NATION DOWN

[caption id="attachment_26962" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE DRAWER BOY[/caption] The 2018 Oxford Film Festival celebrated the best of the fest with an entertaining awards ceremony emceed by Crooked Marquee’s Eric D. Snider, and handed out Hoka awards to Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’s THE DRAWER BOY for Best Narrative Feature, Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER for Best Documentary Feature, Itako’s BOYS FOR SALE for Best LGBTQ Feature, and the presentation of the Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award to Catherine Eaton for her performance in THE SOUNDING. Jeff Dennis’s THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA won the Hoka Award for Best Mississippi Feature Film, and Sacha Jenkins’s WORD IS BOND took the top prize for Best Music Documentary. Receiving “Special Recognition” in the Narrative Feature Film Category were Catherine Eaton for her film THE SOUNDING with Astin Rocks receiving the same in the Mississippi Films Category for her film LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM. Also cited in the documentary film category was a Special Jury Mention for “Creative Storytelling” to Aaron and Amanda Kopp for their documentary, LIYANA. A special Editing Award was presented to director Mark Potts for the film, COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE. The Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award was given to Kelly Buckholdt (TRUTH RISES). The Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award (and check for $1000 from the Louis M. Rabinowitz Foundation) went to Amanda Kopp, who co-directed the documentary LIYANA with her husband Aaron Kopp. In the Short Film category, Best Narrative Short went to Clark Duke’s HOME, with a Special Jury Prize for “Creative Vision” going to Alejandro Damiani’s M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE), and an “Honorable Mention” going to Jessee Kreitzer’s BLACK CANARIES. The winner of the Hoka for Best Documentary Short was Peter Byck’s ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS. A Special Jury Prize for “Personal Vision” went to Daniel Robin’s ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN, with an “Honorable Mention” given to Dana Nachman‘s WASHED AWAY. Nathan Willis’s COWGIRL UP was named Best Mississippi Short Film, with E.J. Carter’s TRUTH RISES receiving a Special Jury Prize for “Filmmaker to Watch,” and David Ross’s HAND MADE getting a “Honorable Mention” Vincent Jude Chaney’s music video for “Manna” by King Woman took the Hoka in that category with Michael Williams’s music video for “Royal” by Lost in Constellation receiving an Honorable Mention. Mark C. Smith’s TWO BALLOONS won the Fest Forward animation category, and Quentin Haberham’s HOMEGROWN received an “Honorable Mention.” The Best LGBTQ Short winner was Joseph Sulsenti’s FISHY. John Matthew Tyson picked by his previously announced Hoka Award as the winner for the Oxford Film Festival’s first Screenplay Competition for his script, “Twirling at Ole Miss;” and Liam Hendrix’s NATION DOWN is the winner of the inaugural Artist Vodka Award.

2018 OXFORD FF AWARD-WINNING FILMS

THE DRAWER BOY – BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Directors: Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’ THE SOUNDING – Special Recognition/Narrative Director: Catherine Eaton THE ORGANIZER – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Director: Nick Taylor LIYANA – Special Jury Mention for “Creative Storytelling”/Documentary Directors: Aaron and Amanda Kopp THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA – BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE Director: Jeff Dennis LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM – Special Recognition/Mississippi Films Director: Astin Rocks WORD IS BOND – BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY Director: Sacha Jenkins BOYS FOR SALE – BEST LGBTQ FILM Director: Itako FISHY – BEST LGBTQ SHORT Director: Joseph Sulsenti HOME – BEST NARRATIVE SHORT Director: Clark Duke M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE – Special Jury Prize for “Creative Vision” Director: Alejandro Damiani BLACK CANARIES – Honorable Mention Director: Jessee Kreitzer ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Director: Peter Byck ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN – Special Jury Prize for “Personal Vision” Director: Daniel Robin WASHED AWAY – Honorable Mention Director: Dana Nachman COWGIRL UP – BEST MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM Director: Nathan Willis TRUTH RISES – Special Jury Prize for “Filmmaker to Watch” Director: E.J. Carter (Kelly Buckholdt) HAND MADE – Honorable Mention Director: David Ross “Manna” by King Woman – BEST MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEO Director: Vincent Jude Chaney “Royal” by Lost in Constellation – Honorable Mention Director: Michael Williams TWO BALLOONS – FEST FORWARD BEST ANIMATION Director: Mark C. Smith HOMEGROWN – Honorable Mention Director: Quentin Haberham Catherine Eaton (THE SOUNDING) – Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award Amanda Kopp (LIYANA) – Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award Kelly Buckholdt (TRUTH RISES) – Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE – BEST EDITING Director: Mark Potts “Twirling at Ole Miss” – BEST SCREENPLAY Screenwriter: John Matthew Tyson NATION DOWN – ARTIST VODKA AWARD Director: Liam Hendrix image via Facebook

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