15th Annual International Family Film Festival

2010 Press Page
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2010 IFFF FEATURE FILM WINNERS AND FINALISTS

BEST DRAMA

The Mighty Macs

Tim Chambers, Director/Screenwriter

Whitney Springer, Producer

Epiphany Media & Quaker Media

FINALIST

Find Me

Tracy Trost, Director/Screenwriter

Trost Moving Pictures

***

BEST DRAMA - FOREIGN

I Wanna Be A Star (China)

Jun Chen, Director

QuinDao Luguang Movie & TV Investment Co

FINALIST

Shopping Trip (Japan)

Yuki Nakajima, Director

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

***

BEST COMEDY

The Yankles

David R. Brooks, Director/Producer

Zev Brooks, Producer/Screenwriter

DZB Productions, LLC

FINALIST

All Screwed Up

Neil Stephens, Director

Budrebel Productions, LLC

***

BEST COMEDY - FOREIGN

New Teacher Lee (China)

Li Wang, Quankum Ge, Directors

Beijing Haiyan Heqing Film Culture Ltd

FINALIST

The Dogfather (Canada)

Richard Boddington, Director

Russell Scalise, Producer

Big Shoot Productions

***

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Brothers Warner

Cass Warner, Producer/Director

Warner Sisters Productions

FINALIST

In Pursuit of a Dream

Bob Noll, Director

Oregon California Trails Association

***

BEST DOCUMENTARY – FOREIGN

Rwanda: Hope Rises

Trevor Meier, Director/Producer

Cinesketch Media Group

***

BEST EDUCATIONAL

Autistic License

Julie Rappaport, Executive Producer

Smokin’ Yogi Visions

FINALIST

Professor Crunch and the Daffies

Steve Kaminski, Director

The Puppet Studios

***

BEST EDUCATIONAL – FOREIGN

Adventures in Character Kingdom (China)

Hong Ran, Director

Beijing Haohao Tech Development Company

***

BEST MIXED MEDIA - FOREIGN

Book of Masters (Russian Federation)

Vadim Sololovsky, Director

IDI Group, The Walt Disney Company

FINALIST

Magical Tortoise (China)

Hong Li, Director

Shanxi Film Production Group

***

BEST MUSICAL

Unitards

F. Scott Featherstone, Director/Screenwriter/Producer

Paul Featherstone, Producer

Lorien Entertainment/Silverwood

FINALIST

Senioritis

Mark Rogers, Director

Marco Productions

***

BEST MUSICAL - FOREIGN

Chengyung Rescues the Orphan (China)

Zhu Zhaowei, Director

Henan Film & TV Production Group

***

BEST CHILD ACTOR

Alice Ziolkoski– Summer Eleven

Gilbert Plains Productions

FINALIST

Charles Henry Wyson – Meet My Mom

Hallmark Channel Original Movie Entertainment

***

BEST CHILD ACTOR – FOREIGN

Wang Chengyang – Magical Tortoise (China)

Shanxi Film Production Group

FINALIST

Ariel Yurach – Run (Canada)

Five Stones Films

***

IFFF DIRECTORS GOLD AWARD

Broken Hill (Australia)

Chris Wyatt, Director

Audience Alliance MPS

***

IFFF SPIRIT AWARD

Promising Blossom

Huaiyang Qiu, Director

Shanghai XuangYu Group

The PEARL AWARD

The Way Home

Lance Dreesen, Director/Screenwriter

Clint Hutchison, Producer

Red Five Entertainment

***

TOP APPLAUSE

Florida Road (South Africa)

Brad Glass, Director

Fred Fontana. Producer/Screenwriter

Sunworld Productions

***

“FRIZ ANIMATION AWARD”

ANDREAS DEJA

***

HALLMARK CHANNEL MOVIES

IFFF FILM EXCELLENCE AWARD

***

IFFF FILM EXCELLENCE AWARD

Best Producer (China)

Xiaochen Yu - Crane Ballad

************************************************

2010 IFFF SHORT FILM WINNERS & FINALISTS

BEST DRAMA

Winner

The Desperate

Ben-Hur Sepehr, Director/Screenwriter

Tolerance Through Knowledge

Finalist

Paperboy

Mark LeFleur, Director/Screenwriter

Lyric Street Pictures

***

BEST DRAMA – FOREIGN

Winner

My Last Day of War (Il Mio Ultimo Girono de Guerra) (Italy)

Matteo Tondini, Director

Tondini Productions

Finalist

A Dream in Hanoi (Viet Nam)

Gerald Herman, Director/Screenwriter/Producer

Discovery Communications, PTE Ltd

***

BEST COMEDY

Winner

The Misinventions of Milo Wetherby

William Whirity, Director/Screenwriter

Bingo Arms Productions

Finalist

Santa’s Little Helper

Kelly Ann Ford, Director/Screenwriter

Lake Avenue Films

***

BEST ANIMATION - FOREIGN

Winner

Lost & Found (UK)

Animators, Philip Hunt, Sue Goffe, Pam Dennis

Studio AKA and Contender Animation

Finalist

Tin Can Heart (Australia)

Rodney March, Animator/ Director/Screenwriter

Ozzywood Films

***

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Winner

DIVE!

