BendFilm Festival award winners announced
BendFilm announced its award winners in 11 categories at the festival’s awards ceremony Saturday evening, held at Father Luke’s Room at McMenamin’s Old St. Francis School.
The Narrative Feature, “Petting Zoo,”, directed by Micah Magee, swept the festival, capturing numerous awards, including the Brooks Resources “Best of Show” and the Panavision “Best Narrative Feature.”
Sunday is the final day of the festival, when a full line-up of winning films and Best of the Best will be shown at the Tower Theatre and Regal Cinemas.
Jurors included Paul Bernstein, Filmmaker Toolkit Editor at Indiewire, Paula Nix, documentary filmmaker based in LA, who directed The Yes Men Are Revolting, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, and the Berlinale 2015; Anne Thompson, whose blog Thompson on Hollywood is on Indiewire; Leah Meyerhoff, award-winning filmmaker whose film I Believe in Unicorns won awards at several top film festivals in 2015; Matt Grady, founder of Factory 25, an independent film distribution company; Mike Ott, award-winning filmmaker; Courtney Sheehan, journalist and leader of Northwest Film Forum’s year-round artistic programs; Landon Zakheim, Short Film Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and other festivals; Kent Nichols, award-winning online video pioneer.
2015 Award Winners
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 12 years
“Petting Zoo” – Directed by Micah Magee
Best Directing
$500 & BendFilm Award Sculpture
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film *
“Birth of Sake” – Directed by Eric Shirai
Best Narrative Feature
Camera Rental Package
(valued at $60,000) &
BendFilm Award Sculpture
Panavision
“Petting Zoo” –
Directed by
Micah Magee
Best Documentary Feature
$1500 & BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Jan and Jody Ward and Business for
BendFilm**
“Birth of Sake”
– Directed by
Erik Shirai
Best Narrative Short
$500 & BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film
“Hole” –
Directed by
Martin Edralin
Best Documentary Short
$500 & BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film
“The Many Sad
Fates of Mr.
Toledano” –
Directed by
Joshua Seftel
Best Student Short
$500 & BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Made possible since 2005 by Dan and
Priscilla Wieden on behalf of Caldera Arts
“Take With
Water” –
Directed by
Tara O’Sullivan
Best Animated Short
$500 & BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Independent WOMEN for Independent Film
“Tatuap Mahal
Tower” –
Directed by
Carolina
Markowitz and
Fernanda
Salloum
Best Cinematography
BendFilm Award Sculpture
“Songs My
Brothers
Taught Me” –
Shot by Joshua
James Richards
Best of the Northwest
BendFilm Award Sculpture
Business for BendFilm
“Mothering
Inside” –
Directed by
Brian
Lindstrom
Katie Merritt Audience Award
$500 and BendFilm Award
Sculpture
Ticket sales fund this award
“Omo Child:
The River and
the Bush”
*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. **Business for BendFilm: Ben Perle, Regional VP of Operations at Oxford Hotels, inspired by the Indiewomen, sought to strengthen the relationship between BendFilm and local businesses. Now close to 20 businesses are helping fund award prizes for BendFilm.
