The Keeping Hours

[caption id="attachment_22794" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Becks[/caption] Today the LA Film Festival announced the winners of the 2017 Festival at the Awards Reception, with the U.S. Fiction Award going to Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and Daniel Powell for Becks, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. The World Fiction Award went to Diego Ros for The Night Guard (El Vigilante), which made its North American Premiere at the Festival. The Documentary Award went to Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp for Liyana, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. The LA Muse Awards were given to two films, one fiction and one documentary. The LA Muse Documentary Award went to Mark Hayes for Skid Row Marathon, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. The LA Muse Fiction Award went to Savannah Bloch for And Then There Was Eve, which made its World Premiere at the Festival.   The Audience Award for Documentary Feature Film was given to Skid Row Marathon, directed by Mark Hayes; and the Audience Award for Fiction Feature Film went to The Keeping Hours, directed by Karen Moncrieff. Announced earlier were the winners of The Danny Elfman Project: Rabbit and Rogue competition: 13, Justine Quinones The Bridge, Matt Eckholm Dandelion, Catherine Fauteux A Day for Manuel, JB Minerva Gamelan, Cornelia Nicolăeasa A Glory Sewn, Travis Dixon Lakesong, Douglas Gibbens & Konstantina Mantelos Natural Promotion, Sean Oliver Urge, Pieter Coudyzer Awards were given out in the following categories: U.S. Fiction Award Winner: Becks, directed by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and Daniel Powell Screenwriter: Elizabeth Rohrbaugh, Daniel Powell, Rebecca Drysdale Producer: Alex Bach, Elizabeth Rohrbaugh, Daniel Powell Cast: Lena Hall, Mena Suvari, Christine Lahti, Dan Fogler, Rebecca Drysdale, Hayley Kiyoko, Michael Zegen Film Description: After a crushing breakup, an aimless singer-songwriter moves in with her ultra-Catholic mother and strikes up an unexpected friendship with the wife of an old nemesis. World Premiere U.S. Fiction Cinematography Award presented by Aputure Winner: Everything Beautiful is Far Away, cinematography by Christian Sorensen Hansen and Pete Ohs Directors: Pete Ohs and Andrea Sisson Country: USA Screenwriter: Pete Ohs Producer: Saul Germaine, Andrea Sisson, Pete Ohs Cast: Julia Garner, Joseph Cross, C.S. Lee Film Description: This arthouse science fiction fable is set on an isolated desert planet, where a man who is looking for parts to repair his robotic companion teams up with a young woman who is searching for an imaginary lake. World Premiere The U.S. Fiction Jury awarded the following special mentions: Special Mention for Breakout Performance: Auden Thornton of Beauty Mark Country: USA Director: Harris Doran Screenwriter: Harris Doran Producer: Harris Doran, Penny Edmiston, Gill Holland, Kiley Lane Parker, Bridget Berger, Corey Moosa Cast: Auden Thornton, Catherine Curtin, Laura Bell Bundy, Jeff Kober, Madison Iseman, Deirdre Lovejoy Film Description: Inspired by true events, when a poverty-stricken young mother and her three-year-old son are evicted, she turns to the only person she knows with any money – the man who abused her as a child. World Premiere Special Mention for Directing: Bruce Thierry Cheung of Don’t Come Back from the Moon Country: USA Screenwriter: Bruce Thierry Cheung, Dean Bakopoulos Producer: Jay Davis, Lauren Hoekstra Cast: Jeffrey Wahlberg, Zackary Arthur, Alyssa Elle Steinacker, Cheyenne Haynes, James Franco, Rashida Jones Film Description: The men of a small town on the edge of nowhere mysteriously disappear, one by one, leaving women and children behind to fend for themselves in a desolate and dreamlike world. World Premiere World Fiction Award Winner: The Night Guard (El Vigilante), directed by Diego Ros Country: Mexico Screenwriter: Diego Ros Producer: Diego Ros Cast: Leonardo Alonso, Ari Gallegos, Lilia Mendoza, Héctor Holten Film Description: A security guard at a construction site learns about a crime that took place the night before and becomes entangled in a series of mysterious events that unravel over the course of a single night. North American Premiere The World Fiction Jury awarded the following special mention: Special Mention for Excellence in Storytelling: On the Beach at Night Alone (Bamui Hae-Byun-Eoseo Honja), directed by Hong Sangsoo Country: South Korea Screenwriter: Hong Sangsoo Producer: Hong Sangsoo Cast: Kim Minhee, Seo Younghwa, Kwon Haehyo, Jung Jaeyoung, Song Seonmi, Moon Sungkeun, Ahn Jaehong, Park Yeaju, Karl Feder, Mark Peranson, Bettina Steinbrügge Film Description: Younghee is an actress who is stressed by a relationship with a married man in Korea. On the beach she wonders: Is he missing me, like I miss him? North American Premiere Documentary Award Winner: Liyana, directed by Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp Country: Swaziland / USA / Qatar Producer: Amanda Kopp, Aaron Kopp, Sakheni Dlamini, Daniel Junge, Davis Coombe Featuring: Gcina Mhlophe Film Description: