After 7 days of intense movie-going, it feels strange to not be in a theater. The 2012 Phoenix Film Festival was a ton of fun, and I’m definitely going back next year. That much awesomeness should not be missed!
Let me recap the experience before I unleash a series of micro-reviews on each event. 28 events is a lot to critique! Friday through Sunday were marathon days, 8-15 hours each day. Monday through Thursday was less intense, but it still seemed like a job – an enjoyable one, no doubt. But alas, it’s over now and it’s back to the grind of a real job and now… the writeups. It is a bit daunting, but I knew the job was dangerous when I took it.
Harkins Scottsdale 101 was the location, and it was really a great venue. I ended up buying a Loyalty Shirt, entitling me to a free popcorn at each movie. Popcorn became a meal replacement every day. The flavored powders helped… The Cine Capri hosted several feature films and seeing movies on the big screen never disappoints. Lots of local sponsors gave out swag and hosted events. Chipotle represented with recycle bags made from billboards – pretty sweet. They also handed out free burrito vouchers during the screening of “Fresh”. Independent Feature Project: Phoenix (aka IFP Phoenix) hosted a bunch of educational features for kids and teens as well as wrangled some film makers & their crew into doing some seminars. The biggest impact on me was hearing everyone discuss their experiences in working with their teams. Teamwork is essential, and assembling a great crew is no easy task. However, more people are involved in indie film work, with skilled and talented folks popping up everywhere. Don’t overlook the next film geniuses!
And now, the winners.
Shorts Winners
Secret Identity – Best Sci-Fi Short Film
Brutal Relax – Best Horror Short Film
La Media Pena – World Cinema Short Film
Trolley – Best Grade/HS Short Film
The Life Smugglers – Best College Short Film
Parallax – Best Arizona Short Film
Sacred Poison – Best Documentary Short Film
Play By Play – Best Live Action Short Film
Masks – Best Animated Short Film
Feature Film Winners
Pig – Best Sci-Fi Feature Film
It’s In The Blood – Best Horror Feature Film
Wolves Unleashed – World Cinema Documentary
Ruggero Dipaola, Apartment in Athens – World Cinema Director
Apartment in Athens – World Cinema Best Picture
Lidice – World Cinema Audience Award Winner
And the Phoenix Film Festival special awards, handed out Sunday night with the winners above, which determined what films were shown during the rest of the week. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all the winners, but expect a review of most in the coming weeks.
PFF 2012 Film Awards
Gary King, How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song – Dan Harkins Breakthrough Filmmaker Award
We Run Sh*t – Best Documentary
Searching for Sonny – Best Ensemble
Kurt Kuenne, Shuffle – Best Director
Andrew Disney, Searching for Sonny – Best Screenwriting
How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song – Cox Audience Award
Shuffle – Best Picture
Foundation Awards
Diane Dresback (of Mindclover Productions, whom we wrote about at Comicon last year) – Arizona Filmmaker of the Year
Tiffany Hutson – PFF Volunteer of the Year
Lori Alderfer – PFF Board Member of the Year
Congratulations to all the winners and everyone else who make and support independent films!