Jeremy Seifert, Director/Producer

Compeller Productions

Finalist

My Pen Pal: An African Adventure

Shaun and Megan Donahue, Director/Producers

Donahue Productions

***

BEST EDUCATIONAL

Winner

The Magic Ball

Serena Kinchla, Director/Screenwriter

The Magic Ball Company

***

BEST MIXED MEDIA

Winner

The Lifter Upper

Micah Chambers-Goldberg, Director/Animator

Monkey and Chicken Productions

Finalist

JET (Junior Extra-Terrestial)

Dr. Sassi Sassmanshauser, Director/Producer/Animator

Cinema 4-D

2010 IFFF STUDENT SHORT WINNERS & FINALISTS

BEST DRAMA

Winner

Basket Bronx

New York Film Academy

Martin Rosete

Finalist

James Warwick

Chapman University

Arthur Fishel

***

BEST COMEDY

Winner

She’s A Fox

Chapman University

Ashley Zotrow

Finalist

Take Me With You

Art Institute of California

Dustin Bancroft

***

BEST ANIMATION-COMPUTER

Winner

The Wing

California Arts University

Seon Young Kim

Finalist

Orange City (China)

University of Southern California

Quingyuan Wang

***

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Winner

Concrete Paradigm

Cal State Monterey Bay

Juan Ramirez

Finalist

B-2247: A Granddaughters Understanding

Yale University

Sara Greenberg

***

BEST MIXED MEDIA

Winner

Milton 4.0 (Canada)

Ryerson University

Kathleen Espiritu

Finalist

The Wandering Star

University of Colorado-Boulder

Anthony Hays, Matthew Yoka

***

BEST MUSICAL

The Harmony Town

University of Texas at Austin

Ryan Parma

Screenplay Winners and Finalists.

The IFFF Screenwriters Showcase was held on March 14, 2010 at the Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, California.

Feature Drama Screenplays

Winner

The Hunters by Mark L. Smith

Finalist

Samson V-2 by James Kirtland

***

Feature Comedy Screenplays

Winner

Dressing Up by Hugh Schulze

Finalist

The Seduction of Auntie Rose by Alpha Blair

***

Feature Animation Screenplays

Winner

Birdigo by Seth R. Hartman

Finalist

Splat! by Alix Reeves

***

Feature Sci-Fi/Fantasy Screenplays

Winner

American Fung-Shui Man (China) by Paul Chen & Melanie Wu

Finalist

Dupont’s Mound by Polita Glynn

***

Short Drama Screenplays

Winner

Are We There Yet? by Sabrina Zackery

Finalist

Best Friend by William Malkin

***

Short Animation Screenplays

Winner

Naevaeh Can’t Wait by Leslie M. Bradford

Finalist

Aliens, Princesses and a Dog by Russ Brandon

***

Short Sci-Fi/Fantasy Screenplays

Winner

Keemo, the Archer by Mark Winzer

Finalist

The Hunt for the Golden Cobra by Keva Keyes

THE FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL IS BACK IN HOLLYWOOD

The annual 15th International Family Film Festival (IFFF) opens on March 10, 2010 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. The three screens will showcase 86 films during the five days of the festival with filmmakers assembling from India, China, Russian Federation, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Viet Nam and across the United States. This year the festival had submissions from 19 countries including Uzebekistan, the Bahamas, South Africa and Singapore. In the Professional Student category, 21 universities submitted their up-and-coming filmmakers. As well as films from some of the leading film schools in the United States such as USC, AFI, Cal Arts, Chapman, NYU, Yale, Vancouver and the University of Texas, films were submitted from as far away as Kazakhstan and Yavapai College. Filmmakers from 16 states submitted their work for consideration. The family film genre is growing in popularity and filmmakers are coming from every corner of the country and the world.

