CINEQUEST Film Festival wraps & Awards

Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in San Jose, CA wrapped to pre-pandemic audience levels and critical acclaim. Cinequest’s Virtual Festival (on the Creatics platform) followed and wowed audiences with its unique and proprietary integration of live and streamed experiences. Cinequest showcased 238 films (110 World or U.S. Premieres) presented by 620 artists from 52 countries. Cinequest (domiciled in the Silicon Valley) lived up to its reputation of providing the technological integrations that create the “future of film” via a spectacular showcase of AI cinema. Cinequest opened with Paul Walter Hauser and Walton Goggins starring in the The Luckiest Man in America and closed with Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and Constance Wu starring in The Friend.   

The following won Cinequest’s Maverick, Jury and Audience, and Screenwriting Awards:

MAVERICK SPIRIT AWARD

 

GILLIAN ANDERSON

 



JURY FILM AWARDS

 

Best Narrative Feature: Drama

THE COURAGEOUS

Director: Jasmin Gordon

Producers: Brigitte Hofer, Cornelia Seitler

 

Best Narrative Feature: Comedy

BURT

Director: Joe Burke

Producers: Joe Burke, Oliver Cooper

 

Best Narrative Feature: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

PUSH

Directors: David Charbonier, Justin Powell

Producers: Ryan Scaringe, David Charbonier, Justin Powell

 

Best Documentary Feature Film:

AMERICAN AGITATORS

Directors: Raymond Telles

Producer: Kenn Rabin, David Telles, Olivia Heffernan

 

New Visions Award:

NORA

Director: Anna Campbell

Producers: Anna Campbell, Sascha Fix, AJ Gordon

 

Global Vision Award:

NEWBORN

Director: Alejandro Zuno

Producers: Mónica Lozano, Érika Ávila, Eamon O'Farrill

 

Best Narrative Short Film: Drama

MALKA

Director: Stacey Maltin

Producers: Jaclyn Amor

 

Best Narrative Short Film: Comedy

BOOTIE’S

Directors: Milana Vayntrub

Producer: Gracie Canaan, Milana Vayntrub

 

Best Narrative Short Film: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

THE UGLY CHICKENS

Directors: Mark Raso

Producers: George R.R. Martin, Mauro Mueller, Philippe Woodtli

 

Best Animated Short Film

TRASH

Directors: Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Mattéo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral Margaux Lutz, Fanny Vecchie

Producer: Karim Khenissi

 

Best Documentary Short Film

LOVE IN THE TIME OF MIGRATION

Director: Erin Semine Kökdil, Chelsea Abbas

Producer: Erin Semine Kökdil, Chelsea Abbas, Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz

 

Best Student Short Film

LITTLE BIRD

Director: Oanh-Nhi Nguyen

Producer: Eva Zheng

 

Best Television Pilot

FOLLOW

Director: Louis Farge

Producers: Victoire d'Aboville

 

Best Music Video

GUN

Director: Lado Kvataniya

Producers: Pavel Karykhalin, Alexander Medvedko, Egor Solomatin, Nadin Usmanova, Lado Kvataniya





AUDIENCE FILM AWARDS



Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature, Comedy

SAY LESS

Director: Michael Kellman

Producers: Michael Kellman, J. Zachary Thurman

 

Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature, Drama (TIE)

BECOMING VERA

Director: Sergio Vizuete

Producers: Jiarui Guo, Sergio Vizuete

 

Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature, Drama (TIE)

BIRDSONG

Director: Renso Amariz

Producers: Morgan Bentz, Margy Kennedy, Marnie Near, Renso Amariz

 

Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature, Thriller, Horror, Or Sci-Fi

THE SNARE

Director: Merlin Camozzi

Producers: Merlin Camozzi, Kristifor Cvijetic, Jenny Leigh Reed, Kareem Mortimer

 

Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature

A LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P. GIANNINI

Director: Davide Fiore

Producers: Anna Laclergue, Davide Fiore, Sacha Smith, Joe Mancini





SCREENWRITING AWARDS



FEATURES

1^st Place: Coming in Second; By: Don Cabreana / Genre: Comedy

2^nd Place: Dancing on a Tightrope; By: Jesse Kalfel / Genre: Historical

3^rd Place: Haunted Objects Transportation; By: Eric Miller /Genre: Horror/Action

 

TELEPLAY 60-MINUTE

1^st Place: Unpredictable; By: Lisa Hickey / Genre: Drama

2^nd Place: The Comb Sisters; By: Dralla Aierken / Genre: Drama

3^rd Place: The Zookeeper’s Daughter; By: Lisa Hickey / Genre: Drama

4^th Place: Good, Bad Luck; By: Russell Beneke / Genre: Drama

 

TELEPLAY 30-MINUTE

1^st Place: Happy Medium; By: Becca Blackmore / Genre: Comedy

2^nd Place: The Temp; By: Devi Snively / Genre: Sci-Fi

3^rd Place: Lights! Camera! Cluster#^&@!; By: Ryan Dooley / Genre: Comedy

 

SHORT-FILM

1^st Place: The Big Cheese; By: Isabella Spadone / Genre: Comedy, Drama

2^nd Place: Bobby vs Bobby vs Bobby; By: Rodolfo Salas / Genre: Drama

3^rd Place: Girl Texts; By: Zoë Mills / Genre: Comedy