Top Awards
Best Picture: Gutman's Alternative (Aleksandrs Mirskis, Latvia)
Best Script: LimoCop (Kevin Lapsley, Michael Craig, Canz)
Nominees: Erased, Palmetto, Persona, Rainbows and Silver Buckles: The Adventures of Joe and Muz, The Vanishing Point, The Women of Harcourt Street, They Came from the Seaweed
Film Jury Awards
Best Alternative Film: Under the Lights (Miles Levin, USA)
Nominees: Bennifer, Daffodil, The Remaining Eight, Dark Alley, On My Own, Salting the Fly, Come! (Eat)
Best Student Film: June Heist (Angela Marie Houston, USA)
Nominees: High Card, Johnny Anarchy, Here to Collect
Best Short Film: The Lossen (Colin Skevington, UK)
Nominees: A Piece of Cake, Under the Lights, Together, The Remaining Eight, Wives of the Skies, Daffodil, Entwined, The Simple Path
Best Documentary: The Hoy Boys (Dave Simonds, USA)
Nominees: The Valley, Strange Tenants: Ska'd for Life, The Campaign of Miner Bo, Return to Nam, Mentally Al, Overdosed
Cultural Spirit: Overdosed (Mary Sue Connolly, USA)
Nominees: Tending Clouds, LifeSaver: The SLO Noor Foundation Story, Wish Come True, Once in a Hundred Years: The Life & Legacy of Marian Anderson
Animal Welfare: Catnip Nation (Tina Traster, USA)
Best Short Documentary: Once in a Hundred Years: The Life & Legacy of Marian Anderson (Bill Nicoletti, USA)
Nominee: The Magic Behind the Mojo, Tending Clouds
Best Biographical Film: Mentally Al (Joshua Edelman, USA)
Nominees: Once in a Hundred Years: The Life & Legacy of Marian Anderson, The Magic Behind the Mojo, The Hoy Boys
Female Eye Filmmaking: Wives of the Skies (Honey Lauren, USA)
Nominees: Becoming Bethany Rhodes, Borrowing, Come! (Eat), Daffodil, Feminist Theory and How It Relates to the Patriarchal Dividend, Joan on Her Own, June Heist, You Can Kiss Me
Best TV Pilot: Oddly Popular (Fred Gallo, USA)
Best Comedy: A Piece of Cake (The Bragg Brothers, USA)
Nominees: Bennifer, Wives of the Skies, Love Gov 2: A Crisis Not to Waste, Joan on Her Own
New Hope: Tending Clouds (Joel Sandvos, USA, Cambodia)
Nominees: LifeSaver: The SLO Noor Foundation Story, Overdosed, Return to Nam
LGBTQ Spirit: Garden DayZe (Evie Hammer, USA)
Nominees: You Can Kiss Me, Feminist Theory and How It Relates to the Patriarchal Dividend
Best Supernatural Film: Daffodil (Nicola Fan, Hong Kong)
Nominees: The Lossen
Best Webisode: Joan on Her Own (Sherise Dorf, USA)
Nominees: Love Gov 2: A Crisis Not to Waste
Best Music Video: Bullet Man (Vadim Lasca, Venezuela)
Nominees: Wish Come True
Music Video Cultural Spirit: Wish Come True (Sharon Doyle, USA)
Nominees: Bullet Man
Best Director: Colin Skevington (The Lossen, UK)
Nominees: The Bragg Brothers (A Piece of Cake, USA), Honey Lauren (Wives of the Skies, USA), Bill Nicoletti (Once in a Hundred Years: The Life & Legacy of Marian Anderson, USA), Nicola Fan (Daffodil, Hong Kong), Aleksandrs Mirskis (Gutman's Alternative, Latvia), Miles Levin (Under the Lights, USA), Joshua Edelman (Mentally Al, USA)
Script Jury Awards
Best Narrative Feature: Persona (Jeffrey Howe)
Nominees: Saving the West, The Vanishing Point, The Women of Harcourt Street, They Came from the Seaweed, Erased, Chupacabra, East Farm
Best Teleplay: Forever Home (Sarah Shook, Scott Goldstein)
Best Period Script: Rainbows and Silver Buckles: The Adventures of Joe and Muz (Stuart Schulz)
Nominees: Saving the West, The Wild Heart of Alaska
Best Short Screenplay: The Joymaker (Tara Grover Smith)
Nominees: Prepare the Way, Rescued, The Lesson
New Hope Film Festival
Official Blog for the New Hope Film Festival
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020
The Magic Behind the Mojo
Down in the Louisiana Bayou, they sure know how to live—and party.
