BendFilm announced its award winners in 11 categories at the festival’s awards ceremony last weekend. The Documentary, Alpsummer, swept the festival, capturing numerous awards, including the Brooks Resources Best of Show, Best Director from Independent WOMEN for Independent Film and Best Documentary for Jan and Jody Ward. The Young Kieslowski won the Katie Merritt Audience Award.
“I could not be more pleased with how the festival – my first BendFilm – has unfolded this year,” said Festival Director Todd Looby. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the community support, the volunteers, the filmmakers who submitted films, those who came into town for the festival, and everyone who had a hand in making this year’s festival a success.”
Jurors included Bedonna Smith, a producer with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C); Bend Kasulke, an award-winning Director and Director of Photography; Erik Henriksen, a senior editor at the Portland Mercury; Mel Eslyn, an independent film producer, including the film The One I Love; Mark Gustafson, Supervising Director of the two-time Emmy award-winning series The PJs; and Hebe Tabachnik, the feature film Ibero-American Programmer for the Palm Springs and Los Angeles Film Festivals and the Short Film Programmer for the Los Angeles Film Festival.
| Award Name + $ Amount | Made Possible By | Winning Film |
| Best of Show
$5,000 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Brooks Resources Corporation, founding sponsor of BendFilm for the past 11 years | Alpsummer
|
| Best Director
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film *
|
Alpsummer |
| Best Narrative Feature
Camera Rental Package (valued at $60,000) & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Panavision | Bob Birdnow’s Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transendence of Self
|
| Best Documentary Feature
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Jan and Jody Ward | Alpsummer
|
| Best Narrative Short
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film* | The Bravest, The Boldest
|
| Best Documentary Short
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film*
|
Showfolk
|
| Best Student Short
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Made possible since 2005 by Dan and Priscilla Wieden on behalf of Caldera Arts | Skunk
|
| Best Animated Short
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film* | The Missing Scarf |
| Best Cinematography
BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Lake Los Angeles
|
|
| Best of the Northwest
BendFilm Award Sculpture
|
Final Pose
|
|
| Katie Merritt Audience Award
$500 and BendFilm Award Sculpture |
Ticket sales fund this award | The Young Kieslowski |
| Special Jury Mention | Five Star |
* Independent WOMEN for Independent Film: The brainchild of Pamela Hulse Andrews, bringing together this group of over 100 incredible women supporting BendFilm at a time we could use it most! Their contribution is funding cash prizes for filmmakers as well as the awesome BendFilm award statue, branding our festival for years to come. Thank you, ladies!
BendFilm is an annual independent film festival designed to support and nourish filmmakers and enrich the cultural life of Central Oregon. Celebrating its 10th year, BendFilm is proud to bring voices and visions to the Bend community from the perspective of so many human experiences and cultures and remind us of our differences, but also our similarities. BendFilm is made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous sponsors.
For more information, call 541-388-3378 or visit www.bendfilm.org. You can also find BendFilm on Facebook.
