Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival announces 2017 winners
The very first annual Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival just came to a close and announced their winners for 2017.
The exciting 2017 line-up included Erika Stone: Funeral Day by Jon Weinberg, Street Scene by Lars Gerhard, Red by Branko Tomovic, Even Lovers Get the Blues by Laurent Micheli, The Fastest, Most Romantic Love Yet by Shane Butler, Quaker Oaths by Louisiana Kreutz just to name a few.
The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival aims to unsettle viewers and upend expectations with movies that "shatter convention and incite spirited debate." Organizer Todd Morris says the festival channels "the rebellious spirit of the Molly Maguires, welcoming the boldest, most defiant filmmakers."
Screening at the Mauch Chunk Opera House were nine feature films and 77 shorts, most of which had premieres. "I've been to a lot of film festivals over the years, from Cannes — seven times — to the grittiest of underground festivals, and I can truly say that I'm incredibly proud of our films and I stand behind all of them 100 percent," says Morris, a filmmaker ("A Gun For Jennifer") who moved to Jim Thorpe in 2014.
Selections ranged from American independents to movies from Egypt, Russia, Germany and Spain. There were comedies, thrillers, romances, horror films, documentaries and LGBT fare.
"I'd say most of our films have a dark, irreverent, rebellious tone and will definitely press buttons and take the viewers on a journey far from their safe spaces," Morris says.
Here is the list of the 2017 nominations and winners:
AWARDS 2017
1. BEST FEATURE: "Palacios" Director Robert Herrera
2. BEST SHORT: “Sweet Maddie Stone” Director Brady Hood
3. BEST DIRECTOR - FEATURE: Laurent Micheli “Even Lovers Get the Blues”
4. BEST DIRECTOR - SHORT: Steven Alexander Russell “Tastes Like Medicine”
5. BEST SCREENPLAY: Shane Butler “The Fastest, Most Romantic Love Yet”
6. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dino Osmanovic “Henry”
7. BEST ACTOR: Mtume Gant “White Face”
8. BEST ACTRESS: Libby Bibb “Palacios”
9. BEST DOCUMENTARY: David Kessler “The Pine Barrens”
10. BEST LGBTQ SUBJECT: “Out Here In Kansas” Director Adam Knapp
11. BEST HORROR / SCI FI: “Don’t Feed The Troll” Director Marc Fratto
12. BEST ANIMATION: “The Bonito is Finito” Director Victor Stabin
13. BEST COMEDY: “Funeral Day” Director Jon Weinberg
14. BEST EXPERIMENTAL: “La Tristesse Durera Toujours” Director Vincent de Giulio
15. BEST GRINDHOUSE: “Terrence” Director Jeffrey Garcia
16. “ENFANT TERRIBLE” (Student Filmmaker Award): Director Radheya Jegatheva “Journey”
17. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT: Director MYC Agnew “Alone: The Only Thing to Fear is Yourself”
18. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: Director Daniel Vogelmann “Hard Way: The Action Musical”
19. LOCAL HERO (PA Filmmaker Award): Director Joe Sapienza “Centralia”
20. Breakout Performance: Olajuwon Davis “Palacios”
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NOMINATIONS 2017
1 Best Feature
Even Lovers Get the Blues
Funeral Day
Henry
Palacios
Quaker Oaths
2 Best Short
Goliath
Leslie
Origami
Silence
Sweet Maddie Stone
3 Best Director - Short
Leslie – Alejandro Montoya Marin
On Attend – Dimitri Sterkens
Silence- Dejan Mrkic
Sweet Maddie Stone – Brady Stone
Tastes Like Medicine – Steven Alexander Russell
Vindicte – Retalitation – Ange-Regis Hounkpatin
4 Best Director - Feature
Even Lovers Get The Blues – Laurent Micheli
Funeral Day – Jon Weinberg
Henry – Philipp Fussenegger
Palacios – Robert Herrera
Quaker Oaths – Louisiana Kreutz
5 Best Screenplay
The Fastest, Most Romantic Love Yet
Funeral Day
Sweet Maddie Stone
Quaker Oaths
See You Yesterday
6 Best Cinematography
Chateau Sauvignon: Terroir – Oliver Anderson
Fallen - Corrado Serri
Henry - Dino Osmanovic
January Hymn – Kate McCullough
Palacios – David Rocco
7 Best Actor
Mtume Gant - Whiteface
Max Jenkins - The Mess He Made
Damion Rochester – Tastes Like Medicine
Branko Tomovic - RED
Jon Weinberg - Funeral Day
8 Best Actress
Charly Thorn - Silence
Eden Duncan-Smith - See You Yesterday
Jennifer Heylen – On Attend
Kika Magalhaes - Leslie
Libby Bibb - Palacios
9 Best Documentary
Centralia
The Cost of Living
Ericka Stone: Street Scene
Out Here in Kansas
The Pine Barrens
10 Best LGBTQ Subject
Bride of Frankie
Even Lovers Get The Blues
The Mess He Made
Out here in Kansas
Relics
11 Best Horror / Sci Fi
Beware The Beast I Worship
Don't Feed the Troll
Earworm
I Baked Him A Cake
They Will All Die In Space
12 Best Animation
149th and Grand Concourse
Angelica
The Bonito is Finito
Journey
13 Best Comedy
The Fastest Romantic Love Yet
Funeral Day
et's Get a Room
Monday
Pay Day
Quaker Oaths
14 Best Experimental
The Cost of Living
Fallen
Fool's Chair
To Quiet My Mind
La Tristesse Durera Toujours
15 Best Grindhouse
Earworm
La Tristesse Durera Toujours
PMS: Pre Teen Monster Syndrome
The Swelling
Terrence
16 “Enfant Terrible” (young filmmaker award)
Angelica
The Fastest, Most Romantic Love Yet
For Isabelle
Journey MPC
Necessity Has No Law
17 Special Achievement
MYC Agnew - Alone: The Only Thing to Fear is Yourself
Jack Cochran & Pamela Falkenberg - The Cost Of Living
Henry Kaplan - We Together
18 Special Jury Prize
Do You Like Me Now?
Hard Way: The Action Musical
See You Yesterday
Vindicte - Retalitation
We Together
19 Local Hero (PA filmmaker award)
Amy Frear - Selkie
Kate Kelsen - Little Red Truck
Wesley Mellott - Marbletown
Kelly Murray - The Astronomer
Joe Sapienza - Centralia
Eric Szollosy - Fools Chair
20 Breakout Performance
Jessica Barden - Sweet Maddie Stone
Nino Böhlau - Henry
Olajuwon Davis - Palacios
For more information, visit http://www.jimthorpeindiefilmfest.com
