HARD TIME BUS, directed by Dean Charles, won the award for Best Feature; and TAKE US HOME , directed by Aileen LeBlanc and Orly Malessa won the award for Best Documentary, at the Hollywood Black Film Festival which took place October 6 to 6, 2013. IF I WERE A BELL written and directed by Sherese Robinson Lee won the award for Best Short.
Starring Neil Reidman, Naomi Ryan and Roger Griffiths, HARD TIME BUS follows Mark Bishop, who after a rude awakening, his carefree and complacent lifestyle comes crashing back to reality, forcing him to make hasty plans to marry devoted girlfriend, Denise. His decision opens his eyes to the life he led and the friends he thought he knew, but will the years of complacency finally catch up with him before he makes it to the alter.
In the documentary TAKE US HOME , Fekadu and his family of eight have been waiting in Gondar for ten years. They are hoping to among those who are chosen to go to Israel but, though they are of Jewish heritage, they had been practicing Christianity since their grandparents converted many years ago. Do they fit the criteria as to who is Jewish and deserving of acceptance at “home” in the state of Israel?
FEATURE WINNER
HARD TIME BUS
Written by: Owen Mowatt
Directed by: Dean Charles
SHORT WINNER
IF I WERE A BELL
Written/Directed by: Sherese Robinson Lee
Shorts HONORABLE MENTION
SUNDAY’S AT NOON
Written by: Lyric Anderson & Tami Roman
Directed by: Ka’ramuu Kush
STUDENT WINNER
JUMP
Written by: Anthony Harper
Directed by: Not Provided
Students HONORABLE MENTION
BEYOND THE ECHO OF THE DRUM
Written by: Not Provided
Directed by: Lori Webster
DOCUMENTARY WINNER
TAKE US HOME
Written by: Aileen LeBlanc
Directed by: Aileen LeBlanc & Orly Malessa
DOCUMENTARY HONORABLE MENTION
IN SEARCH OF THE BLACK KNIGHT
Written/Directed by: Tamarat Makonnen
WEB SERIES WINNER
MOMMY UNCENSORED: CONFESSIONS
OF A REAL MOM
Written by:
Shannon Byrd,
Adrian Dukes,
Kellana Franklin,
Charity Jordan
, Nell Maxwell,
Zoie Sykes,
Sonya Tate-Smith
Directed by:
Christine Horn,
Justin Jordan,
David Kote,
Sharell Luckett,
Nik Mynyan
FILM DIASPORA
MALAGASY MANKANY (LEGENDS OF MADAGASCAR)
Writer-director: Haminiaina Ratovarivony
PROJECT STARGAZER
The finalists will begin Project Stargazer Lab in January 2014, where they will be paired with mentors from the entertainment industry and NASA while they further develop their Sci-Fi ideas into a feature length screenplay at Writers Boot Camp over the course of nine months.
BEYOND HEAVEN
by: Ronald Taylor, Los Angeles, CA
BROUGHT UP
by: Rashim Cannad and Tarina Pouncy, Los Angeles, CA
MIRA BANE
by: Arvel Chappell III and Michael J. Martinez, Los Angeles, CA
STORYTELLER COMPETITION
1st place Winner: ESTEEM LADIES OF HOPE – Shington Lamy, Tallahassee, FL
2nd place: THE PACK – BOND OF BLOOD, Devvin Mattison, Arlington, TX
3rd place: MADAME CHARLIE – Nadria Tucker, Los Angeles, CA
TWINKIE BYRD’S MONOLOGUE SLAM
Kyla Garcia, Los Angeles, CA