Nightstream 2020: DINNER IN AMERICA Wins Audience Award

Proceeds from the festival will be distributed to all filmmakers and artists involved, as well as to local charities and small businesses, such as the Future of Film is Female, House of Tulip, KoKo NYC, New Orleans Creative Response, New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, North Bend Downtown Foundation, and Roar New York, in addition to local cinema support funds for the Brattle Film Foundation, the independently-owned North Bend Theatre, and the historic Savor Cinema. 

Following the end of four days of scheduled digital programming on October 11th, NIGHTSTREAM comes to a full stop today as extended on-demand programming concludes and Adam Rehmeier’s DINNER IN AMERICA is announced as the winner of the festival’s Audience Award. This comes following the over 50 accolades presented from the five festivals for their respective short blocks, which were announced following the closing night film, Quentin Dupieux’s MANDIBLES, and are listed below in full. 

 

"I’m thrilled Dinner in America resonated with NIGHTSTREAM’s audience the way it did, that this film is bringing people some much needed respite from the chaos of 2020,” says Adam Rehmeier in acceptance of his award. “Thank you to all of the people who have reached out to share how deeply they’ve connected with Patty and Simon. Your words are the cure for the pandemic blues. Hats off to all five festivals for coming together to create such a beautiful monster!"

 

In total NIGHTSTREAM saw over 15,000 tickets and badges issued, and over 35,000 films and events uniquely viewed in all fifty U.S. states. The festival, which proudly celebrated 8 World Premieres, 8 North American Premieres, and 7 U.S. Premieres, featured 166 scheduled virtual screenings and events, in addition to our selection of titles available on-demand. Proceeds from the festival will be distributed to all filmmakers and artists involved, as well as to local charities and small businesses, such as the Future of Film is Female, House of Tulip, KoKo NYC, New Orleans Creative Response, New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, North Bend Downtown Foundation, and Roar New York, in addition to local cinema support funds for the Brattle Film Foundation, the independently-owned North Bend Theatre, and the historic Savor Cinema. 

 

NIGHTSTREAM began with the sold-out World Premiere of Hulu’s thriller RUN on opening night on October 8th, and continued until the 11th with a mix of live events, digital parties, premieres, and more, and created a game-changing social hub with our highly celebrated virtual bar, becoming the first film festival to use the technology to recreate the feeling of community lost as we pivot to digital landscapes. 

 

The festival’s live presentations of Dinner With The Masters of Horror: A Tribute to Mick Garris, where NIGHTSTREAM presented Garris with the Master of Horror Award alongside special guests John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, John Landis, Ernest Dickerson, and more; and nightly Evening Rituals presented by IFC Midnight were standouts of the program, the latter of which welcomed hosts that included Elijah Wood, Barbara Crampton, and Larry Fessenden. Highlights from the full events slate included special anniversary celebrations for AMERICAN PSYCHO with Mary Harron and TALES FROM THE HOOD with Rusty Cundieff and panels on Indonesian Horror, presented by Shudder, and horror comics, presented by Midnight Pulp, as well as a featured talk with Nia DaCosta on CANDYMAN and the film industry. 

 

The full list of short film juries and the titles they awarded can be found below. 

 

BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL: SHORT FILM JURY WINNERS

 

Boston Underground Short Film Jury:

Usama Alshaibi, Filmmaker - PROFANE, AMERICAN ARAB

Monica Castillo, Journalist - The New York Times, DigBoston

Celia Pouzet, Programmer - The Fantasia International Film Festival, MOTELx Film Festival

 

Best New England Short: Darling Pet Monkey, dir. Jim McDonough

Runner-up: Life is a Burger, dir. Patrick O’Brien

 

Special Jury Award: Changeling, dir. Faye Jackson

Runner-up: Gacha Gacha, dir. Dave Jackson

 

Best of Fest Short: Diabla, dir. Ashley George

Runner-up: The Haunted Swordsman, dir. Kevin McTurk

 

BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL: SHORT FILM JURY WINNERS

 

Brooklyn Horror Short Film Jury: 

Zena Dixon, Co-Host - The Bloody Disgusting Podcast

Mattie Do, Filmmaker - DEAREST SISTER, THE LONG WALK

Marie Zeniter, International Sales Manager - Magnolia Pictures

 

Best Short: Killing Small Animals, dir. Marcus Svanberg

Best Director: Jean-François Leblanc, for Landgraves

Best Cinematography: Mateusz Klimek, for Attachment

 

