More than 1,000 films were submitted for Burlington County’s Short Film Festival from across the United States and more than 70 different countries
A Bordentown filmmaker is one of 14 winners in Burlington County’s second annual Short Film Festival held April 28 and 29.
Filmmaker Ross Stern’s Caricature Carl received the Best Film Prize in the parks category.
The winners were selected by a jury of three professional filmmakers and educators.
A total of 40 films were screened during the two-night festival, which was held this year at the Lyceum Hall Center for the Arts in Burlington City and at the Burlington County Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) Westampton Campus.
This year’s festival also featured a red-carpet reception with food, music, a step and repeat photo backdrop with props and a special green screen animation booth allowing attendees to star in their own animated flip book.
The event was organized by the Burlington County Parks Division to provide a showcase for independent filmmakers. More than 1,000 films were submitted for this year from across the United States and more than 70 different countries.
“The interest in filmmaking in Burlington County is remarkable, as is this festival’s rapid growth,” said Burlington County Commissioner Allison Eckel, the liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks. “The imagination and talent exhibited by these filmmakers was extraordinary and it was our county’s privilege to showcase and celebrate them and their work. Burlington County film lovers were the biggest winners.”
Commissioner Dan O’Connell also applauded the films and the filmmakers who created them.
“Our board congratulates all the filmmakers who participated, along with our parks staff who organized the festival and help cultivate and celebrate the arts in our county, and both BCIT and the Lyceum Hall Arts Center for agreeing to host this year’s screenings,” O’Connell said. “Motion pictures and television productions generated more than $650 million in spending in New Jersey last year and events like our film festival demonstrate our support for the industry and the arts. We believe it will help bring more feature film and television productions to Burlington County.”
The following films received awards:
In the animation category, You Don’t Recognize Faces, a film from director Daniel Oliver Lee of Summit, won the Best Film prize. Fishlike, a French film from Adrien Blanchard, Theopile Farant, Mateo Grossi and Pablo Jegado, received the Runner Up prize.
In the documentary category, Dream That I Had from filmmaker Evelyn Lee of Los Angeles, won the Best Film award. 4th Passenger, a film by French filmmaker Hector Ballner, received the Runner Up prize.
In the experimental film category, To Be Alive from Camila Gutierrez, of Los Angeles, was awarded the Best Film prize. Flowers, from filmmaker Sam O’Donnell, received the Runner Up prize.
In the music video category, Foo Fighters Chasing Birds from filmmakers Emlyn Davies and Josh Hicks of the United Kingdom’s Bomper Studio, was awarded the Best Film prize. Action, from Germany’s Arne Korner, received the Runner Up prize.
In the narrative category, Drown the Name, from filmmakers Florencia Silva, Veronica Albornoz and Muriel Sago, was awarded the Best Film prize. Abducted Anonymous, from Ben Schwartz of Boston, received the Runner Up prize.
In the parks category, Caricature Carl, from Bordentown filmmaker Ross Stern, received the Best Film prize.
In addition to those category awards, three films were selected as Judges Choice Award winners: There’s a Hole in the Ground, a narrative film from Aida Cronin of East Northport, N.Y.; The Sprayer, an animated film from filmmaker Farnoosh Abedi, of Iran; and Lover, a music video from Ian Martin, of Mexico.
