Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster took home Best of Fest and Pete Ohs’ Love and Work received Best Feature Film at the 2024 Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF).
Other awards went to Eugene Serebrennikov and Vicente Garcia Morillo’s Another Day: Beautiful Chaos for Best Animated Short and Katrina Lillian Sorrentino and Prairie Rose Seminole’s WE RIDE FOR HER nabbed Best Documentary Short.
Written and directed by Dan Perlman, Practice Space was awarded The LESFF Neighborhood Award, a specialty award that goes to one film each year that captures the spirit of the Lower East Side neighborhood and New York City, and in essence encapsulates the spirit of the festival. The film stars Alex Chavez and Yan Bo Lin.
In discussing “Practice Space” jury member Beanie Feldstein said, “It was unbelievably charming and charismatic. The leading performances transport the audience into the world of these two kids and the stakes of each tiny decision at that age. Incredibly charming!”
This year the festival’s jury includes a remarkable number of respected entertainment professionals including Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble, Party Down); Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, American Crime Story); actress Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us); Academy Award-nominated producer and co-founder of Killer Films, Pamela Koffler (Past Lives, May December); actress, singer, filmmaker Brittany Snow (Parachute, Pitch Perfect, John Tucker Must Die); writer, comedian and actor, Julio Torres (Problemista, SNL); and, stars of Hulu’s, “This Fool” with Chris Estrada and Frankie Quiñones, Chelsea Lupkin (Short Of The Week); Michael Levesque (Sound Mixer, Owner of Plush NY) and James King (Artistic Director of ALL ARTS).
Winners of 2024 Lower East Side Film Festival
Best of Fest – The L.E.S. Prix D’Or
“Your Monster”
Written and Directed by Caroline Lindy
Starring Melissa Barrera, Meghann Fahy, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster
Best Feature Film
“Love and Work”
Directed by Pete Ohs
Written by Stephanie Hunt, Will Madden, and Pete Ohs
Starring Stephanie Hunt, Will Madden, Frank Mosley, Alexi Pappas, and John S. Davies
The LESFF Neighborhood Award
“Practice Space”
Written and Directed by Dan Perlman
Starring Alex Chavez & Yan Bo Lin
Best Animated Short Film
“Another Day: A Beautiful Chaos”
Written and Directed by Eugene Serebrennikov & Vicente Garcia Morillo
Best Documentary Short Film
“WE RIDE FOR HER”
Directed by Katrina Lillian Sorrentino & Prairie Rose Seminole
Written by Melanie Shaw
Best Live Action Short Film
“Baggage”
Directed by Tim Hendrix
Written by Tim Hendrix, Dom Fera & Mae Catt
The LESFF Audience Award
“Sleeping Alone”
Written and Directed Kelsea Bauman-Murphy