It’s a wrap!
The 2015 Newport Beach Film Festival ended its successful eight-day run last Thursday, April 30, with the World Premiere of “No Stranger Than Love” at Lido Live.
Several cast members plus the director and producers attended the screening and participated in a Q&A with the audience prior to the closing night party in the Via Lido Plaza.
The mixing of filmmakers and filmgoers is one of the many things that make the Newport Beach Film Festival stand apart from many other festivals, said festival co-founder and CEO Gregg Schwenk.
“It was a terrific year for the festival—we had positive feedback from audiences and filmmakers, we had a record number of sellouts, numerous special events, and opportunities for filmmakers to mix and mingle with members of our community,” said Schwenk. “We’re really proud of being able to be that event that attracts both regional and international coverage for the festival.”
While the 2015 festival just ended, plans are already underway for the 2016 festival.
“We actually started planning next year’s festival befvore the 2015 festival started,” said Schwenk. “We had a meeting this week to discuss our call for entries, and are looking how to recruit more reviewers.”
With the close of the 2015 Film Festival comes the announcement of the festival’s Jury Awards, Festival Honors and Audience Awards.
2015 JURY AWARDS
BEST FEATURE FILM – The Passion of Augustine
BEST ACTOR – Nelson Xavier (A Despedida)
BEST ACTRESS – Celine Bonnier (The Passion of Augustine)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Lysander Menard (The Passion of Augustine)
BEST DIRECTOR – Lea Poole (The Passion of Augustine)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Eduardo Makino (A Despedida)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY HONORABLE MENTION – Daniel Jobin (The Passion of Augustine)
BEST SCREENPLAY – Marie Vien and Lea Poole (Passion of Augustine)
BEST DOCUMENTARY – The Chinese Mayor
SHORT FILMS
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – The Way of Tea
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM – Growing Home
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Baths
2015 FESTIVAL HONORS:
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: DIRECTING – Russell Crowe (The Water Diviner)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – A Little Chaos
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – Slow Learners
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – Welcome to Happiness
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – Worthy
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – A Nightingale Falling
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: DOCUMENTARY – Fear No Fruit
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: DOCUMENTARY – Life In A Walk
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTING – Alison Brie (No Stanger Than Love)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTING – Pierfrancesco Favino (Senza Pieta)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: The Nature of Modernism: E Stewart Williams, Architect
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: CINEMATORGRAPHY – Tony Mirza (Eadweard)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: EDITING – Beth Moran (Sun Belt Express)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – My Bonnie
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Bookin’
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – The Present
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Dead Hearts
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING DOCUMENTARY IMPACT AWARD: SHORT FILM- The Soundman
MADE IN CALIFORNIA SHORT FILM AWARD PRESENTED BY THE CALIFORNIA FILM COMMISSION: The Haircut
MADE IN CALIFORNIA SHORT FILM AWARD PRESENTED BY THE CALIFORNIA FILM COMMISSION: The Forgotten
YOUTH FILM SHOWCASE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHOPSHOP ENTERTAINMENT – Love And The Art Of Frisbee Flight
2015 AUDIENCE AWARDS:
FEATURE FILM – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
FOREIGN FILM – Who am I – No System is Safe (Kein System ist Sicher) Germany
DOCUMENTARY – A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
DOCUMENTARY – The Last Man on the Moon
