California Film Awards

2016 Winners

Grand Winners 

Grand Jury Award: iFeel directed by Ludwig Ciupka
Special Jury Prize: Capsule directed by Andrew Martin
Special Jury Prize:  The Lost Tree directed by Brian A. Metcalf

Best Narrative Feature: Social Norm directed by Dillon Vibbart
Best Documentary Feature: Road to Hope directed by Mike Wargo
Best Narrative Short: Kiss of Death directed by Timothy Collins, Jillian Kibler
Best Documentary Short: Scout's Honour directed by Andy Neitzert
Best Foreign Feature: Timeless directed by Alexander Tuschinski
Best Foreign Short: The girl with the flute directed by Dieter Michael Grohmann
Best Student Short: Next Act directed by Ryan Miller
Best Student Feature: Black & White directed by Amanda Maya
Best Animation Feature: Dracula directed by Mark Andres
Best Animated Short: Totem directed by Ariel Laigeen Jew
Best Director: One Heart directed by Arturo Vargas
Best Screenplay: The Meeting directed by Sergey Ramz
Best California Feature: Special Blood directed by Natalie Metzger
Best California Short: Me3 directed by Jason Baumgardner
Best Experimental Film: Ridden by Nature directed by Kathi Von Koerber
Best Music Video: Interlinear directed by Georg Petzold
Best Television Pilot: Red Bird directed by Misti Boland
Best Comedy: What Happened to Mr. Kim directed by Jongho Yun
Best Dramatic Film: Being There directed by David Michaels
Best Environmental Film: The Great Forest directed by Marli Lopez-Hope

Orson Welles Awards

Animated Film: Another Day in Paradise directed Bello Propello
California Film: Imagine directed by Eva Cohen
Documentary Feature:The Root Cause directed by Julia Buss
Documentary Short: Caste A Wave directed by Fancy Fechser
Music Video: Moonlight directed by Arne Fischer
Narrative Film: The Last Supper of the Damned directed by Zev Howley
Environmental Film: Mustang Secrets Beyond the Himalayas directed by Jaswant Dev Shrestha
Screenplay: Freedom Gate directed by Mark Baird
Short Film: The Order directed by M. Federico Moreno
Student Film: The Lottery directed by Han Rui Wang
Television Pilot: Lovers and Friends L.A directed by Charmain Johnson
Foreign Film: Sadoum directed by Christophe Karabache

Screenplay Competition Feature

1st Place: False Start written by Charles Laulette
2nd Place: Primos written by Scott A. Lopez, Jesus F. Jauregui
3rd Place: The Wonderful written by Demitra Papadinis
4th Place: Seriah's Legacy written by Julie M Kaufmann
5th Place: A Journey With Desitny written by Gene Gwynne

Official Finalists

Reflections written by Kathy Krantz Stewart
26 miles of pain before I Die written by Matt Beurois, Auregan
The Last Blackout written by Matt Webb
Ohio written by Tad Jones
Pistol Paul written by Frank Vespe
Lazaro written by Brian K. Palmer
Tat and the virus written by Polina Zinoviev
Madame Facades written by Charles Laulette
Twisted Act written by Luciana Lagana
Mercy written by Michael Sieve

Honorable Mentions

Running Blind written by John T. Frederick
The Muffin Conundrum written by Diana Woody
The Slider written by L. Filippo Santaniello
Under Current written by Barry K Pagel
Heartless written by Roderick Bentley
20/20: Search for Independence written by Harold L. Brown
Horace Bell written by Steven Wayne Knight & Liz Baldwin 
Loves Terms. written by Lance Barnett
Harm for the Holidays written by Jonathan LaPoma
The Rummy Club written by Anoop Abuja Judge

Short Script Competition

1st Place: The Barking Spider written by Robert Gately, Lois Gately
2nd Place: Blood Brothers written by Matthew James Elam
3rd Place: 
Minutes to Memories written by Michael Sieve
4th Place: The Last Tooth written by Kelly Tran
5th Place: 
Best Laid Plans written by Richard Geiwitz

Official Finalists

Death's Lady Love written by Stephen M. Hunt
Against the River written by Dan Ritter
Shattered written by Pamela Guest
In a pine forest written by Yaroslav Triniv
Homesick written by Dustin Lester
Mentally Evil written by Ronnie Lewis Jr
Mournful Memos written by Tracey Maye

Diamond Awards

Animated Film Competition

Trial & Error directed by Antje Heyn
Pigtails directed by Yoshimi Itazu

California Film Competition 

Walls of Water directed by John Taschner
Night Terrors directed by Oscar Velasquez

