'Toprak' and 'Mighty Ira' Win Top Filmmaker Awards at Lake Travis Film Festival 2021

The 2nd Lake Travis Film Festival announced its filmmaker awards with Sevgi Hirschäuser’s Toprak taking the jury prize for Best Narrative Feature Film and the directing trio of Nico Perrino, Aaron Reese, and Chris Maltby won the Best Documentary Feature Film award for Mighty Ira.

Lake Travis Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, Kat Albert, said, “We didn’t go into the second year with huge expectations, but we were blown away by the sheer numbers of the audiences and attending filmmakers. Obviously, people missed the connection of seeing films together and the magic of meeting the people behind the curtains.”

Albert made a special presentation of the LTFF Make a Splash Award to the Austin- based and Emmy-award winning Minnow Mountain animation company. Responsible for the animation for Keith Maitland’s critically-acclaimed Tower, among other projects, Co-Founder and Director Craig Staggs, Co-Founder and Producer Steph Swope, Lead Animator Christopher Jennings, and Line Producer Rachel Dendy were all on hand to receive the award.

Additional winners taking home the Lake Travis Film Festival’s signature Kaleidoscope Lens Award were Sharon Arteaga’s When You Clean a Stranger’s Home (Best Narrative Short Film), Melissa Kirkendall’s You Are Me and I Am You (Best Documentary Short Film), Lincoln Edwards’ 01 Escalade (Best Youth Film), and Manuel Vargas’ Ghost (Best Music Video). Script competition winners included Isahah Mouw and Mark Botts’ “Lily of the Valley” (Best Feature Script), and Frank J. Avella’s “Fig Jam” (Best Short Script).

During the awards ceremony, Albert announced that the film festival has already begun its Call for Entries for 2022, with dates set next year for September 15-18, 2022.