- WINNER - Daddy Written & Directed by Jo Steinhart Jo Steinhart is a writer and director from San Francisco living in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Directing from The AFI Conservatory in 2022 and her BA in Film & Gender Studies from Sarah Lawrence College. Her AFI thesis film DADDY stars Emily Robinson (Eighth Grade, Transparent) and is currently on its festival run, screening at such notable festivals as AFI Fest, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and Tallgrass Film Festival. While working toward a career in feature filmmaking, she also directs music videos, shorts, and commercials. Jo’s work focuses on complex characters and taboo topics explored through darkly humorous character-driven stories. Follow on: IG | Film IG | Vimeo - FINALISTS - Aftertaste Written & Directed by Christianne Cruz Christianne Cruz is a queer Filipinx writer/director and producer born in Toronto and...
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WINNER Written By Written & Directed by Callie Bloem & Christopher J. Ewing Callie + Chris are a husband and wife writing/directing team from Los Angeles. Written By is their first short film. Once upon a time, they used to make music videos together and get paid in pizza when that was still a financially responsible thing to do. As a former senior producer and creative director at Hulu, Chris produced video campaigns and directed award-winning promos for shows like “Castle Rock,” “Veronica Mars,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Marvel’s Runaways,” “Future Man” and “11.22.63” among many others. He’s made super bowl commercials, shot off Josh Hutcherson’s arm with a laser gun and he still collects compact discs even though it’s the modern era. Since leaving the world of healthcare tech with exactly zero longing looks backward, Callie has directed and produced commercials and promos for the likes of Sega, Hasbro, FOX,…
Winner Featherweight Written & Directed by Kayleigh Gibbons Since graduating from Bristol UWE with a degree in Animation Kayleigh has worked as an Animator and Compositor on TV Shows for Nickelodeon and the BBC. Her short film FEATHERWEIGHT has won such awards as the Don Quijote Award for Best Animated Short Film at the Galway Film Fleadh, and Best Animation at the The Richard Harris International Film Festival. She currently works as an Animation Generalist for Studio Panda and is developing a new animated short film. Runner-up Bevoldi Written & Directed by Kevin Michael Murphy Born and raised in New York, Kevin has created over 20 self-financed short films in 12 years, while working as a member of SAG-AFTRA performing Stunts and Acting in major motion pictures and network television shows. Finalists Golds Written & Directed by Moses Lawi Moses Lawi is a filmmaker who specializes in directing and writing. Many…
Winner Distance Directed by Grace Swee Written by Grace Swee & Apoorva Charan Grace Swee is a Singaporean filmmaker, based in New York. Her shorts have screened at various international film festivals. Her most recent short, ‘空间Distance’, received a Special Mention at the 39th Film School Fest Munich. In 2018, her project pitch was selected for the South-East Asian Film Lab to be developed as a first feature. Grace is a film graduate from Columbia University, School of The Arts. She enjoys telling stories of different genres, expounding on family relations, deep character studies, with a touch of magical realism. Runners-up Augustus Directed by Jon Alston Story by Ayindé Howell and Jon Alston Written by Ayindé Howell What Daphne Saw Written & Directed by Lizz Marshall Finalists Attrition Written & Directed by Kelly Holmes It’s Me (Era Yo) Written & Directed by Andrea Casaseca In Orbit Written & Directed by…
Winner Échappé Written & Directed by Allison Mattox Allison Mattox is a writer and director who studied at the University of Southern California. Her short film, Échappé, follows a Soviet ballet company on tour in New York and has screened at festivals including Traverse City, Newport Beach, and Dance on Camera, and has won awards including Festival Favorite at San Francisco Independent and Best Drama Short at Sedona and Golden State. Her previous short film, Three in June, explores marriage and sexuality in 1960s puritanical Georgia and screened at a dozen festivals. She’s is developing the feature script for Échappé and a book of personal essays. Allison lives in Brooklyn, New York. Runners-up Black Hat Directed by Sarah Smith Written by Phillip Guttmann In Full Bloom Written & Directed by Maegan Houang Finalists Clay Written & Directed by Leonard Rääf Colony Written & Directed by Catherine Bonny DOM Written &…
Winner Mudpots Written & Directed by Cate Smierciak Cate Smierciak a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and half of Wanderkino Productions, along with Nick Clifford. Her short film, CLAIRE, premiered at the Nashville film festival and screened in numerous others, including the Mt. Hood film festival, where it won best narrative short. Cate has also produced a number of short films, premiering at festivals such as Cannes Critics’ Week, Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and The Hamptons International Film Festival. Cate holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where she studied Radio/Television/Film, Art Theory & Practice, and participated in the Animate Arts program. In 2009, she received a DAAD Artist Scholar Grant to study directing at the HFF Konrad Wolf, Potsdam, Babelsberg. Runners-up Lola Written & Directed by Isabella Tan Sanyog Written & Directed by Aly Rana Finalists Cathedrals Written & Directed by Benjamin Caro Gloria Talks Funny Written & Directed by…