ABOUT THE FILMS
SATURDAY, MARCH 2 2013
Winter Film Awards 2013 Independent Film Festival runs from February 28 - March 2 2013 and consists of three days of film screenings and after-party events, followed by an Awards Ceremony. We have an exciting and diverse selection of 58 films of all types - animation, feature, short, horror, music videos, documentaries and foreign language films.
Click here for schedules and ticket information
See the Festival Trailer HERE
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 A STORY ABOUT IAN United States / Short Film / 17 minutes / English Director: Filip K. Kasperaszek Producer: Solomon Chertok More: www.facebook.com/pages/A-story-about-Ian/198501123506492 Ian is a not-so-recent graduate of a Photography department at one of the prestigious American Universities. Currently he is struggling with his sense of meaninglessness. Charles, Ian`s friend is a radio DJ. He's content. Mia, Ian`s girlfriend started working for her father`s company as soon as she graduated. She is successful. Ted moved to LA, Steve want to give him money, Carlo can exhibit his photographs and Anne is trying to seduce him. Filip Kasperaszek was born and raised in Poland, then lived in UK, France and US. He graduated from Polish National Filmschool with a degree in Film Editing. His editing credits include many documentary and fiction titles including films that went to the major festivals around the Globe (SXSW, Palm Springs, Oberhausen, to name a few).MFA candidate at Columbia University Film Program. So far, Filip has directed four short films in United States. |
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BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY United States / Short Film / 26 minutes / English Director: Maria Stanisheva Producer: Maria Stanisheva More: www.facebook.com/betweenearthandskyfilm A Native American family's struggle against cancer and cultural extinction takes an unexpected turn as money becomes more and more important. OFFICIAL SELECTION, 2012 Freestyle Life Film Exhibition Maria Stanisheva is a Brooklyn-based director/producer, originally from Sofia Bulgaria. She is a graduate of Sofia University, Central European University and New York Film Academy’s Documentary Filmmaking program. An experienced producer of animated films, Maria has recently expanded her film interests as an independent documentary filmmaker. BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY is Maria's graduation documentary project, funded with a successful Kickstarter campaign. |
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BEYOND THE GRAVE Brazil / Horror Feature / 89 minutes / Portuguese and Japanese w/Subtitles Director: Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro Producer: Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro and Isidoro B. Guggiana In a devastated post-apocalyptic world where the rules of reality are transformed by magic and madness, a vengeful police officer searches for a possessed serial killer in a battle of the not-so-good versus absolute evil. BEST HORROR FEATURE AWARD, 2010 Arizona Underground Film Festival --- AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST LATIN AMERICAN FEATURE, 2010 Montevideo Fantástico --- MOST COOL AWARD, 2012 PollyGrind Film Festival) Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro is a writer, producer and director. Davi produced the documentary feature series "Boundaries of Thought" and the five episodes of the on-line series "Think Thank" starring David Lynch, Wim Wenders, among others. Beyond the Grave is his debut as a feature director. |
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CLIVE UNGER'S MADAME X United States / Short Film / 16 minutes / English Director: Brian DeCicco Producer: Solomon Chertok and Brian DeCicco More: www.cliveunger.com On a visit to local art museum, Clive Unger, a failing artist/sculptor, is drawn to Jacob Van Walscappelle’s Vase of Flowers. From afar this painting exhibits lavish, vibrant flowers in a vase. But up close, it shows an unsightly view of decaying flowers infested with bugs and flies. This ambiguous facade strikingly parallels with Clive himself. No one, not even his fellow Lady Head Vase enthusiast and antique shop owner, Gloria Glass, would ever fathom Clive’s next “artistic” endeavor. Featuring many newcomers to the film industry as well as seasoned filmmakers, Clive Unger’s Madame X merges art and film together in a truly haunting and mesmerizing way. Brian DeCicco was born in Colonia, NJ in 1979. In 2001, he graduated from Tyler School of Art at Temple University with a BFA in Sculpture. While working on a video project, Brian discovered his love for film and began making art films. Upon graduation, Brian DeCicco attended New York Film Academy where his love of film solidified. |
