Best Feature ~ Happy New Year,
K. Lorrel Manning, Director; Michael Cuomo, Producer
Synopsis: HAPPY NEW YEAR is the story of “Sgt. Cole Lewis” who,
mentally and physically scarred by his time served in Iraq and
Afghanistan, finds humanity, compassion and friendship in a group of
similarly injured veterans in the psychiatric ward at a remote
Veterans Hospital. The group, ranging from guys left behind from
WWII and Vietnam, to those recently injured in the Middle East,
slowly become Lewis’ new family. Along with them, he will attempt to
redefine his sense of self, and find a new place in the world.
Through humor and pathos, Lewis becomes a ray of hope in the ward,
as the men find a way to combat their post-war grief. However, just
as their luck starts to change, Lewis soon faces his fiercest battle
yet.
Best Screenplay ~ The Wedding Photographer,
Teresa Bruce (Beaufort, SC),
http://www.teresabrucebooks.com/ Synopsis: A cynical Chicago advertising agency photographer, forced
into shooting weddings for a season,
is trapped in Southern Belle Hell. Even snubbing South Carolina's
high-society wedding planner
doesn't get him fired. A prisoner of his own genius, he can't take a
bad picture of a beautiful bride.
He's The Wedding Photographer. Bless his heart.
Best
Animated Film ~ Stitched and Sown:
(5 min, Winston-Salem, NC USA)
Austin Taylor, Director
Synopsis: A farmer makes a scarecrow to protect his crops. The
scarecrow makes a friend to keep him company in the fields.
View Trailer
Best
Student Film
~ The Road To Jacob:
(17 min, USA)
(Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA),
Matt Allen, Director
Synopsis: Dean has been in and out of prison all his life, but
tomorrow he gets out. Feeling the need to change his ways due to the
son that he has never met, Dean has to adapt to society and gain the
self -respect and confidence needed to enter his son's life.
Best
Short
~ Quirk Of Fate:
(45 min, Cologne Germany)
Marco J. Riedl, Director
Synopsis: A quirk of fate leads Luke Hallow to risk violating his
parole and losing his newly won freedom.
He has to save the life of his nine-year-old daughter, Noel, who
urgently needs a donor heart. Only a miracle
keeps him from losing everything forever.
Best
Documentary & Audience Choice Award ~
Awaken The Dragon:
(87 min, Charleston, SC USA)
Liz Oakley, Director; Producer
Synopsis: Beyond survival, an ancient Chinese sport catapults an
unlikely crew of cancer survivors into a new way of being.
Redefining the word 'sick' and re-framing the meaning of their
diagnosis, these fractured individuals transform into a single force
of power and beauty. Wrapped in a sport that is a feast for the
senses, this film of nail-biting competition and intimate
revelations challenges traditional medical thinking; revealing a
path to wellness that holds hope for all survivors. Awaken the
Dragon is a moving and inspiring ride that leaves viewers wondering
if they too have the power to awaken the dragon within.
Best Director:
Felix Martiz,
Southgate, Calif., "Santiago"
Synopsis: A cynical Chicago advertising agency photographer, forced
into shooting weddings for a season,
is trapped in Southern Belle Hell. Even snubbing South Carolina's
high-society wedding planner
doesn't get him fired. A prisoner of his own genius, he can't take a
bad picture of a beautiful bride.
He's The Wedding Photographer. Bless his heart.