September 2020 - Winner

RedWood Film Festival team glad to announce the list of Winner of September 2020 Edition. 

BEST CATEGORIES AWARDS

BEST SHORT FILM

Film: The College Life

Directed by: Andretti Dante

Synopsis: 3 college buddies Vince the star quarterback a pure ladies man, Briggs the class clown Vince's main buddy and Nate just your average college kid trying to get through school. While being Vince's dorm roommate. The 3 are always up to something that usually leads to Nate being the victim of a joke. But on this night Vince finds himself on the other end of a unusual situation.

BEST ONE MINUTE SHORT FILM

Film: Seeking a space called Peace

Directed by: Maaz Kazmi

Synopsis: It's a telling tale of today's geo-political scenario. In turbulent times, a helpless but resilient mother seeks a space called 'peace' for her unborn child.

BEST LGBT FILM

Film: The Parlor with Jeff + Cosgrove

Directed by: Daniel Maggio

Synopsis: "The Parlor" is an oral storytelling project featuring Jeff + Cosgrove (stars of the HUMP! Fest short film "The Glory Hole"). After 26 years of partnership, these elderly gay men have dozens of intimate, raw, hilarious and touching stories from their lives. As Cosgrove says, "When making life decisions, we always choose the more interesting story."

Residing in Cathedral City, Jeff and Cosgrove have turned their living room into the parlor: part cozy hangout spot, part living museum. Hundreds of photos cover the walls, representing different chapters of their relationship. They cover topics ranging from commitment, celebrity run-ins, living with HIV, pride, and what it means to be an aging queer today.

This is the first episode of the series, telling the story of their historic wedding day at San Francisco City Hall on June 28th, 2013.

BEST STUDENT FILM

Film: Coach

Directed by: Alexander Baskakov

Synopsis: The old coach receives an invitation for her girl pupil to the national fencing team. But on this day, she goes to jail for armed robbery.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Film: Apathy

Directed by: Daniel Mercatali

Synopsis: Today's apathy is strongly linked to the way in which we use our mobile phones. We’ve turned into zombies, checking our phones constantly whilst walking, eating, going out, playing, loving, studying. This terrible disease makes us behave like zombies.

According to the ancient philosophers, apathy was a virtue, as it kept us away from the excesses of passion and was a synonym for balance and wisdom. The apathetic, free of all emotion, could exercise their reasoning to the highest expression. Today, however, the conditions are very different. Indeed, after two millennia spent avoiding feelings in favour of pure rationality, we realise we’re equally unhappy. Consequently, we’re forced to change course and get back on the path to true happiness, and this can't be achieved if one hand is busy chatting on our phone whilst we’re talking to the person in front of us. Phone to hand we feel we’re elsewhere, disinterested in our surroundings, other people and our real needs. It’s almost as if we've been disconnected from reality, and are passive spectators of other people's lives. This is exactly when we need motivation, passion and change - the three main characters in the film - to intervene.

BEST WEB SERIES

Film: PT: Pain & Torture

Directed by: Ashley Winters

Synopsis: This NEW, offbeat and charmingly inappropriate comedy follows Ben Matthews, an optimistic physical therapist, whose whole world gets turned upside down when he meets the love of his life. Hilarity ensues when his crazy co-workers and willful patients create quite the detour on his road to love. PT is based on a true story full of workplace shenanigans, unlikely friendships and a love story for the ages!

BEST GENRE CATEGORIES AWARDS

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Film: Built lands

Directed by: Arturo Dueñas Herrero

Synopsis: In the late 60s a group of artists decides to settle in a village in the ‘darkest-deepest’ Spain. Today only Felix Cuadrado Lomas still remains there, determined to reflect the landscape which surrounds him: the lands built by those who work on them.

BEST ANIMATION FILM

Film: BEATRICE

Directed by: Vincenzo De Sio

Synopsis: BEATRICE is a tribute short film to one of the greatest Cinema figures, Beatrice Vitoldi, protagonist of the "Odessa Stairs" in "The Battleship Potemkin". She was a great Italian actress and a Great Woman committed in society and politics. A Girl and a SteamBot guide us discovering a Great woman who paid with her life her commitment.

