The Method Fest Film Festival 2008 Awards

Melissa Leo won the Time Warner Cable Geraldine Page Award for Best Actress for her performance in Lullaby, and Richard Jenkins took home the Charter Communications John Garfield Award for Best Actor for his role in The Visitor, as the 10th annual The Method Fest independent film festival announced its winners at the Awards Ceremony, Thursday night at Viewpoint Schools Carlson Family Theatre in Calabasas.

The performances this year in film at the festival exceeded anything we had seen before at The Method Fest. The overall quality of the films was also higher and some awards were almost impossible for the judges to determine, " stated Don Franken, the festival's executive director. More top quality films with breakout performances as well as career-defining performances by other actors made it the fiercest competition yet for Awards. There are so many emerging new stars this year at The Method Fest and this really brought more energy and excitement at the festival, Franken added.

The City of Calabasas Jury Award for Best Picture was presented to Unfinished Sky, directed by Peter Duncan and starring William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, Milo, Bille Brown, Christopher Sommers, and David Field.

The Christie Digital Audience Award for Best Picture, was presented to Chain Link, directed by Dylan Reynolds.

The LA.com Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film went to Danai Gurira, (The Visitor), and the Stockholm Krystal Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film went to John Saxon, (Gods Ears).

Tom McCarthy, who directed The Visitor, was awarded the Modern VideoFilm Award for Best Director of a Feature Film.

The Daily News Award for Best Screenplay went to Rick Bieber, for Crazy. Bieber also directed and produced the film.

The Prudential California Realty Award for Best Ensemble Cast was presented to the cast of Familiar Strangers, directed by Zachary Adler and starring Shawn Hatosy, DJ Qualls, Cameron Richardson, Ann Dowd, Nikki Reed, and Tom Bower.
Special Recognition: Eduardt. Greece, directed by Agelike Antoniou.

The Corona Maverick Award for High Quality in Low Budget Filmmaking went to Harrison Montgomery, directed by Daniel Dᶩla.

Other winners include:
The jetBlue Airways Award for Best Short Indecent (directed by Matt Cavanaugh).
The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Award for Best Foreign Film Corpo (Body), Brazil, directed by Rubens Rewald and Rosanna Foglia, produced by Rubens Rewald.
Special Recognition: This Beautiful City, directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly

The Viewpoint School Award for Best Actor in a Short Colin Cunningham, (Centigrade).

The Motion Picture and Television Fund Award for Best Actress in a Short Vanessa Born, (Sky).

The Bernards Award for Best Student Short A Days Work, directed by Rajeev Dassani from the University of Southern California.
The Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Audience Award for Best Short Film Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre! (directed by Robert Cosnahan).

Special Recognition Awards

The Valley of the Stars Festival Directors Award for Excellence Chronic Town (directed by Tom Hines).

The Barefoot Winery Festival Directors Award for Breakthrough Acting Octavio Gomez Berrios (Harrison Montgomery).

The Award for the Best Ensemble Cast in a Short Film Last Day of Limbo starring Ian Abercrombie, Roby Bessent, Johnny Holiday, Matt Malloy, Patrick Thomas OBrien, Mark Pellegrino, Joseph Rigano, Rico Simonini, and Vinny Vella.
Special Awards presented before and during the festival:

Career Achievement Award: Richard Jenkins
Maverick Award: Melissa Leo

Future Filmmaker Audience Awards
Sony Future Filmmakers Award for Best Picture Michael Fishbein for Chope.
Final Draft Future Filmmakers Award for Best Screenplay Mike Toomy and Kevin Murphy for Chope.
Indieprinting.com Future Filmmakers Award for Best Acting Aaron Moody for Chope.
Special Recognition: Winters Hero, by Alexi Scuitto

About The Method Fest

Named after a famous school of acting, The Method Fest is the only major film festival in the U.S. focusing on acting, celebrating breakout acting performances in story driven independent films. The Method Fest takes great pride in being a discovery festival, looking to help launch the works of young fresh filmmakers and to discover breakthrough performances by young, bold new actors. The festival has also taken great delight in sharing career-defining performances of established performers and in showcasing a few chosen well-known directors to screen at the festival. The 10th Anniversary of the Method Fest screened 25 feature films and 52 shorts from U.S. and international filmmakers from March 27 April 3.

The Method Fest is presented by the City of Calabasas. Presenting media sponsors include Time Warner, Charter Communications, LA.com and the L.A. Daily News. Golden Reel sponsors include Corona. Silver reel sponsors include Prudential California Realty, Christie, Sony, and Country Inn & Suites. Bronze level sponsors include Bernards, Red Bull, Modern VideoFilm, Wexler, jetBlue, and the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Festival supporters include Ice Age, Pepsi, Leonis Adobe, Sagebrush Cantina, CalItalia Restaurant, Mi Piace, Flemings Steakhouse, Chapter 8 Steakhouse and Nightclub, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Rack, Marias Italian Kitchen, FilmFinders, WithoutABox, Creative Industry Handbook, MoneyMailer, Calabasas Chamber of Commerce, and the San Fernando Valley Economic Alliance. The Method Fest is an official Valley of the Stars Event. Information on the Method Fest is available at www.methodfest.com.