The International Family Film Festival affectionately known as the IFFF has always had a scriptwriting competition as part of the festival. On the final day of the festival, Sunday, March 14, at 2:00pm, excerpts are prepared and staged by professional actors from each of the finalist scripts. In past years, some of these scripts have been optioned directly following the Screenwriters Showcase. On three different occasions a screenplay that won the award at the IFFF one year has been submitted as a completed film in subsequent year. It is rare for a film festival to feature screenwriting and offer a market to up-and-coming writers. IFFF has always prided itself on being a festival intended for the working professionals of filmmaking from the writers to the producers.

This year the festival has expanded to add a fifth day and an international side bar bringing filmmakers from across China with 14 award-winning children’s films to the IFFF. These films will screen all day on the 10th with a welcoming reception planned for March 10 at 7:30 PM. Among the visiting filmmakers is Mr. Yang the Director and President of NingXia Film Studio City and Vice Chairman of Ningxia TV Artist Association. He has directed and produced over 500 TV episodes and 7 feature films. His film Picture Skin was the top box office film in China in 2009. IFFF is presenting his acclaimed Talking Sand film at the 2010 Festival.

A highlight of the panels being offered at the festival is a kick off event on March 12, Friday at 1:15 PM when the Friz Award Winner, the illustrious animator for Walt Disney Studios, Andreas Dejas, will present a Master Class in Animation. The Saturday panels feature Guerilla Film Financing, Indie Distribution and a one-of-a-kind panel series on Producing in China and Producing in California. The Sunday panels feature It's A Wrap! Now What? and Screenwriting Family Films.

The Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 14 beginning with a Reception at 6:00pm and the Ceremony is at 7:30 PM. The Master of Ceremonies is Nancy Cartwright, the world renowned voice over talent for Bart Simpson. The Awards Director is Jennifer Farmer.

For more information on the festival visit www.iffilmfest.org. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.iffilmfrest.org or by calling (661) 257-3131. Take your family out to a movie or two or three at the festival. You won’t regret it.

*****************

The International Family Film Festival (IFFF),

In Association with

The Film Bureau State Administration of Radio, Film and Television

and The China Children's Film Association

In Coopertion with

Ms. Jingti Chen, Chairwoman, The China Children’s Film Association

Lynn Tang, Executive Director, The Maeya Cultural Exchange Group

This year, in keeping with its mission to exhibit films made around the world, the IFFF proudly presents a select block of Chinese films appropriate for children and general audience viewing.

A Chinese delegation of over 25 of China's leading film directors, producers, distributors, cinematographers, programmers, actors and child stars will be attending the entire festival event. We are especially delighted to be hosting Mrs. Jingti Chen who is the Chairwoman and Chief Delegate of The China Children's

Film Association. She will be attending the festival, networking and speaking at the panel on producing films in China. All of these professionals will attend the screenings and be available for a rare and unique Q&A following the films.

On Wednesday, March 10th beginning at 1 pm, the IFFF will screen a full day of 14 feature-length Chinese films that include dramas, comedy, animation, mixed media and Chinese Opera presentations. A film reception with this expert Chinese Delegation of filmmakers will be held at the Raleigh Studios Cantina

immediately following the last film at 8 pm.

On Saturday, March 13 at 12:30 pm, the China Delegation will present a Panel Discussion entitled "Producing Films in China - the Myth vs. the Method" - an event not to missed!

All films will be screened at the historic Raleigh Studios (Hollywood, CA), the oldest and longest continually operating independent film studio in the greater Los Angeles area. For information and a synopsis on the films, their date and times for screening and a special appearance list visit the website at www.iffilmfest.org.

This may be a bad year for the economy but it has been a wonderful year for filmmakers. Not only has it been a record breaking box office year for the United States but that fever to go to the movies has energized audiences worldwide.

The International Family Film Festival, now in its fifteenth year, has seen a dramatic increase in the submissions of both films and screenplays. The number of films submitted doubled over previous years as did the submission of screenplays. The international submissions this year included interesting and exotic films from a long list of both familiar faces and new additions such as Canada, Brazil, China, India, Turkey, UK, South Africa, Italy, Australia, Germany, Japan, Rwanda, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam.

We have had an equally abundant submission harvest from the professional film schools with short films entered from Chapman University, California Institute of the Arts, Orange County Arts Academy, Yale, University of Texas-Austin, Victorian College, Chicago Vocational Academy, Ryerson University, Loyola Marymont, Vancouver Film School, University of Southern California, American Film institute, Ringling and Canegie Mellon.

The films are exotic, global, meaningful and all about FAMILY. What a wonderful collection of film for the 15th annual family film festival. The films also have brought together a great list of talent to tell their stories with such names as Diane Ladd, Dean Cain, John Schneider, Adam Arkin, Valerie Mahaffey, Ellen Burstyn, Cass Warner, Stephanie Powers and Lori Laughlin.