168 Congratulates All of the 2021 Filmmakers!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 22, 2021
Jonathan Davide, Media Desk
818-557-8507, [email protected]
168 FILM FESTIVAL ENTHRONES AUSSIE GARY CENTRONE’S FILM ‘CROWN OF FLOWERS’
Presenters Include: Kevin Sorbo, Corbin Bernsen, Dean Cain
Los Angeles, CA-- Australian dominance continues for the second year as the best overall film of the 168 Film Festival is Gary Centrone and Danica-Rae Miles’ Crown of Flowers, which enthroned Centrone as Best Director. Crown also took bests for International and Write of Passage categories. Tony Fiora was knighted for Best Cinematography.
Crown depicts a mother (Jessica Lily), who is decimated by mental illness and memories of her husband (Jared Herft), who alternates between extremes of shock therapy and loving encouragement for his wife. The viewer is left to wonder what is real and what is imagined by the tortured mom.
To make things worse, she and her young son (Oliver O'Toole) are accosted by a dark stranger (James Helm) and they must run for their lives. She comforts the boy by directing him to look at beautiful things in their midst and to pray for salvation.
“Our cast and crew were amazing, once we got them," said Centrone. "We were just one week away from shooting, and still did not have a boy cast for Max. It was worth the wait. And Tony (Fiora - Best Cinematographer) created a mobile, 1000 litre rain machine."
“Our lead, Jessica Lily, thanks him for that," said Miles. "She endured 4 hours, in and out of the rain and the cold puddle!" (It was winter in Australia.)
Regarding the future, Centrone said, "We have a 17-minute cut, and I'm considering a feature length version!”
Presenters are actor/producers Kevin Sorbo, Corbin Bernsen, Dean Cain, and Josh Murray and Barry Cook, Director of “Mulan;" Gary Hall, Sr.Vp of Fox TV Post Production; Mark Joseph, Producer of “Reagan” (2022) and Producer/Director Jody Eldred, Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion.
Amir Shehata’s The Spacewalk won Best honors for Animated, Alumni Film, Score and Sound Design (Arya Afshar, Composer). In Spacewalk, astronaut Amelia (Laura Widgett) battles a curiously mirthful computer in a race against time, reminiscent of Kubrick’s 1968 epic Sci-fi film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Best Actor was Jarrid Masse who plays a disabled veteran, meeting his pacifist daughter on Fathers Day in Justin Manntai’s The Honor in That. Masse plays opposite Best Actress, Jisaura Cardinale, the waitress and referee with a dog in the fight.
The Best Supporting Actor is Darin Maddox in Along The Way, from director Jonathan Filion.
The Best Speed Film is Joanne Atienza and Ryan Ito's What Flowers Bring, the story of a non-violent husband’s faithfulness to his work over his wife. The film also nabbed Best Screenplay laurels for the duo, and Best Supporting Actress for the perfectly played Therapist (Susan Slome), who tried to straighten the crooked relationship.
Nancy Bevins’ The Believing Girl and the Doubting Dad won Best Editor (James Gartner), Best Production Design (Bevins & Teresa Larsen) and the Evangelista Award, which is the best tool for sharing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Believing was written by Eric & Timothy Egan, winners of 168s Write of Passage Contest, 2020.
Best Scriptural Integration went to LaShunda Smith for Crumbling.
Best Comedy went to Susan Shearer's hilarious Zoomtime, directed by Christopher Shawn Shaw.
The Best Virtual Film was John Lockmer’s animated film, Love Like a Hero, in partnership with LA’s Union Rescue Mission.
The Best Documentary was Shanda Heilman's Finding God Again: An Artist’s Journey Through a Crisis of Faith.
The Make-Up & Hair award went to Jenna Mogensen for Storm Watch.
The 168 Film Festival 2021 Jury includes Leilani Downer, Writer "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air;" Jody Eldred, Producer/Director, "Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion," "Contraland;" Scott Popjes, two-time Emmy-nominated reality and non-fiction producer for Netflix, Discovery Channel, History and Nat Geo; Gary Skeen Hall, writer "21 Jump Street," "The A-Team," Sr.VP of 20th Century Fox TV Post and Founder of Hollywood Impact Studios and Mike Wech, Writer/Director/Producer & Showrunner on "Being Beautiful," "Drug Wars.”
AWARDS LISTED:
- Best Film Overall: Gary Centrone, Danica-Rae Miles - Crown of Flowers
- Best Speed Film: Joanne Atienza - What Flowers Bring
- Best Alumni Film: Amir Shehata - The Spacewalk
- Best Write of Passage Film: Gary Centrone, Danica-Rae Miles - Crown of Flowers
- Best International Film: Gary Centrone, Danica-Rae Miles - Crown of Flowers
- Best Comedy: Susan Shearer - Zoomtime
- Best Documentary: Shanda Heilman - Finding God Again: An Artist’s Journey Through a Crisis of Faith
- Best Animated Film: Amir Shehata - The Spacewalk
- Best Director: Gary Centrone - Crown of Flowers
- Best Screenplay: Ryan Ito, Joanne Atienza - What Flowers Bring
- Best Scriptural Integration: LaShunda Smith - Crumbling
- Evangelista Award: Nancy Bevins - The Believing Girl and the Doubting Dad
- Best Actor: Jarrid Masse as McKinely in The Honor in That
- Best Actress: Jisaura Cardinale as Hazel in The Honor in That
- Best Supporting Actress: Susan Slome as Therapist in What Flowers Bring
- Best Supporting Actor: Darin Maddox as Daryl in Along The Way
- Best Cinematography Tony Fiora - Crown of Flowers
- Best Editor: James Gartner - The Believing Girl and the Doubting Dad
- Best Production Design: Nancy Bevins, Teresa Larsen - The Believing Girl and the Doubting Dad
- Best Original Score: Arya Afshar - The Spacewalk
- Best Sound Design: Arya Afshar - The Spacewalk
- Best Virtual Film: John Lockmer - Love Like a Hero
- Make-Up & Hair Winner: Jenna Mogensen - Storm Watch
AUDIENCE FAVORITES:
- 2021 Films: A Song Beyond Sorrow, by Serena Travis - Documentary, What Flowers Bring, by Ryan Ito & Joanne Atienza.
- Friday: Wes Llewellyn & Amanda Llewellyn - Audience Favorite Filmmakers
- Saturday: Gift of Grace, by Director Mark Baird (2014)
View all 2021 Nominees and Award Winners
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