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DOSA HUNT United States / Short Film / 23 minutes / English A Film By Amrit Singh Written, Directed & Produced by Amrit Singh Directed, Edited & Produced by Sam Carroll Edited & Produced by Zoe Schack More: http://dosahunt.com In DOSA HUNT, members of Vampire Weekend, Das Racist, Yeasayer, Neon Indian, and the Vijay Iyer Trio join filmmaker/Stereogum Editor Amrit Singh to form a multicultural posse on a quest to find their hometown's best dosa. The beloved South Indian crepe in turn inspires a look at the shared and respective cultures of this vibrant group of NYC artists in the wilds of their city. DOSA HUNT is a snapshot of a transitional generation in America's immigrant/art experience, in hot pursuit of good food. Amrit Singh has served as Executive Editor of Stereogum.com for seven years, writing and producing the website into a leading voice in independent music. His video journalism has appeared on ABC, MTV, and Fuse. (He also served as Editor of the University of Wisconsin International Law Journal, and is a NY State Bar certified attorney, but please don't remind his father of this.) DOSA HUNT is his directorial debut. |
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DUDUK Russia / Short Film / 25 minutes / Russian w/Subtitles Director: Elizaveta Koroleva Producer: Elizaveta Koroleva and Julia Chayko More: www.facebook.com/DudukFilm Valentina, a young woman living in Moscow, is caring for her mother's cat when it unexpectedly falls ill. Her desperate attempt to save the animal's life leads her through the cold, bureaucratic labyrinth which is the post-Soviet Russia's health care system. And to a deeper understanding of the healing nature of compassion. A graduate of Moscow's prestigious Vakhtangov Theater Academy, Elizaveta Koroleva is best known for her portrayal of Sonia in Alexander Sokoruv's critically-acclaimed adaptation of 'Crime and Punishment.' 'Duduk' marks her directorial debut. |
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ELLA Spain / Animated Short / 19 minutes / Spanish, English and Catalan Director: Juan Montes De Oca More: www.promofest.org/films/ella In Palma de Mallorca, through a 5 year old child's innocence, and common life coincidences, an African American homeless man remembers his nonsense life going back 45 years in New York. In the end, he finds a way to change his life to find at last the way to happiness. BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Festival De Cortometrajes (Spain) --- AUDIENCE AWARD, Calaveras Film Festival (United States) --- AUDIENCE AWARD, Muestra De Cortometrajes Visualia (Spain) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Mostra Internazionale Del Cortometraggio (Italy) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM & BEST SOUNDTRACK, Portobello Film Festival (UK) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Islantilla Cinefórum (Spain) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Deepfried Film Festival (UK) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, L'ecran Cevenol - Festival International Du Film Video De Vebron (France) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Mosca - Mostra Audiovisual De Cambuquira (Brazil) --- BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM, Naff Neum Animated Film Festival (Bosnia And Herzegovina) --- BEST MUSIC, Festival De Cine De Sant Joan D'alacant (Spain) --- BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM, Snake Alley Festival Of Film (United States) --- FIRST PRIZE FOR THE INDEPENDENT ANIMATION, Premios Goya (Spain) JUAN MONTES DE OCA was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Since 1991, he has directed more than 200 animated short films, winning more than 100 international prizes and more than 700 nominations in the most important international events of the audio-visual technological creation, including 3 nominations to the GOYA for the best short of animation. |
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EYE OF THE NEEDLE | AN AYAHUASCA JOURNEY United States / Short Film / 12 minutes / English Director: Daniel LeMunyan Producer: Daniel LeMunyan More: www.facebook.com/ayahuascajourney Uncover an ancient South American ritualized medicine and mysterious hallucinogenic substance known as ayahuasca. Director Daniel LeMunyan leads the viewer through a visually striking exploration into the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and the hidden depths of human consciousness. Ayahuasca's active ingredient causes intense, sometimes nightmarish hallucinations. Blended and cooked slowly, this brew is used by locals to enter a deep trance that is said to heal the body and unlock the subconscious mind. Guided by shamans, a person enters the eye of the needle and must face his own truths and deepest fears. Daniel LeMunyan is a NYC based motion graphics artist, illustrator, and independent film maker. His unique approach to storytelling is identifiable by his natural inclination to explore the depths of the human character and the composition of living and inanimate objects. Whether by video, illustration, music or digital animation, Daniel's signature style brings viewers through a journey of discovery, and unpredictability. |
