CINEMATEXAS INTERNATION SHORT FILM FESTIVAL CONCLUDES, ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

Cinematexas International Short Film Festival concluded its ninth year of cinematic emersion September 26th.

Established by the Aronofsky family, the BARBARA ARONOFSKY LATHAM MEMORIAL AWARD is given each year to an exceptional emerging video artist to further their work, and to support excellence, diversity and vitality in the field of experimental video and electronic visualization art. This year’s winner is filmmaker Nora Matirosyan with three films in the festival, BLIND DATE, COURANT D’AIR, and ARAGATS.
The PAUL PIERRE STANDIFER AWARD FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY is awarded to encourage promising film students and filmmakers to realize and achieve their educational and career goals. The Paul Standifer Foundation gives this award in honor of the late filmmaker Paul Standifer. The Jury selected Lotte Schreiber from Vienna for her short film I.E. in the International Competition and PJ Raval for his short LEAD ROLE: FATHER in the Student Competition.
This year’s International Competition Gecko Awards went to: BRITTON, SD; MARSA ABU GALAWA; I’M BOBBY; and LA HISTORIA DE TODOS (OUR STORY). Other International Competition Award winners include The Screenplay Award for DIARY; the Editing Award for PLANET OF THE ARABS; THE LIGHTHOUSE gained the No-Budget Award; The Special Jury Award went to INFRASTRUCTURE, The Cinematexas Director’s Choice Award went to filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson; The Cinematexas Programmer’s Choice Award went to RECKLESS EYEBALLING; The Russ Meyer Award for Cinematic Intransigence for HOT THROBBING COCK; and the Audience Award went to CATS AND PANTS.
The 2004 Student Competition was a success with first-time and experienced student filmmakers winning various awards: The Bettye Nowlin Awards for Excellence in Student Filmmaking went to STATE V. REED, MEANS AND MEDITATIONS, ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE, and FORBIDDEN TO WANDER. Other UT Student Awards went to: MARUMARI 5 14B won the No-Budget Award, The Editing Award went to LOVE YA LIKE, The Screenplay Award went to MILTON IS A SHITBAG, The Documentary Award was awarded to YUNING’S RETURN, and the Audience Award went to LA CHIENNE NOIRE.

The International Competition jury was ably filled by Jytte Jensen, Curator in the Department of Film and Media at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Matt McCormick, Portland Oregon filmmaker, founder of Peripheral Produce, a video distribution label specializing in short experimental work, and Director of the Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival; and Thom Anderson, filmmaker, author, CalArts professor and all-round eminence gris of Los Angeles independent and experimental filmmaking.
The UT Competition Jury welcomed Nivedita Deshpande, Cinematexas guest artist and programmer; Anne Lewis, Austin-based journalist and rookie filmmaker; and Jim Trainor, filmmaker/animator extraordinaire and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
More information on films, filmmakers, jurors and other Cinematexas events can be found at www.cinematexas.org.