Editor

Crested Butte Reel Fest

August 8 - 12 (Colorado, US)

Hosted in the mountains of central Colorado, the 4th Crested Butte Reel Fest
- which showcases short comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation and experimental
films, all under 60 minutes - presented 21 awards Saturday night and announced
audience award winners for its annual festival. The awards were presented by
actor/director Robert Peters, who has directed two Reel Fest films - The
Bus Stops Here (2001) and Mutual Love Life (1999) - and has appeared
in more than 40 films including American Pie 2, Airforce One, In the Line
of Fire and the soon-to-be-released Ocean's Eleven.

The family of actor/director Tom Skerritt, this year's honorary Reel Fest chairman,
presented "Illumination Awards" to Lianne Klapper McNally for Artists and
Orphans (Gold) and to Kim Cummings for Weeki Wachi Girls (Silver).
The Skerritts sponsor this award each year for work that portrays humanitarian
and educational causes. Clown Car won the "Bob Award," as the film that
"pushes the envelope" the furthest. This award is named for filmmaker and Reel
Fest co-founder Robert Nowotny.

Gold Awards went to Clown Car by David Garrett (best comedy); Lunchtime,
Thomas by Carrie Hamilton (best drama), Local Heroes by George and
Beth Gage (best documentary); Dim Bulb by Kerryn Miller (best animated
film); and Havoc by the late Ori Greenberg (best experimental).

The screening of Havoc marks the first time the film had been seen in
Colorado since the death of director Ori Greenberg, who died in a plane crash
near Aspen, Colo., at the age of 23. Associate Producer Daniel Roew accepted
the award on Greenberg's behalf. In memory of his son, George Greenberg of Vanguard
Media in Los Angeles, is establishing the Ori R. Greenberg Foundation to support
the work of other young filmmakers.

For films made by students, Gold Awards were given for Paradise Lounge
(Student Comedy), produced and filmed by Shanra Kehl of Columbia College Chicago;
Lector (Student Drama), by Greg Marcks of Florida State University; Undesirables
(Student Documentary), by Marianna Yarovskaya of the University of Southern
California; 19 Peel Street (Student Animation), by Stephan Kozak; and
It Did It (Student Experimental), by Peter Brinson of the California
Institute of the Arts.

Based on votes cast by audience members, the student drama Lector, by
Greg Marcks, won top honors, and two documentaries tied for 2nd place: Artists
and Orphans, by Lianne Klapper McNally, and The Gunnison Sage Grouse
- A Dance of Survival, directed by Angie Varela and produced by Crested
Butte resident Sue Navy.

Silver Awards (2nd place) went to Shrink (Comedy), by James Dean; Roadside
Assistance (Student Comedy), by Jennifer Derwingson; The Limited
(Drama), by Katherine Makinney; Anderson (Student Drama), by Jason Doty;
A Brief History of Cuba in D Minor (Documentary), by Martino Sclavi;
Losing Your Grip: A Family's Battle With ALS (Student Documentary), by
F. Hatton Littman; and Horses on Mars (Student Animation), by Eric Anderson.
Two films - Ornaments, by Aaron Erimez, and The Daydreamer, by
John Atkinson, tied for Silver in the Animation category.

The Gold and Silver award winners were selected by a jury of 23 Crested Butte
residents. New this year, the Internet movie site IFILM has agreed to provide
Gold Award winners an advertising package worth $1,250 on its Web site; Silver
Award winners will receive advertising worth $600.



Award Winners

4th Crested Butte Reel Fest:

Anderson (Student Drama)

Director, Screenwriter: Jason Doty

Producer: Carey C. Williams

Artists and Orphans: A True Drama (Documentary)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Lianne Klapper McNally

A Brief History of Cuba in D Minor (Documentary)

Director: Emily James

Producer: Martino Sclavi

Screenwriters: Emily James and David Schweitzer

Clown Car

Director, screenwriter: David Garrett

Producer: Mary Clayton

The Daydreamer (Animation)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: John Atkinson

Dim Bulb (Animation) .

Director, Producer: Kerryn Z. Miller

Screenwriter: Kerryn Z. Miller (story) Jim Valladao (poem)

The Gunnison Sage Grouse - A Dance of Survival (Documentary)

Director: Angie Varela

Producer: Sue Navy

Screenwriters: Sue Navy and Geoff Tischbein

Havoc (Experimental)

Director, Screenwriter: Ori Greenberg

Producers: Ben Blanco, Christian Thomas

Horses On Mars (Student Animation)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Eric Anderson

It Did It (Student Experimental)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Peter Brinson

Lector (Student Drama)

Director, Screenwriter: Greg Marcks

The Limited (Drama)

Director, Screenwriter: Katherine Makinney

Producers: Tom Tangen, Rita Cook, Mitch Teemley

Local Heroes (Documentary)

Director: George Gage

Producer: Beth Gage

Screenwriters: George and Beth Gage

Losing Your Grip: A Family's Battle With ALS (Student Documentary)

Director, Producer: F. Hatton Littman

Lunchtime, Thomas (Drama)

Director, Screenwriter: Carrie Hamilton

Producer: Namethkuf LLC

Ornaments (Animation)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Aaron Erimez

Paradise Lounge (Student Comedy)

Directed by: John Soria

Producer: Shanra Kehl

Screenwriter: Erin Hensley

Roadside Assistance (Student Comedy)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Jennifer Derwingson

Shrink (Comedy)

Director, producer, screenwriter: James Dean

Undesirables (Student Documentary)

Director, Producer: Marianna Yarovskaya

Weeki Wachee Girls (Drama)

Director, Screenwriter: Kim Cummings

Producer: Craig Austin.

19 Peel Street (Animation)

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Stephan Kozak