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FINDING AMBROSIA United States / Short Film / 15 minutes / English Director: Colin Scully Producer: Doreen Lorenzo More: www.colinscully.com A wizened alchemist lies on his deathbed. Desperate to fix his past, he must finish his final creation before time runs out. OFFICIAL SELECTION, Dawnbreaker International Film Festival --- OFFICAL SELECTION, Short. Sweet. Film Fest Colin Scully is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker. He has a love for everything film, and is a tech nerd on the side. When he's not jotting down ideas, he plays video games, watches The Big Lebowski on repeat, and hangs out with his cat Gentleman Jackie Chan. He currently works as a production assistant for Avatar 2. He is immensely proud of Finding Ambrosia and delighted to share it with the world! |
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IMBOLC Ireland / Short Film / 16 minutes / English Director: Laura Graham Producer: Colin Graham More: www.redbirdsfilm.com IMBOLC (You Reap What You Sow) is a contemporary drama of fear, loss, jealousy and rejection set in real time. They say people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime and when you know which one it is, you’ll know what to do with them. For Brigid Liston and her son Quinn, such a person comes in the form of American anthropologist, Janet Hattridge, on sabbatical researching her Ulster Scots roots and her family’s link to a long forgotten witch trial. AWARD OF MERIT, Lucerne Int'l Film Festival --- BEST DIRECTOR, Canberra Short Film Festival --- AWARD OF MERIT, Accolade Film Competition --- BEST DIRECTOR, Bloody Hero Film Festival Laura Graham is a filmmaker and multi media artist based in Belfast Ireland. Originally from Scotland, she has exhibited throughout Ireland, at the Edinburgh International Festival, London, Germany and Australia. The narrative streams from research conducted into a witch trial in Northern Ireland in 1711 and is a consideration of a mother’s fears of rejection by her son and the loss that follows. |
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KING TIGERMORE IN STRAWBERRY FIELDS United States / Animated Short / 3 minutes / English Director: Tunde Reid-Kapo More: www.yamiechess.com It all begins one beautiful summer's day in Strawberry Fields, when eight-year-old Kimi, the American boy prodigy, falls asleep during a chess match in Central Park, and imagines that the white king has transformed into King Tigermore, the friend he meets in the Yamie Chess School Assistant, when he travels to the Mind Kingdom, the magical space that can only be reached by going to sleep under general anesthetic in a hospital operation. Tigermore takes his hand, and together the magical duo take to the skies, flying out of NYC, soaring high through the swirling mists above the Atlantic Ocean, when it starts raining math symbols from the enchanting midnight sky. Tunde Reid-Kapo is the president of Yamie Chess Ltd, a K-8 educational learning company for STEM education, focused on supporting children's learning. Yamie Chess's mission is to help children reach their full potential in school mathematics, logic and science education. All Yamie Chess™ products use 100% U.S. labor, 100% U.S. craftsmanship and American materials that are 98% sourced from heartland America. |
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KOALA Spain / Short Film / 15 minutes / Spanish w/Subtitles Director: Daniel Remon Producer: Omar A. Razzak, Mayi Gutiérrez Cobo And Daniel Remón More: www.tourmaletfilms.com/KOALA A psychologist interviews the members of a company due to an incident: Mercedes, one of the executives, has insulted his new assistant, a young man who suffers from Down Syndrome. BEST SHORT FILM, Festival De Cine Iberoamericano De Huelva --- BEST SCREENPLAY, Certamen De Creación Audiovisual De Cabra --- BEST DIRECTION, Cortogenia "Premio Freak Asalto Al Óscar" --- SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY, Promofest Daniel Remón was born in Madrid and studied Journalism at Complutense University, Documentary Filmmaking at London Met Film School, and graduated from ECAM Madrid Film School. He has written the feature film CASUAL DAY , voted Best Original Screenplay by CEC (Spanish Film Critics Asociation). His 2nd feature film, CINCO METROS CUADRADOS received 5 awards in Málaga Film Festival, including Best Film, Critic’s Award and Best Screenplay. |
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LEKE Turkey / Short Film Competition / 14 minutes / Turkish w/Subtitles Director: Nafi Ayvacı Producer: Selman Yücebıyık A young woman tries to fill the void in her married life by cleaning, but her newly developed obsession leads the relationship to an even messier level. She alone takes on the mission of 'cleaning' what may already be the perfect marriage with a caring, handsome and rich husband with inheritance. While trying to keep her obsession a secret, the woman plays tricks and spurts out innocent lies to her husband in order to keep him away. But as her cleaning problem worsens, the man starts to notice her wife's ruse. OFFICIAL SELECTION, International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival Receiving his BA degree on film studies from the Ohio State University in 2009, Nafi Ayvaci focused on “International Screenwriting” with lectures and instruction by ex-Disney writer Andy Rose. After 2 years of TV production experience in New York City, Ayvaci finalized his first short film, “Leke”, in Istanbul, 2012. |
