2022 Awards

Grand Jury Award Winners

Best Feature Film – Comedy – RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Feature Film – Documentary – Conversion
Best Feature Film – Drama – Strangers
Best Feature Film – Experimental/Arthouse – Hallucinations
Best Featurette – Experimental/Arthouse – Spiritual Avail
Best Featurette – Thriller – Jon Law
Best Featurette – SciFi – SUPERNORMAL

Best Short Film – Animation – BomPaPa
Best Short Film – Comedy – The Last marriage
Best Short Film – Documentary – Lydia Emily’s Last Mural
Best Short Film – Drama – The Phoenix
Best Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – if I go
Best Short Film – Horror – Last Orders
Best Short Film – SciFi – Fieldtrip
Best Music Video – Stress Dreams
Best Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control

Best Screenplay – Feature – High School Lullaby
Best Screenplay – Short  – Two Anxious Bisexuals
Best Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – The Last Comedian On Earth
Best Screenplay – Animation – Dave’s Lucky Day

Best Director(s), Feature Film – Chris Guerra & Matthew John Koppin, RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Director – Pasquale Marrazzo, Te lo dico Pianissimo
Best Actress in a Lead Role – Sarah Cugini, Bitter Taste of Ginger
Best Actor in a Lead Role – Wyatt Bunce, Killer Whales
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Amanda Lehan, RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Andrew Robinson, SUPERNORMAL
Best Performance by a Full Cast – RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Screenplay – Rudy Cimic, Cyber Underground
Best Cinematography, Feature Film – M. Wild, Hallucinations
Best Cinematography, Featurette – Bryant Jansen, SUPERNORMAL
Best Cinematography, Short Film – Soren Bendt & Paul Arion, Fieldtrip
Best Visual Effects – JM Marbach – Sophie Villy, Another Existence

Audience Award Winners

Feature Film – Comedy – Killer Whales
Feature Film – Documentary – Luminous
Feature Film – Drama – Roman Candle
Short Film – Comedy – My Friends The Plants
Short Film – Documentary – Logout of IT
Short Film – Drama – Blue Moon
Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – if I go
Short Film – Horror – Sorry
Short Film – SciFi – Empiricism
Music Video – Syzygy
Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control

Screenplay – Feature – The Passage of Sun
Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – Nutt To Butt
Screenplay – Short  – Happy Birthday

Filmmakers Award Winners

Outstanding Music Video – Jeff Hilliard – Consensual
Outstanding Director(s) – Music Video – Jeff Hilliard & Joey Danger, Consensual
Outstanding Director(s) – Music Video – Grant Kolton, Stress Dreams
Outstanding Screenplay – Music Video – Grant Kolton, Stress Dreams
Outstanding Performance – Music Video – Jeff Hilliard, Consensual

Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Just A Ghoul
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Mutiny!
Outstanding Director(s) – Comedy – Johan Tappert & Gustav Egerstedt, The Last marriage
Outstanding Screenplay – Comedy – Jameson DeSantis, Just A Ghoul
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Comedy – The Last marriage
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Comedy – JJ Nolan, Just A Ghoul

Outstanding Short Film – Documentary – Greg is Here
Outstanding Director – Documentary – Christoph Green, Lydia Emily’s Last Mural

Outstanding Short Film – Drama – Hedgehog
Outstanding Short Film – Drama – Sons of Toledo
Outstanding Director – Drama – Regina Pigsley, The Phoenix
Outstanding Screenplay – Drama – Regina Pigsley, The Phoenix
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Drama – Sons of Toledo
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Drama – Scarlett Leigh Cowan, Angel

Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – The Poet
Outstanding Director – Experimental/Arthouse – Daniel Fries, DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Screenplay – Experimental/Arthouse – Sean Mogridge, if I go
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Experimental/Arthouse – DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Experimental/Arthouse – Daniel Amerman, The Poet

Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Best to Share
Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Escalation
Outstanding Director – Horror – Jon James Smith, Last Orders
Outstanding Screenplay – Horror – Jon James Smith, Last Orders
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Horror – Last Orders
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Horror – Christian Bachini, Escalation

Outstanding Short Film – SciFi – Black Hole
Outstanding Director(s) – SciFi – Soren Bendt & Paul Arion, Fieldtrip
Outstanding Screenplay – SciFi – Jamie Parslow, Black Hole
Outstanding Performance, Cast – SciFi – Empiricism
Outstanding Performance, Individual – SciFi – Aaron Moorhead, Black Hole

Outstanding Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Director – Pilot/Web Series – Sassy Mohen, How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – Sassy Mohen, How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Pilot/Web Series – Xanthe Paige, How to Hack Birth Control

Programmer’s Prize for Uniquely Excellent Filmmaking

Adonai
do you have cigarettes?
Le Winner
The Desire To Live
The Monologue
Two Weeks to 29
We Are All In This Together

Award Definitions/Explanations

Grand Jury Awards – determined by the festival’s official selection committee.
Audience Awards – determined by highly scientific instruments placed throughout the theater to determine audience satisfaction.
Filmmakers Awards – given only to short films, these are determined by the Filmmakers Board, a panel of filmmakers whose films have been Official Selections previous years.
Programmer’s Prize – given to film(s) by festival programmer Jeff Howard, who watches thousands of films every year and might enjoy ‘off the beaten path’ films more than the rest of the jury members. This award was created so that Jeff will never be tempted to override an award jury.

