ST. GEORGE – Dixie State College of Utah presented the inaugural DOCUTAH Raven Awards during the closing ceremonies of the DOCUTAH Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival Saturday night at the DSC Eccles Fine Arts Center Mainstage Theater. The ceremony marked the official end of the debut year of the nine-day festival, which showcased the best of documentary film making at venues in St. George and Kanab, Utah.
The evening began with the award for Best Student Film, which was presented to Stuck in Traffick by Collin McDowell and Jenna Lee Thomas. In addition, Honorable Mention recognition was awarded to:
Made in Makanda Director/Producer: Wonjung Bae
Museum of Exhile Director/Producer: Wonjung Bae
The Scavenger Director/Producer: Erik Spink
Blackfire: A Modern Warcry Director/Producer: Judea Runs Through & Zak Ciotti
The Beat Goes On Director/Producer: Jacqui Baxter
Michael Director/Producer: Luke Broyles
(Luke Broyles was acknowledged as the youngest filmmaker. He is 11 years old.)
DOCUTAH Festival Director Phil Tuckett presented the Audience Favorite Award to the production crew for the film Bouncing Cats, which was created by Nabil Elderkin, Charlie Rosene, Claude Merkel, and Scott Bradfield of Los Angeles, Calif.
Festival Judge Jeff Ham awarded acclaimed filmmaker Helen Whitney with the first-ever “Helen Whitney Vanguard Award” for her exemplary work on her documentary, Forgiveness: A Time To Love and a Time To Hate. This award will be given in the future to those films which have a high standard of artisanship and excellence in both storytelling and visual arts.
The DOCUTAH judging panel consisted of Bruce Bennett, Jeff Ham, Adam Mast, and Lesley Mendenhall (lead judge). This panel screened and vetted over 30 short and feature films.
“These were all high quality films and well deserving,” Mendenhall said. “It came down to which ones stood out a bit more than the others.”
The panel of judges presented Raven statuettes to the following:
SHORTS
Music – Mezzanotte Obscura
Director/Producer: Lori Petchers
Fairfield, CT USA
Cinematography – Gray Eagles
Director/Producer: Chris Woods & Carissa Buffel
Los Angeles, CA USA
Editing – Bye Bye Now!
Director/Producer: Aideen O’Sullivan & Ross Whitaker
Dublin, Ireland
Directing – Fighting Cholita
Director/Producer: Lupina Magorzata & Studio M
Poland
Best Picture – Fighting Cholita
Director/Producer: Lupina Magorzata & Studio M
Poland
FEATURES
Music – Exhaling Music
Director/Producer: Tron Eliassen & Tomas Evjen
Hommelvik, Norway
Cinematography – The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning
Director/Producer: Mark Terry & Herb F. Terry
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Editing – The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
Director/ Producer: Amanda Pope & Nick Spark
Los Angeles, CA USA
Directing – Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Director/Producer: Christopher Metzler & Lev Anderson
San Francisco, CA USA
Best Picture – Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Director/Producer: Christopher Metzler & Lev Anderson
San Francisco, CA USA
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