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2023 BIFF AWARDS

List of Nominees & Winners

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U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD

  • JACKIE (Director, Sundiata Enuke, Viewpoint School) WINNER!

  • THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (Directors, Danna Gilbertson & Jocelyn Rose Sanchez)

  • SYMPTOMS OF INCARCERATION (Director, Owen Miller)

  • BALL FOR ALL (Director, Philip Tang)

  • THE GOSSAMER (Director, Rowen Philip Lee)

  • RESURGENCE (Director, Ezra Solomon Dov)

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CALIFORNIA STUDENT YOUNG FILMMAKER AWARD

  • SHARING THE FLOOR (Director Lily Brooks O’Briant, ICL Academy) WINNER!

  • MY SISTERS IN THE STARS: THE STORY OF LEE YONG-SOO (Director, Ian Kim)

  • A PARKINSONEAN (Director, Adam Cash Rovner)

  • SUCCOUR (Director, Sophie Hyslop)

  • INDIGO (Director, Gus Jordan)

  • DANCE WITH DEATH (Director, Isaiah Brody)

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COLLEGIATE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT AWARD

  • I AM MORE DANGEROUS DEAD (Director, Majiye Uchibeke, USC) WINNER!

  • THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL (Director, Leah Brown Holmes)

  • BACKLOG (Director, Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal)

  • FIRE BORN (Director, Daniel Carsenty)

  • DINNER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Director, Gabrielle Milman)

  • KNIGHTTIME STORY (Directors, Julie Huang, Kayla Rose, Christine Wendell)

 

BEST FAITH-BASED FILM

  • CHRISTINE’S WAGER (Director, Jessica Koloian) WINNER!

  • MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER (Director, Eddie McClintock) 

  • UNEXPECTED (Director, Jena Serbu)

  • THE NEXT TO LAST SUPPER (Director, John Kestner)

  • IT’S TIME (Director, Tammy-Ann Fortuin)

  • THE SON RISES (Director, Alexander G. Seyum)

 

BEST TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPT

  • ACTORs (Writers, Kenneth T.  Griggs & Hallie Newcomer) WINNER!

  • OFF THE PATH (Writer, Richard Redlo)

  • THE PRINCE OF THE BLACK HAND (Writer, Danny Range)

  • MINDSCRAPER (Writer, Steven Smith)

  • KILL THE LAX BRO (Writer, Charlotte Balogh)

  • MOVIE TIMES (Writer, Dustin Richardson)

 

BEST FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY

  • LOVE ME X 3 (Writer, Erin Elizabeth Keefer) WINNER!

  • NO ADDRESS (Writers, Julia Verdin & James Papa)

  • FORCED (Writer, Erin Dooley)

  • OUT OF THE FLAMES (Writer, Stephanie Hutchinson)

  • HABOOB WIND (Writer, Tommy Anderson)

  • THROUGH KALEIDOSCOPE GLASS (Writer, Ryan M Andrews)

 

BEST LGBTQ SHORT FILM

  • GAY-ISH (Director, Michelle Askew) WINNER!

  • PRIORITY BOARDING (Jaime Zevallos)

  • SEPARATE (Director, Kestrin Pantera)

  • BROTHER (Director, Aleksei Borovikov)

 

BEST COMEDY SHORT FILM

  • THE AVON LADY (Director, Carolina Espiro) WINNER!

  • CAROL & JANET (Director, Andrea Rosen)

  • SANTA, MAYBE? (Director, Donovan Cheff McCarty)

  • INTERRACIAL COUPLE IN A CHEERIOS AD (Director, Christine Lakin)

  • THE SPERM BANK (Director, Margaux Calla Susi)

  • BONUS TIME (Director, Alexander Hanno)

 

BEST FEMALE ARTISTS AWARD

  • INSTANT NOODLE (Director, Michelle Sastraatmadja) WINNER!

  • UNCREDITED (Director, Fearon DeWeese)

  • THE BUYERS (Director, Felicia Manning)

  • OKAY (Director, Yasmine Aker)

  • THE AVON LADY (Director, Carolina Espiro)

  • A GHOST STORY (Director, Melissa Ann Bruning)

 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

  • FLUTTER (Dir. Adam Reed Levy) WINNER!

  • DAVEY’S LULLABY (Dir. Adam Deyoe)

  • FORLORN (Dir. Alex St. Pierre) 

  • THE SPACE BETWEEN US (Dir. Julianne Martin)

  • ZIDANE ROULETTE (Dir. Emy Mirel Ivasca)

  • LIV&BELL “HEARTY SOUP OF FRUITFUL FOREST” (Dir. Natsuki Kida)

 

BEST SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY SHORT FILM

  • EVENVEIL (Director, Sam Balcomb) WINNER!

  • THE BEGINNING (Director, Jonathan Adams)

  • MICROWAVE COVEN (Director, Josh Almario)

  • THE MARKED (Director, Reggie Austin)

  • MÖBIUS’ TRIP (Director, Matt Jaems)

  • ANEMOIA (Director, Zachary Karem)

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BEST HORROR/THRILLER SHORT FILM

  • OUIJA BRO (Director, Justin Zackariah Zagri) WINNER!

  • FINDERS KEEPERS (Director, Kim Caicedo)

  • SCRATCH (Director, Michael Trainotti)

  • BLOOD ON THE LEAVES (Director, Jason Avalos)

  • MÖBIUS’ TRIP (Director, Matt Jaems)

  • THE SHADOW (Director, Martin Berthiaume)

 

TIM BURTON “NATIVE BURBANK” VISIONARY AWARD

  • RADIO TELESCOPE (Director, Tanner Beard) WINNER!