BEST DRAMA FILM

Film: The Anniversary

Directed by: Davide Serra

Synopsis: A widow pays tribute to her dead husband on the day of their wedding anniversary.

BEST EXPERIMENT FILM

Film: Forget Me Not

Directed by: Andreas John

Synopsis: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, ceremonial and natural sounds meet creative movement. An exploration of connection without words in a time of social distancing.

BEST THRILLER FILM

Film: Karmen

Directed by: Jayleen S Perez

Synopsis: A strong Latina woman plots revenge against her abusive husband.

BEST ROMANTIC FILM

Film: Black Coffee

Directed by: Vito Lyles

Synopsis: A woman and a man sitting in a coffee shop toy around with the idea of a simple kiss between strangers.

BEST JURY AWARD

Film: NOBODIES

Directed by: Zach Rineer

Synopsis: Two boys attempt to survive in a post-apocalyptic Pennsylvania where resources have become scarce.

BEST AWARDS TO PEOPLES

BEST DIRECTOR

Award goes to: Davide Serra

Film: The Anniversary

Directed by: Davide Serra

Synopsis: A widow pays tribute to her dead husband on the day of their wedding anniversary.

BEST D.O.P

Award goes to: Nick Sherman

Film: Black Coffee

Directed by: Vito Lyles

Synopsis: A woman and a man sitting in a coffee shop toy around with the idea of a simple kiss between strangers.

BEST SCREENWRITER

Award goes to: Zineb TAMOURT

Film: Riad of my dreams

Directed by: Zineb TAMOURT

Synopsis: Hiba, a 12-year-old, has an innate passion for the arts (music, image and light, reading, ...). This place called "cinema" of her new district fascinates her while her mother forbids her to approach her. She transgresses, enters and ...

BEST EDITOR

Award goes to: Thorsten Schade

Film: The Invitation (Die Einladung)

Directed by: Thorsten Schade

Synopsis: The world-renowned Adam Birkenholz AG invites the young project developer Thomas Renner to an interview. The meeting in a noble property is developing promisingly. Renner imagines the goal of his dreams. But nothing is as it seems to be. And the hope of a little glamor and glory will become Renner's nightmare ...

BEST ACTOR (MALE)

Award goes to: Orestes Fiedler

Film: The Invitation (Die Einladung)

Directed by: Thorsten Schade

Synopsis: The world-renowned Adam Birkenholz AG invites the young project developer Thomas Renner to an interview. The meeting in a noble property is developing promisingly. Renner imagines the goal of his dreams. But nothing is as it seems to be. And the hope of a little glamor and glory will become Renner's nightmare ...

BEST ACTRESS (FEMALE)

Award goes to: Charlotte Williams

Film: Black Coffee

Directed by: Vito Lyles

Synopsis: A woman and a man sitting in a coffee shop toy around with the idea of a simple kiss between strangers.

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Submit your film now : https://filmfreeway.com/RedWoodFilmFestival

September 2020 - Official Selection

Redwood Film Festival September 2020 Official Selection Films

RedWood Film Festival announces the list of Official Selected films of September 2020.

• Redwood Film Festival is an Online Film Festival. 

• Our Jury screens the selections Privately and from there we select the winners. Only the winning films will get a chance to participate in a second selection at the end of the year. If they pass the second selection, we'll screen them at our annual live online screening. Where one film from each category will be awarded. 