Special Jury Award for Best Bad Douchebag Boyfriend: Don’t Text Back!, dir. Kaye Adelaide and Mariel Sharp

 

Special Jury Mention: 4x6, dir. Jamie Gyngell

 

 

Brooklyn Horror Home Invasion Jury:

A.K. Espada - Alumni ('16, '18, '19)

Robbie Lemieux - Alumni ('17, '18, '19)

Nora Unkel - Alumni ('17, '19)

 

BHFF Home Invasion Winners

 

Best Short: The Three Men You Meet At Night, dir. Beck Kitsis

Best Director: Mary Dauterman, for Unfinished Business

Best Performance: Stella Baker, for The Three Men You Meet At Night

Special Jury Award for Editing: Alex Trierweiler, for Shut Eye

Special Jury Award for Sound: James Wu, for Lose It

Special Jury Award for Art Direction: Nicole Smith, for The Howling Wind

 

NORTH BEND FILM FESTIVAL: SHORT FILM JURY WINNERS

 

North Bend Short Film Jury:

 

Cinema Vista + Chaos Internal

Vivian Hua, Executive Director of Northwest Film Forum 

Jennifer Reeder, Filmmaker - KNIVES AND SKIN

Cameron Swanagon, Non-Theatrical and Festival Coordinator - Oscilloscope Laboratories

 

 

Something Strange + Transient Territories

Adam Baran, Producer - Emmy-nominated CIRCUS OF BOOKS

Michelle Garza Cervera, Filmmaker - MEXICO BARBARO, THE ORIGINAL

Pedro Souto, Festival Director - MOTELx Film Festival

 

Cinema Vista + Chaos Internal 

 

Best Short:  Your Last Day on Earth, dir. Marc Martinez

Honorable Mention: Your Monster, dir. Caroline Lindy

Best Director: Kaye Adelaide and Mariel Sharp, for Don’t text back!

Best Actor: Denis Lavant, for Figurant

Best Actress: Alexandra Nell, for Abduction

Jury Mention for Best Cinematography: Joey Liew, for Eyes of Eidolon

Jury Mention for Production Design: Erin Coates and Anna Nazzari, for Dark Water

 

 

Something Strange + Transient Territories

 

Best Short: She-Pack, dir. Fanny Ovesen

Honorable mention for the astute use of genre to speak about human rights and for the amazing use of sound/music to embrace its subject matter: Snowflakes, dir. Faye Jackson

Best Director: Thea Hvistendahl, for Children of Satan

Best Actor: Nicolás Schujman, for In The Dark Park

Best Actress: Ruth Ramos, for Diabla 

Special mention for a brilliant ending: Diabla, dir. Ashley George

Best Special effects: Thaumar Rep, for Heat

Best ensemble cast: She-Pack, dir. Fanny Ovesen

 

OVERLOOK FILM FESTIVAL: SHORT FILM JURY WINNERS 

 

The Overlook Short Film Jury:

Roxanne Benjamin, Filmmaker - BODY AT BRIGHTON ROCK, SOUTHBOUND

Natalie Erika James, Filmmaker - RELIC

Adam Piron, Programmer - Sundance Film Festival

 

Grand Jury Prize: Bad Hair, dir. Oskar Lehemaa

Special Mention: Changeling, dir. Faye Jackson

Scariest Short Film Prize: Abracitos, dir. Tony Morales

Special Mention: Pulsión, dir. Pedro Casavecchia

 

POPCORN FRIGHTS: SHORT FILM JURY WINNERS

 

Popcorn Frights Short Film Jury:

Brittany Allen, Actress/Producer/Composer - WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE, Z, The Boys

Andre Gower, Actor/Director - MONSTER SQUAD, WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS 

Rachel Talalay, Producer/Director - FREDDY’S DEAD, TANK GIRL 

David Howard Thornton, Actor - TERRIFIER 1 & 2

Maxwell Wolkin, Director of Non-Theatrical Sales - Film Movement

 

Animation Domination: A Night in Camp Heebie Jeebie, dir. Dylan Chase. 

Homegrown, 100% Pure Fresh Squeezed Florida Horror: Culpa, dir. Miguel Ferrer

International Midnighters: Swipe, dir. Niels Bourgonje

Midnighters: Waffle, dir. Carlyn Hudson

Scariest Film Award: Abracitos, dir. Tony Morales