Small matter of the awards

Lolita Harper

A collective sigh, and then thunderous applause, rose from the

Radisson Hotel on Friday night, as filmmakers ended their luxurious

week of parties and premiers with an awards night.

Little reel sculptures marked their cinematic accomplishments at

the beachfront festival. Although the Newport Beach Film Festival is

considered small by most industry standards, it is not lacking for

talent, said publicist Todd Quartararo, and a win here denotes

filmmaking greatness.

“We have such a diverse pool of filmmakers and films and themes

and characters,” he said. “To walk away with an award here is no

small feat.”

This year, the festival screened more than 1,200 films from 58

countries and accepted 115 feature films, 175 short features and 38

documentaries from 45 countries. Among those films was Academy

Award-nominated feature “Spellbound,” which also received Newport

Beach Film Festival honors.

And the others winners are:

FEATURE FILMS

Best Feature Film: “How Harry Became A Tree”

Best Director Feature Film: “Every Stewardess Goes to Heaven”

Best Actor Feature Film: Colm Meaney, “How Harry Became a Tree”

Best Actress Feature Film: Miranda Otto, “Julie Walking Home”

Best Cinematography Feature Film: Krzysztof Ptak, “Edi”

Best Screenplay Feature Film: “Filantropica”

Best Documentary Feature Film: “Spellbound”

Audience Award Best Feature Film: “Jumping for Joy”

Audience Award Best Documentary Film: “Heart of the Sea”

Outstanding Achievement Breakout Performance: Greg Lauren,

“Friends & Family”

Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking: “Red Trousers: The Life of

the Hong Kong Stuntmen”

Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking: “Book of Stars”

SHORT FILMS

Best Short Film: “Amarrados”

Best Director Short Film: “Amarrados”

Best Comedy Short Film: “Heads & Tails”

Best Drama Short Film: “Apsara”

Best Documentary Short Film: “Toyo Miyatake: Infinite Shades of

Gray”

Best Story Short Film: “Ride”

Best Animated Short Film: “Eternal Glaze”

Best Cinematography Short Film: John Ealer, “One”

Audience Award Short Film: “Honor System”

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Special Achievement First Time Filmmaker: Steve Guttenberg, “P.S.

Your Cat is Dead”

Special Achievement First Time Filmmaker: Edoardo Ponti, “Between

Strangers”

Outstanding Achievement Breakout Performance: Greg Lauren,

“Friends & Family”

Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking: “Book of Stars”

Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking: Sean Astin, “ The

Long and Short of It”

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Festival Honorable Mention -- Actress: Jena Malone, “Book of

Stars”

Jury Recognition -- Cinematography: Michel Abramowicz, “Sweat”

Jury Recognition -- Art Direction: “Standard Time”

Jury Recognition -- Feature Documentary: “Lolita: Slave to

Entertainment”

Jury Recognition -- Feature Documentary: “Daughter of Danang”

Jury Recognition -- Cinematography: David Greene, C.S.C.

“Cockroach Blue”

Jury Recognition -- Director: Jay Gable and Mike Dana “Heads &

Tails”

Festival Honorable Mention Short -- Documentary: “Raise the Cane”

Festival Honorable Mention Short -- Outstanding Story: “Legwork”

Festival Honorable Mention -- Technical Achievement: “The Erl

King”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at [email protected].