FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
A big congratulations to all of the 2008 Abbot Award® winners! Trying to pick the best of the festival for curated and Audience Choice awards is no easy feat, considering the excellence this year in selections to choose from. We wish all the filmmakers the best in 2008.
Local Maverick Abbot Award® – CATHERINE HARDWICKE
Venice, CA, October 2008 The Other Venice Film Festival is proud to announce that this years Maverick Spotlight Award will be going to Venice local Catherine Hardwicke. Catherine exemplifies everything that Venice, and independent filmmaking, is all about.
She joined previous Local Maverick Award-winners Tony Bill, Roger Corman, Stacy Peralta and the aforementioned Mulkey. “Nothing pleases me more than being dubbed a maverick – I like to think I still am,” said Catherine on receiving her Abbot Award. “” (Photo: Catherine Hardwicke)
Most Excellent Feature – KISSING COUSINS
The Most Excellent Feature Abbot Award went to KISSING COUSINS A relatively romantic comedy about a professional heartbreaker, and cynical bachelor, who teams up with his attractive cousin from the UK in order to fool his friends into believing he is capable of a relationship.
Audience Choice Feature – ROAD REPS
ROAD REPS (www.RoadRepsTheMovie.com)Laura Russo (producer) a native of Wilkes-barre, Pennsylvania and Charles Wall (writer/director) a native of Portland, Oregon
Most Excellent Short – THE PRINCE OF VENICE
Yaa Boaa Aning( dir.) weaves a funny and charming tale that tells of the challenges that face a young Palestinian immigrant who is trying to navigate his way through life and love in post-911 Venice Beach, California.
Audience Choice Short – SURFING THRU
Director Chloe Webb tells the story of three quick women, a writer, an ER nurse and a real estate agent who continue to surf throughout their treatment for stage four cancer and relieve the isolation caused by their dark smart-aleck sense of humor, lack of self-pity and devotion to the ocean by meeting at surf contests.
Audience Choice Music Video – Sugar Bitch’s L.A. WOMAN
The Audience Choice Abbot Award for music video went to Gary Ellenberg who directed and produced the video for SugarBitch, for their awesome cover of The Doors LA Woman.
Keep up to date!