FILA 2020 Wrap Up – Over 5,000 Views

FILA 2020’s online Screening Room closed after Monday, June 29 and we are amazed to share that our 2020 Official Selections racked up 5,616 views by 3,999 unique viewers!  We could not be more proud of the nine feature films, thirty-five short films, two music videos, and ten screenplays that made this year’s festival a great one.

We want to thank every filmmaker, screenwriter, performer, producer, cinematographer, production designer, and every other contributor who helped make wonderful films.  We look forward to seeing what everyone does next!

Our sister-festival is the Sherman Oaks FIlm Festival (@shermanoaksff) that is held in November.  Fingers crossed we get to see everyone in person then.  And if not, hopefully at FILA 2021!

FILA 2020 Awards

Grand Jury Prize Winners

Best Feature Film – Collision
Best Short Film – Drama – The Bus to Birra Birra
Best Short Film – Comedy – Sofa Queen
Best Short Film – Horror – Stew
Best Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – Kiko’s Saints
Best Documentary Feature Film – Comfort Farms
Best Documentary Short Film – Jessyca
Best Music Video – Nice Shoes
Best Director, Feature Film – Mehdi Avaz, Collision
Best Director, Short Film – TJ Power, The Bus to Birra Birra
Best Actress in a Lead Role – Camille Calvin, Desire Lines
Best Actor in a Lead Role – Doug Burch, DOUG
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Cecilie Stenspil, Collision
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Nigel Lysaght, Desire Lines
Best Performance by an Ensemble – Life’s A Bitch And Then One Kills You
Best Screenplay – Patrick Connolly & Nigel Lysaght, Desire Lines
Best Cinematography, Feature Film – Jonathan Latona, DOUG
Best Art Direction/Production Design – Gaëlle Usandivaras, Kiko’s Saints
Best Screenplay (Unproduced) – The Loser’s Club by Jonathan Turner Smith

Audience Award Winners

Audience Award, Feature Film – DOUG;   Lupe
Audience Award, Short Film – The Squirrels in the Attic
Audience Award, Documentary Film – Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America

Filmmakers Award Winners

Outstanding Short Film – Drama – Kama’āina (Child of the Land)
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Grief Vigilantes
Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Far Gone
Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – His Mother
Outstanding Short Film – Sci FI – Kids Don’t Die
Outstanding Directors – Kimi Howl Lee, Kama’āina (Child of the Land); Paul Maziere, Joseph Turns 42 (Or the Inconsistency of Wonders); Samuël L. Jodry, Bengal (or before happiness strikes)
Outstanding Screenplay – TJ Power, The Bus to Birra Birra
Outstanding Acting, Cast – Grief Vigilantes, Sofa Queen
Outstanding Acting, Individual – Elizabeth Blackmore, The Bus to Birra Birra; Malia Kamalani Soon, Kama’āina (Child of the Land); Nikki James, Sofa Queen
Outstanding Cinematography – Caroline Le Hello, Kiko’s Saints

Programmer’s Award Winners

Exceptional Films: Fantasmas (Ghosts), First States, Micky

Prize Definitions/Explanations

Grand Jury Prizes – determined by the festival’s official selection committee.
Audience Awards – determined by highly scientific instruments placed throughout the theater to determine audience satisfaction.
Filmmakers Awards – given only to short films, these are determined by a panel of fifteen filmmakers whose films have been Official Selections previous years.
Programmer’s Prize – given to film(s) that festival programmer Jeff Howard cannot bear to see go without an award. These are generally films that were runners-up in a bunch of categories and their general greatness deserves an award.

FILA 2020 Screenings

Nearly all of FILA 2020’s Official Selections will be viewable for one week right here in our Screening Room.

If you’ve been following FILA 2020 you might know that we had planned to run Livestreams with Live Q&A’s for our screenings. After many tests, we learned that there was too high a possibility that there would be freezing and stuttering of the films. To present the films in the best possible manner, we are pre-recording Q&A’s and then presenting feature films and blocks of short films followed by their respective Q&A’s in the FILA 2020 Screening Room.

We know that most viewers will come to see the work of someone that they know, but Team FILA can guarantee that if you stick around and watch some of the films you never heard of you are going to see terrific, well-made movies.

We hope everyone enjoys the 2020 Festival that had to be online instead of at the theater. We hope to see you at the theater next year!

FILA Livestream Tests

Watch some GREAT films with Q&A’s to follow. We are testing the Livestream system before FILA 2020 starts on June 8 by showing you some of the best shorts we’ve had over the years.

