Photo Courtesy of Lee CelanoCinema on the Bayou Film Society is excited to announce the 11th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival’s award winners and nominees. The annual Festival has grown from five to eight days, screening 198 films at this year’s Festival held on Jan. 20-27, 2016. In addition, over 200 directors, producers, distributors, actors and other industry professionals attended the festival from across the United States and Canada, as well as from Japan, Australia and France.
“The word is out among independent filmmakers that we have a top notch film festival that is very competitive and super fun with great food and music,” says Cinema on the Bayou Film Society President and Artistic Director Pat Mire, “and that means we bring really good films and the filmmakers who make them here to Acadiana each January for the benefit of the community, the culture and the film industry in Louisiana.”
The 2016 festival lineup was chosen from a total pool of more than 1,200 submissions, a record number for the Festival, including 27 narrative features and 24 documentary features, as well as 99 narrative shorts, 30 documentary shorts, and 18 animated shorts. The majority of the films were World, U.S. or Louisiana Premieres. Included within the official selections are more than 30 French-language films and 20 films from Japan, as well as films from Nepal, India, Australia, the Dominican Republic, the U.K., Algeria, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Argentina, Canada and France.
“I am so proud of the quality and breadth of the films we will screen this year,” says festival Director Rebecca Hudsmith. “From the Canadian Yukon to the mountains of Nepal to the streets of Tokyo to the wetlands of Louisiana, these films present heartfelt stories that will entertain, yes, but will also enrich our lives.”
Cinema on the Bayou Film Society, a non-profit Section 501(c)(3) Louisiana corporation, presents the annual Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, Louisiana’s second oldest film festival, as well as other film events during the year. Major sponsors for Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival include the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission and IATSE Local 478 – Motion Picture Studio Mechanics of Louisiana & Southern Mississippi.
Our beloved “goujon caille” (spotted catfish) was awarded to the following winners:
DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARD
Award Winner:
Five Grand / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Directors: Tyler Graham Pavey and Orson Ossman
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Award Winner:
Paris-based Jean-Pierre Bruneau (in attendance)
LE TRAIN BLEU AWARD
Award Winner:
Melodyless Sonata / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Yusaku Okamoto
INSPIRATION AWARD
Award Winner:
7th Generation / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: John-L Voth (San Diego-based producer Jim Warne in attendance)
AUDIENCE AWARD
Award Winner:
Voyagers Without Trace / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Ian McCluskey
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Award Winner:
The Boatman / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: L.A.-based Greg Morgan (in attendance)
Special Jury Mention Awards:
Intersection / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Tim French (L.A.-based actor Hoyt Richards in attendance)
Cesium and a Tokyo Girl / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Tokyo-based Ryo Saitani (in attendance)
The Three Es / U.S.A.
Director and Screenwriter: L.A.-based Jason Aaron Goldberg (in attendance)
Additional Nominees:
Alienated / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: N.Y.-based Brian Ackley (in attendance)
A Remarkable Life / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Colorado-based Vohn Regensburger (in attendance along with five producers and the director of photography)
Death On A Rock / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Scott Ballard
Dirty Beautiful / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Tim Bartell
Five Grand / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Directors: Tyler Graham Pavey and Orson Ossman
. . . In the Dark / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: David Spaltro (N.Y.-based actress Fiona Horrigan in attendance)
Owl River Runners / New Brunswick, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Danny Thebeau (New Brunswick-based producer Elaine Shannon in attendance)
The Happiest Place on Earth / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Florida-based John Goshorn (in attendance)
Superior / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: L.A.-based Edd Benda (in attendance along with actor Paul Stanko)
The Sand Box / U.S.A. / World Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Minnesota-based Jennifer Kramer (in attendance)
Writer’s Cramp / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: San Francisco-based Darva Campbell (in attendance)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Award Winner:
Chasing Bonnie & Clyde / France / World Premiere
Directors: Paris-based Olivier Lambert (in attendance) and Thomas Salva
Special Jury Mention Awards:
One Hundred Mules Walking The Los Angeles Aqueduct – Artist’s Cut 2015 / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Bruce Dickson (L.A.-based artist and writer Lauren Bon in attendance)
Yukon parle français / British Columbia, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Jean Baillargeon
