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An unprecedented five days in Mammoth Lakes, California, the 2023 Mammoth Film Festival™, held from March 2-6, celebrated talented filmmakers and actors in over 30 feet of snow, resulting from several back to back blizzards in the area. Despite the weather, the festival offered a successful and exciting experience for its dedicated filmmakers, talent and supporters. The fifth installment of the rapidly growing event certainly did not disappoint with an impressive film slate of over 84 projects, inclusive of daily world premieres, and featuring 22 international films and 13 world premiere features.

Festival co-founder Tanner Beard with director of Beach House by Hèctor Hernández Vicens

To close out the festival, the inaugural MammothFF Awards Luncheon was held at The Fort and presented by Saldo Wines. The awards were hosted by festival founders Tanner Beard and Tomik Mansoori, along with Theo Dumont and Alex Chando.

The 2023 festival boasted an incredible list of well deserved winners, including Beach House, Rise to The Engineer, The Duel, Bad Hombres, American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective, and The Many Worlds of George Goodman. The big winner, however, was Dreamer, which brought home both Best Picture and Best Actor awards. The film features Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (Babylon), Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Alfredo Castro, Renata Vaca, and newcomer Ari Lopez, and was inspired by a powerful and true story from the Golden Globe winning producers of Argentina 1985, and executive producer Yalitza Aparicio.

The 2023 Mammoth Film Festival Awards were presented in the following categories:

Achievement in Filmmaking - Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts for The Duel

Achievement in Filmmaking, International – Beach House by Hèctor Hernández Vicens

Achievement in Filmmaking, Music – The Engineer by Danny A. Abeckaser, scored by Lionel Cohen

Achievement in Filmmaking, Cinematography – Alessandro Abate for Padre Pio

Achievement in Filmmaking, Writer – Rex New and Nick Turner, story by John Stalberg for Bad Hombres

Achievement in Filmmaking, Director – Hèctor Hernández Vicens for Beach House

The 2023 Mammoth Gold Award Plates were presented to:

Best Action Sports – Citizen Athlete by Brandt Willie, written and produced by Ryan March

Best  Episodic – The Many Worlds of George Goodman, starring and produced by Blair Redford, written and directed by Gregg Bishop

Best Genre Film, Short – Lucas Needs An Agent, starring, written and directed by Lucas Grabeel

Best Documentary, Short – Somos by Rafael Pense

Best Genre Film, Feature – Night Shift, written and directed by Paul and Benjamin China

Best Documentary, Feature - American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective, starring and produced by Michael Madsen, directed by Dominique Milano

Producer Fabrice Sopoglian, actor/producer Michael Madsen, director Dominique Milano 

Audience Award, Short – The Traveler, directed by DL Guerra

Audience Award, Feature – Two Winners – Rise by Mariette Lee Go, produced by Maurice Fadida, starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Joy Sunday, Chike Okonkwo, Peter Mensah;

The Duel, directed by first-time directors Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts, starring Dylan Sprouse, Patrick Warburton, Hart Denton, Denny Love, and Callan McAuliffe

Grand Jury Award, Short – The Last Bell, written and directed by Via Lubeck

Grand Jury Award, Feature – Bad Hombres, starring Thomas Jane, Nick Cassavetes, Paul Johansson, Hemky Madera, Tyrese Gibson, Diego Tinoco, and Luke Hemsworth, produced by David Frigerio, written and directed by John Stalberg, EP Kyle Smithson

Best Actress, Short - Dana Melanie, Ten Year

Best Actress, Feature - Sasha Morfaw, Rise

Best Actor, Short or Episodic – Blair Redford, The Many Worlds of George Goodman

Best Actor, Feature – Ari Lopez, Dreamer

Best Picture, Short – El Portafolio, starring Albert Hammond Jr., directed and written by Scottie Cameron

Best Picture, Feature – Dreamer, starring Ari Lopez, Renata Vaca, Diego Calva, and Jason Patric

Best Picture Feature, Dreamer

The festival could not happen without its sponsors and supporters, with the 2023 partners inclusive of Wild7Films, Sierra Nevada Resort, Saldo Wines, White Claw, El Cristiano Ultra Premium Tequila, Advanced Air, Peak IV Hydration & Therapy, Reign Energy, Honey Drop beverages, TAVI Apparel, The Westin Monache Resort, RAK The Planet, E-Tech Rentals, and PATH Water, as well as global photo agency and photo marketplace, Shutterstock and VisitMammoth.com

Mammoth Film Festival™ aims to lead the charge for an ever-changing landscape of film and media. Founded by seasoned filmmakers Tanner Beard and Tomik Mansoori, the international festival first premiered in 2018 and is specialized as an all-media platform, celebrating varieties of filmmakers, actors, directors, writers, producers and their respective work. Mammoth Film Festival™ is a 501c-3 non-profit festival benefiting the Mammoth Media Institute and Mammoth Film Summit programs. Regal with the wonderful town of Mammoth Lakes, California as its beautiful backdrop, MammothFF is held annually each February at the Minaret Cinemas along with a variety of establishments throughout town, with The Village serving as the festival hub. The festival includes red carpet world premieres and special screenings, an annual celebrity bowling tournament, a slate of educational and interactive panel discussions with top film industry leaders, q&a’s, press conferences, and a large array of experiential elements, closing out with an awards ceremony to acknowledge the excellence of its participating filmmakers and a vastly growing marketplace. 

Photos Courtesy of Shuttershock for MammothFF.