Go to https://vimeo.com/event/48888

All of our Livestreams will be at that URL.

Livestream Test Schedule

Monday, May 11 at 7 PM PDT: The King In The Ring
Wednesday, May 27 at 10 AM PDT: Transmission
Saturday, May 30 at 7 PM PDT: STUCK
Monday, June 1 at 6 PM PDT: Chirp, Buzz & Other Sensations
Monday, June 1 at 7 PM PDT: This Modern Man Is Beat

FILA 2020 Screening Schedule

We are excited to present the schedule for FILA 2020!

Click here to see the complete schedule with posters, synopses, and cast info!

FILA 2020 Schedule

Monday, June 8, 6 PM
Program 1 – Comedy Spotlight

How To Save A Marriage
Grief Vigilantes
First States

Monday, June 8, 7:30 PM
Program 2 – Authentic Spotlight

The Hostess
Micky
Fantasmas (Ghosts)

Monday, June 8, 9 PM
Program 3 – Music Video Spotlight

Nice Shoes
Near Dark Radio

Tuesday, June 9, 6 PM
Program 4 – Documentary Spotlight

Comfort Farms

Tuesday, June 9, 7:30 PM
Program 5 – Cinematic Spotlight

Renchik
Passenger Man
The Bus to Birra Birra

Tuesday, June 9, 9 PM
Program 6 – Documentary Spotlight

JESSYCA

Wednesday, June 10, 6 PM
Program 7 – Intensity Spotlight

Far Gone
Stew
The Squirrels in the Attic

Wednesday, June 10, 7:30 PM
Program 8 – Boldness Spotlight

Bengal
Kiko’s Saints

Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 PM
Program 9 – Zen Spotlight

Desire Lines

Thursday, June 11, 6 PM
Program 10 – Truth Spotlight

Lupe

Thursday, June 11, 8:30 PM
Program 11- Hollywood Spotlight

DOUG

Monday, June 15, 6 PM
FILA Screenplay Awards

Monday, June 15, 7 PM
Program 12 – Honesty Spotlight

Supernova
LA Break up
Happenstance

Monday, June 15, 8:30 PM
Program 13 – Satire Spotlight

Nailed
Granny Knows Best
Artísta Obscura

Tuesday, June 16, 6 PM
Program 14 – Retro Spotlight

American SciFi

Tuesday, June 16, 8 PM
Program 15 – Breakthrough Spotlight

Three Roads

Wednesday, June 17, 6 PM
Program 16 – Originality Spotlight

Kids Don’t Die
Kama’āina (Child of the Land)

Wednesday, June 17, 7 PM
Program 17 – Eclectic Spotlight

Sidepiece
To the Moon and Back

Wednesday, June 17, 8 PM
Program 18 – Virtuoso Spotlight

Collision

Thursday, June 18, 6 PM
Program 19 – Inventive Spotlight

Village of the Gramned
The World Inside
Torch

Thursday, June 18, 7:30 PM
Program 20 – Innovative Spotligh
t
FLAT
Cold Hard Blood
Possibilities

Thursday, June 18, 8:30 PM
Program 21 – Uproarious Spotlight

Life’s A Bitch And Then One Kills You

Official Selections Not Streaming
Casanova
His Mother
Joseph turns 42 (Or the Inconsistency of Wonders)
Sofa Queen
Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America

Supernova

2020 Official Selection: Narrative Short Film – Drama

On a road trip with her best friend, Valentina is finally given the space and support necessary to process the grief and guilt she carries in association to her boyfriend’s suicide.

Director(s): Marielle Boland
Writer(s): Marielle Boland
Producer(s): Bailey Olmstead and Joshua Rowen-Keren
Starring: Jasmine Flores and Emily Schlachter

Best friends on a road trip through grief.

Return to 2020 Official Selections – Films

Desire Lines

2020 Official Selection: Narrative Feature Film

A conflicted adult film actress attends a meditation group and mixes with an offbeat clientele and their troubled guru.

Director(s): Patrick Connolly
Writer(s): Patrick Connolly & Nigel Lysaght
Producer(s): Camille Raquel & Patrick Connolly
Starring: Camille Calvin, Nigel Lysaght, Dwight Huntsman, Jonathan Dylan King, Teagan Morin, Jamie Ohlsen

And your mind will wander…you will get lost…

Return to 2020 Official Selections – Films

Kiko’s Saints

2020 Official Selection: Narrative Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse

Kiko, a Japanese illustrator on assignment in France, gets suddenly overwhelmed by a strange inspiration, while she realizes she’s been spying on a gay couple on the beach next to the chapel where she’s working. Obsessed by such a vision, she will spy on those men and draw them secretly. This will slowly push her towards an encounter that will change her life and breaks her social rules.

Director(s): Marmier Manuel
Writer(s): Marmier Manuel
Producer(s): G.R.E.C.
Starring: Lika Minamoto, Kengo Saïto, François Burgun, Arthur Gillet, Riohey Tabura

Kiko drawing a lost church in the dunes

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