If you are weary of stay-at-home culture and you're a wantin' t' join 'em, why not grab your hat and/or dancin' shoes and head on out to a live performance of Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies, the subject of this frolicking documentary? Or at least virtually via the link below. Bandleader Mojo and his Cajun accordion have been entertaining audiences around the world for over half a century, and he's showing no signs of slowin' down.
The Magic Behind the Mojo is a biographical film about a culturally authentic artist, but to its credit it's also a highly entertaining concert because there is plenty of music. About six years ago, filmmaker Joe Gallo discovered this Deep South musician while working on the soundtrack for a film involved in supporting the newly minted National Museum of the United States Army. Now, I'm no expert on Cajun culture, but Mojo has a one-word name so he must be a star.
You can watch the trailer here: The Magic Behind the Mojo Trailer
If you are weary of stay-at-home culture and you're a wantin' t' join 'em, why not grab your hat and/or dancin' shoes and head on out to a live performance of Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies, the subject of this frolicking documentary? Or at least virtually via the link below. Bandleader Mojo and his Cajun accordion have been entertaining audiences around the world for over half a century, and he's showing no signs of slowin' down.
The Magic Behind the Mojo is a biographical film about a culturally authentic artist, but to its credit it's also a highly entertaining concert because there is plenty of music. About six years ago, filmmaker Joe Gallo discovered this Deep South musician while working on the soundtrack for a film involved in supporting the newly minted National Museum of the United States Army. Now, I'm no expert on Cajun culture, but Mojo has a one-word name so he must be a star.
You can watch the trailer here: The Magic Behind the Mojo Trailer
LifeSaver: The SLO Noor Foundation Story
A humanitarian foundation in San Luis Obispo, California runs medical, dental and vision clinics in their area with the praiseworthy mission of serving the uninsured. It's almost astonishing that even after health care reform millions of people remain uninsured in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in history.
Despite its technical sophistication, the nation's health care delivery system can be callous towards people who cannot afford to participate in it. Moreover, the costs of housing, automobiles and other basics of modern life have grown with the stock market and technological progress over time while multitudes who aren't well positioned to benefit fall between the cracks.
An immigrant physician who saw people struggling to make it in this country set out to effect positive change, and these clinics are the result. Although the foundation is small and its area of service is confined to the immediate area, its work is important and the model deserves wide recognition. Filmmaker Robert Williams is compounding the good done by SLO Noor Foundation by putting this documentary on the festival circuit; let's hope the publicity will spawn imitators.
You can watch the trailer here: The SLO Noor Foundation Trailer
Despite its technical sophistication, the nation's health care delivery system can be callous towards people who cannot afford to participate in it. Moreover, the costs of housing, automobiles and other basics of modern life have grown with the stock market and technological progress over time while multitudes who aren't well positioned to benefit fall between the cracks.
An immigrant physician who saw people struggling to make it in this country set out to effect positive change, and these clinics are the result. Although the foundation is small and its area of service is confined to the immediate area, its work is important and the model deserves wide recognition. Filmmaker Robert Williams is compounding the good done by SLO Noor Foundation by putting this documentary on the festival circuit; let's hope the publicity will spawn imitators.
You can watch the trailer here: The SLO Noor Foundation Trailer
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Together
The concept of togetherness is under great duress today, which makes a film entitled Together all the more timely. In this 17-minute short, Carver and Ella have enjoyed a successful marriage for 50 wonderful years and now they want to celebrate with the trip of a lifetime. They raised good kids who are now adults and the couple is free to go it alone, just as they were when they started their matrimonial journey together.
