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    Five Films Score Oscar Qualifying Wins At Aspen Shortsfest

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments6081 Views
    A scene from the short film "Shok."
    ASPEN, Colo. --

    Five shorts earned Oscar-qualifying wins at the Aspen Shortsfest International Competition: Dissonance, from Germany’s Till Nowak, which toped the Animation category; Two Dosas, directed by Sarmad Masud of the UK, which was named Best Comedy; The Champion, a U.S. entry which garnered Best Documentary distinction for Patrick McGowan and Brett Garamella; Shok, winner of Best Drama for Jamie Donoughue of the UK and Kosovo; and The Girlfriend Experience, named Best Short Short, from Mark Kunerth of the U.S. Each winner received a $2,500 prize–except for the Best Short Short honoree who was awarded $1,000.

    Best Drama honoree Shok also won Audience Special Recognition and Youth Jury Prize Awards at the overall Aspen Shortsfest.

    Aspen Film, a year-round film arts and education organization, announced and honored the winners of the Shortsfest International Competition during an awards ceremony on Sunday, April 12, after six days of screenings.

    The Oscar-qualifying International Competition, reflected the incredible diversity and creativity of today’s short filmmaking in drama, comedy, animation and documentary. Over 3,100 submissions from around the world were considered, and 70 short films, representing more than 30 countries–over a third of them premieres–were ultimately selected for this year’s International Competition.

    “What I love about Shortsfest is that, through the work of talented filmmakers, it opens windows into the rapidly changing world of international cinema. This is my second tour as a member of the jury, and I’m honored to be here,” said Elias Davis, International Competition jury member and award-winning comedy screenwriter. Other members of the jury included Lisa Kennedy (Denver Post film and theater critic), Kevin Ott (communications director for the Writers’ Guild Foundation) and Laurence Andries (screenwriter).

    Over 50 international film guests from a dozen countries traveled to Aspen to participate in public screenings, in-depth conversations, and informal networking opportunities. Shortsfest also hosts a significant education component in which over 1,800 students and teachers from over a dozen schools and youth arts programs participated.

    Here’s a full rundown of 2015 Aspen Shortsfest winners:

    INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY AWARDS

    BEST ANIMATION $2,500
    DISSONANCE
    (Till Nowak, Germany)

    BEST COMEDY $2,500
    TWO DOSAS, North American Premiere
    (Sarmad Masud, UK)

    BEST DOCUMENTARY $2,500
    THE CHAMPION, World Premiere
    (Patrick McGowan and Brett Garamella, USA)

    BEST DRAMA $2,500
    SHOK, World Premiere
    (Jamie Donoughue, UK/Kosovo)

    BEST SHORT SHORT $1,000
    THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, World Premiere
    (Mark Kunerth, USA)

    BEST STUDENT FILM $1,000
    Sponsored by KQED
    MEND AND MAKE DO
    (Bexie Bush, UK)

    BEST SHORT SHORT $1,000
    THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, World Premiere
    (Mark Kunerth, USA)

    SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION

    DE SMET
    (Thomas Baerten and Wim Geudens, Belgium/Netherlands)

    LISTEN
    (Hamy Ramezan and Rungano Nyoni, Denmark/Finland)

    LUCY
    (Zoe Lubeck, USA)

    RABBIT
    (Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, France/USA)

    RUN FAST
    (Anna Musso, USA)

    WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS
    (Konstantin Bronzit, Russian Federation)

    AWARDS DETERMINED BY OTHER JURIES

    AUDIENCE AWARD $500
    HOW I DIDN’T BECOME A PIANO PLAYER
    (Tommaso Pitta, UK)

    AUDIENCE SPECIAL RECOGNITION
    SHOK, World Premiere
    (Jamie Donoughue, UK/Kosovo)

    THE ELLEN $2,500
    BOOGALOO AND GRAHAM
    (Michael Lennox, UK)

    YOUTH JURY PRIZE $500
    SHOK, World Premiere
    (Jamie Donoughue, UK/Kosovo)

    Category:News
    Tags:Aspen Shortsfest



    A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

    The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.

    Here's what it all means:

    What is the Justice Department's goal?
    Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.

    "The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."

    Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

    It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More

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