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LUMINARIS Argentina / Animated Short / 7 minutes / English Director: Juan Pablo Zaramella Producer: Sol Rulloni In a world controlled and timed by light, an ordinary man has a plan that could change the natural order of things. Juan Pablo Zaramella was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. All his independent shorts have been awarded all around the world. In 2010, Annecy International Animation Festival presented a special program with a selection of his works. His last short film “Luminaris” has won 200 international awards, including the Audience Award and Fipresci Award at Annecy 2011, and was in the Oscars Shortlist for Best Animated Short. |
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MR. BEAR United States / Horror Short Film / 15 minutes / English Director: Andres Rosende Producer: Chris Laszlo, Irene Rodríguez, Senín Porto, George T. Kimmel IV It's Christmas again: family, presents, parties... The worst time of the year for Steve. Driving through New York City for Christmas Eve dinner, his car breaks down and he accidentally stumbles upon a crime scene. Mistaken for the notorious cleaner, Mr. Bear, Steve has to face a difficult choice: dismember and get rid of some boides or become a corpse himself. 2011 JAMES BRIDGES DEVELOPMENT AWARD, James Bridges Foundation --- AUDIENCE AWARD, 2011 Friars Club Comedy Film Festival (US) --- BEST STUDENT FILM AWARD, 2012 L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival (US) --- BEST SHORT FILM, 2012 Cans Film Festival (Spain) --- AUDIENCE AWARD, 2012 Lund International Fantastic Film Festival (Sweden) --- AUDIENCE AWARD, 2012 Fancine, Festival de Cine Fantástico de Málaga (Spain) --- JURY PRIZE ALCANTARILLA, 2013 Film Festival (Spain) --- 3RD AUDIENCE AWARD, 2013 Alcantarilla Film Festival (Spain) Andres Rosende is a Los Angeles based writer and director currently in preproduction of his first feature, a horror film to be shot in 2013. His short films have played all around the world winning numerous awards. Andres has also co-written several feature screenplays and was quarterfinalist in the Nicholls Fellowship in Screenwriting. He received his M.F.A. in film directing from Columbia University. |
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PROMETEO (PROMETHEUS) Spain / Short Film / 6 minutes / English Director: Ignacio F. Rodó, Josep M. Gifreu, Laia R. San Juan Producer: Irene Alfambra More: http://piopioprojects.com/en/ A couple meets at a pool at night. the boy has a proposal and feels like playing. However, the girl has her own plans and will not accept easily. Ignacio F. Rodó, Josep M. Gifreu, Laia R. San Juan founded the creative group piopio projects in 2011. They have so far developed and made the short films Prometheus (2012), Queen of Hearts (2013), Synecdoche (2013), My Fmily (2013), Plunge Theory (2013) and the music video Watch What Happens (2012). |
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THE BOY WHO'D NEVER SEEN RAIN Australia / Short Film / 28 minutes / English Director: Kim Ramsay Producer: Kim Ramsay More: www.facebook.com/TheBoyWhodNeverSeenRain The Boy Who’d Never Seen Rain is a strongly-observed portrait of a family facing the challenges of the Australian Outback. Years of drought and hard luck have taken their toll on the Cobblin family. Patriarch Neil views everything, everyone and any attempt to help with wounded pride and suspicion, while his wife, Rita, tries to keep up a brave face. Meanwhile, their son Danny is almost lost in the shuffle. When they face the tragedy of losing their farm, their lives begin to fragment. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST ACTOR, BEST ACTRESS, 2012 Los Angeles Movie Awards --- AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE, 2012 Accolade Competition --- BEST IN SHOW, 2012 New York City Filmmaker's Festival Kim Ramsay is a Visionary Filmmaker from Sydney, Australia. In the past 10 years Kim has written and directed 7 short films which have screened at over 50 festivals around the world including 'Survival of The Fittest' a mockumentary about penguin prostitution and 'Prudence Pecker' a cruel romantic comedy, winning 11 awards and 'The Boy Who'd Never Seen Rain'. It is her ultimate aspiration in life to create films to inspire, move, uplift, provoke, challenge, heal and transform humanity. |
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THE COST OF LIVING United States / Short Film / 10 minutes / English Director: R.J Linsley Producer: Solomon Chertok America has been transformed into a military dictatorship. In this America of the not too distant future morality is dead and life has little value. In 'The Cost of Living' we follow the journey of an unnamed man as he traverses this depraved world of violence where his only chance of salvation is to fight to the death. Born and raised in Sydney Australia director R.J Linsley moved to New York in 2011 to study filmmaking at The New York Film Academy. Becoming a filmmaker has been a lifelong ambition of Linsley since he watched Steven Spielberg's 'Hook' when he was 8 years old. Linsley cites filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, William Friedkin and Akira Kurosawa as his inspirations. |