Additional Nominees:
Cimarron Spirit / Dominican Republic/U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Houston-based Ruben Duran (in attendance)
La Belle At The Movies / U.K. / U.S. Premiere
Director: Cecilia Zoppelletto
Sunakali / Nepal / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Bhojraj Bhat
Un film de chasse de filles (Girls on the Hunt) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montréal-based Julie Lambert (in attendance)
Voyagers Without A Trace / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Ian McCluskey
Yazoo Revisited: Integration and Segregation in a Deep Southern Town / U.S.A.-Mississippi
Director: David Rae Morris (in attendance)
Zydeco Breakfast / U.S.A. / Southern U.S. Premiere
Director: Sante Fe-based Tom Uhl (in attendance)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Award Winner:
Coureurs des toits (Roof Runners) / Québec/Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montreal-based Helgi Piccinin (in attendance)
Special Jury Mention Awards:
Elle pis son char (A woman and her car) / Québec/Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Loïc Darses
The Port of Indecision / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Danielle Eden
Additional Nominees:
Hell Runs on Gasoline / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Martin Bureau
Paths / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Jérémy Comte
The Valley of Quest / U.S.A. / World Premiere
Director: Maria Badia
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Award Winner:
Never Steady, Never Still / Vancouver, B.C., Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Kathleen Hepburn
Special Jury Mention Awards:
Bleu tonnerre (Blue thunder) / Québec, Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Directors: Jean-Marc E. Roy and Philippe David Gagné
Tadareru / Becomes Sore / Japan / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Keishi Suenaga
RSVP / U.S.A. / World Premiere
Director: Philadelphia-based Shannon Beeby (in attendance along with actors Ryan Jonze and Lance Marshall)
Other Nominees:
Abymée (The Trouble with Lucie) / France / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Charles Jacquard
Aestas (Summer) / Québec, Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Montréal-based Guillaume Comtois (in attendance)
Air dari bulan (Water from the moon) / Indonesia, Singapore / U.S. Premiere
Director: Ellen Burns
A Period Drama / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: L.A.-based Kristine Gerolaga (in attendance with actor Steven Krimmel)
A Warm Spell / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Toshimichi Saito
Dance, Dance, Dance / Japan, Belgium / U.S. Premiere
Director: Ken Ochaia
Dixie / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Atlanta-based Armaan Uplekar (in attendance)
Joseph Samuel Jacques Julien / Québec, Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Director: David Nadeau-Bernatchez
Keshinomi / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Isamu Hirabayashi
Le silence du ciel (Lost Heaven) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montréal-based Martin Legault (in attendance)
Lou, la vie! (Hey, Lou!) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montréal-based John Blouin (in attendance)
Mature Young Adults / Ontario, Canada / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Kent Nolan
Mission / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Edward Tyndall
Modern Issues / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Houston-based Derrick Fury (in attendance)
Mother & Brother / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Dustin Cook
No Margrettes / U.S.A. / World Premiere
Director: Kansas City-based Matthew Dunehoo (in attendance)
Pinky / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Dylan Paffe
Pioneer High / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Suha Araj
Roubado / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Erica Watson
The Lot / U.S.A.-Louisiana
Director: Russell Blanchard
The Skull / U.S.A. / World Premiere
Director: N.Y.-based Graceann Dorse (in attendance)
The There / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Scott Cobb
The Whole Person / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Jonas Mayabb (with L.A.-based screenwriter and actor Darren Mangler in attendance)
This Uphill Climb / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Tomoko Miyamoto
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Award Winner:
Taking Flight / U.S.A.-Louisiana
Director: Brandon Oldenburg
Special Jury Mention Awards:
4min15 au révélateur (4min15 in the Developer) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montréal-based Moïa Jobin-Paré (in attendance)
Achiraka World / Japan / U.S. Premiere
Director: Atsushi Mishima
Between Times / Netherlands, U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Ru Kuwahata and Max Porte
Other Nominees:
Euclid’s Journey / U.S.A.-Louisiana / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Ian Cessna (in attendance)
La vie magnifique sous l’eau (The magnificent life underwater) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Montréal-based Joël Vaudreuil (in attendance)
L’enfant qui plantait de clous (The child that hammered nails) / Québec, Canada / U.S. Premiere
Director: Isabelle Kanapé
Simorgh / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Meghdad Asadi Lari
The Distant Touch / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere
Director: Jun Chen