There is only one problem—it's medically related—and it pushes the meaning of the word together in an unexpected direction. The plotline should touch a chord amidst a worldwide pandemic. Helmer A.W. Scott is a former venture capitalist who made a challenging career change to the arts via completing a program at UCLA Graduate Film School, and his dedication to learning the crafts of writing and directing is clearly evident in this fine, humanistic film.
You can watch the trailer here: Together Trailer
There is only one problem—it's medically related—and it pushes the meaning of the word together in an unexpected direction. The plotline should touch a chord amidst a worldwide pandemic. Helmer A.W. Scott is a former venture capitalist who made a challenging career change to the arts via completing a program at UCLA Graduate Film School, and his dedication to learning the crafts of writing and directing is clearly evident in this fine, humanistic film.
You can watch the trailer here: Together Trailer
Sunday, May 31, 2020
The Hoy Boys
In our age of polarized press and marketing-driven newsbytes, some people would call it naive to think that journalism professionals once roamed the Earth with a single-minded focus on presenting the unvarnished truth, even if it didn't sit well with them personally. After all, everyone has a bias they could say.
The Hoy Boys hearkens back to an era when news broadcasts were sparse and journalists worked behind firewalls—legal protections, editorial separation from news departments and analogue cameras that captured history, unedited, on film. It may not have been a Golden Age, but that may be the point. Photojournalists Tom and Frank Hoy, the subjects of this excellent biographical film, did not Photoshop our view of their time.
Filmmaker Dave Simonds seems equally interested in capturing his subjects, and this project is richer for it. You can watch the trailer here: The Hoy Boys Trailer
The Hoy Boys hearkens back to an era when news broadcasts were sparse and journalists worked behind firewalls—legal protections, editorial separation from news departments and analogue cameras that captured history, unedited, on film. It may not have been a Golden Age, but that may be the point. Photojournalists Tom and Frank Hoy, the subjects of this excellent biographical film, did not Photoshop our view of their time.
Filmmaker Dave Simonds seems equally interested in capturing his subjects, and this project is richer for it. You can watch the trailer here: The Hoy Boys Trailer
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Wives of the Skies
Set in 1965, a time of glamorous jet travel and less-than-ideal attitudes towards women at work, this short from California by seasoned actress and writer Honey Lauren pokes and prods in the right areas. A leering male photographer finds willing subjects in two bubbly young flight attendants, but just when you think someone should expropriate his camera and send him packing, the women demonstrate that he who plays a game can also be the one who is getting played.
Lauren hails from the gorgeous Los Angeles seaside community of Pacific Palisades, and it shows in her work's impressive aesthetic sensibility, from sharp-eyed cinematic choices down to minute details of the era. This is eye candy, indeed, but it's also a reminder that he who self-indulges in sweets may end up with a toothache.
Or a lifelong row of false teeth. You can watch the trailer here (parental discretion advised): Wives of the Skies Trailer
Lauren hails from the gorgeous Los Angeles seaside community of Pacific Palisades, and it shows in her work's impressive aesthetic sensibility, from sharp-eyed cinematic choices down to minute details of the era. This is eye candy, indeed, but it's also a reminder that he who self-indulges in sweets may end up with a toothache.
