2024 BIFF AWARDS

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U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD

• DELAY (Director, Sofia Macias, Denver School of the Arts, Denver Colorado)

• ZYRAEX (Director, Chengyu Li, Beachwood High School, Beachwood Ohio)

• GONE (Director, Hunter Nickless, Hickory High School, Chesapeake Virginia) WINNER!

• DAWN TO DUSK: OAHU’S RHYTHM (Director, Makena de Souza Leao, Mid Pacific Institute Honolulu Hawaii)

• KAINE INTERCEPTION (Director, Johnny White, Jeffco Virtual Academy, Evergreen Colorado) 

• HANDS BEHIND THE DOOR (Director, Ethan Conklin, Denver School of the Arts, Denver Colorado)

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CALIFORNIA STUDENT YOUNG FILMMAKER AWARD

• CEREAL (Director, Chaplin Adam Boyd, Santa Monica High School) WINNER!

• CRESCENDO  (Director, Alexa Jeong, Viewpoint School, Calabasas)

• NO STRINGS ATTACHED (Director, Ava DeVoe, Orange County School of the Arts)

• DAISY (Director, Ines Arroyo, California School of the Arts, San Gabriel Valley)

• KNAFEH QUEENS (Director, Ennes Kahf)

• READY HIT! (Director, Brendan Kennedy Kastner Jazmines)

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COLLEGIATE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT AWARD

• CATCH AND RELEASE (Director, Maggie Gee, University of the Arts) WINNER!

• OH MY SWEETHEART (Director, Aristides De Jesús Mantilla Artigas, New York Film Academy)

• THE TRANSLATOR (Director, Ryan Collins, New York Film Academy)

• SPLIT (Director, Vincent Salah Essid, University of Southern California)

• CANTA SANTIAGO (Director, James Valdez, New York Film Academy)

• BREATHE (Director, Haley Powell, Loyola Marymount University)

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION

• BATMAN BEYOND: YEAR ONE (Production Designer, Marc De Bertier/Art Directors, Eimi Thompson & Simon Gao) 

• LA BRUJA (Production Designer, Georgina Gutierrez/Art Directors, Sean Hale & Suzy Schofield) WINNER!

• PANACEA (Production Designer, Josh Kay/Art Director, Scott Nivens)

• SUNRISE BOULEVARD (Production Designer, Andrea Figueroa/Art Director, Angelica Figueroa Sarabia)

• CALLER 102: A BALLAD OF CYBERSPACE (Production Designers, Turner Barrowman & Jack Goldfisher)

• TIM TRAVERS & THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX (Production Designer, Vincent De Felice)

 

BEST FAITH-BASED FILM

• BREATH (Directors, Edward Young Lee & Jan Lin Lee) 

• PSALMS MICROFILMS (Directors, Jason Hildebrand & Tad Munnings )

• SARAH (Director, Steve Horswill Johnston) 

• BACK TO BRIDGEWOOD (Director, Kelsey Cooke & Producer/Executive Producer, Nakia Burrise) WINNER!

• THE JUDGMENTAL PSYCHIATRIST (Director, Noreen Jenkins)

 

BEST TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPT

• WHISPER HILL (Writer, Leatha Madison Starks) WINNER!

• L.A. BIO TECH (Writer, Ryan C. Irving)

• BOUND (Writer, Charline Odiot)

• TRANSITIONS (Writer, Rachael CG Cudlitz)

• FLAMES OF LOVE (Writer, Tommy Anderson)

• THE CONTROL PROBLEM (Writer, Sam J Alper)

 

BEST FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY

• THE SILVER CUP (Writers, D.A. Stenard & Dan Fitzpatrick) WINNER!

• THE ARRANGEMENT (Writer, Don L. Lorincz)

• TAMAR (Writer, Ronald Lawson Ecker)

• THE SECOND COMING (Writer, Michael William Hogan)

• MASON (Writer, Kevin Waite)

• LOVE IN THE TIME OF HOLLYWOOD (Writers, Sydney Deeter & Stevi Ward)

 

BEST LGBTQ SHORT FILM

• YELLOW INSIDE (Director, Jade Jenise Dixon)

• KANOJO (Director, Yukiko Cho) 

• DAISY (Director, Ines Arroyo)

• KING ED (Director, Nick Fascitelli) WINNER!

 

BEST COMEDY SHORT FILM

• JOE (Director: Greg Furman) WINNER!

• CHEAT MEAL (Director: Drew Bierut)

• O.C.D. (Director: Luca Pizzoleo)

• THE ENTIRE LIFESPAN OF A MAYFLY (Director: Samip Raval)

• THE FIRST TIME (Director: Michael Chi Peer)

• V-CARD (Director: Brooklyn Braaten)

 

BEST FEMALE ARTISTS AWARD

• UNDER (Director, Aloura Charles) WINNER!

• RED (Director, Madison Elizabeth Lin)

• 172 PUSH-UPS (Director, Frieda Naphsica de Lackner)

• ID EST (Director, Shayda Frost)

• REBEL REBEL (Director, Tamar Pelzig)

• DIRTY TOWEL (Director, Callie Carpinteri) 

 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• LUKi AND THE LIGHTS (Dir. Toby Cochran) WINNER!

• TENNIS, ORANGES (Dir. Sean Pecknold)

• THE CHIHUAHUA SHAKE (Dir. Chase Olivera) 

• TEA STORY (Dir. Celina Lung)

• A ROBOT ROM COM (Dir. Jonathan Hludzinski)

• MISCARRIED: AN “UNSPOKEN” CARTOONMENTARY (Dir. Chari Pere)

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BEST SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY SHORT FILM

• GOOD MORNING (Director, James Raudabaugh)

• TWO BREATHS (Director, Kateryna Kurganska)

• BATMAN BEYOND: YEAR ONE (Director, Michael Yu) WINNER!

