Wrap Report!

We probably say this every year, but the 13th Borrego Springs Film Festival was a profound success! We had sold-out houses at many of our screening blocks, both at BSPAC and at the library, and we sold out full festival passes a week before the festival began! We haven’t had that level of ticket sales since before the pandemic! The feedback from the audience was enthusiastic, the screenings and parties were all great fun, and the panels were educational and provocative.

Some highlights included the panel seminar given by BSFF filmmaker Devin Scott, scheduled right after the screening of his short film The Craftsman, on the specifics of his production process using Artificial Intelligence generative tools such as Sora and Midjourney. The film has a nostalgic quality similar to Scott’s earlier work, with amusing characters and strong biographical storylines that offer glimpses into the lives of different eras.

In recent years, he’s made films using “found footage” – finding old super 8 reels that he would cut together into fictional narratives, often with dramatic and comedic results. But now, with his use of state-of-the-art technology in making this short, Scott has transformed his filmmaking language in new and evocative ways. The panel was both a master class on the entire process Scott went through to create his film, and a clarion call to all filmmakers that, like it or not, AI generative tools are here, and they are quickly becoming more powerful, cost-effective methods to generate motion pictures.

Other highlights of the festival included live piano music performed by Jennifer Goodenberger before the film blocks at the theater; a new Silent Auction during the Gala at Rams Hill; and the Saturday night party at the Arches at BSR, with live music from LA - Dan Janisch and The Sallys, and a packed, rockin’ dance floor!

The last day of the festival was also the premiere of the locally produced short film, George & Rosa, which happily played to a full house! The director Matt Bosson brought on stage his full cast, including Rosemary Dominguez and Borrego locals Russell Webb, Mary Paz Alvarez, and many others, virtually filling the stage! The audience engaged the director and cast in an interesting discussion of how choices in this unique film were made.

After the final block, the filmmakers came outside to the red carpet and were interviewed and photographed, glamming it up for the cameras, and then we began the Awards Ceremony back in the theater.

The Awards Ceremony began was great fun and full of warmth and merriment, starting off with a tremendous performance by Las Flores del Desierto, the wonderful troupe of local ballet folklorico dancers; and was followed by Miss Borrego and her Court, and members of the BSFI board, throwing T-shirts out into the audience!

After all that excitement, we finally got down to the Awards themselves. However, there was an unfortunate production glitch, which resulted in the show ending rather abruptly, before some of the awards were even announced. These are the kinds of things that can happen in a live production sometimes. Of course, we made our apologies and informed all the winning filmmakers of their awards after the show.

Here’s a rundown of the winning films:

JURIED AWARDS

The award for Best Short Under 20 Minutes went to El Lloron, written and directed by Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez. It concerns a professional mourner, who is paid to cry at funerals and comfort the grieving families. The comedy is satirical but full of heart and love at its base.

The award for Best Short Over 20 Minutes went to the outstanding Hearts of Stone, a romantic fantasy from Belgium, directed by Tom Van Avermaet, with a wonderfully classical sense of cinematic grandeur. The story concerns a street performer who loves a statue, and a kiss that brings the statue to life, returning her love.

The award for Best Animation went to 113 Words for you Today, directed by Bo Qing Tang, and Lan Zeng. The animated short depicts a futuristic team of workers who have been sent to planet Gliese 12b to build a gravitational portal. To conserve energy for survival on the frozen planet, each worker is allowed to speak only 138 words per day. With eye-catching visuals, the film is a great adventure as well as emotionally resonant.

Director Grace B Poppe won the award for Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes, for her lovely film Samland, which introduces us to artist Sam Shaw and his magical property he has been designing and building on a small island off the coast of Maine for the past 30 years. Sam conjures a blend of Willy Wonka and Mr. Rogers as he invites the audience along to experience the complicated process of harnessing grief into creation.

The award for Best Documentary 30+ Minutes went to Fools’ Paradise (lost?), directed by Alexandra Lexton. The film is a love letter to the wild. In a time when climate change and environmental degradation pose dire consequences for both humanity and the planet, the film hopes that by revealing pathways for healing through reconnection to the natural world, we will learn to care for it.

The award for Best International Film went to the apocalyptic action short from the UK, Dante’s Inferno – The Ascension. Written, directed, and starring Sofian Francis, the film tells the story of Dante, a regretful ex-military contractor and his horse, searching for his missing wife and daughter in the remnants of a civilization decimated by thousands of malevolent entities known as ‘Reapers.'

The award for Best Feature Film went to Seance, written, directed and co-starring, Vivian Kerr, who has produced a Victorian-era psychological thriller that offers the idea that perhaps mitigating the terror of marriage is a matter of simply giving and receiving grace.