Or a lifelong row of false teeth. You can watch the trailer here (parental discretion advised): Wives of the Skies Trailer
Monday, July 29, 2019
2019 Award Winners
Top Awards
Best Picture: The Last Witness (Piotr Szkopiak, UK)
Nominees: Union, Sandpaper, Nathan's Kingdom, Ek Aasha, Second Samuel, Freshman Year, Wheels
Best Script: Requite (James Castagno, USA)
Nominees: The O'Malley, Rodeo, Brock Wilbur Adventure Pig, The Fourth Psalm, Caught Between Two Worlds
Film Jury Awards
Best Narrative Feature: Tarab (Jennifer Hanley, USA)
Nominees: Union, The Last Witness, Second Samuel, Shadow Lands, Ek Aasha, Nathan's Kingdom, Just Between Us, Sandpaper
Best Alternative Feature: Ek Aasha (Mayur Katariya, Australia/India)
Nominees: Freshman Year, Shadow Lands, Just Between Us, Nathan's Kingdom, Wheels, Another Yesterday
Best Student Film: Sif (Arnar Tomasson, Stefan Mekkinosson, Iceland)
Nominees: A Cold Spring, Can Dolls Be My Neighbor, The Shrinking Sky
Best Short Film: The Reckoning of Darkness (Christopher Kulikowski, USA)
Nominees: My Million Dollar Mom, Their War, Virtually, The Magic Lantern, Son of Blackbeard, Foreign, A Blood Throne
Best Documentary: Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Bill Wisneski, USA)
Nominees: The Stateless Diplomat, Beyond Sixty Project, Day of the Western Sunrise, From Liberty to Captivity, Doctor C, Beautiful Lie
Cultural Spirit: From Liberty to Captivity (Debbie Wright, USA)
Nominees: Minor Injustice, Shattered Dreams, From the Afghan People for Americans, Community First, Day of the Western Sunrise, Clean Hands
Best Biographical Film: The Stateless Diplomat: Diana Apcar's Heroic Life (Mimi Malayan, USA)
Nominees: Doctor C, Beautiful Lie, Against the Wall, Anthonisen Sculptor, The Time We Have
Animal Welfare: Voice for the Wild (Brianna Dent, USA)
Nominees: Charlie Bee Company
Best Short Documentary: Vietnam Aftermath (Tom Phillips, USA)
Nominees: Redemption, Song of the Open Road: The Story of the Southern California Youth Chorale, Against the Wall, Voice for the Wild, Can Dolls Be My Neighbor
Best Foreign Film: Their War (Max Mason, UK)
Nominees: The Last Witness, Their War, Ek Aasha, Foreign, Think Back, Just Between Us
Best Experimental Short: A Blood Throne (Xavier Garcia, USA)
Nominees: Foreign, From Emily, A Song for Luise
Indie Spirit: Just Between Us (Christopher Kay, Australia)
Nominees: Tarab, Shadow Lands, Just Between Us, Think Back, Another Yesterday
Best Sci-Fi Film: Virtually (P. Patrick Hogan, USA)
Nominees: The Reckoning of Darkness, A Song for Luise, Sif
Best Animated Film: Eagle Feather (Steve Encell, Thailand/USA)
Nominees: Refrigerator Animation, Night Light, Day of the Western Sunrise
Female Eye Filmmaking: Beyond Sixty Project (Melissa Davey, USA)
Nominees: Signs of Aging, Gloria, Union, From the Afghan People for Americans, From Emily, Tarab, Pretty Pretty Prison
Best Comedy: Son of Blackbeard (Thomas Verdi, USA)
Nominees: Happy Birthday Rachel Confrancisco, Refrigerator Animation, Pretty Pretty Prison, Just Between Us, Only a Movie
Best Period Film: Second Samuel (J Wayne Patterson Jr, USA)
Nominees: The Last Witness, Union, Their War, The Reckoning of Darkness
Student Cultural Spirit: Anyone Like Me (Mimi d'Autremont, USA)
Nominees: Voice for the Wild
New Hope: Against the Wall (Kyle Saylors, USA)
Redemption, Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America, Against the Wall, Clean Hands, Song of the Open Road, From the Afghan People for Americans
Artistic Spirit: Union (Whitney Hamilton, USA)