  • DON’T DO IT (Director, Dean Parker)

  • ARTIFICE (Director, Parker Queenan)

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • EN POINTE (Cinematographer, Joseph Choi) WINNER!

  • JOE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA (Cinematographer, Shinji Ogawa)

  • MOBIUS’ TRIP (Cinematographer, Joas Burggraaf) 

  • THE AVON LADY (Cinematographer, Sophia Bruza)

  • SOMETHING GOOD COMING (Cinematographer, Max Goldberg)

 

BEST FILM SCORE / MUSICAL COMPOSITION for a SHORT FILM

  • EN POINTE (Music by Emily Wong) WINNER! 

  • LA TELERAÑA (Music by by Alon Peretz)

  • BLACK CANVAS (Music by Tony King)

  • UNFORGOTTEN (Music by Juan Dussán)

  • MÖBIUS’ TRIP (Music by Matthijs Kieboom)

 

BEST FILM SCORE / MUSICAL COMPOSITION for a FEATURE FILM

  • CHRISTINE’S WAGER (Music by Benjamin Moy) WINNER!

  • SOMETHING GOOD COMING (Music by Sander Kalmeijer, Michael B. Williams, Gabriel Freeman)

  • ALONE IN VENICE (Music by Jules East, Will Storkson, Jared Emerson Johnson)

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

  • LOCALS ONLY - THE BIG, LITTLE PUB (Director, Gareth Kelly) WINNER!

  • POWERING PUERTO RICO (Director, Adam Fischer) 

  • THE LAST DROP: ALEJANDRO’S STORY (Director, Stacey Summers)

  • KLEVER: LIFE OF A SOVIET NONCONFORMIST ARTIST (Director, Nik Kleverov)

  • JOEY SKAGGS: CELEBRITY SPERM BANK (Director, Judy Drosd, Joey Skaggs)

  • GOULASH: THE LOST WEEKEND (Director, Shayan Vaziritabar, Bamshad Bashirtash)

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

  • SONG OF THE CICADA (Directors, Aaron Weiss & Robert Weiss) WINNER!

  • KING OF KINGS: CHASING EDWARD JONES (Director, Harriet Marin Jones) 

  • I AM NOT (Director, Timer Heymann)

 

BEST FOREIGN SHORT FILM

  • JUST THIS (Director, Avigail Graetz) WINNER!

  • LO SGUARDO (THE LOOK) (Director, Edoardo Ulivelli)

  • PERSPECTIVES (Director, Neer Shelter)

  • TAKBIR (Director, Jordi Calvet)

  • ENGLISH TUTOR (Director, Jaho Koo)

  • BERTIE WROTE ME A POEM (Director, Vittoria Rizzardi Penalosa)

 

BEST FOREIGN FEATURE FILM

  • RUBY’S CHOICE (Director, Michael Budd) WINNER!

  • THE NAMESSIME (Director, Xavier Bélony Mussel)

  • ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE CANARIES (Director, Armando Ravelo)

  • BABEL SYNDROME (Director, Doo-byung Chae)

  • THE FIRST GLANCE (Director, Hyun-tak Kim)

 

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR SHORT FILM

  • LUCY’S LAST SONG (Director Raul Rosco Guerrero) WINNER!

 

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR FEATURE FILM

  • GOLDEN VANITY (Director, Max Abram) WINNER!

 

BEST DRAMA SHORT FILM

  • LUCY’S LAST SONG (Director Raul Rosco Guerrero) WINNER!

  • NO TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR (Director Christopher Riley)

  • JOE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA (Director Roger Pulvers)

  • FAULT LINES (Director Mark Blitch)

  • JADE (Director, Robert Manning Jr.)

  • CONFESSIONS (Director, Evette Vargas)

 

BEST ACTOR

  • MELORA HARDIN (“Golden Vanity”) WINNER!

  • BREA BEE (“Lucy’s Last Song”) 

  • RYNE STROM (“Journalism 101”)

  • FLORIANE ANDERSEN (“Unforgotten”)

  • MICHAEL MULLEN (“The Avon Lady”)

  • SARAH RODENBAUGH (“Hangman”)

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BEST DIRECTOR

  • FLORIANE ANDERSON (“Unforgotten”) WINNER!

  • MATT JAEMS (“Möbius’ Trip”)

  • JORDI CALVET (“Takbir”) 

  • CAROLINA ESPIRO (The Avon Lady”) 

  • ROBIN DE LEVITA (“Lost Cos”) 

  • RAUL ROSCO GUERRERO (“Lucy’s Last Song”)

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BEST FEATURE FILM

  • RUBY’S CHOICE (Director, Michael Budd) WINNER!

  • REPLICA (Director, Paul Tully)

  • MIND THIEF (Director, Matt Steinauer)

  • GOLDEN VANITY (Director, Max Abram) 

  • MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER (Director, Eddie McClintock) 

  • CHRISTINE’S WAGER (Dir. Director, Jessica Koloian)

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BEST ART DIRECTION

  • MIDNIGHT ZERO (Production Designer, Joe Tiernan) WINNER!

  • THE CRYING BULL (Art Director, Gio March)

  • JOE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA (Production Designer, Koichi Kanekatsu)

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BEST LGBTQ FEATURE FILM

  • LOST COS (Director, Robin de Levita) WINNER!

  • HUYENDO (Director, Jonny Santana)

  • REYKJAVIK (Director, Ann Hearn Tobolowsky)

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