DTLA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2019 AWARDS
Winners include Simon Pegg, Scott Wolf, Hong Chau and William Fichtner
Zeiss Cinematography Awards Presented to ‘American Woman” and ‘Me Tambien’
L.A. Dome Film Series Announces Winners
Los Angeles, CA (October 25, 2019) – The 11th annual DTLA Film Festival, running October 23rd -27th at Regal L.A. LIVE, announced today its lineup of award recipients for 2019. Select winners include “Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools,” directed by Jacoba Atlas for the Audience Favorite Award; “American Woman” for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress; “QT8: The First Eight” for Best Director and Best Documentary and a Special Remembrance Award for Robert Forster; “Josie & Jack” picked up Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for William Fichtner; and Hong Chau has won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “American Woman.”
Earlier this evening, the first-ever Zeiss Cinematography Awards were presented to “American Woman” for best feature (Gregory Middleton) and “Me Tambien” (Jorel O’Dell) for best short with cash prizes of $1,500 and $500, respectively.
In the shorts series, thirteen filmmakers were honored with awards including the TV pilot “Neurotica,” which was directed by Laura Moss, and stars Karen Gillan, Jillian Bell, Jon Bass and David Dastmalchian.
The festival’s sidebar this year, L.A. Dome Film Series, also announced its winners with Best Narrative Dome Film going to “Defrost The Virtual Series” by Randal Kleiser and Tanna Frederick and Best Documentary Dome Feature going to “Indirect Actions”: by Maranatha Hay, Fred Cornforth, Tanya Musgrave.
The winners of the festival screenplay contest also were announced with “Natalie Rising” by Donna Bonilla Wheeler picking up the award for Best Feature Screenplay. Her screenplay was performed in a live stage reading during the festival.
The entire list of winners in all categories listed below:
FEATURE FILM AWARDS:
Best Picture
American Woman, directed by Semi Chellas
Audience Favorite Award
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls In Schools, directed by Jacoba Atlas
Zeiss Best Cinematography, Features
American Woman – Gregory Middleton
Best Director, Narrative Feature
Semi Chellas, American Woman
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Simon Pegg, Lost Transmissions
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Hong Chau, American Woman
Best Screenplay
Josie & Jack, written by Sarah Lancaster & Kelly Braffet
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
William Fichtner, Josie & Jack
Best Ensemble Cast (Tie)
Inside Game (Scott Wolf, Will Sasso, Lindsey Morgan, Michael O’Keefe, Julie Claire)
The Living Worst (Zibby Allen, Erin Anderson, Jen Reiter, Amy Cale Peterson)
Best Editing Feature Film
Imaginary Order, edited by Debra Eisenstadt & Clark Harris
Breakthrough Performance
Otmara Marrero, Clementine
Jury Prize for Creative Vision
Mondo Hollywoodland, directed by Janek Ambros
Best New Director
Ashley Maria, Pioneers in Skirts
Best Film Score
My Summer As A Goth, composed by Jana Cushman
Best Director – Documentary Feature
QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood
Best Environmental Documentary
Chasing The Thunder, directed by Mark Benjamin & Mark Levin
Best Music Documentary
Devil’s Pie: D’Angelo, directed by Carine Bijlsma
Best Sports Documentary Feature Film
Willie, directed by Laurence Mathieu-Leger
Best Documentary Feature
QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood
Best Foreign Language Feature Film
Yeva, directed by Anahid Abad
Special Remembrance Award
Robert Forster, QT8: The First Eight
Best Fantasy Sci-Fi Feature
Spinning Dry, directed by Elana Krausz & James Avallone
Best Anthology Film
Bushwick Beats (directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno, Chloe Sarbib, Brian Shoaf, Sonejuhi Sinha, James Sweeney, Anu Valia)
Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Film
Foosballers, edited by Joe Heslinga
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Liu Zhushiman, You Will Never Walk Alone
SHORTS SERIES AWARDS:
Best Cinematography
Me Tambien, directed by Jorel O’Dell
Best Animation Short
The Opposite Game, directed by Anna Samo
Best Actor
Jasmine Guy, Illegal Rose
Best Short Documentary
Lowland Kids, directed by Sandra Winther
Best Short Narrative
Karma, directed by Armando del Rio
Best Director
Practice, directed by Moira Fett
Student Visionary Award
What You Mean To Me, directed by Jessica Diaz & Heaven Haliburton
Best Foreign Language Short
The Fires of Soledad, directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera
Best Ensemble Cast
Zoe In Review: Kezia Bernard, Colleen Slattery, Andrea Petersen, Brendan McGowan, Wenyi Wei
Best Social Justice Short
Freedom Song, directed by Andy McCallie
Best Experimental Shot
Liberated Zones, directed by Dana Washington
Best Web Series
King Ester, directed by Dui Jarrod
Best TV Pilot
Neurotica, directed by Laura Moss
DOME FILM SERIES AWARDS
Best Dome Music Video
Jacob Collier Make Me Cry 360 by Jacob Collier and Matthew Celia
Best LGBT Dome Film
Through Darcelle’s Eyes by Brad Gill and Rachel Bracker
Best Educational Dome Short
Birth of Planet Earth by Thomas Lucas, Donna Cox, Bradley Thompson, Robert Patterson and Michael Bruno
Best Conceptual Dome Short
Last Whispers, by Lena Herzog, Meghan McWilliams, Cedric Gamelin , Mario Kenyon and Nonny de la Peña
Best Narrative Dome Film
Defrost The Virtual Series by Randal Kleiser and Tanna Frederick
Best Documentary Dome Feature
Indirect Actions by Maranatha Hay, Fred Cornforth, and Tanya Musgrave
Best Documentary Dome Short
Everest VR by Jonathan Griffith, Matt De John and William Maurer
Best Artistic Dome Short
Sonolumin by Diana Reichenbach
Best Environmental Dome Film
Four Elements by Natalia Oliwiak
Best Dome Visuals
SPHERE by Robot Koch, Mickael Le Goff
Best Artistic Dome Feature
Mesmerica 360 by Michael J. Saul, James Hood, Bennett Freed, Kate McCallum, Ed Lantz
Best Architectural Dome Film
Urban Levitation by Sergey Prokofyev, Studio Schwitalla
SCREENWRITING COMPETITION:
Natalie Rising, written by Donna Bonilla Wheeler
Finalists
On Time, written by Xavier Neal-Bergin
Service Animals, written by Christopher Corte
TV Pilot Screenplay Winner
Happyland, written by Alexandra Fernandez
Finalists
Nearly Supernova, written by Annie Nishida
Hardcore Vegans, written by Laura Hooper Beck
Shorts Screenplay Winner
Melanin, written by Maris Tia Streaty
Finalists
Wink, written by Teo Frank
Any Given Day, written by Juan Burgos
(Information updated 10/28/19.)
About DTLA Film Festival
Founded in 2008 as a nonprofit (501)(c)(3) arts organization, DTLA Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing films by and about groups underrepresented by Hollywood in the historic center of the Creative Capital of the World. The festival also strives to reflect in its programming the unique cultural and ethnic diversity of the neighborhoods of downtown Los Angeles and its surrounding communities.
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