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THE NOWHERE ROOM (Based On My Mother's True Story) United States / Short Film / 14 minutes / English Director: Alessandro Mini Producer: Alessandro Mini, Solomon Chertok, Laki Latinka Igrutinovich A mother wakes up naked in a strange dark room that looks like a miniature of a Gothic Catholic Cathedral. The walls are painted with horrific images of eyes, crosses, pieces of human bodies. At her left a pillar with an old film projector, in front of her a black door with a old elementary desk in front, at her left a toilet with a speaker and behind a big door. She doesn't remember how she arrived there nor why. Her last memory is of walking in a city street arguing with her 10 year old son. Now she is trapped and her son is missing! BEST LEADING ACTRESS, 2013 Long Island’s Macabre Faire Film Fest Alessandro Mini was born in Rimini, Italy. His passion for art and storytelling started when he was young. He become a lawyer but quit soon to become a businessman. He started his first company at 24 with the goal to become wealthy enough to finance his own artistic projects and achieved this after a few years of hard work. He left in 2010 to attend the NY Film Academy, where he started to shoot his first movies. Upon graduation, he returned to Italy to close out his companies and returned to the USA to dedicate himself to filmmaking. |
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THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS United States / Short Film / 3 minutes / Hindi and English Director: Fawzia Mirza As a young girl, Fawzia Mirza fell under the spell of Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection. As an adult, she looks back and re-imagines the epic romance in the classic film Aradhana, in a queer light. Fawzia Mirza is a former litigator who left her law career to pursue her dreams; she realized her favorite part of practicing law was actually ‘acting’ like a lawyer. She is now an actor, producer and writer. She has been in a number of Chicago-made Indie films and web series, including her own comedic web series, featured as 2013’ first ‘Project of the Week’ on Indiewire, Kam Kardashian. She tours with Catharsis Productions, originators of Sex Signals, a show that uses humor in a unique way to educate on sexual violence prevention. She performs the show year-round at colleges, universities and military institutions. Catharsis Productions will also produce her first play, a one-woman show about her experiences as a South Asian-Muslim-American woman, entitled Me, My Mom & Sharmila Tagore. |
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VERSAILLES '73: AMERICAN RUNWAY REVOLUTION United States / Documentary Feature / 91 minutes / English Director: Deborah Riley Draper Producer: Deborah Riley Draper More: www.versailles73movie.com Not many moments in life change the course of history; break the mold; shatter the status quo and usher in a paradigm shift. But on a chilly night in November 1973, such a moment took place. For the second time in history, the Americans stormed France in an epic battle. This battle, however, would pit the lions of French haute couture— Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro against bold, innovative American designers—Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, and Halston, in a runway rumble for industry dominance. Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution is a funny, extraordinary and often poignant collection of memories shared by the models, designers, journalists, patrons and others lucky enough to witness the night that forever changed fashion. The cast includes Stephen Burrows, Marisa Berenson, Pat Cleveland, Grace Mirabella, Harold Koda, Alva Chinn, Karen Bjornson, Dennis Christopher, Mikki Taylor and more. With rare footage and archival photos, the before, during and after the fashionable and iconic moment of November 28, 1973 unfold and share light on a little known moment that led to extraordinary change. BEST DOCUMENTARY, 2012 African-American Film Critics Association Awards --- CNN OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY, 212 Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival --- BEST DOCUMENTARY, 2012 Black Hollywood Film Festival" Deborah Riley Draper is an awarding advertising executive and filmmaker. The Atlanta resident wrote, directed and produced Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution. Draper has two documentaries in development and two features in development. The Atlanta native is committed to bringing complex characters from the African American experience to the screen. |
Winter Film Awards
12 Desbrosses Street, New York NY 10013
info@winterfilmawards.com
http://www.WinterFilmAwards.com
12 Desbrosses Street, New York NY 10013
info@winterfilmawards.com
http://www.WinterFilmAwards.com
