“From year one of this festival, Wes and Amanda have produced more than just great movies,” said 168 Hour Film Project founder and executive director John Ware of the couple whose full-length Signal Hill feature “The Moment After II: The Awakening” is currently in release. “Whether competing in the festival or helping run it, they are an impressive team. The caliber of 168 filmmakers continues to impress us every year. As long as we don’t run out of Bible verses, we’ll keep making movies.”
Writer-director Keith Domingue’s visually stylistic interrogation film “Threshold,” the most decorated film going into the weekend with 11 nominations, likewise proved the most awarded in the race with five Bests, including Director for himself (out of three individual noms) and Cinematography for Russell Griffith, Editor for Kris Kasper, Original Score for Jason T. Miller and Sound for Glenn Porter and Shaun Lile.
The mature-themed “Threshold,” starring David Goryl and which, like “Good Day’s” Colón, boasts actor-producers in Best Supporting Actress nominee Laura Nativo and Regina Rice (who both produced with Griffith), added the fest-leading sixth, albeit non-nominated, award with its Director’s
Note Award for Special Effects for Matt Welch and Randy Starnes.
Audience Award for Saturday went to the wry drug caper “Bag” from producer Kathy Choiniere and director Micki Quance, while Fri. Mar. 23's crowd at the Stars Art Theatre named husband-wife directing-producing team Eric and Susu Keepman Lee’s rapping “Real Estate Superman” (produced with Lewis Hill), starring Steve Neumann and newcomer child actor Darcie Hill, as tops among the opening night’s offerings. “Bag” was also judged Best Comedy by a panel of industry professionals that included producer Ralph Winter (“X-Men”) and director Cory Edwards (“Hoodwinked”).
Period piece “Snare,” a 1920s-set swindler from quadruple nominee director-producer Joshua Weigel, snagged a pair of awards with Best Actress for triple nominee Melissa Disney (who was also nominated for both Screenplay and Scriptural Integration with scribes Michelle Caudel and Weigel) and Production Design for Denise Radka. Disney played a contented wife suddenly traumatized by her husband’s criminal unraveling.
Best Supporting Actor for his role as a kindly homeless man in “The Wondering Kind” went to a formerly homeless man himself, James Smith, whose Vietnam veteran consoled a grieving young woman over the loss of a loved one. The film was of special significance to its director Chris Douridas, whose teen daughter Marieke won Best Actress at last year’s 168 just weeks before dying in a tragic accident.
Hill, whose “Real Estate Superman” visual effects team had the adolescent walking on water, found herself walking on stage for Best Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of the aptly named Gabby, whose childlike faith helped inspire a down-on-his-luck salesman (Neumann).
Director-producer Vance Elliott’s kids ride “Derby Day,” starring youngster Cameron Covell as an underdog soap box derby driver, took the tape at the finish line for Best Children’s Film.
Second-most-nominated submission “Cold,” director Philip G. Bloom’s icy heist drama up for
10 awards -- all individual, thus constituting the fest’s most broadly nominated team -- saw that depth translated into a Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking for producers Christine Krebsbach and Nate White.
Three other Jury Awards were presented: Best Song to Shawn Lopez for “The Aardvark Song” from director-producer Matthew Chapman’s animated “King Aardvark and the Knights of Round Table Drive”; Honorable Mention to “Bag’s” Nathan Kress for his performance as small-fry pusher with a conscience; and Stylistic Excellence and Graphic Design to “Eight One Eight” editors Mikey Carr (who produced with Richard Lopez) and Josh Stone for their work on director Josh Turnbow’s gangland drama.
Prizes included a $1,000 credit from Hollywood rental house Out of Frame issued to Amanda Llewellyn and Colón, Avid Express Pro gifted upon Kasper, and Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter awarded to all nominated and winning screenwriters.
Sponsors of the 168 include Arri Lighting, Avid, Plus 8 Digital, Dorrough, Millenia Media and Eiki.
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