VTFF2018 is over—long live VTFF2018!! After much consideration and deliberation, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s fest!
We had a fantastic slate of forty-four short films in competition from around the world—including our Made in Michigan program highlighting homegrown talent. We’re so thankful to have had the opportunity to share all of these films with our audience and are excited to see our alumni’s future projects. Many thanks to our programmers and jury for their curation and dedication to promoting unconventional stories. Prizes have been generously provided by Final Draft, Wacom, ProAm USA, Michigan Film & Digital Media Office, Jungle Software, Red Giant, Couch and other sponsors!!
And now for the WINNERS…
Winner Best of Fest: The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley
(14:00) Directed by Taylor Stanton (website)
A family recreates itself using stop-motion animation. The film tells the lifelong struggle of Marj, the matriarch of the Bagley clan, to find happiness.
Winner Best of Fest Student: Apocalypse
(14:02, Poland) Directed by Justyna Mytnik (website)
Susie and Maurice live together in a tower block infested with surreal pigeons. A baby pigeon advises them to look into each other’s eyes,or else they will die. The girl believes the bird, but her boyfriend wants to kill it. A dark fairy tale about loneliness.
Winner Best Animation: Agua Viva
(6:48, USA) Directed by Alexa Lim Haas
A Chinese manicurist in Miami attempts to describe feelings she doesn’t have the words for.
Winner Best Fiction: Frank Embree
(7:35, USA) Directed by Skinner Myers (website)
Frank Embree. 9:55AM. Fayette, Missouri. July 22nd, 1899.
Winner Best Documentary: “on the rink”
(10:02, USA) Directed by Benjamin Buxton (website)
There’s nothing like a good skate.
Winner Best Made in Michigan: Community Patrol
(13:01) Directed by Andrew James (website)
A Detroit minister rallies the community to shut down a drug house in an inspiring display of collective action.
SPIRIT OF V&T AWARDS
Filmmakers who best represented the spirit of Vidlings & Tapeheads at the 2018 festival.
Spirit of V&T: Catya Plate
Catya came in from NYC to screen her brilliant film Meeting MacGuffin and participate in our art exhibition as well! Catya somehow managed to be everywhere at the fest, always ready with a smile and happy to help out behind the scenes too!! Her work is wildly imaginative with a core message of quirky kindness, collaboration, and optimism woven throughout—we can’t wait to see the story continue!
www.catyaplate.com
Student Spirit of V&T: Qiyue Sun
Qiyue visited from Philly and got personal—she went in deep with her student documentary EMPATHY (a digital love letter), a medium-spanning exploration of identity, heartbreak, and expression. Along with Catya, Qiyue brought a warm and welcome vibe—present and engaging throughout the fest, and her work shows a strong voice that will surely evolve and continue to impress.
www.qiyueisland.com
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Honorable Mention Animation: The Burden
(14:15, Sweden) Directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr (website)
An animated musical with apocalyptic undertones.
Honorable Mention Fiction: Juan Gabriel is Dead
(14:49, Mexico) Directed by Tavo Ruiz (facebook)
On the day famous mexican singer JUAN GABRIEL dies, best friends Beto and Daniel will redefine their friendship.
Honorable Mention Documentary: Where Are You From
(4:00, China/USA) Directed by Cecilia Hua (website)
In a world where western values dominate, coming to America as a “Parachute Kid” makes the filmmaker feel ashamed of her “Chinese” and “foreign” identity.
Honorable Mention Made in Michigan: The Sampler
(3:32) Directed by Emily Biernott (website)
A feeble butcher’s assistant gets revenge on a disgruntled customer.
The Jury
Don Hessell | Made in Michigan Juror
Don is currently the Film Program Manager for the Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Bay City where he’s been actively involved for the last 6 years. Prior to joining the Hell’s Half Mile team, he spent 3 years as an organizer with the Made-in-Michigan Film Festival, and has been a supporter of Michigan filmmaking ever since. “Having attended Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival last year, I love the spirit of the fest, and I’m very excited to take part on the Jury for Michigan films.”
www.hhmfest.com
Chelsey Knapp | Made in Michigan Juror | VTFF2017 Filmmaker Alum
Chelsey’s love for filmmaking began when she was 8 years old. What started as a bunch of 2nd graders ‘making art’ with their parents’ 90s camcorders quickly evolved into a lifestyle of filming everything. Since 2012, she has traveled the world working with M-1 Studios as a Sr. Director & Editor while also creating her own films. In her latest award-winning short film, Lemon Eyes (2017), Knapp uses striking imagery to explore a reluctant housewife’s experience of the 1920s. The film has screened at over 15 film festivals worldwide and has also received several honors along the way. Of all the experiences Chelsey has had along this film festival rollercoaster, Vidlings & Tapeheads holds a very special place in her heart. To be involved with this year’s judging is a true honor.
