The 26th Annual Florida Film Festival Announces Grand Jury & Audience Award Winners

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Orlando, FL – (May 1, 2017) The Florida Film Festival announced the Grand Jury and Audience Awards of the 2017 Florida Film Festival at the Awards Ceremony on April 29th. The 26th Annual Florida Film Festival took place April 21-30, 2017, in Maitland and Winter Park, Florida, with Primary Sponsor Full Sail University and Primary Public Partners Orange County Government and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

 

SHORTS

  • Special Jury Award for Comic Originality was presented to NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT, directed by Tim Mason
  • Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short was presented to RED APPLES, directed George Sikharulidze
  • Grand Jury Award for Best Animated Short was presented to HOT DOG HANDS, directed by Matt Reynolds
  • Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short was presented to THE RABBIT HUNT, directed by Patrick Bresnan
  • Audience Award for Best Short Film was presented to SUMMER CAMP ISLAND, directed by Julia Pott
  • Audience Award for Best Midnight Short was presented to DO NO HARM, directed by Roseanne Liang

 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

  • Special Jury Award for Vision and Storytelling was presented to THE PEACEMAKER, directed by James Demo
  • Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to STRAD STYLE, directed by Stefan Avalos
  • Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to RAT FILM, directed by Theo Anthony

 

NARRATIVE FEATURES

  • Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Robin Weigert – PUSHING DEAD, directed by Tom E. Brown
  • Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to GIRL FLU., directed by Dorie Barton
  • Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to DAVE MADE A MAZE, directed by Bill Watterson

 

INTERNATIONAL

  • Audience Award for Best International Feature was presented to I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE (Mexico/Netherlands), directed by Ernesto Contreras
  • Audience Award for Best International Short was presented to 5 FILMS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY (Canada), directed by Peter Huang

 

2017 FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its 26th year, the Florida Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival, premiering the best in current, independent, and international cinema. Through ten days of 180+ films and first-class events, film lovers mingle with filmmakers and celebrities over hand-crafted cocktails and a locally-sourced menu.

 

“[We] had a great time at the festival.  We’ve been to a few festivals with the film, and Florida is one of our favorites!” – Academy Award® winner Ron Judkins, FINDING NEIGHBORS

 

“Congrats on a fantastic festival. I loved being there. Have never seen a finer venue than Enzian.” – Andrew Goldman, THE DESK

 

“We had such a phenomenal time at the festival and it really exceeded our expectations in every way. The staff, the screening experience, the A/V, the audiences – everything was exceptional.” – Dan Berk & Robert Olsen, BODY

 

“Besides the amazing hospitality, I must say, the films were strong – steady, uncompromising programming. Way to go! Orlando is a powerhouse.” – Udy Epstein, 7th Art Releasing, FFF 2015 Juror

 

The Festival is a program of the non-profit Enzian Theater. 2017 Festival sponsors to date include:
Primary Sponsor: Full Sail University
Primary Public Partners: Orange County Government – Florida, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs
Public Partner: United Arts of Central Florida, and the National Endowment of the Arts
Premiere Sponsors: Hilton Grand Vacations, IMDbPro, Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A., Lure Design, Regal Entertainment Group,
Major Sponsors: DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Downtown, Movebooth, Park Plaza Hotel, RED Digital Cinema, SilzerLaw Chartered, Sprint Corporation, Ten 10 Brewing Co., Terrapin Beer, Winter Park Village
Supporting Sponsors: Antonio’s Ristorante Maitland, Bradenton Area Film Commission, Coterie Coffee Co., Deeb, Dorman Financial Management, Downtown Arts District Orlando                , Brian O. Coleman, D.M.D., P.A.  Omega Dental Group, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Foundation Presents, HJ High, Key West Film Festival, Maitland Vision Center, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Whole Foods Market
Media Partners: Central Florida Lifestyle Magazine, Florida Travel + Life, I Love CFL, iHeartMedia, Orlando Arts, Orlando Live, Orlando Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Weekly, Variety 411, Visit Orlando, Watermark, WMFE, WPRK, and Yelp

 

Our Sponsor community enriches the Festival experience and helps sustain the year-round programs of the not-for-profit Enzian.
https://www.floridafilmfestival.com/

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Enzian
Since 1992, Enzian has been the proud host of the Florida Film Festival. As part of its mission to entertain, inspire, educate, and connect the community through film, Enzian presents innovative and original cinematic programming not just during the Festival, but all year long. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-supported arts organization for which ticket revenue accounts for only 25% of its operating budget, Enzian owes its existence to the generosity of fans of film, food, and fun–like you. Enzian.org

 

Full Sail University:

Full Sail University is an award-winning educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment and media industry. Founded in 1979, Full Sail has been recognized as one of the 2016 “Top 25 Graduate & Undergraduate Schools to Study Game Design” by The Princeton Review, one of the Best Music Programs by Rolling Stone Magazine, and one of the Best Film Programs by UNleashed Magazine. Full Sail was named the 2014 “School/College of the Year” by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, received the “21st Century Best Practices in Distance Learning Award” from the United States Distance Learning Association, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Social Media Colleges by Studentadvisor.com.

Full Sail University is a Graduate and Undergraduate degree-granting institution offering on-campus and online degree programs in areas related to Art & Design, Business, Film & Television, Games, Media & Communications, Music & Recording, Sports, and Web & Technology. Full Sail graduate credits include work on OSCAR®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, ADDY®, MTV Video Music Award, and Video Game Award nominated and winning projects.

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