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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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