Short Films

• Quarantraining | Ashley Landrieu

• Paradox | Jon Cohen

• G A B R I E L | Pierfrancesco Artini

• Riad of my dreams | Zineb TAMOURT

• The Invitation (Die Einladung) | Thorsten Schade

• Trivial Loser | Aniez Atlas

• Lotty | Obie Dean

• ABSENCE | Diego Funes

• Yamdoot Mera Dost | Pramode Kumar

• Ten Till Seven | Jan Fabris

• KIKAN - THE HOMECOMING | Kerwin Berk

• The Secret Project 53 | Peter Boiadzhieff

• An Angel Whispers (Short Film) | Ben Allison

• Stuck | Bruce A. Block

• Mourning in China | Tony Chiu

• In Memoriam | Dimitrios Karas

• Black Lives Matter | Ashna Sharan

• Light | Jim Winton Porter

• "THMW" | Mimi Garrard

• Murder Has Joined the Meeting | Josh Minnie

• Black Coffee | Vito Lyles

• The lime and the flame. | Francisco García

• Dick | C. E. Simon

• Kesi | Daniel Maggio

• The Anniversary | Davide Serra

• Valiant Falcons 2: Heroes of the Galaxy | Joshua Ortiz

• SEW | Patrick Hogue

• Not Your Average Bear | Cliff Skelton

• The College Life | Andretti Dante

• A stitch in Time | Ben Battersby

• Anagnorisis | Arturo Dueñas Herrero

• Bloody Mary | Michael Davis

Student Short Films

• Operation Grade Changer | Jordan-Paige Sudduth

• Vanilla Milkshake | Dany Flores

• Amplify | Dana Barnes

• The peach scarf | Del Sego

• Out with the Old | George Summers

• Coach | Alexander Baskakov

• A Momentary Yearning | Faraaz Husain Rahman

• Ouroboros | Heather Knott

• NOBODIES | Zach Rineer

LGBT Films

• The Parlor with Jeff + Cosgrove | Daniel Maggio

• Without You | SB Gamble

• Tales From The Jumpseat: Sudden Drop | Rob Romero & Jack Landon

Web Series

• PT: Pain & Torture | Ashley Winters

• Brazzy Jazzy | Steve Becker

• Tales From The Jumpseat: Sudden Drop | Rob Romero & Jack Landon

Music Video

• Come On Home | Kim Palzes

• Break The Chains | Kim Palzes

• I Am The Candidate | Joseph Messer

• Delightful | Anna Haas

• Passatempo / Passtime | Rita Figueiredo

• End Effect BLACKPITCH | Karolina Wyrwal

• Apathy | Daniel Mercatali

• Liquor | Francesco Calzona

1- Minute Short Films

• Garment Love | Andrea Holton

• AnoMiC | Hugo Teugels

• Eyes On You | SHRIKANT PRABHU

• Liberty | André Rodrigues

• The game just got real | Bellopropello

• Seeking a space called Peace | Maaz Kazmi

• Smoked Chicken Gravy | Maaz Kazmi

Animation Films

• Super Science Friends - Episode 6 "Full Metal Scientist" | Laurel Dalgleish

• The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things | CARMEN PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ

• BEATRICE | Vincenzo De Sio

• Ninja Strike Force: Ninja Ties | Jeffrey Pope

• The Seven Deadly Sins | CARMEN PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ

• Amplify | Dana Barnes

• Dog's Breakfast | Matt Bissett-Johnson

• Temptation Of Saint Francis | Johnnie Semerad

Drama Films

• The Anniversary | Davide Serra

• Pleasures | Lillian Ng

• The Men of Mercy | A.H. Furlong

• The Long Way Back | E.B. Hughes

Documentary Films

• Bamboo Ballads | Sajeed Naduthody

• La amable euforia de la danza | Miguel Castanet

• a working day in asia | Jens Nagels

• DELLA | Bob Jones

• Pioneer Pizza | Wesley Shrum

• HISTORY IS NOT LINEAR | Bob Jones

• The Legendary Huo-Yun | Lee, Chine-Cheng

• WILD PIG:SILVER FOR SILVER DOCUMENTARY | Nathan Montez

• WE LOVE OUR PETS | Elena M.