AWARD NOMINATIONS, WINNERS HIGHLIGHTED

#1: LA.COM BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Diane Baker, Harrison Montgomery
Dinai Gurira, "The Visitor"
Allyssa Milano, The Blue Hour
Cameron Richardson, "Familiar Strangers"
Lisa Marie Schneider, "Lullaby"
Melora Walters, "Harrison Montgomery"

#2: STOCKHOLM KRYSTAL BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Bruce Dern, "The Cake Eaters"
Cole Hauser, The Stone Angel
Jeffery Scott Jensen, "Chronic Town"
Martin Landau, "Harrison Montgomery"
Aaron Poole, This Beautiful City
John Saxon, "God's Ears"
#3: CORONA MAVERICK AWARD FOR QUALITY IN LOW BUDGET FILM
Nominees:
Chain Link
Falling
Fix
Harrison Montgomery
Low
True Love
#4: MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND BEST ACTRESS SHORT FILM Nominees:
Vanessa Born, Sky
Sharon Case, Repressions****
Tracey Costello, Spent
Sarah Jaye, Leave You in Me
Alana Kearns-Green, Le Retour
Angela Schnaible, Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre!


#5. VIEWPOINT SCHOOL BEST ACTOR SHORT FILM
Nominees:
Mark Arnold, Negotiations
Don Baldaramos, Indecent
AJ Bond, Hirsute****
Colin Cunningham, Centigrade
Justin Mortelliti, Negotiations
Robby Smith, Indecent
#6. COUNTRY INN & SUITES AUDIENCE AWARD BEST SHORT FILM
(No Nominees)
(Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre!)****
#7. CHRISTIE DIGITAL AUDIENCE AWARD BEST FEATURE FILM
Chain Link, Dylan Reynolds, Director
#8. ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR BEST FOREIGN FILM
Nominees:
Corpo (Body), Brazil
Eduart, Greece
Lullaby, South Africa****
Unfinished Sky, Australia
This Beautiful City, Canada
The Stone Angel, Canada
#9. SONY FUTURE FILMMAKERS AWARD BEST YOUTH, METHOD FILM Michael Fishbein for Chope
#10. FINAL DRAFT FUTURE FILMMAKERS AWARD Youth, BEST SCREENPLAY Mike Toomy and Kevin Murphy for Chope
#11. INDIEPRINTING.COM FUTURE FILMMAKERS AWARD ,BEST ACTOR,Youth Film
Aaron Moody for Chope
#12. BERNHARDS BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM
Nominees:
Coons (from USC)
A Days Work (from USC)
Long Shots (from Columbia University)
Pitstop (from USC)
Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre! (from AFI)
Security (from Columbia University)
** TENTH ANNIVERSARY BEST PERFORMANCES FILM PACKAGE (2-3 Mins.) (Colin)
#13. VALLEY OF THE STARS FESTIVAL DIRECTORS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE (Colin)
Nominees:
Candidates
Chronic Town
Harrison Montgomery
#14. BAREFOOT WINERY FESTIVAL DIRECTORS BREAKTHROUGH ACTING AWARD (Colin)
Nominees:
Alysha Aubin, Portage
Octavio Gomez Berrios, Harrison Montgomery
Alex Linz, "Choose Connor
Virginia Reese, "Falling"
Michael Worth, Gods Ears
Louis Zorich, "Running Funny"
#15. JET BLUE AIRWAYS BEST SHORT FILM
Nominees:
Centigrade
Deleted Scene
Use as Directed
Indecent
No. 6
Tres
#16. DAILY NEWS BEST SCREENPLAY - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
The Blue Hour
Crazy
Choose Connor
Chronic Town
Lullaby
#17. MODERN VIDEOFILM BEST DIRECTOR - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Henry Barrial, "True Love"
Rick Bieber, Crazy
Peter Duncan, "Unfinished Sky"
Helen Hunt, "Then She Found Me"
Mary Stuart Masterson, The Cake Eaters
Tom McCarthy, The Visitor
Eric Nazarian, The Blue Hour
#18. PRUDENTIAL CALIFORNIA REALTY BEST ENSEMBLE CAST - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Choose Connor
Chronic Town
Familiar Strangers
The Blue Hour
Then She Found Me
This Beautiful City
#19. TIME WARNER CABLE BEST ACTRESS - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Ellen Burstyn, The Stone Angel
Monic Hendrickx, "Unfinished Sky"
Christine Horne, The Stone Angel
Helen Hunt, "Then She Found Me"
Ali Larter, "Crazy"
Melissa Leo, "Lullaby"

#20. CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS BEST ACTOR - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
J.R. Bourne, "Chronic Town"
Mark Irvingsen, Chain Link
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor"
William McInnes, Unfinished Sky
Waylon Payne, "Crazy
Stuart Hughes, This Beautiful City

#21. CITY OF CALABASAS BEST PICTURE - FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
Chronic Town
Lullaby
This Beautiful City
The Visitor
Unfinished Sky