HollyShorts Announces 2014 Award Winners, Sets Dates for 2015 Edition

The HollyShorts Film Festival announced the 2014 HollyShorts Awards during a special standing room-only reception at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, home of the 1st Oscars ceremony. At the top of the show, festival founders announced the 11th annual HollyShorts will take place August 13-22, 2015 in Hollywood.

The event kicked off with Felicia Day being presented with the inaugural HollyShorts 2014 Digital Icon Award in front of the audience, which consisted of 1,000 filmmakers from the festival, industry professionals and short form content enthusiasts. Company 3 Awarded $40,000 in production prizes and Method Studios presented a $10,000 VFX prize. The coveted Best Short Film Award went to Francois Jaros for TOUTES DES CONNES (Life’s A Bitch), with the win Jaros took home a $15,000 production prize from Company 3. Best Director went to Una Gunjak for THE CHICKEN. Gunjak took home a $10,000 prize from Company 3.

The Method Studios Best VFX Award went to LOOKING PLANET by Eric Law Anderson. Best Music Video went to Jacob Lundgaard for AS LONG AS YOU WATCH MY HEART. Best Cinematography went to THE LANDING by Josh Tanner. Best Animation went to INTERVIEW by Mikkel Okholm. Best Comedy went to #TWITTER KILLS by Brett Sorem. Best International went to KOSMODROME by Youcef Mahmoudi. Best Horror went to DRUDGE by Kheireddine El-Helou. Best Documentary went to HERD IN ICELAND by Lindsay Blatt. The Panavision Future Filmmaker Award went to Douglas Jessup for GLOW. Best Student went to SWEET CORN by Joo Hyun Lee

HollyShorts also presented the winner of it’s first ever screenplay competition. Mimi Jeffries took the top prize for her short script OPEN ROADS. With the win, Seattle-based production company Evil Slave has optioned the project and will shoot the short with the goal to premiere it at next year’s HollyShorts.

HollyShorts Awards 2014 winners are listed below:

Screenplay 3rd place
GLARE / April Rouveyrol

Screenplay 2nd place
THE OLD MAN AND C SHARP / Alexander Gardels

Screenplay 1st place
OPEN ROADS / Mimi Jeffries

Best Web Series
THE AGE OF INSECURITY: a Clinical Romance / Adriano Valentini

Best Female Director
NI-NI / Melissa Hickey

Best Washington State Film
FROM 1994 / Casey Warren & Danielle Krieger

Best Editing
ON/OFF / Thierry Lorenzi

Best Score
TODAYS THE DAY / Daniel Campos

Honorable Mention
HEART TO EARTH / Jeff Pinilla

Honorable Mention
THE LEARNING CURVE / Phil McCarty

Special Jury Mention
APP / Alexander Berman