• Pandemic: The People|The Conspiracy|The Journey | Stephen Pressley

• Wells of Hope | Lia Beltrami

• Stones | Dobray György

• Built lands | Arturo Dueñas Herrero

Experiment Films

• Forget Me Not | Andreas John

• That Loving Feeling | Mike McDougall

• The Burned Man | Frédéric Roussel

• CINE, ME (2020) | JUNSEOK EOM

• The road of the weather | Afroditi Tavri

Romantic Films

• Manasanamaha | Deepak reddy

• Black Coffee | Vito Lyles

Thriller Films

• TRUSS UP | Abhishek Basu

• Karmen | Jayleen S Perez

• For Sale | Jan Bartels

• Murder Has Joined the Meeting | Josh Minnie

• Occultum Mala | Darren K Hawkins

• The Lonely Road | Darren Hawkins

• Paradox | Jon Cohen

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Submit your film now : https://filmfreeway.com/RedWoodFilmFestival

May 2020 - Winner

RedWood Film Festival team glad to announce the list of Winner of May 2020 Edition. 

BEST CATEGORIES AWARDS

BEST SHORT FILM

Film: CRACK A SMILE

Directed by: LEVY CLAUDE

Synopsis: On a sunny day, the lives of 9 young people intertwine in Paris, against a backdrop of pop culture, passion about photography and relationships between men and women.

BEST ONE MINUTE SHORT FILM

Film: House For Sale

Directed by: Cynthia Bergen

Synopsis: A real estate agent captures a horrifying entity on film.

BEST LGBT FILM

Film: Vidhān (Writ)

Directed by: Manoj Rai

Synopsis: Vidhān (Writ), a romantic drama, is a take on relationships. A casual conversation on the use of appropriate language sets off a whirlwind romance between Pranay and Akshar (Abhishek). They start meeting regularly and the romance blossoms. However, there is one issue - Akshar is a sex worker. The film takes us through the vicissitudes of their romantic journey.

BEST STUDENT FILM

Film: Gay as in Happy: A Queer Anti-Tragedy

Directed by: Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim

Synopsis: An experimental autoethnographical documentary about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Film: Undertow

Directed by: J.B. Lawrence

Synopsis:

BEST WEB SERIES

Film: THE UNWILLING SERIES PILOT

Directed by: Antonio Jefferson

Synopsis: A story of six men after prison as they try to get their lives back after their release and hoping to change their future by mending there past.

BEST GENRE CATEGORIES AWARDS

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Film: Return to Foretop's Father

Directed by: Preston Randolph

Synopsis: Return to Foretop's Father follows, 78-year-old, Crow tribal elder and pipe lighter, Grant Bulltail as he travels from Crow Agency in Montana to Heart Mountain in Wyoming.

Through his journey he reveals a dark past of genocide, ethnocide and the destruction of the land.

Grant’s mission is to bring awareness regarding the disconnect between people and nature, culminating in the universal impacts of climate change.

By connecting stories that have been passed down to him from generations of Native Americans, he presents his perspective on the modern crisis through a historic pipe ceremony at the base of the sacred Heart Mountain.

BEST ANIMATION FILM

Film: Magic Dream

Directed by: Tomás Welss Barkan

Synopsis: A magician wants to convince with his magic and brilliance, but his capability exceeds the limits of his own control, leading him to a show full of violence and abuse.

BEST DRAMA FILM

Film: The Straight Man

Directed by: Paul Laudicano

Synopsis: After 20 years, the surviving member of a comedy team is down and out. Nobody wants The Straight Man. However, a chance encounter with a young reporter may lead him towards redemption.

BEST EXPERIMENT FILM

Film: Wisper

Directed by: Russ Emanuel

Synopsis: A unique experimental found footage take on an anti-hero protagonist. ‘Wisper’ is the true story of the murder of a middle-class African American family in Northern New Jersey. In the summer of 2016, three children and their mother were found shot to death in their large suburban home. Loosely based on the personal videotapes and diaries owned by the father of the victims.

BEST HORROR/THRILLER FILM

Film: Occupants

Directed by: Russ Emanuel

Synopsis: 'Occupants' is a film about Annie Curtis, an award-winning documentarian and her husband Neil. Annie and Neil embark on a '30 Days of Clean Living' documentary, setting up cameras all over their house to document, via the Internet, their new eating habits. By doing so, half of their cameras capture a parallel version of themselves - a version that ultimately unravels and threatens their very existence.

