WINNERS

MONTH OF FEBRUARY

Her Corpse

When a severed human finger mysteriously lands in the backyard of a bored suburbanite, he sees an opportunity to break free from the monotony of everyday life. Enlisting his two dimwitted, perpetually stoned best friends, he embarks on a chaotic and misguided mission to uncover the corpse it belongs to. Her Corpse is a dark comedy that satirizes a generational obsession with true crime and the romanticism of vigilante justice. As the trio stumbles through increasingly absurd and dangerous situations—fueled by overconfidence, Hollywood film conspiracies, and too much weed—the film explores the thin line between amateur investigation and reckless interference. Ultimately, Her Corpse is as much a cautionary tale as it is a comedy, holding a mirror to our culture's morbid curiosity.

Best Emerging Filmmaker (Under 40min) - Abdul Mohaimen, Kearsten Johansson

The Newlyweds: Blood At the Altar

Tia and Akil are good people loved by their friends and family. However, no one believes they should wed because they love hard. They've had a dysfunctional, up-and-down relationship since college. They're crazy about each other, and their friends have seen the chaos that can bring when things aren’t going well. Their love is either SPARKS flying or things BURNING, no in-between. On their big day, we quickly learn that their wedding guests have doubts about their marital future. Despite the looming uncertainty among family and friends, the couple proudly pledges their LIVES to each other. As the devoted couple exchanges vows, things get wild when a catering staff member barges into the kitchen with sick but strange symptoms. After the ceremony, the NEWLYWEDS prepare to make their grand entrance in the ballroom as husband and wife, but instead of applauding guests, they are faced with grueling ZOMBIES.

Best Director (Under 40min) - Lucien Christian Adderley, Richard Byrd Wilson

Best Lead -Female - LaToya Tonodeo

Tanya Franks Runs

At the age of fifty-two, British actress Tanya Franks agreed to do the London Marathon to raise money for research into Alzheimer’s Disease with the ‘Dementia Revolution’, having never ever run before.
She was slowly losing her step-father to Alzheimer’s and this alone gave her the drive to succeed. Running a marathon was a strange distant dream for her, that she never thought would be a possibility, let alone a reality!
Tanya has found a satisfaction with running that she couldn’t have imagined and has now run three London Marathons. The elation of the achievement has changed her life. This micro short film is a mere snapshot of how running has been such a positive discovery for her, and has simply been made with the intention of encouraging other people to attempt what they feel may be unimaginable.

Best Documentary (Under 40min) - Directed By - James Barriscale

King's Betrayal

"Legend" is a mob boss in SE Michigan. He has tremendous influence with city, county, and state officials. Another syndicate is on the rise and has threatened to take-over SE Michigan. About a week ago, a private investigator and former police detective was at a marina on a stakeout. The PI noticed someone approaching a boat and hit the record button on his camera. A lieutenant under Legend's organization was invited aboard the boat. The video file was delivered to Legend.

Best Film on African Americans, natives & visible minorities (Under 40min) - Directed By Johnathan C. Williams

Ice Breath

Between 2015 and 2024, Leonard Alecu filmed the melting icebergs off Greenland's East coast. Sailing dangerously close to icebergs, Alecu handled his camera to record the ice masses yielding to the ruthless ocean. Filmed in black and white, Ice Breath is a cinematic poem whose only elusive actor is the filmmaker's gaze. In 43 minutes, a sequence of flat pictures turn into dynamic tableaux, an existential journey from genesis to extinction. The hypnotic feature of the film is enhanced by the soundtrack Become Ocean, a haunting composition by John Luther Adams suggestive of a relentless tidal surge, of melting polar ice and rising sea levels. Become Ocean received critical acclaim, earning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 2015 Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. More than an environmental documentary, Ice Breath and Become Ocean is an experimental fusion exploring the vast, inscrutable meanings of climate change.

Best Cinematography (Under 40min) - Leonard Alecu