• BUDDY LOVE (Director, Kiefer O’Reilly)

• LA BRUJA (Director, Manuel Villarreal)

• ID EST (Director, Shayda Frost)

 

BEST HORROR/THRILLER SHORT FILM

• CALLER 102: A BALLAD OF CYBERSPACE (Directors, Turner Barrowman & Jack Goldfisher)

• PANACEA (Directors, Michael Naizu & John Wilcox) WINNER!

• WATCHFUL EYE (Director, Mikel Cravatta)

• INSANE (Director, Sonia Blangiardo-Goins)

• WAKE (Director, Sean Carter)

• VESSEL (Director, Leila Garrison)

 

TIM BURTON “NATIVE BURBANK” VISIONARY AWARD

• FLUXX (Director, Brendan Gabriel Murphy) WINNER!

• BACK TO BRIDGEWOOD (Director, Kelsey Cooke)

• RADIO SILENCE (Director, Ric Serena)

• CATS AND HUSBANDS (Director, Grace Samson & Barry Samson)

• LA BRUJA (Director, Manuel Villarreal)

• ID EST (Director, Shayda Frost)

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• WAKE (Cinematographer, David Khayznikov)

• CATS AND HUSBANDS (Cinematographer, Giancarlo Diaz) 

• THE PURPLE GLASSES (Cinematographer, Luke Miller) 

• WATCHFUL EYE (Cinematographers, John Dempsey & Mitchell Gamache) WINNER!

• WE WILL FIND YOU (Cinematographers: Judson Vaughan & Marek Dabrowski)

• RADIO SILENCE (Cinematographer: Shawn Corrigan)

 

BEST FILM SCORE / MUSICAL COMPOSITION

• BAU, ARTIST AT WAR (Music by John Coda with Original Song, ‘However Long Forever Is” Performed by ryn & Written by ryn, Andrew Furze and John Coda) WINNER!

• DIRTY TOWEL (Music by Rosalind Wong) 

• JOE (Music by Greg Furman) 

• UNDER (Music by Kyle Newmaster) 

• CALLER 102: A BALLAD OF CYBERSPACE (Music by Bret Klug)

• TIM TRAVERS & THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX (Music by Si Begg & Damon Baxtor)

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

• RAZÓN DE SER: LUIS C. GARZA (Director, Alessandro Gentile) WINNER!

• TO MYSELF WITH LOVE: THE BESSIE STRINGFIELD STORY (Director, Diane Fredel-Weis) 

• GRIEF AND LOSS (Director, Bruno Marcos Mastrocolla)

• THE OPENER (Director, Jeff Toye)

• INVISIBLES MÉXICO (Director, Rafael Franco Gomez)

• BONNIE BRAE & 6TH, LOS ANGELES (Director, Laura Catania)

 

BEST FOREIGN SHORT FILM

• ANA PAULA (Director, Leigh Marling; Canada) WINNER!

• THE GIRL WITH THE FLAXEN HAIR (Director, Christian Holtappel; United Kingdom)

• CONEJ STEPS OUT (Director, Pablo Río; Spain)

• WHIPPY (Director, James Rooke)

• KIDS GAMES (Director, Benarbé Rico)

• CAMPING IN PARADISE (Director, Eirik Tveiten)

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AUDIENCE AWARD FOR SHORT FILM

• INSANE (Director, Sonia Blangiardo) WINNER!

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AUDIENCE AWARD FOR FEATURE FILM

• CASH FOR GOLD (Directors, Deborah Puette & Robert Enriquez) WINNER!

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BEST DRAMA SHORT FILM

• ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Director: Michael Cudlitz)

• TACENDA (Directors: Rita & Luke Konopasky)

• UNDER (Director: Aloura Melissa Charles)

• RADIO SILENCE (Director: Ric Serena) WINNER!

• YURI (Director, Johnnie Hobbs)

• KANOJO (Director, Yukiko Cho & Qinyi Fu)

 

BEST ACTOR

• STIG HENRIK HOFF (“Camping In Paradise”) 

• ESPEN ALKNES (“Camping In Paradise”)

• JOHN POTVIN (“Watchful Eye”)

• K STEELE (“Wake”)

• KATIE L. HALL (“Under”)

• CAT KIM (“Under”) WINNER!

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BEST DIRECTOR

• SEAN CARTER (“Wake”) WINNER!

• MIKE MONTAGNA (“Sunrise Blvd.”) 

• STIMSON SNEAD (“Tim Travers & The Time Traveler’s Paradox”) 

• ALOURA CHARLES (“Under”) 

• TURNER BARROWMAN & JACK GOLDFISHER (“Caller 102: A Ballad of Cyberspace”) 

• JOHNNY HICKEY (“Methadone Mile”) 

 

BEST FEATURE FILM

• BAU, ARTIST AT WAR (Producers, Marc Griffith, Michelle P. Griffith, Deborah Smerecnik, David Brookwell, Sean McNamara) WINNER!

• TIM TRAVERS & THE TIME TRAVELERS PARADOX (Producers, Rich Cowan, Felicia Day, Ben Yennie)

• A GIRL UPSTAIRS (Producer, Linda Trask)

• HELLBENT ON BOOGIE (Producers, Gregory Thomas, Khory Pilley, Shiloh Fernandez) 

• BACK TO BRIDGEWOOD (Producer, Kelsey Cooke & Producer/Executive Producer, Nakia Burrise) 

• CASH FOR GOLD (Producers, Ahmos Hassan, Robert Enriquez)

• FLUXX (Producers, Lance Paul, Brendan Gabriel Murphy, Tanner Beard, Daniel Sheldon, Jeff Perkins, Cait Bidwell)​