Nominees: Song of the Open Road: The Story of the Southern California Youth Chorale, Against the Wall, Ek Aasha, Union, Sandpaper, Nathan's Kingdom
GLBTQ Spirit: Beautiful Lie (Joe Loverro, USA)
Nominees: Australia Says Yes, Ek Aasha, Union, Foreign, Hiding in Daylight
Best Supernatural Film: Nathan's Kingdom (Olicer Munoz, USA)
Nominees: Devil's Food Cake, The Reckoning of Darkness, From Emily
Best Webisode: Epic Quest (Chelsea Goodman, Canada)
Nominees: Extra/Ordinary
Best Music Video: Shut Up! I'm on a Roll (Oscar Martin, Spain)
Nominees: Tether, Lover Her Better, Let It Go: The Cat Thief, Never Been to War
Best Director: Whitney Hamilton (Union, USA)
Nominees: Piotr Szkopiak, Max Mason, Jarett Bellucci, Jennifer Hanley, J Wayne Patterson, Xavier Garcia, Olicer Munoz, Mayur Katariya, Christopher Kulikowski
Script Jury Awards
Best Narrative Feature: The Fourth Psalm (John Martins III, USA)
Nominees: Requite, Old Soul, The O'Malley, Aktion 4, Beneficiary, Behold, Little Things Mean a Lot
Best Teleplay: Rodeo (Ian Reichbach, USA)
Nominees: Caught Between Two Worlds, Brock Wilbur: Adventure Pig, Utopia Planitia, Forgiveness
Best Period Script: The O'Malley (John Sarno, USA)
Nominees: The Gael, Aktion 4, Robert Smalls, Life in a Time of War
Best Short Screenplay: The Gael (Lucas Diercouff, USA)
Nominees: Saraya, A Lonely Painter, So, Aliens from Inner Space, Wheels, The Vendor
Audience Choice Awards
Best Webisode: Extra/Ordinary (Benjamin Long, USA)
Best TV Pilot: Charlie Bee Company (Ashley Scott Davison, USA)
Best Music Video: Let It Go: The Cat Thief (Jonathan Raines, USA)
Best Narrative Feature: Second Samuel (J Wayne Patterson Jr, USA)
Best Documentary: Beyond Sixty Project (Melissa Davey, USA)
Best Short Film: Virtually (P. Patrick Hogan, USA)
Best Student Film: Voice for the Wild (Brianna Dent, USA)
Best Picture: The Last Witness (Piotr Szkopiak, UK)
Nominees: Union, Sandpaper, Nathan's Kingdom, Ek Aasha, Second Samuel, Freshman Year, Wheels
Best Script: Requite (James Castagno, USA)
Nominees: The O'Malley, Rodeo, Brock Wilbur Adventure Pig, The Fourth Psalm, Caught Between Two Worlds
Film Jury Awards
Best Narrative Feature: Tarab (Jennifer Hanley, USA)
Nominees: Union, The Last Witness, Second Samuel, Shadow Lands, Ek Aasha, Nathan's Kingdom, Just Between Us, Sandpaper
Best Alternative Feature: Ek Aasha (Mayur Katariya, Australia/India)
Nominees: Freshman Year, Shadow Lands, Just Between Us, Nathan's Kingdom, Wheels, Another Yesterday
Best Student Film: Sif (Arnar Tomasson, Stefan Mekkinosson, Iceland)
Nominees: A Cold Spring, Can Dolls Be My Neighbor, The Shrinking Sky
Best Short Film: The Reckoning of Darkness (Christopher Kulikowski, USA)
Nominees: My Million Dollar Mom, Their War, Virtually, The Magic Lantern, Son of Blackbeard, Foreign, A Blood Throne
Best Documentary: Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Bill Wisneski, USA)
Nominees: The Stateless Diplomat, Beyond Sixty Project, Day of the Western Sunrise, From Liberty to Captivity, Doctor C, Beautiful Lie
Cultural Spirit: From Liberty to Captivity (Debbie Wright, USA)
Nominees: Minor Injustice, Shattered Dreams, From the Afghan People for Americans, Community First, Day of the Western Sunrise, Clean Hands
Best Biographical Film: The Stateless Diplomat: Diana Apcar's Heroic Life (Mimi Malayan, USA)
Nominees: Doctor C, Beautiful Lie, Against the Wall, Anthonisen Sculptor, The Time We Have
Animal Welfare: Voice for the Wild (Brianna Dent, USA)
Nominees: Charlie Bee Company
Best Short Documentary: Vietnam Aftermath (Tom Phillips, USA)
