Editor

Aspen Shortsfest celebrated a diverse mix of short films including several world, North American and US premiers to the delight of audiences and dozens of film guests from around the world during its 16th edition. The top winners were The Substitute (Andrea Jublin, Italy) for Best Comedy, Fair Trade (Michael Dreher, Germany) for Best Drama, Never Like the First Time! (Jonas Odell, Sweden) and Yours Truly (Osbert Parker, UK), which share Best Animation and City (Topaz Adizes, USA) for Best Short Short. (The Best Comedy, Best Drama, Best Animation, and Best Short Short may now qualify for Academy Award consideration, provided they meet the Academy’s other criteria.) Napapijri® presented its new Cultural Discovery Award to Ousmane (Dyana Gaye, Senegal/France) and Kodak returned with a film stock prize for Best Cinematography which was awarded to Motodrom (Joerg Wagner, Germany). The Ellen Awards (named for the founder of Aspen Film) for Most Original Film and the Certificate of Distinctive Achievement went to Printed Rainbow (Gitanjali Rao, India) and Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium), respectively. In addition, the Los Angeles chapter of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) presented its Award for Excellence to Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium). The award for Best Documentary went to The Fighting Cholitas (Mariam Jobrani, Bolivia/USA) and two films share the Best Student award: Clear Cut, Simple (Vineet Dewan, USA) and Salt Kiss (Fellipe Barbosa, USA/Brazil).

The Aspen Shortsfest Audience Favorite Award went to Tanghi Argentini (North American premiere; Guido Thys). For a complete list of winners see the list below.

Aspen Film executive director Laura Thielen notes, “We were honored to showcase such a rich and eclectic range of cinematic creativity from around the world. The International Competition generated tremendous excitement amongst industry guests and audiences alike. While shorts are hot, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture – that shorts provide an incredibly vibrant voice in filmmaking. It was an inspired – and inspiring – global gathering.”

The 59 finalists that screened in Aspen Shortsfest’s annual International Competition competed for over $28,000 in cash and other prizes. The Competition was judged by a jury of distinguished film professionals including Oscar-nominated filmmaker Adrian Belic (Beyond the Call, Genghis Blues), program director Roger Gonin (Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), award-winning director Cecilia Peck (Shut Up & Sing), and esteemed film and television director Lewis Teague (The Jewel of the Nile, Navy SEALs).
Aspen Shortsfest 2007 juried award winners are as follows:

ANIMATED EYE AWARD ($2,500, shared)
Never Like the First Time! (Jonas Odell, Sweden)
Yours Truly (Osbert Parker, UK)

BEST COMEDY ($2,500)
The Substitute (Andrea Jublin, Italy)

BEST DRAMA ($2,500)
Fair Trade (Michael Dreher, Germany/Morocco)

BEST DOCUMENTARY ($2,500)
The Fighting Cholitas (Mariam Jobrani, Bolivia/USA)

BEST SHORT SHORT ($1,000)
City (Topaz Adizes, USA)

BEST STUDENT ($2,000, shared)
Clear Cut, Simple (Vineet Dewan, USA)
Salt Kiss (Fellipe Barbosa, USA/Brazil)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY ($2,500 film stock sponsored by Kodak)
Motodrom (Joerg Wagner, Germany)

HARD C HIGH-FIVE TO LO-FI (sponsored by Hard C, Aspen Shortsfest alumni Jason Reitman and Daniel Dubiecki’s new comedy production company)
Scyzoryk (Keio & Dag Åstein, Norway)

SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION ($500 each)
Make a Wish (Cherien Dabis, Palestine)
Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium)
t.o.m. (Tom Brown & Daniel Gray, UK)
The Tube with a Hat (Rady Jude, Romania)


Other awards and prizes:

THE ELLEN AWARD – Most Original Film ($2,500)
Printed Rainbow (Gitanjali Rao, India)

THE ELLEN - Certificate of Distinctive Achievement ($1,000)
Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium)

NAPAPIJRI® CULTURAL DISCOVERY AWARD ($2,500 sponsored by Napapijri®)
Ousmane (Dyana Gaye, Senegal/France)

BAFTA/LA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium)

BAFTA/LA HONORABLE MENTIONS
Clear Cut, Simple (Vineet Dewan, USA)
High Maintenance (Phillip Van, Germany)
Make a Wish (Cherien Dabis, Palestine)

YOUTH JURY PRIZE ($1,000)
Fair Trade (Michael Dreher, Germany/Morocco)

AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD ($1,000)
Tanghi Argentini (Guido Thys, Belgium)


In addition, winners of the 6th annual Local Filmmakers Showcase presented by Aspen Shortsfest and Plum TV are:

LOCAL’S CHOICE ($500 + $1500 production package from Plum TV)
Whirling Dervish (Bill Fisher, Carbondale)

BEST LOCAL STUDENT AWARD ($300 + full tuition scholarship to one Anderson Ranch teen week-long workshop in summer of 2007)
Club Jazz (Ben Fout, Glenwood Springs)

BEST LOCAL DOCUMENTARY AWARD ($300)
Fútbol Fanatics (Ethan Dean, Aspen)

HONORABLE MENTIONS ($200 each)
Bairro Centro Sul (Illene Pevec, Carbondale)
Days of Mexico (Daniel Saporita, Carbondale)


For print-ready images, please contact Jennifer Slaughter at 970.925.6882 x 103 or via email at jslaughter@aspenfilm.org.

Aspen Film’s upcoming events include summerFILMS, a film series presented in association with the Aspen Music Festival and School, which runs June 24 – August 13, and Aspen Filmfest this fall, September 26 – 30.

For more information, please visit www.aspenfilm.org.