The 2022 Indy Shorts International Film Festival (Indy Shorts) presented by Heartland Film announced its award winners. The Grand Prize for Narrative Short went to “Ousmane” directed by by Jorge Camarotti; the Grand Prize for Documentary Short went to “Stranger at the Gate” by Joshua Seftel and the Grand Prize for Animated Short went to “Black Slide” by by Uri Lotan. The Festival’s three Grand Prize-winning films will receive Academy Award® qualification in their respective categories and $5,000 in cash prizes.
2022 Emmy nominee Colman Domingo (“Euphoria”) was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award and his short films, “New Moon” and “NORTH STAR”, won Audience Choice awards in the Animated and Narrative categories, respectively.
“Our commitment to diverse international short stories shines across our three Grand Prize-winning films,” said Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. “It is an honor to welcome these filmmakers to Indianapolis and present them with this prestigious honor heading into awards season.”
Heartland Film will host the 31st Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis on October 6-16, 2022.
The full list of Indy Shorts International Film Festival Award Winners can be found below.
GRAND PRIZE & ACADEMY AWARD® QUALIFIERS
NARRATIVE GRAND PRIZE | $5,000
Academy Award® Qualified | Live Action Short
“Ousmane” | Directed by by Jorge Camarotti (Canada)
Description | Ousmane, a newly arrived immigrant living in Montreal, faces a challenging situation when he meets an elderly disoriented lady at the end of his workday.
DOCUMENTARY GRAND PRIZE | $5,000
Academy Award® Qualified | Documentary Short
“Stranger at the Gate” Directed by Joshua Seftel (USA), The New Yorker
Description | A U.S. Marine plots a terrorist attack on a small-town American mosque, but his plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face to face with the people he sets out to kill. Indy Shorts is the first festival to Academy Award® qualify the film.
ANIMATED GRAND PRIZE | $5,000
Academy Award® Qualified | Animated Short
“Black Slide” by Uri Lotan (Israel, UK)
Description | Eviah, a young and timid kid on the brink of puberty, and his best friend sneak into the Black Slide, the most terrifying ride in Aqua Fun. There, Eviah will gain insight to prepare him for events about to unfold at home. Indy Shorts is the first festival to Academy Award® qualify the film.
Full List of 2022 Indy Shorts International Film Festival Award Winners:
Academy Award® Qualification | Live Action Short
Grand Prize for Narrative Short
$5,000 Cash Prize
“Ousmane” by Jorge Camarotti (Canada)
Academy Award® Qualification | Documentary Short
Grand Prize for Documentary Short
$5,000 Cash Prize
“Stranger at the Gate” by Joshua Seftel (USA)
Academy Award® Qualification | Animated Short
Grand Prize for Animated Short
$5,000 Cash Prize
“Black Slide” by by Uri Lotan (Israel, UK)
Indiana Spotlight Award
$1,500 Cash Prize
“Stranger at the Gate” by Joshua Seftel (USA)
Comedy Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“An Irish Goodbye” by Tom Berkeley, Ross White (Ireland)
Horror Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“The Night Watch” by Julien Regnard (France, Belgium)
Jenni Berebitsky Legacy Award
$1,800 Cash Prize
“Long Line of Ladies” by Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome (USA)
Directorial Debut Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“Pig” by Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands)
Narrative Student Short Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“El Carrito” by Zahida Pirani (USA), UCLA MFA
Documentary Student Short Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“Groundhog Town” by David Zucker (USA), Stanford University MFA
Animated Student Short Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“Night of the Living Dread” by Ida Melum (UK), National Film and Television School
Indiana Spotlight Student Short Award
$1,000 Cash Prize
“Conversations Between Shifts” by Ben Basem (USA), Ithaca College
High School Film Competition Summer White Lynch Memorial Grand Prize Winner / Documentary Category Winner
$2,000 Cash Prize (Endowed by Gary D. & Marlene Cohen)/ $500 Cash Prize
“A Prayer for My Mother” by Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marion Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli (USA)
High School Film Competition Narrative Category Winner
$500 Cash Prize
“Pho” by Ethan Chu (USA), Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, CA
High School Film Competition Animated Category Winner
$500 Cash Prize
“Grizz” by Cameron Staley, Shivnil Lal (USA), Thomas Downey High School, Modesto, CA
Narrative Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“NORTH STAR” by P.J. Palmer (USA)
Documentary Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“Bacon ‘N’ Laces” by Stephen Michael Simon (USA)
Animated Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“New Moon” by Jérémie Balais, Jeff LeBars, Raul Domingo, Colman Domingo (USA, France)
Horror Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“My Soul to Take” by Laura Vandervoort (Canada)
Comedy Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“An Irish Goodbye” by Tom Berkeley, Ross White (Ireland)
Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“Daughters” by Jess Berry (USA)
High School Film Competition Audience Choice Award Winner
$250 Cash Prize
“Gone” by Kyle Ward (USA), John Marshall High School, San Antonio, TX