Nominees: Redemption, Song of the Open Road: The Story of the Southern California Youth Chorale, Against the Wall, Voice for the Wild, Can Dolls Be My Neighbor
Best Foreign Film: Their War (Max Mason, UK)
Nominees: The Last Witness, Their War, Ek Aasha, Foreign, Think Back, Just Between Us
Best Experimental Short: A Blood Throne (Xavier Garcia, USA)
Nominees: Foreign, From Emily, A Song for Luise
Indie Spirit: Just Between Us (Christopher Kay, Australia)
Nominees: Tarab, Shadow Lands, Just Between Us, Think Back, Another Yesterday
Best Sci-Fi Film: Virtually (P. Patrick Hogan, USA)
Nominees: The Reckoning of Darkness, A Song for Luise, Sif
Best Animated Film: Eagle Feather (Steve Encell, Thailand/USA)
Nominees: Refrigerator Animation, Night Light, Day of the Western Sunrise
Female Eye Filmmaking: Beyond Sixty Project (Melissa Davey, USA)
Nominees: Signs of Aging, Gloria, Union, From the Afghan People for Americans, From Emily, Tarab, Pretty Pretty Prison
Best Comedy: Son of Blackbeard (Thomas Verdi, USA)
Nominees: Happy Birthday Rachel Confrancisco, Refrigerator Animation, Pretty Pretty Prison, Just Between Us, Only a Movie
Best Period Film: Second Samuel (J Wayne Patterson Jr, USA)
Nominees: The Last Witness, Union, Their War, The Reckoning of Darkness
Student Cultural Spirit: Anyone Like Me (Mimi d'Autremont, USA)
Nominees: Voice for the Wild
New Hope: Against the Wall (Kyle Saylors, USA)
Redemption, Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America, Against the Wall, Clean Hands, Song of the Open Road, From the Afghan People for Americans
Artistic Spirit: Union (Whitney Hamilton, USA)
Nominees: Song of the Open Road: The Story of the Southern California Youth Chorale, Against the Wall, Ek Aasha, Union, Sandpaper, Nathan's Kingdom
GLBTQ Spirit: Beautiful Lie (Joe Loverro, USA)
Nominees: Australia Says Yes, Ek Aasha, Union, Foreign, Hiding in Daylight
Best Supernatural Film: Nathan's Kingdom (Olicer Munoz, USA)
Nominees: Devil's Food Cake, The Reckoning of Darkness, From Emily
Best Webisode: Epic Quest (Chelsea Goodman, Canada)
Nominees: Extra/Ordinary
Best Music Video: Shut Up! I'm on a Roll (Oscar Martin, Spain)
Nominees: Tether, Lover Her Better, Let It Go: The Cat Thief, Never Been to War
Best Director: Whitney Hamilton (Union, USA)
Nominees: Piotr Szkopiak, Max Mason, Jarett Bellucci, Jennifer Hanley, J Wayne Patterson, Xavier Garcia, Olicer Munoz, Mayur Katariya, Christopher Kulikowski
Script Jury Awards
Best Narrative Feature: The Fourth Psalm (John Martins III, USA)
Nominees: Requite, Old Soul, The O'Malley, Aktion 4, Beneficiary, Behold, Little Things Mean a Lot
Best Teleplay: Rodeo (Ian Reichbach, USA)
Nominees: Caught Between Two Worlds, Brock Wilbur: Adventure Pig, Utopia Planitia, Forgiveness
Best Period Script: The O'Malley (John Sarno, USA)
Nominees: The Gael, Aktion 4, Robert Smalls, Life in a Time of War
Best Short Screenplay: The Gael (Lucas Diercouff, USA)
Nominees: Saraya, A Lonely Painter, So, Aliens from Inner Space, Wheels, The Vendor
Audience Choice Awards
Best Webisode: Extra/Ordinary (Benjamin Long, USA)
Best TV Pilot: Charlie Bee Company (Ashley Scott Davison, USA)
Best Music Video: Let It Go: The Cat Thief (Jonathan Raines, USA)
Best Narrative Feature: Second Samuel (J Wayne Patterson Jr, USA)
Best Documentary: Beyond Sixty Project (Melissa Davey, USA)
Best Short Film: Virtually (P. Patrick Hogan, USA)
Best Student Film: Voice for the Wild (Brianna Dent, USA)
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