BEST ROMANTIC FILM

Film: Learning to Fly

Directed by: Anthony J. Turek

Synopsis: A college freshman, Andy, couldn't bring himself to break up with his girlfriend, Jen. Now he must navigate teenage fatherhood with her.

BEST JURY AWARD

Film: The Texture of London

Directed by: Diego Di Iorio

Synopsis: "All over the city old and new buildings sit side by side, each speaking the language of its native cultural moment: pre-war or mid-century or post-modern. I am especially entertained by how often two buildings built a century apart but for the same purpose will speak in similar tones: with bravado or earnestness or charm. For me these architectural moments, whether random or planned, define the character and texture of the city." - Ruth Keffer (The Urbanist)

BEST AWARDS TO PEOPLES

BEST DIRECTOR

Award goes to: Russ Emanuel

Film: Wisper

Directed by: Russ Emanuel

Synopsis: A unique experimental found footage take on an anti-hero protagonist. ‘Wisper’ is the true story of the murder of a middle-class African American family in Northern New Jersey. In the summer of 2016, three children and their mother were found shot to death in their large suburban home. Loosely based on the personal videotapes and diaries owned by the father of the victims.

BEST D.O.P

Award goes to: Ray Karwel

Film: The Assassin's Apprentice

Directed by: Russ Emanuel

Synopsis: A coming of age story about Kaylee (Tarah Paige), an apprentice assassin, and her relationship with Pete (Robert Picardo), her trainer, and Miranda (Marina Sirtis), their handler. Kaylee, like a rebellious teenager, simultaneously wants approval and independence from Pete and Miranda. When assigned her first solo hit, Kaylee immediately disobeys orders and goes off course, chasing a Freerunner drone, often with hilarious results. In the end, Kaylee accomplishes her mission, but realizes that she is not yet ready to go it alone.

BEST SCREENWRITER

Award goes to: Vilma Kartalska

Film: My Gypsy Road

Directed by: Vilma Kartalska

Synopsis: An inspiring story about the winding road of the first Roma actress in Bulgaria, officially graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. From the everyday life’s challenges, to the sacrifices in the name of theater, and the trust in the great Roma cause – education for the ghetto. Nataliya Tsekova – THE WOMAN, THE ACTRESS, THE PERSON.

BEST EDITOR

Award goes to: Emile Haris

Film: The Assassin's Apprentice

Directed by: Russ Emanuel

Synopsis: A coming of age story about Kaylee (Tarah Paige), an apprentice assassin, and her relationship with Pete (Robert Picardo), her trainer, and Miranda (Marina Sirtis), their handler. Kaylee, like a rebellious teenager, simultaneously wants approval and independence from Pete and Miranda. When assigned her first solo hit, Kaylee immediately disobeys orders and goes off course, chasing a Freerunner drone, often with hilarious results. In the end, Kaylee accomplishes her mission, but realizes that she is not yet ready to go it alone.

BEST ACTOR (MALE)

TO BE ANNOUNCED

BEST ACTRESS (FEMALE)

Award goes to: Athira Madhav

Film: Devika

Directed by: Jibin George James

Synopsis: Devika, a model claims that she was sedated and raped during a film's audition. At the same time a model coordinator Naresh, a friend of Devika, comes forward and claims that he was with her that day and both had sex with each other's consent, and it wasn't a rape. The situation is again discussed through an interview session, revealing both of their characters and the truth.

The movie demonstrates the common attitude of the Indian society towards women. Our society has defined woman's personality within the constraints of her form and dress and if anything, less than what is expected by them is seen in their petty vision, she is labelled as a slut. This perspective should be challenged.

Woman should be treated as an independent personality. She also has all the rights and freedoms of a democratic country. It’s not a generosity by men.

Through Devika, we are trying to convey is the general attitude of people. When a person narrates or describes an event, he doesn't reveal certain details. Thus, the truth which being told will change. The truth is what we find while uncovering all the blind spots and angles. The real truth can only be identified by looking at it from all the sides.

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Submit your film now : https://filmfreeway.com/RedWoodFilmFestival