Documentary Film Competition

Four Motherless Children directed by Ralph Isenberg
Index Funds: The 12-Step Recovery Program for Active Investors directed by Mark Hebner
Vassia directed by Labat Joel
I've Been Bullied directed by Rod Lopez
Father's Day directed by Daniel Strong Gao
Memories of Warsaw directed by Robert Webster
Essence: Exploring the Horse-Human Relationship directed by Ivy Schexnayder

Music Video Competition

Beatin directed by Quentin Perez
Verse 1 directed by Nate Hostutler, Marcus Peters
The Love We Owe directed by Erick Loi
Balance directed by Noor Al Yaseen

Foreign Film Competition

The Perfume of Memory directed by Oswaldo Montenegro
Somniloquy directed by Darcy Conlan
Follow Me directed by Grohmann, Dieter - Michael
St. Elmo directed by Emily Dynes

Narrative Film Competition

Crypsis directed by Paul Anthony Rogers
You Let Me Down directed by Andrew Greco
Mystic Mountain directed by Tsering Dhondup
Zeitgeist Protest directed by Christophe Karabache
Stanley A Man Of Variety  directed by Stephen Cookson

Screenplay Competition 

Luther's Gang written by Massimiliano Mauceri
Coyote Dances With Fire written by Todd Selleck
Lord Finn written by Al Mertens
Corey's Hand written by Jim Norman
Hell's Reflection written by Wynn Reichert
Pullman written by Karen Schmidt, Timothy Schmidt
Smoked Out written by Roddy Mancuso
Red Ivory written by Larry Thomas 
Quest For The Orb written by Leann Barna
Nowhere Kentucky written by Larry Myers

Short Film Competition

Good Fortune directed by Eric Courtney,Duane Watkins,Joel Witte
Inner Secret directed by Scott Flenniken
Tread With No Fear directed by Dávur Djurhuus
The Double Cross directed by Mark Brocking
Scarecrow directed by Mark A. France
Last Words directed by Paul Kelly
Dead Sharks directed by Nic Barker
Hold Back directed by Steffen Geypens
Alike directed by Choukri Ben Meriem
Aberrant directed by Dean Whitney

Student Film Competition

Les Vents Viendront directed by Adriana Serrato
Love is. directed by Lincoln Korver
Rain Dance directed by Francis Lin
Allow Saudi Women to Drive directed by Noor Al Yaseen
Jackie Krisher: No Limits directed by Claire Imler
13 Days To Adelaide directed by Paul Bullinger
Top Dogs directed by Jonathan Cowan
Monday's Child directed by Arden Teresa Lewis
Pizza Shop directed by Devone Jones
Mahal directed by Jay Españo

Television Production Competition

AKA Death directed by John Trueson
Treading Yesterday directed by Craig Bettendorf
Miss Winn's Garden directed by Shanalyna C. Palmer

Experimental Film Competition

Imaginary Novels directed by Nancy Gifford

Environmental Film Competition

Overcast - An Investigation into Climate Engineering directed by Matthias Hancke
Living Desert directed by Amanda Larsh, Rachel Lattin, Hannah Mattner

Gold Awards

California Film Competition 

Missed Call directed by Ruben Avitia
Joshua Tree: Threatened Wonderland  directed by Bill Wisneski

Documentary Film Competition

Ukraine. Paralipomenon.  A Chronicle of Omissions directed by Yulia Matsiy
Manifest: Power of Thought directed by Laura Lillie
Sixteen Sunrises & Sunsets directed by Marilyn Swick
The Conscience directed by Tari K. Robinson
#JoshuaStrong directed by Danielle Mandella
Shattered Families: the Collapse of America's Mental Health System directed by Stephen Seager
The Indian Priest directed by Mattias Löw

Music Video Competition

Lovers directed by Raul Simao
El Encanto bajo el mar (Enchantment under the sea) directed by Agustin Rolandelli
The Island directed by Darrell Lee HALL

Foreign Film Competition

The Village Boy directed by Damien Dematra
That Little "Drive" Thing directed by Yoann LuisLast Breath directed by Seyed A Hosseini
The Flower Girl directed by Kaz Ceh 

Narrative Film Competition

Slim directed by Michael Arell
DisAssociationVille directed by James Christopher
Daydream Hotel directed by Tony Perri
The Dark Tapes directed by Michael McQuown
Exit Thread directed by Paul Andrew Kimball