The epic tale of a young Swazi girl on a dangerous quest to save her twin brothers is brought to life with captivating animation from the imaginations of five talented orphan children in Swaziland. World Premiere LA Muse Fiction Award Winner: And Then There Was Eve, directed by Savannah Bloch Screenwriter: Savannah Bloch, Colette Freedman Producer: Jen Prince, Jhennifer Webberley Cast: Tania Nolan, Rachel Crowl, Mary Holland, Karan Soni, Anne Gee Byrd, John Kassir Film Description: After the sudden disappearance of her husband, a woman enlists the help of his coworker to fill in the missing pieces. World Premiere [caption id="attachment_22793" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Skid Row Marathon[/caption] LA Muse Documentary Award Winner: Skid Row Marathon, directed by Mark Hayes Screenwriter: Mark Hayes Producer: Gabriele Hayes, Doug Blush Cast: Judge Craig Mitchell, Ben Shirley, Rafael Cabrera, Rebecca Hayes, David Askew Film Description: On LA’s Skid Row, a criminal court judge organizes a running club comprised of homeless, recovering and paroled men and women who seek to rediscover their sense of self-worth and dignity. World Premiere The LA Muse Jury awarded the following special mentions: Special Mention for Acting: John Carroll Lynch of Anything Country: USA Director: Timothy McNeil Screenwriter: Timothy McNeil Producer: Louise Runge, Ofrit Peres, Micah Hauptman Cast: John Carroll Lynch, Matt Bomer, Maura Tierney, Margot Bingham, Micah Hauptman Film Description: After the death of his wife, a man moves from Mississippi to a run-down Hollywood apartment, where he meets someone new. World Premiere Special Mention for Excellence in Storytelling: The Classic, directed by Billy McMillin Country: USA Screenwriter: Billy McMillin Producer: Christopher Leggett, Rafael Marmor, Timm Oberwelland, Billy McMillin Cast: Mario Ramirez, Joseph Silva, Sammy Hernandez, Stevie Williams, Javier Cid, Lorenzo Hernandez, Alfred Robledo Film Description: Two predominantly Latino high schools square off annually in one of the oldest and most heated football rivalries in the country: the East LA Classic. It doesn’t get more American than this. World Premiere Nightfall Award Winner: Serpent, directed by Amanda Evans Screenwriter: Amanda Evans Producer: Greig Buckle Cast: Sarah Dumont, Tom Ainsley Film Description: When a young couple take a getaway aimed at reviving their romance, they find themselves trapped in a tent with a venomous snake and a backlog of secrets, and realize that only one of them can make it out alive. World Premiere The Nightfall Jury awarded the following special mention: Special Mention for Acting: Kate Nhung of The Housemaid Country: USA/Vietnam Director: Derek Nguyen Screenwriter: Derek Nguyen Producer: Timothy Linh Bui Cast: Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Rosie Fellner, Phi Phung, Kien An Film Description: After an orphaned Vietnamese girl is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina, she unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife. North American Premiere Award for Short Film Winner: A Funeral for Lightning, directed by Emily Kai Bock. USA/Canada. Film Description: Seven months pregnant and stuck in a sleepy corner of Tennessee, a young woman begins to question the promises made by her charismatic husband. The Shorts Jury awarded the following special mentions: Special Mention for Excellence in Storytelling: Balloonfest, directed by Nathan Truesdell. USA Film Description: Cleveland attempts to overcome its nickname, “The Mistake by the Lake,” by launching a bunch of balloons. Award for Documentary Short Winner: Black America Again, directed by Bradford Young. USA Film Description: Inspired by Common’s Black America Again, this portrait is a celebration of the beauty, strength, perseverance and spirit of the black community in these troubling times. Audience Award for Fiction Feature Film Winner: The Keeping Hours, directed by Karen Moncrieff Producers: Jason Blum, John Miranda Cast: Lee Pace, Carrie Coon, Sander Thomas, Amy Smart, Ana Ortiz, Ray Baker Film Description: Years after the death of their son and their subsequent estrangement, a couple reunites under supernatural circumstances. World Premiere. Audience Award for Documentary Feature Film Winner: Skid Row Marathon, directed by Mark Hayes Producers: Gabriele Hayes, Doug Blush Featuring: Judge Craig Mitchell, Ben Shirley, Rafael Cabrera, Rebecca Hayes, David Askew Film Description: On LA’s Skid Row, a criminal court judge organizes a running club comprised of homeless, recovering and paroled men and women who seek to rediscover their sense of self-worth and dignity. World Premiere Audience Award for Short Film Winner: Swim, directed by Mari Walker Country: USA Film Description: As summer draws to a close, a young trans girl finds freedom in a secret midnight swim. Audience Award for Web-series Winner: High & Mighty, directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada Country: USA Description: Perpetually stoned, drunk, and unemployed, Chelo Chavez is an unlikely superhero.

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