LAMA Winter 2024 Winners & Selections
Best Narrative Short
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Short
“ Heart of Recovery “
Dir. by Kassi Crews
1st Place Winners
“So Shot “
Dir. by Bryan Ferriter
“ Death Grip “
Dir. by David Silset
So Shot is a “feel good the hard way” story. Doug, a mid-20’s bartender, is dealing with the long-suppressed regret of breaking up with his first love, Abigail. After four humdrum years spent bantering with his co-worker buddies and cussing over Sunday football with his dad, Doug finds that his comfortable routine, formed more or less out of habit, is triggering the thought of his ex.
Noah (25) is desperately trying to hide his addiction to porn. With a girlfriend who only wants to be close to him, it's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a loving relationship, while holding her at arms length. Noah decides to seek help for his addiction, but in his desperate attempt at recovery he ends up pushing those around him away, leaving him more isolated than ever.
Audience Award
“ High Jinx ”
directed by Evan Ostrow
“Heart Of Recovery” takes viewers on a compelling journey into the heart of The Beacon House Association of San Pedro, a state-licensed-and-certified substance abuse recovery program that has been a transformative force in the lives of countless men for over five decades.
Best Documentary Feature
Best Animation
Best International Film
“ I,Lina “
Dir. by Luana Fanelli
“ VAINGLORIOUS “
Dir. by Oshiomati Gabriel Ugbodaga
“ The Race of Our Lives “
Dir. by Roy Medawar
A skilled young boxer and a determined father clash in a traditional Nigerian boxing match, their resilience and pride are put to the ultimate test, with everything they hold dear on the line.
This is a ground breaking documentary about Relapsing Polychondritis (RP), an autoimmune disease. A patient diagnosed with RP launched a movement that is bringing this little known disease to the forefront of scientific discoveries.
Lina spends her 14th birthday just like every other day, stuck on the farm working and not in education like her more affluent teenage neighbour Clara, who attends a school for the deaf. Overhearing her older brother wanting to attend a party but needing female accompaniment to get in, Lina shares this knowledge with Clara: this news is the perfect excuse for the two girlfriends to make up a plan and escape their sad reality, for just one night.
Best Experimental
Best Student Film
“ MR Nightmare “
Dir. by Arman Sayat
“ Stag Hunt “
Dir. by Andre Kezzyn
"Mr Nightmare" is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the dark and surreal world of Dean, a troubled young man plagued by haunting dreams and a fractured reality. The film opens with a dream sequence where Dean witnesses a disturbing sexual encounter, involving his mother Sandra, which takes a sinister turn when she viciously attacks him and thrusts him into the lumber room.
Trapped in a closed timelike curve, our duo is learning to cooperate by running through a paradox inside of an infinite hotel. By doing so, they seek an escape from the loop and meaning in a quantum multiverse.
Best Music Video
Best Script
“ Love. Without a Trace. “
by Sean Hynes
“ Danger “
Dir. by Ned Stresen-Reuter
An unbreakable formula for the perfect affair.
Once you follow it to the death.
John’s first release of 2023 is a return to pop with his single “Danger” a moody mid-tempo 80’s esq bop produced by Junior Sanchez offers an exciting musical landscape filled with pulsating sounds and throbbing rhythm as well as Roberts vibrant and signature vocal style that brings the music to life.
Best Director
“ So Shot “
Dir. by Bryan Ferriter
Best Actor
Troy Guthrie
“ So Shot ”
Best Actress
Sofie Juul Blinkenberg
“ Death Grip ”
Best Cinematography
Mark Newman
“ Death Grip ”
Best Costume Design
“ I,Lina “
Dir. by Luana Fanelli
Best Editing
Sherri Solinger
“ Danger ”
Best Original Score
“ MR Nightmare “
Dir. by Arman Sayat
Best Production Design
“ Stage Hunt “
Dir. by Andre Kezzyn
Official Selections, Category “Best” and Honorable Mention Winners
“ Bare Luxuries “
Dir. by Armando Smith
“ David Archuleta - I'm Yours “
Dir. by Brad Hammer
“ Father's Day “
Dir. by Jared Sanders & Justin Paul
“ High Jinx “
Dir. by Evan Ostrow
“ Ramen on Melrose “
Dir. by Dani N Thompson & ĒISA
“ Ubuntu ~ The Baobab Tree Story “
Dir. by Kudzai Tinago
______________________
“ Angel “
by Jeff Kimball
“ Breakdown “
by Morgan Cini & Gabriel Tibi
“ IL Bel Tenore (The Beautiful Tenor) “
by Peter Hurwitz
“ Near Death “
by Jonny William Hodgetts
“ The Cottages “
by Erin Elizabeth Keefer
“ THE VIRGIN CAR THIEF “
by Bruce Hickey
Category Winners
Honorable Mention
“C.T.R.L”
Dir. by Mariana Conde & Mariana Conde
“Caught Inside”
Dir. by Dwight Thompson
“Chuck Ransom”
Dir. by Arian Harandi
“Daddy Come Home”
Dir. by Mendel Katz & Yisrael Dubov
“FELONY”
Dir. by Thanos Kermitsis
“Jaysin Voxx 'Hands on Me'”
Dir. by Carlos Hurtado
“Mateo”
Dir. by Nancy C. Mejia
“The Courier”
Dir. by J.Mackye Gruber
“The Equation of Life”
Dir. by Gerry Orz
“The Stop”
Dir. by Marc Ruiz
“Two and a Quarter Minutes”
Dir. by Joshua Ovalle
Official Selections