Screenplay Competition 

Flake written by L. Lee Lapidus, Norman Lapidus
Resurrection Time Conspiracy written by James Carroll
Nightbreak written by Mark Gunnion
The Good Fight written by Richard Geiwitz
Sentinels of Tzurac written by James Raven
Hibernation written by Mike Briock
Broader Than the Scope written by John-Mark Davidson
Trigger written by Judson Vaughan
Entangled written by Sharon Powers
The Committed written by Tim Manning

Short Film Competition

Saw Ke (Once upon a time) directed by Zaw Bo Bo Hein
A Movie Set directed by Eduardo Rufeisen
An Inconvenient Ruth directed by J. Samuel Ryan
Heather's Painting directed by Freddie Connor
Silence directed by Ciani Rey Walker
A Children's Song directed by Shayna Cohen
Sam the Vamp directed by Saba
Hurricane directed by Christiano Dias
So This Is It Then! directed by David M. Raynor
Degree of Separation directed by Kyahl Anderson, Dale Mastin

Student Film Competition

The Letter directed by Yifan Xiao
Doug directed by Lucas Ruderman
Dominik the Daring and Bronco the Brave directed by Andrew Bryan Scott
When a Flame Stands Still directed by Michael Mike Canon
Skin Deep directed by Lulu Jiang
Speakeasy to Me directed by Alexa Polar
Palm Mesa directed by Stefan Ng
Red Shadow directed by Yuanyuan Chen
Open Mind directed by Arash Monjazeb and Monica Dell'Amore
Scatter Bolt directed by Jordan Dove

Television Production Competition

The Reaping directed by Roberto D'Antona
Life On Mars directed by Brandon Baer 
Complaisant- Jen’s Secret directed by Tiffany Jaide Hightower

 

Silver Awards

California Film Competition 

The Hike directed by David Fugett
Not Yet directed by Grazie Simões

Documentary Film Competition

The Memory of the Hands. Echoes of C. Freinet's Pedagogic Legacy in Murcia directed by Alfonso Burgos Risco
Reunification directed by Alvin Tsang
Humanitarianism  directed by Arun Subramanian
Cellphone Journey directed by Karl Bardosh
All the World in a Design School directed by Mattias Löw
Curves directed by Antoine Besse
Kissed by the Sun: A Study of the Nile Valley Cultural Continuity directed by Steffan Spencer

Music Video Competition

Hiding directed by Roy Sherfan
#OneSkyAbove directed by Staci Ben Koussa
The Verigolds - Crossfire directed by Aaron Glasson, Celeste Byers
The Game directed by Erick Loi

Foreign Film Competition

Indefinite directed by Kane George Jason
Blockbuster - A Life in Moving Pictures directed by Vlado Priborsky
Ignition directed by Paul Contargyris

Narrative Film Competition

Virtual Revolution directed by Guy-Roger Duvert
Anti Matter directed by Keir Burrows
Vicious directed by Jason Rosenblatt
Admiral Lord Nelson directed by 

Screenplay Competition 

Admiral Lord Nelson directed by Michael Rights
Lost Saga written by Tim Kontje
The Lariat Girl written by Suzanne Prescott
Triskel written by Brian Palmer
The Job Offer written by Massimiliano Mauceri
The Last Book Store written by Brooke Purdy, Colette Freedman
Loonatoona written by Shockadelic
Brothers of the Fatherland written by Vijay Varman
Branding written by Charles Laulette
Jazz Music written by Michael Sieve
Writing The End written by Massimiliano Mauceri

Short Film Competition

Smile directed by Carolina Giammetta
Asylum At Blackthorn directed by Tony Chris Kazoleas
Compulsion directed by Jon Myers
Doors directed by Paco Arasanz
Memory Lines directed by Neil Kendricks
Scamps & Goons directed by Giancarlo Diaz
Close the curtains there is blood on my shoes directed by Alex Constantin
Bad Karma Santa directed by Kim Sønderholm
Tailypo directed by Cameron McCasland
Restore directed by Jayjit DasGupta

Student Film Competition

Walter directed by Andrew Boyles
Brain Editor directed by Kaylan Akse
The Golden Plates directed by Tara-Nicole Azarian
Hunter directed by Phillip Klimek, Nick Kozakis
Creatures of Whitechapel directed by Jonathan Martin
Mirror directed by Sara Eustáquio
Beyond The Wilderness directed by Jacqueline V. Illera
Sleep directed by Vladislav Khesin
Blindsided directed by Emily Reas
Rose Garden directed by Rafael Nani

Television Production Competition

A.L.L.I.A.N.C.E directed by Kenneth Mader
The Parallel Project directed by Barrett Gregory
Heavy Metal Greg at the 2016 Long Beach Comic Expo directed by Greg Graham