almost Home"
Production Designer: Jenna Giannini
Directed By: Kayla B Saunders
Written By: Kayla B Saunders
After the tragic event of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, this short film tells the story of two family members of one of the (fictional) members on board the shuttle. Though six-year-old Abigail, with her wild imagination, fascination for all things cosmic, and playful spirit, desires nothing more than to be an astronaut like her mother, her grandfather, Robert, who is left to take care of her, struggles to keep a positive demeanor for his granddaughter. As he struggles internally with the loss of his daughter, he must decide whether or not he will break the news to his young granddaughter. However, this is also a story of family bonds; of triumphing over a great loss with even greater love, and of nurturing rather than discouraging a child’s imagination.
BEST STORY
"After The Egg"
Directed By: Chelsea Slayter
Written By: Chelsea Slayter
A young woman becomes an unlikely caregiver for her estranged father and his new chicken friend. The pressures of caring for her father’s needs, as well as the chicken’s, begins to mount and she grapples with the idea of leaving him at an assisted living facility. Their underlying history comes to a boiling point when she accidentally leaves the door open and the chicken wanders off.
BEST DIRECTING
"Almost Home"
Directed By: Kayla B Saunders
Written By: Kayla B Saunders
After the tragic event of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, this short film tells the story of two family members of one of the (fictional) members on board the shuttle. Though six-year-old Abigail, with her wild imagination, fascination for all things cosmic, and playful spirit, desires nothing more than to be an astronaut like her mother, her grandfather, Robert, who is left to take care of her, struggles to keep a positive demeanor for his granddaughter. As he struggles internally with the loss of his daughter, he must decide whether or not he will break the news to his young granddaughter. However, this is also a story of family bonds; of triumphing over a great loss with even greater love, and of nurturing rather than discouraging a child’s imagination.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Old Fox"
Directed By: Briana Rayner
Director of Photography: William Minsky
Written By: Briana Rayner
A daughter questions her father's mental health, and mysterious death.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
"The Warrior Princess"
Directed By: Vianca Fuster
The Warrior Princess is a short documentary about Violet 'The Warrior Princess' Lopez, a 13-year-old, five-time amateur national boxing champion who believes boxing shouldn’t be labeled as just a "boys sport.” Violet is a barrier-breaking boxer looking to one day etch her name in the women's sports history books by winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, becoming a professional fighter, and inspiring growth in the sport of girls amateur boxing. The film follows Violet's fight for a sixth national title, and the trials and triumphs that come with her successful boxing career that affirms a girl's place in the ring.
BEST ALTERNATE CONTENT
"See Me: A Global Concert"
Directed By: Bernadette Wegenstein, Nico Daswani, Marin Alsop, Es Devlin
See Me is an original musical film about the power of hope and connection during a global pandemic. Filmed as a cinematic musical experience, See Me poetically interweaves the musical contributions of orchestras and choirs in Afghanistan, Austria, Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa and the United States, into a singular moment of beauty and unity that will remind us for years to come of this very moment in history.
FEATURED SELECTIONS
HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Wearing Thin”
Director Hermeilio Miguel Aquino
“Out of My Comfort Zone”
Director Ivy Vale, Rick Reil
“Out of Milk”
Director Yuval Barbi
“Nanakorobi (Seven Falls)”
Director Glenna Burmer, Gaby Breiter
“The Hostess”
Director Dylan Gee
“The Race”
Director Carolina Stevens, Michael Everett
“Intermission”
Director Susannah Collins
“A different path to recovery”
Directors Raginie Duara
“LUCIA”
Director Joyce Garvey
“obscure origins”
Director Molly Moody
“If You Can Walk, You Can Dance”
Director Moira Rowan
“Retribution”
Director Mel Orpen
“The Way”
Director Dastan Khalili (DGA)
“Love exhaustion”
Director Sam Janot
“Hansel's Gretel”
Director Laura Jane Turner
“I AM THE NEW ADJANI”
Director KHADY N'DIAYE
“Indelible Lives”
Director Jasmine Capon
“Get Over It”
Director Meagan Massa
“Metamorphosis”
Director Edward Taveras and Cashavelly Morrison
“SHANTA”
Director Amanda Bensel
“A Void”
Director Andrea Maldonado
“Her Call”
Director Ewa Bielska
“Every Moment”
Director Samantha deManbey
“Bottle Monster”
Director Marjorie DeHey
“ICON - Memoirs of a Master Craftsman”
Director Kala Shreen
“Gone Too Soon: The Life, Legacy and Loss of Newark's Cultural Icons”
Director Celeste A. Bateman
“A Study In Conservation”
Director Anna Ramey Borden
“Crackle”
Director Anais Thomassian
“Our Nappy Hair”
Director Aviva Yalem Reuven
“IDENTITY”
Director Ekta Saran
“Summer in winter”
Director Xiaoxing Chen
“And suddenly it's evening”
Director Giulia Brazzale
“When She Sleeps”
Director Lauren Anneliese Pentony
“Sound of Judgment”
Director Julia Wall
“The Collector”
Director Jaclyn Tyler Poeschl
“WE THREE”
Director Linna He
Thank you to everyone who submitted their wonderful work!
Hi all! First, congratulations! These past few years have been pretty tough on everyone, and we appreciate you all still continuing your craft in the ways that you have. We had a record number of submissions this year and our team watches every one of them. These selections are so amazing and so wonderful and we hope that each and every one of you continues in your pursuits in this industry. We were honestly blown away by the creativity, enginuity, and emotion that was put into each and every one of these submissions!
The videos for the selected submissions unfortunately will not be played on this website, as many of them are still on their festival run, and with no in-person screenings allowed, it would be unfair to release these films without everyone’s consent. We’re hoping to get back to in-person events as soon as possible, and of course past participants will be invited as well! We would love to get the chance to meet you all and give everyone a wonderful opportunity for networking.
Again, thank you so much. Congrats on your achievements and may you continue to create and thrive! Until next year!
Make sure to check out the amazing resources we have below!