BSFF AWARDS

Serbian teen Lazar Jovanovic won the award for Best Youth Film Under 18, for his powerfully realistic drama, Dancing in the Stars, about two brothers, one in school, the other living in a wheelchair in a cramped apartment, who reunite, revisit their past and rethink their future, in a single day spent together.

Writer/director Luke J Salewski won the award for Best Student Film 18+ for his impressively cinematic entry, The Lights Above. Taking place months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a determined journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese American photographer to prevent another attack.

Writer/director John Field Brown won the award for Best Comedy for his whacky short film, Yer Smackin, about an older brother celebrating his birthday with his whiny, obnoxious little sister, the person he loves and hates the most. First, we see them as children, and at the film’s conclusion decades later, we see the same characters now as seniors, still behaving as they did when they were children.

The award for Best Cinematography went to Hans Bruch Jr. for his beautiful camera work on Hearts of Stone. The photography, VFX, and art direction combined to make one of the most cinematically arresting films we’ve seen at BSFF. The film also won awards for Best Short Film Over 20 Minutes and People’s Choice Best International Film.

The award for Best Editing went to Yufei Skylar Zhang for his work on the short film, Fireline directed by Robin Takao D’Oench. The film tells the story of an inmate firefighter desperately trying to call home while battling a wildfire with his crew. The sequences toward the end of the film, when two firefighters are trapped in the fire, is truly breathtaking, and makes great use of precise edits, sound effects and VFX to create a harrowing sense of extreme jeopardy.

The award for Best Music Score went to Jason Pelsey for Marilyn’s Dark Paradise, directed by Remi Gangarossa. Featuring a lovely piano score, the music elevates the ethereal quality of the film’s time-travel storyline, which centers on one of Hollywood’s most enduring and beloved stars, Marilyn Monroe.

Scottie Thomspon won the award for Best Performance Comedy for her lead role in Sienna and the Sit, which she also wrote and directed. Playing a woman who goes to hilarious lengths to avoid the pain of grief, and with the help of her self-absorbed actor friends, finally sits Shiva and directly confronts her loss. Thompson also starred in Séance, which won the Juried Award for Best Feature Film.

Allison Dayne won the award for Best Performance Drama for her role in A King’s Curtain, which she also wrote. She plays a career woman whose chance for a promotion is jeopardized by her father’s condition, a Shakespearean actor who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Her performance exemplifies the profound complexities of both grief and grace and reminds us of the endurance of love.

The award for Best Director Short went to Brian Russell for his powerful drama, Sit with Me While I Die. Examining the intersection of faith and death and set against the backdrop of medical aid in dying, the film features a veteran cast in a wonderfully restrained dramatic masterpiece that never hesitates to speak the truth.

The award for Best Director Feature went to Jorrit Van Der Kooi, for his moving film, The Golden Hours, which concerns a 16-year-old girl grappling with the aftermath of a life-changing accident that leaves her in a wheelchair. It’s a heartfelt "coming of age" journey of healing, self-acceptance, and the power of unexpected connections.

The Laara Award for most inspirational film went to Fool’s Paradise (lost?), which certainly inspires its audience to get outside, enjoy nature, and do everything possible to save what’s left of our environment.

The Golden Cookie Awards went to films and filmmakers who made great films but also contributed to the success of the 13th BSFF. The filmmakers of Marilyn’s Dark Paradise and Grillo – Break the Cycle were honored with the oversized treats for their participation during the festival and for their moving films.

The People’s Choice Best Overall Award went to Grillo – Break the Cycle, a compelling documentary that follows the life of David Zamudio, a man who has spent much of his life navigating the challenges of incarceration and reentry. Through the transformative support of Homeboy Industries and its founder, Father Greg Boyle, Grillo finds a path to healing, self-discovery, and purpose.

The People’s Choice Best International Award went to Hearts of Stone. The film also won Juried awards for Best Short Film Over 20 Minutes, and Best Cinematography.

The People’s Choice Best Animation Award went to 113 Words for you Today, which also won the Juried award for Best Animation.

The People’s Choice Best Documentary Award went to Prairie Prophecy, directed by Michael Johnson, about Wes Jackson, a visionary scientist and farmer, who has spent his lifetime pioneering a bold new approach to agriculture, and has inspired a global movement toward sustainability and ecological harmony through perennial and natural systems agriculture.

The People’s Choice Best Short Award went to The Craftsman, which was written and directed by Devin Scott, a visually stunning animated biography about Scott’s great grandfather, who was a master woodworker, making violins from salvaged vintage doors. The film is a fun and interesting blend of history, music and art, while also feeling very current, in terms of its overall look and use of AI technology.

The People’s Choice Best Feature Award went to The Golden Hours, which also won the award for Best Director Feature.

We’re already excited to start receiving submissions for next year’s film festival on April 1st. And of course, the BSFI will recommence screening free movies every other Wednesday, starting this spring. So, as always, we’ll see you at the movies!