USA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 33RD ANNUAL NATIONAL SHORT FILM & VIDEO COMPETITION

The USA Film Festival announced the Winners of the 33rd Annual National Short Film & Video Competition. The awards program took place on Closing Night of the 41st Annual USA Film Festival in Dallas.

Chosen from over 600 U.S. entries, the winners included:

FIRST PLACE / FICTION $1,000

The Interview, Michelle
Steffes, director

FIRST PLACE / ANIMATION $1,000

Enrique Wrecks the World, David Chai, director

FIRST PLACE / EXPERIMENTAL $1,000

Eyeliner, Joanna
Priestly, director

FIRST PLACE / NON-FICTION $1,000

also THE STUDENT AWARD $250

The A Word, Lindsay Ellis,
director

First Place Winners in the Fiction and Animation categories that meet
Academy eligibility requirements qualify for

consideration from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

SPECIAL JURY AWARDS $250 each

How It Ended, Gabriel
Nussbaum, director

Hello Caller, Andrew
Putschoegl, director

Save The Farm, Michael
Kuehnert, director

Time and Love, Max Bo Price,
director

Cross Your Heart, Michael Wood,
director

The 2011 National Jury included

director/editor Roger Nygard; filmmaker and Yale University

Professor of Cinema Sandra Luckow;

and author and film writer Alonso Duralde.

This year marks the 41st Anniversary of the Academy-qualified festival,
which has awarded over $250,000 in cash prizes, including prizes to many (then)
emerging filmmakers, including Jessica Yu (Breathing Lessons: The Life and
Work of Mark O'Brien), Todd Haynes (Superstar and Dottie GetsSpanked),
Alexander Payne (The Passion of Martin), George Hickenlooper (Some
Folks Call it a Sling Blade), Alan Taylor (The Burning Question) and
John Lasseter (Tin Toy). 2008 Oscar winner West Bank Story and
2010 nominee Kavi were qualified for Academy consideration at the USA
Film Festival; 2010 USAFF winner Ana's Playground was shortlisted for
Academy consideration in 2011.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS -- Sponsors of the 41st Annual USA Film Festival
include Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, Community Coffee, Jones Day,
Gaedeke Group, AMC, Time Warner Cable, IFC, Dallas Film Commission, Texas Film
Commission, Magnolia Pictures on Demand, HD Net, Comerica, Weil, Gotshal &
Manges, Red Diamond Wines, Taco Bueno, Alford Media Services, HealthLinkRx,
Amegy Bank and Ticketmaster. The USA Film Festival is supported in part by the
City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. This program is supported in part by
a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

ABOUT THE USA FILM FESTIVAL -- The USA Film Festival is a 41-year-old
Dallas-based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to the recognition and
promotion of excellence in the film and video arts. Year-round events include
KidFilm; Dallas' only official Oscar Night America program; monthly screenings;
special programs and premieres; and the USA Film Festival, held each spring.
Throughout the year, the Festival presents a variety of membership, exhibition,
educational, and cultural programs designed to bring together film enthusiasts
and filmmakers for a "live cinema" experience.

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