Announcing the Winners of the 1st Annual Short Film Contest

The results are in…

Over the better part of the last two months, our judges have viewed hundreds of short films directed by our incredibly talented Stage 32 filmmakers. We’ve received thousands of pages of feedback. Within, one word came up over and over and over again:

Wow.

Having watched over 100 of these short films myself, and having attended numerous short programs at film festivals all over the world, I couldn’t agree more. The work we received was staggering; beautiful, complex, original and confidently executed. We could probably fill three or four programs. Alas, there can only be one program and only one Grand Prize Winner.

In the end, the top four films were separated by mere hundredths of a percentage point. That’s how close things were. I’m thrilled to announce that those four films along with three others will be screened in the Stage 32 Short Film Program at the Raindance Film Festival on Tuesday, September 29, 2015. Additionally, 4 more films, for a total of 11, will screen right here on Stage 32 (date to be announced) for the entire world to see.

Further still, the 11 films will be placed in a special private section on Stage 32 accessible by over 300 Stage 32 industry executives who will be able to view the films. Our executives will also receive all pertinent information about the filmmakers and each project in an effort to give the filmmakers the exposure and potential opportunities they so richly deserve. We will work tirelessly on behalf of these astounding filmmakers in an effort to move their careers to the next level.

Finally, before I announce the winners, I just want to thank all who took the time to enter. Making a film, any film, is no easy task. And, of course, all art is subjective. I encourage everyone who has the dream to make it as a director to continue pursuing your passion with boundless energy and vigor.

In alphabetical order, here are the 11 films that will screen on Stage 32:

Anxious Oswald Greene – Marshall Axani (Vancouver, Canada)

Ark – Greg Jonkajtys (San Francisco, CA, USA)

I’ll Eat You Alive – Amara Cash (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Killer – Matt Kazman (Brooklyn, NY, USA)

Low Fi – Alejandro Montoya (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA)

Monica – Gunnar Tornes (Oslo, Norway)

Olde E – Xavier L. Burgin (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Seclusion – Vivian Tse (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

The Voice In The Head – Cyrus Trafford (London, UK)

This Modern Man is Beat - David J Schroeder (Miami, FL USA)

Trench – Nathan Hunt (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

In alphabetical order, here are the 7 films that will screen in the Stage 32 Short Film Program at the 23rd Annual Raindance Film Festival:

Anxious Oswald Greene – Marshall Axani (Vancouver, Canada)

Ark – Greg Jonkajtys (San Francisco, CA, USA)

Killer – Matt Kazman (Brooklyn, NY, USA)

Low Fi – Alejandro Montoya (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA)

Olde E – Xavier L. Burgin (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

The Voice In The Head – Cyrus Trafford (London, UK)

This Modern Man is Beat - David J Schroeder (Miami, FL USA)

And, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The Grand Prize Winner of the 1st Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest is….

Killer directed by Matt Kazman.

Logline: When Dusty masturbates for the first time, something bad happens...

Matt will be flown by Stage 32 to London to appear at the 23rd Annual Raindance Film Festival. He will also take part in our Q&A session at the end of the Stage 32 Shorts Program.

My heartfelt congratulations to Matt!  He created a terrific film that scored extremely high in all the judging criteria from judges who work at such prestigious production companies and firms such as The Weinstein Company, Benderspink and Circle of Confusion, to name a few. Personally, and I'm telling you, it was close, this was my favorite film as well.

Please help me in congratulating Matt and all the winners!

RB

Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you.

As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...