Film Festivals

IT FELT LIKE LOVE, directed by Eliza Hittman

IT FELT LIKE LOVE, directed by Eliza Hittman won the Jury award for Best Narrative Feature; and BROTHERS HYPNOTIC, directed by Reuben Atlas won the Jury award for Best Documentary Feature at the Indie Memphis film festival which took place October 31 to November 3, 2013. The audience, on the other hand, voted for SHORT TERM 12, directed by Destin Cretton to win the Narrative Feature Audience award and A WHOLE LOTT MORE, directed by Victor Buhler took home the Documentary Feature Audience award.

2013 Festival Awards

Best Narrative Feature*
($1,000 cash prize presented by Nice Shoes)
IT FELT LIKE LOVE, directed by Eliza Hittman

During an uneventful summer on the outskirts of Brooklyn, Lila, a lonely fourteen-year-old from Gravesend, turns her attentions to Sammy, an older thug she sees at Rockaway beach. Wanting something to brag about, she weaves a story about him and becomes fixated on seeing it realized. When her attempts fail, she propels the lie even further, claiming they’ve had sex. During her sexual quest, Lila turns from predator to prey.

Duncan-Williams Scriptwriting Award*($1,000 cash prize presented by Duncan-Williams, Inc.)Duncan-Williams Scriptwriting Award*
($1,000 cash prize presented by Duncan-Williams, Inc.)
SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY, written by Drew Tobia

Starring Dana Eskelson, Eleanore Pienta, Keisha Zollar and Molly Plunk

Mona is pregnant, single, and mentally unbalanced. Her only close friend is her mother, May, a recovering alcoholic with a brash sense of humor. Mona’s sister, Jordan, is an emotionally distant and unemployable party girl. In the last days of her pregnancy, Mona draws her mother and sister into her hectic life as she drifts further from reality.
Special Jury Award for outstanding performance
Eleanor Pienta (SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY)

Special Jury Award – The Emerging Artist Award for the creative promise shown by their debut feature
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CONCRETE, directed by Katherine Dohan & Alanna Stewart
Starring Morgan Rose Stewart

A homespun high school fairy tale comedy, WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CONCRETE is a tour through the unbearable awkwardness, nascent cynicism, and disarming wonder that comprise the 11th grade experience, in a world where synchronized swimming breaks out in rundown motel pools, and dead swans are concealed in Mary Poppins-like bottomless book bags.

Armed with only a shoestring budget and a grand vision, co-directors Katherine Dohan and Alanna Stewart turned to homemade special effects, an original score, family members as actors, and puppets to realize their uncanny take on the classic heroine’s journey.

DOCUMENTARY JURY AWARDS

Best Documentary Feature*
($1,000 cash prize presented by Classic American Hardwoods)
BROTHERS HYPNOTIC, directed by Reuben Atlas

For the eight young men who comprise the joyful and bombastic Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, brotherhood is literal: They’re all sons of anti-establishment jazz legend Phil Cohran. Raised on a steady diet of jazz and funk crossed with Black Consciousness on Chicago’s South Side, this jazz cooperative has moved from busking on the streets to collaborating with Mos Def and opening for Prince. This coming-of-age doc is filled with their unremittingly unique brand of music and showcases their struggle to maintain the values they were raised on w

Special Jury Award
GREAT CHICKEN WING HUNT, directed by Matt Reynolds

Short Film Jury AwardsBest Narrative Short*</strong><br>($500 cash prize)<br><a href=\”<a href=” http:=”” indiememphis=”” festivalgenius=”” com=”” 2013=”” films=”” aftermath_indiememphis2013_indiememphis2013=””>
American expatriate, international journalist and upstate New Yorker Matt Reynolds forsake a successful life in Eastern Europe, compelled by a singular obsession: find the world’s best Buffalo chicken wing. Joined by his long-suffering Czech girlfriend, a perplexed Slovak film crew, and a ragtag gang of wing-obsessed misfits recruited on-line, Reynolds embarks on THE GREAT CHICKEN WING HUNT. After 2,627 miles and 284 varieties of wings, the quest ends in the very countryside of Reynolds’ childhood.

SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

Best Narrative Short*
($500 cash prize)
AFTERMATH, directed by Jeremy Robbins

Best Documentary Short*
($500 cash prize)
SWEET CRUDE MAN CAMP, directed by Isaac Gale

Best Animation or Experimental Film*
THE MISSING SCARF, directed by Eoin Duffy

Special Jury Award
MS. BELVEDERE, directed by Michael Reynolds

Special Jury Award
HOW TO SHARPEN PENCILS, directed by Kenneth Price

SPECIAL FESTIVAL AWARDS

Southern Soul of Independent Film Award*
ORANGE MOUND, TENNESSEE: AMERICA’S COMMUNITY, directed by Emmanuel Amido

Ron Tibbett Excellence in Filmmaking Award*
BOB BIRDNOW’S REMARKABLE TALE OF HUMAN SURVIVAL AND THE TRANSCENDENCE OF SELF, directed by Eric Steele

Craig Brewer Emerging Filmmaker Award*
ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW, directed by Randy Moore

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Narrative Feature*
SHORT TERM 12, directed by Destin Cretton

SHORT TERM 12 follows the story of Grace, a 24-year-old girl who is the supervisor for a group home that houses 15 at-risk teenagers. As she deals with the day-to-day problems of the kids, along with her own discovery of an unwanted pregnancy, Grace is forced to confront the issues from her past she’s always avoided.

Documentary Feature*
A WHOLE LOTT MORE, directed by Victor Buhler

There are almost eight million Americans with developmental disabilities – which include Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Down’s syndrome. Many of these Americans live on the edges of society, separate from the non-disabled. In a competitive job market people with developmental disabilities struggle to earn a living – an estimated 80% of them are out of work. Those who do work often find refuge in ‘disabled workplaces’ – coalitions of industry and social service that provide manufacturing jobs. Until recently these were called ‘sheltered workshops’. But few are like Lott Industries.

For decades, Lott Industries successfully competed with non-disabled factories for auto industry contracts. TJ Hawker, who has cerebral palsy and is deaf, cannot imagine working anywhere else – he suffered depression after he lost his previous job at a local hospital. Wanda Huber, who has Turner’s and Down’s Syndrome, is the fiery leader of the workers’ group at Lott. Kevin Tyree is a recent high school graduate who has autism. Is Lott the best option for him in a changing economy or should he look for a job in the wider community?

Ever since Ford pulled out of town the company has struggled. Lott has twelve months to find new contracts or they will close. For Joan Browne, Lott’s President, it is an unthinkable scenario. A WHOLE LOTT MORE is a moving feature documentary that details the most crucial year in Lott Industries’ history and brings audiences closer to the working world for Americans with developmental disabilities.

Narrative Short*
COOTIE CONTAGION, directed by Joshua Smooha

Documentary Short*
MABON ‘TEENIE’ HODGES: A PORTRAIT OF A MEMPHIS SOUL ORIGINAL, directed by Susanna Vapnek

Hometowner Film*
MEANWHILE IN MEMPHIS: THE SOUND OF A REVOLUTION, directed by Nan Hackman & Robert Allen Parker

HOMETOWNER AWARDS

Best Hometowner Feature*
($1,000 cash prize presented by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission)
BEING AWESOME, directed by Allen C. GardnerBest Hometowner Narrative Short*
($500 cash prize presented by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission)
JOHN’S FARM, directed by Melissa SweazyBest Hometowner Documentary Short*
($500 cash prize presented by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission)
BOOKIN’, directed by John Kirkscey

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