Elysium

BEST EXPERIMENTAL – Sponsored by East Boston Savings Bank/Revere, MA 

Ariana Jones, Ella Good

5 min | Nar | 2020 | Smyrna, Georgia

Jury Statement: “Surrealism of a girl’s night out - this short is the dream that becomes your teenage years once there is distance between. These filmmakers draw you into their world and hold you tight until they decide to release you.”

Test Pen

Light House Studio

by Braxton Eaddy | 2 min | Experimental | 2020 | Charlottesville, VA | Massachusetts Premiere

Jury Statement: “Aside from the audio (difficult to hear the voiceover) there is a lot of technical mastery displayed in this piece. The visuals, and the editing made this a solid piece. Keep making films.”

FLOATING WORLD - LIFE 1.0

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT

Dénes Ruzsa and Fruzsina Spitzer

4 min  | 2019 | Hungary |  US Premiere

Earth is a small floating world, isolated in the infinity of the cosmos, the only place we know supporting life. The animation presents the first stage in the development and evolution of Life 1.0, as referred to by Swedish-American physicist, cosmologist Max Tegmark.

CITYLIFE 2

Graciela Cassel

7 min | 2019 | USA

Emphasizing the abstract nature of the geometry so prevalent in the contemporary urban grid. Shooting at night, the splices and overlays of the illuminated train cars, streetlights and window reflections create a vocabulary of images in a video collage that becomes a meditation on cities.

MY CULTURE

a collaboration among high school students

3 min | Reel Youth | Vancouver, Canada | 2019 | New England Premiere 

Jury Statement: A beautiful film in all aspects. With mesmerizing visuals, an engaging storyline without injecting yourself into it: humanity, relationship, history, and sentiments with the environment. The meaning of Culture and community.

DIMITTO

HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY: GRAND JURY PRIZE - BEST EXPERIMENTAL

Riley Foulk, Jago Gould, J Rea, Chloe Rodriguez, and Gabriel Zakaib

5 min | Light House Studio | Charlottesville, VA (US)  | 2019 | New England Premiere 

Jury Statement: This is a beautiful story, and every aspect of the film feels intentional from coloring to the movement of the actors. Loved the way the shots of the “happy place” interlock with the real-world family. 

THE PASSENGER

Avery Danielsen

6 min | New York, NY (US) | 2019 | Boston Premiere 

Jury Statement: This short film is inspired by Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Made with a phone camera, an external mic, and an imagination. Good technique and special interaction between the actors.  

Award: Rod Serling Film Festival (Binghampton, NY/United States) 2019 Spirit of Serling Award

REFLECTION

Kate Franklin

3 min | Miami, FL (US) | 2019 | New England Premiere 

Jury Statement: Strong style. Two people start seeing each other in a reflective surface. The lighting gives overall unity. Throughout the film your skills as a director show well. Keep working and you will find your path/success.

DOUBLE VIDA

Sharleny Gonzalez

2 min | Raw Art Works | Lynn. MA (US) | 2019 | Boston Premiere 

Jury Statement: The mixture of shot types, styles, and textures really drive home your message. The voiceover performance is eloquent and calming, and the music fits the piece. It is a strong introspective style that reminds of the female filmmakers like Su Fredrich. Very well done.