2010 Winners

Feature Screenplay: Sophronia L. (Screenwriter: Tim Bridwell) - Martha's Vineyard, c.1864. To avenge the murder of her kid brother, a schoolteacher sails the seas as the wife of tyrannical whaling Captain James Folger. Herself orphaned by a murdering father, Sophronia struggles between her desire for vengeance, empathy with the killer and the love of a native harpooner that lies in the balance.

Short Screenplay: Culling Hens (Screenwriter: Christopher Jarvis) - The uneducated wife of a ploughman becomes jealous of his attention to a mare.


Professional Feature Documentary: Cody (Director: Chris Schueler) - A young woman's story about living with paralysis and challenging the world to find a cure.

Professional Feature Narrative: The Frost (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí) - After the accidental death of their only son, Rita and Alfred feel such remorse that they engage in a fierce fight of mutual destruction. Guilt confronts them with a painful recognition: obsessed by their selfish little needs, they forgot to love their son. As truth is revealed, all their inner demons are unleashed. They haunt and prick them on a road to hope or to damnation, whilst they desperately try to make amends for all those things they left undone in the past.

Professional Short Documentary: I Am A Man, From Memphis (Director: Jonathan Epstein) - In 1968, Elmore Nickleberry stood among 1,300 other African-American men in Memphis, Tennessee as they collectively asserted their right to be treated with dignity. Mr. Nickleberry hasn't sat down yet. Each night, he guides his garbage truck through the streets of Memphis — a living link to a frequently forgotten chapter in American history, and one long eclipsed by the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the city. Surrounded by the unique soul music that helped make Memphis world famous, 'I Am a Man' sets memories of the city's sanitation workers — filled with love, sorrow and sometimes even laughter — against a present-day backdrop of Mr. Nickleberry's route, life and family. More than just history, Elmore Nickleberry offers a lesson in life.

Professional Short Narrative: Interpretation (Director: Lin Oeding) - A romantic couple's brief encounter with several philosophical thugs unfolds in an unusual way.
Student Documentary: Sustaining Life (Director: Robert Hess) - A documented story about our generation's unique opportunity to end extreme poverty.

Student Narrative: One Day (Director: Bernard Garceau) - Joshua has left town with the body of his friend Jef, whom he killed with his car just hours before. Out of shock, he threw the body into the trunk, but not before Jef's brother Corey witnessed everything. Now Joshua is left alone with his thoughts, fears and ultimately what to do next.

Young Filmmaker: Crippled (Director: ien chi) - A story of two young cripples and their different world views.

Vanguard: Elephants (Director: Sally Pearce) - In a totally grey world, a little girl’s life is turned upside down by an infestation of elephants.

Shoals Spotlight: Collecting Chloe (Director: Brad Thompson) - Set in the 1970's, a young woman is just on her wayhome from a long trip. Unfortunately, she stumbles upon a familiar andcreepy town. Just when she thinks she's gotten away, she is pulledback into the darkness.

Best of Fest: The Frost (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí)

Best of State (Clyde 'Sappo' Black Sweet Home Alabama Award): Collecting Chloe (Director: Brad Thompson)

Jury Awards

Best Actor: Jeffrey Buckner Ford (Under God) (Director: Richard Farmer)
Best Actress: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (The Frost) (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí)
Best Cinematography: The Frost (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí)
Best Directing: Elephants (Director: Sally Pearce)
Best Editing: The Frost (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí)
Best Score: Slim (Director: Patrick Carroll)
Best Sound Design: The Frost (Screenwriter: Ferran Audí)
Best Story: Crippled (Director: ien chi)

Audience Choice: Running Away with Blackie (Director: Lucas Garcia)