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RedWood Film Festival team glad to announce the list of Winner of May 2020 Edition.
BEST CATEGORIES AWARDS
BEST SHORT FILM
Film: CRACK A SMILE
Directed by: LEVY CLAUDE
Synopsis: On a sunny day, the lives of 9 young people intertwine in Paris, against a backdrop of pop culture, passion about photography and relationships between men and women.
BEST ONE MINUTE SHORT FILM
Film: House For Sale
Directed by: Cynthia Bergen
Synopsis: A real estate agent captures a horrifying entity on film.
BEST LGBT FILM
Film: Vidhān (Writ)
Directed by: Manoj Rai
Synopsis: Vidhān (Writ), a romantic drama, is a take on relationships. A casual conversation on the use of appropriate language sets off a whirlwind romance between Pranay and Akshar (Abhishek). They start meeting regularly and the romance blossoms. However, there is one issue - Akshar is a sex worker. The film takes us through the vicissitudes of their romantic journey.
BEST STUDENT FILM
Film: Gay as in Happy: A Queer Anti-Tragedy
Directed by: Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
Synopsis: An experimental autoethnographical documentary about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Film: Undertow
Directed by: J.B. Lawrence
Synopsis:
BEST WEB SERIES
Film: THE UNWILLING SERIES PILOT
Directed by: Antonio Jefferson
Synopsis: A story of six men after prison as they try to get their lives back after their release and hoping to change their future by mending there past.
BEST GENRE CATEGORIES AWARDS
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Film: Return to Foretop's Father
Directed by: Preston Randolph
Synopsis: Return to Foretop's Father follows, 78-year-old, Crow tribal elder and pipe lighter, Grant Bulltail as he travels from Crow Agency in Montana to Heart Mountain in Wyoming.
Through his journey he reveals a dark past of genocide, ethnocide and the destruction of the land.
Grant’s mission is to bring awareness regarding the disconnect between people and nature, culminating in the universal impacts of climate change.
By connecting stories that have been passed down to him from generations of Native Americans, he presents his perspective on the modern crisis through a historic pipe ceremony at the base of the sacred Heart Mountain.
BEST ANIMATION FILM
Film: Magic Dream
Directed by: Tomás Welss Barkan
Synopsis: A magician wants to convince with his magic and brilliance, but his capability exceeds the limits of his own control, leading him to a show full of violence and abuse.
BEST DRAMA FILM
Film: The Straight Man
Directed by: Paul Laudicano
Synopsis: After 20 years, the surviving member of a comedy team is down and out. Nobody wants The Straight Man. However, a chance encounter with a young reporter may lead him towards redemption.
BEST EXPERIMENT FILM
Film: Wisper
Directed by: Russ Emanuel
Synopsis: A unique experimental found footage take on an anti-hero protagonist. ‘Wisper’ is the true story of the murder of a middle-class African American family in Northern New Jersey. In the summer of 2016, three children and their mother were found shot to death in their large suburban home. Loosely based on the personal videotapes and diaries owned by the father of the victims.
BEST HORROR/THRILLER FILM
Film: Occupants
Directed by: Russ Emanuel
Synopsis: 'Occupants' is a film about Annie Curtis, an award-winning documentarian and her husband Neil. Annie and Neil embark on a '30 Days of Clean Living' documentary, setting up cameras all over their house to document, via the Internet, their new eating habits. By doing so, half of their cameras capture a parallel version of themselves - a version that ultimately unravels and threatens their very existence.
BEST ROMANTIC FILM
Film: Learning to Fly
Directed by: Anthony J. Turek
Synopsis: A college freshman, Andy, couldn't bring himself to break up with his girlfriend, Jen. Now he must navigate teenage fatherhood with her.
BEST JURY AWARD
Film: The Texture of London
Directed by: Diego Di Iorio
Synopsis: "All over the city old and new buildings sit side by side, each speaking the language of its native cultural moment: pre-war or mid-century or post-modern. I am especially entertained by how often two buildings built a century apart but for the same purpose will speak in similar tones: with bravado or earnestness or charm. For me these architectural moments, whether random or planned, define the character and texture of the city." - Ruth Keffer (The Urbanist)
BEST AWARDS TO PEOPLES
BEST DIRECTOR
Award goes to: Russ Emanuel
Film: Wisper
Directed by: Russ Emanuel
Synopsis: A unique experimental found footage take on an anti-hero protagonist. ‘Wisper’ is the true story of the murder of a middle-class African American family in Northern New Jersey. In the summer of 2016, three children and their mother were found shot to death in their large suburban home. Loosely based on the personal videotapes and diaries owned by the father of the victims.
BEST D.O.P
Award goes to: Ray Karwel
Film: The Assassin's Apprentice
Directed by: Russ Emanuel
Synopsis: A coming of age story about Kaylee (Tarah Paige), an apprentice assassin, and her relationship with Pete (Robert Picardo), her trainer, and Miranda (Marina Sirtis), their handler. Kaylee, like a rebellious teenager, simultaneously wants approval and independence from Pete and Miranda. When assigned her first solo hit, Kaylee immediately disobeys orders and goes off course, chasing a Freerunner drone, often with hilarious results. In the end, Kaylee accomplishes her mission, but realizes that she is not yet ready to go it alone.
BEST SCREENWRITER
Award goes to: Vilma Kartalska
Film: My Gypsy Road
Directed by: Vilma Kartalska
Synopsis: An inspiring story about the winding road of the first Roma actress in Bulgaria, officially graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. From the everyday life’s challenges, to the sacrifices in the name of theater, and the trust in the great Roma cause – education for the ghetto. Nataliya Tsekova – THE WOMAN, THE ACTRESS, THE PERSON.
BEST EDITOR
Award goes to: Emile Haris
Film: The Assassin's Apprentice
Directed by: Russ Emanuel
Synopsis: A coming of age story about Kaylee (Tarah Paige), an apprentice assassin, and her relationship with Pete (Robert Picardo), her trainer, and Miranda (Marina Sirtis), their handler. Kaylee, like a rebellious teenager, simultaneously wants approval and independence from Pete and Miranda. When assigned her first solo hit, Kaylee immediately disobeys orders and goes off course, chasing a Freerunner drone, often with hilarious results. In the end, Kaylee accomplishes her mission, but realizes that she is not yet ready to go it alone.
BEST ACTOR (MALE)
TO BE ANNOUNCED
BEST ACTRESS (FEMALE)
Award goes to: Athira Madhav
Film: Devika
Directed by: Jibin George James
Synopsis: Devika, a model claims that she was sedated and raped during a film's audition. At the same time a model coordinator Naresh, a friend of Devika, comes forward and claims that he was with her that day and both had sex with each other's consent, and it wasn't a rape. The situation is again discussed through an interview session, revealing both of their characters and the truth.
The movie demonstrates the common attitude of the Indian society towards women. Our society has defined woman's personality within the constraints of her form and dress and if anything, less than what is expected by them is seen in their petty vision, she is labelled as a slut. This perspective should be challenged.
Woman should be treated as an independent personality. She also has all the rights and freedoms of a democratic country. It’s not a generosity by men.
Through Devika, we are trying to convey is the general attitude of people. When a person narrates or describes an event, he doesn't reveal certain details. Thus, the truth which being told will change. The truth is what we find while uncovering all the blind spots and angles. The real truth can only be identified by looking at it from all the sides.
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