2020 Winners
2020 FILM AWARDS
The Garden State Film Festival
2020 Winners
Narrative Feature
“Foster Boy”
Producers
Andrew Sugerman, Peter Samuelson, Anne-Marie Mackay, Jay Paul Deratany
Director
Youssef Delara
International Narrative Feature
“Be Good or be Gone”
Producers
Les Martin, Declan Mills, Catha Nally, Cainneach McEoin
Director
Cathal Nally
Family Feature
“Team Marco”
Producer
Sam Sandweiss
Director
Julio Vincent Gambuto
Bud Abbott Award for Comedy Feature
The Bellmen
Producers
Jason Adler, Cameron Fife, Kim Waltrip, Ken Schur, Michael J. Wickham, Samantha Herman, Beau Johnson
Director
Cameron Fife
M. Carroll Raver Award for Cinematography
“Guru Nanak”
Adam Krell
Horror/Thriller Feature
“Dark Harbor”
Producers
Edwin P Stevens, Cecilia E Stevens, Cory Pyke
Director
Joe Raffa
Narrative Short
“Pipe Dream”
Producers
Chris King, Heather King
Director
Chris King
Narrative Short-International
“It’s Me”
Producer/Director
Andrea Casaseca
Lou Costello Award for Comedy Short
“Age of Bryce”
Producers
Brian Elliott, David Feagan
Directors
Brian Elliott, David Feagan
International Student-University Comedy Short
“The West Kerry Cowboy”
Producer
Peter Kilmartin
Director
Cian O Connor
Family Short
“Tati’s Fashion Show”
Producers
Stephanie Angel,Amir Arison
Director
Amir Arison
Emanuel “Manny” Berlingo Award for Best Feature Length Documentary
“STALLONE: Frank, That Is”
Producers
Chris May, Emmett James, Derek Wayne Johnson,
David Polemeni, and Frank Stallone
Director
Derek Wayne Johnson
Best International Feature Length Documentary
“Guru Nanak: The Founder of Sikhism – Life and Legacy”
Producer
Adam Krell
Producer/Directors
Gerald Krell
Best Short Documentary
“Tofino is a Place”
Producer
James Clower
Producer/Director
Ryan Struck
International Short Documentary
“Arrival Archives”
Producer
Suze Armstrong
Producer/Director
Maya Bastian
Animated Short
“Burning Bright”
Producer
Lisa Benson, Franceska Bucci, Aaron Bierman
Director
Aaron Bierman
International Animated Short
United Kingdom
“Master Moley By Royal Invitation”
Producer
Tony Nottage
Director
Leon Joosen
International Commercial
“Life is a Beautiful Journey”
Proucer/Director
Sven Greif
Web Series/New Media
“Detention Adventure”
Producers
Lauren Corber, Ryan West
Director
Joe Kicak
Music Video
“Slow Dance”
Producer
Taylor Bradshaw
Director
Travis Jones
Trailer
“Bharal”
Produer
Kathryn Carmichael
Director
Jake L. Reid
TV Pilot
Divorce School
Producer
Julie Zelman
Producer/Director
Dana Marisa Schoenfeld
Short University Graduate School
“A Home for Curiosities”
Producer
Shannon Ryan
Producer/Director
Ben Tobin
International Short Documentary Unveristy
Italy
“Amici del Mare”
Producers
Jackson Klarsfeld, Anthony Vitale, Benjamin Thomas Ward
Director
Tara Guaimano
International Narrative Short – High School
Croatia
“Zoe “
Producer
Stjepan Kefelja
Director
Marta Krunić
Short Animation – High School
“Margo “
(Light House Studio)
Producer/ Director
Amelia Maxham
Producer/ Director
Libby Slaughter
Producer/ Director
Ben Clark
Producer/ Director
Summers Worthington
Producer/ Director
Johnny Krosby–Groner
Producer/ Director
Jhael J. Rasheed
Producer/ Director
Victoria Stiefvater
Producer/ Director
Conrad Heins
Producer/ Director
Nicholas Tennery
Producer/ Director
Jago Gould
Short Documentary – High School
“Dancing on Black & White”
(Metuchen High School)
John Li, Director
New Jersey Hometown Documentary Short – High School
Barry Rosezweig
(Jackson Liberty High School)
Alivia McGarry, Director
Co-Director, Amber Buckley
The
Garden State Film Festival would like to recognize films shot in the
State of New Jersey with the following winners in the “Home Grown Award”
categories:
Home Grown Feature
“Exit O”
Producer
Gregory Voigt
Producer/Director
E.B. Hughes
Home Grown Short
“Ironrite”
Producer
Kelsey Combe
Producer/Director
Clayton Combe
Home Grown Comedy Short
“Yet Another”
Eric Hartmann-Producer
Producer/Director
Tim Disbrow
Home Grown Animation Short
“Country Things”
Producer/Director
B.E.F. Oakes
Home Grown Animation Short Family
“Kazumi Racecar Pig”
Director
David McBride
Home Grown Documentary Short
“Unclaimed Remains”
Ernie Diorio, Richard Gough, Carol Redlund-Producers
Producer/Director
Thomas Phillips
Home Grown Commercial
Bayshore Center Promo
Producer/Director
Collin Pritchard
Home Grown Student Documentary Short – High School
Relay for Life
(Bridgewater – Ridge High School)
Producer/ Director
Julia Schnarr
Home Grown Student PSA – High School
Words Kill
(Washington Township High School)
Director
Jenna Epley
The Garden State Film Festival (“GSFF”) is proud to announce the winners for its acting awards.
BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURE
Shane Paul McGhie – “Foster Boy”
BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURE
Jessica Sipos – “Dark Harbor”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A FEATURE
Garry Pastore – “Shooting Heroin”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A FEATURE
Jenny-Lee Masterson – “Be Good or Be Gone”
BEST ENSEMBLE (FEATURE)
“Foster Boy”
Matthew Modine, Shane Paul McGhie, Lex Scott Davis, Julie Benz, Amy Brenneman
Evan Handler, Louis Gossett Jr., Michael Hyatt, Michael Beach, Dominic Burgess, Jordan Belfi, Krystian Alexander Lyttle
BEST ACTOR IN A SHORT
TJ Thyne – “Extra Innings”
BEST ACTRESS IN A SHORT
DeAnna Toten Beard – “Age of Bryce”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SHORT
Josiah Schreiber – “Walking Point”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SHORT
Marta Belenguer – “It’s Me”
Honorary Chair
Jack Ford
Icon Award
Linda Hamilton
Lifetime Achievement
Matthew Modine
Patriot Award
Robert Patrick
Renaissance Award
Perry Lang
Independent Spirit
Tara Wood
Home Grown Hero
David Burke
Exceptional Women In Film
Arianna Bocco
Broader Vision Award
Rock And Roll Forever Foundation
MVP
Nick Falcone
Educator of the Year
Robin Kampf
Rising Star
Ashley Platz
2020 Movie Music Competition Winner
Best Orchestration From A Documentary
“Determined – Triumphant Theme”
Composer: Steven Chesne
Performed by:Virtual Instruments
Best Rap Song from a Short
“Comatose”
Composers: Jeremiah Kaufman
Performed by: Jeremiah Kaufman
Best Americana Orchestration From a Narrative Short
“Jake’s Beginnings”
Composer: Cristina “Trinity” Vélez-Justo
Performed by: Virtual Instruments
Best Musical Score from a Historical Drama Short
” Julie’s Theme”
Composer: Pancho Burgos-Goizueta
Performed by: Pancho Burgos-Goizueta
Best Blue Grass Orchestration From a Narrative Feature
“Days of Whisky and Sunshine”
Composer: Cristina “Trinity” Vélez-Justo
Performed by: Virtual Instruments
Best Period Piece
“Henry the VIII”
Composer:Guy Renardeau
Performed by: Guy Renardeau
Best Musical Score from a Stop Motion Short
“Friends With Death”
Composers: Zac Silva & James McCaffrey
Performed by:
Zac Silva, James McCaffrey, Kevin Grossman, Emily Grove & Cody McCorry
End Title Theme from a Feature Documentary
” My Father’s Brothers”
Composer: Cristina “Trinity” Vélez-Justo
Performed by: Virtual Instruments
Best Rap Theme from a Documentary Feature
“I’m a Movement”
Composed by: Intelligenz
Performed by:Intelligenz
Best Orchestration From An Animated Short
“The Ribbon”
Composer: Jonathan Galland
Performed by:Virtual Instruments
Best Orchestration From An International Mini Series
“Walpurgisnacht – Die Mädchen und der Tod”
Composed by: Mathias Rehfeldt
Performed by: Mathias Rehfeldt
Best Home Grown Indie Pop
“Bets Against the Void”
Composer: Elizabeth Lehman
Performed by:The Scary Jokes
2020 Screenplay Winners
Short Screenplay Winner
Standing In Water by Kathleen Caprario-Ulrich
Born and bred in Elizabeth, NJ, Kathleen Caprario-Ulrich relocated to the Pacific Northwest where she has established herself as an award winning visual artist, writer, art educator and occasional stand up comic despite her strong, Jersey-girl vibe and accent. Her sense of humor is rooted in an appreciation for the awkward and painfully funny process of reinventing one’s life after a personal, seismic shift; “Standing In Water” is informed by Caprario-Ulrich’s own experience of being widowed before the age of fifty and the healing power of laughter.
Feature Screenplay Winner
Last of the Burly Girls by JOHN PISANO-THOMSEN
A life-long theatre-phile, songwriter, and creative writing graduate, John is an award-winning LGBTQ/feminist screenwriter on a five-year successful trajectory after winning one of three screenwriting fellowship spots in the 2016 Atlanta Film Festival. Since then, John has written three more successful screenplays and has accumulated hundreds of awards and accolades from around the globe. In October 2019, he placed in the top 15%, 5% and 2% of submissions in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship, with “Last of the Burly Girls” placing in the top 149 semifinalists out of 7,302 submissions. We are thrilled to recognize his talents as well.
