The 11th annual DTLA Film Festival, announced its award winners for 2019, with PUSHOUT: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS, directed by Jacoba Atlas winning the Audience Favorite Award. Other award winners include AMERICAN WOMAN Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress; QT8: THE FIRST EIGHT for Best Director and Best Documentary and a Special Remembrance Award for Robert Forster; JOSIE & JACK picked up Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for William Fichtner; and Hong Chau has won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in AMERICAN WOMAN.

The first-ever Zeiss Cinematography Awards was presented to AMERICAN WOMAN for best feature (Gregory Middleton) and ME TAMBIEN (Jorel O’Dell) for best short with cash prizes of $2,500 and $500, respectively.

In the shorts series, thirteen filmmakers were honored with awards including the TV pilot “Neurotica,” which was directed by Laura Moss, and stars Karen Gillan, Jillian Bell, Jon Bass and David Dastmalchian.

2019 DTLA Film Festival Winners

FEATURE FILM AWARDS:

Best Picture – American Woman, directed by Semi Chellas

Audience Favorite Award – Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls In Schools, directed by Jacoba Atlas

Zeiss Best Cinematography, Features – American Woman – Gregory Middleton

Best Director, Narrative Feature – Semi Chellas, American Woman

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Simon Pegg, Lost Transmissions

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Hong Chau, American Woman

Best Screenplay – Josie & Jack, written by Sarah Lancaster & Kelly Braffet

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – William Fichtner, Josie & Jack

Best Ensemble Cast (Tie) – Inside Game (Scott Wolf, Will Sasso, Lindsey Morgan, Michael O’Keefe, Julie Claire) and The Living Worst (Zibby Allen, Erin Anderson, Jen Reiter, Amy Cale Peterson)

Best Editing Feature Film – Imaginary Order, edited by Debra Eisenstadt & Clark Harris

Breakthrough Performance – Otmara Marrero, Clementine

Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Mondo Hollywoodland, directed by Janek Ambros

Best New Director – Ashley Maria, Pioneers in Skirts

Best Film Score – My Summer As A Goth, directed by Jana Cushman

Best Director – Documentary Feature – QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood

Best Environmental Documentary – Chasing The Thunder, directed by Mark Benjamin & Mark Levin

Best Music Documentary – Devil’s Pie: D’Angelo, directed by Carine Bijlsma

Best Sports Documentary Feature Film – Willie, directed by Laurence Mathieu-Leger

Best Documentary Feature – QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood

Best Foreign Language Feature Film – Yeva, directed by Anahid Abad

Special Remembrance Award – Robert Forster, QT8: The First Eight

Best Fantasy Sci-Fi Feature – Spinning Dry, directed by Elana Krausz & James Avallone

Best Anthology Film – Bushwick Beats (directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno, Chloe Sarbib, Brian Shoaf, Sonejuhi Sinha, James Sweeney, Anu Valia)

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Film – Foosballers, edited by Joe Heslinga

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Liu Zhushiman, You Will Never Walk Alone

SHORTS SERIES AWARDS:

Best Cinematography – Me Tambien, directed by Jorel O’Dell

Best Animation Short – The Opposite Game, directed by Anna Samo

Best Actor – Jasmine Guy, Illegal Rose

Best Short Documentary – Lowland Kids, directed by Sandra Winther

Best Short Narrative – Karma, directed by Armando del Rio

Best Director – Practice, directed by Moira Fett

Student Visionary Award – What You Mean To Me, directed by Jessica Diaz & Heaven Haliburton

Best Foreign Language Short – The Fires of Soledad, directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera

Best Ensemble Cast – Zoe In Review: Kezia Bernard, Colleen Slattery, Andrea Petersen, Brendan McGowan, Wenyi Wei

Best Social Justice Short – Freedom Song, directed by Andy McCallie

Best Experimental Shot – Liberated Zones, directed by Dana Washington

Best Web Series – King Ester, directed by Dui Jarrod

Best TV Pilot – Neurotica, directed by Laura Moss

SCREENWRITING COMPETITION:

Feature Screenplay Winner – Natalie Rising, written by Donna Bonilla Wheeler

Finalists – On Time, written by Xavier Neal-Bergin and Service Animals, written by Christopher Corte

TV Pilot Screenplay Winner – Happyland, written by Alexandra Fernandez

Finalists – Nearly Supernova, written by Annie Nishida and Hardcore Vegans, written by Laura Hooper Beck

Shorts Screenplay Winner – Melanin, written by Maris Tia Streaty

Finalists – Wink, written by Teo Frank and Any Given Day, written by Juan Burgos