www.chelseyrknapp.com
Summre Garber | Documentary Juror | VTFF2018 Programmer Alum
Summre Garber is a producer and programmer of films. Besides producing four short films and directing one about a podcast that helps put people to sleep, Summre was the Director of Operations at Slamdance for four years until 2013 when she became the Co-Captain of the Documentary Programming Committee and has maintained that role ever since. She has also been a Senior Programmer for the Bentonville Film Festival for the last two years, in addition to screening and consulting for a number of other festivals, including AFI and IFFLA. She is happy to let anyone know who asks that in 2017 she watched over 500 film festival submissions. Summre received an MA in Film Theory from San Francisco State University.
Morrisa Maltz | Documentary Juror
Morrisa Maltz is an artist and filmmaker. Maltz holds a BA from Columbia University where she studied visual art. Her work is cross-disciplinary between art and film. Her art work has been shown at MOCA and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara. In 2012, Maltz created Mofones, an art product for iphones that was sold in Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom and MOCA stores. Her first short film, THE CARETAKER, won Best Live Action Short at the 2013 LES Film Festival and her second short film, ODYSSEA, premiered at Slamdance Film Festival 2014. Maltz’s feature documentary, INGRID, premiered at Slamdance 2018 and she is currently working on a documentary/narrative hybrid feature, THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY.
www.morrisamaltz.com | www.maltzstudio.com | www.mofones.com
Anne Hu | Fiction Juror | VTFF2017 Filmmaker Alum & Best of Fest Winner
Anne Hu is a Taiwanese American, award-winning director, writer, editor, and actress who is currently a Senior Producer and Editor at HBO.
She has edited trailers for films and television shows including The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and more.
She has also directed promos and award-winning short films. “Balloon,” her hand-drawn animated short placed Top 16 in the Campus MovieFest Northeast Regional Competition. Her latest short “Cake" has been accepted into 31 festivals and has earned 9 awards, including Best Writer/Director. The Washington Post also wrote an article on “Cake” for its satire on the objectification of Asian women in mainstream media.
Hu has volunteered and co-led two NYC filmmakers collectives, Film Fatales NYC Shorts (a female director’s collective) and The Filmshop.
Her upcoming projects include two films about her experiences growing up Asian American in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio: “Lunchbox” (a dramatic short) and “Mother” (a supernatural horror feature film). Additionally, she is in development for “Dating Patterns” (a dark comedic digital series).
Her mission is to create honest and visual stories about minorities. In particular, Hu is passionate about relationship and Asian American themes. She often writes from personal experience, and she creates provocative work that not only tests boundaries but also possesses purpose. Hu hopes to impact audiences through profound and poignant stories, so they may see the world through a different lens.
www.annehu.com | www.cakethefilm.com
Ryan Moser | Fiction Juror | VTFF2017 Filmmaker Alum
Born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains of Arizona. Ryan began his filmmaking career while still in high school, producing short films on a VHS camcorder that was owned by his parents. This amateur hobby quickly transcended into a passion for film style and technique. Ryan took his first steps into the professional realm of cinema by attending The Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking in Sedona, Arizona; graduating with a degree in Digital Film Production. Upon graduation, he went on to direct numerous commercial spots, short films, and the narrative feature Turning Point. His most recent feature film titled Farm Days is in post-production and will be coming soon.
www.ryanjmoser.com
Raymond Carr | Animation Juror
Raymond Carr has been a filmmaker, theatrical director, designer and Puppeteer for more than fifteen years. His award-winning films have been accepted into Oscar-qualifying film festivals all over the world such as San Diago Comic Con, Dragon Con, London Sci-Fi Festival, Slamdance Film Festival and many more. His highly stylized films specialize in the sci-fi/fantasy genres. He has designed, and puppeteered for The Jim Henson Company, Nick Jr’s, Walking with Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular Tour, various projects for Cartoon Network & Adult Swim, IFC, BBC and Bento Box Entertainment.
www.ninjapuppetproductions.com
Renee Zhan | Animation Juror | VTFF2017 Filmmaker Alum
Renee Zhan is a Chinese American director and animator from Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. Her films have screened at international film festivals including Locarno, SXSW, Telluride, and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short at Slamdance. In her work she is primarily interested in exploring the joy in movement, texture, and birds. Renee likes wearing pretty dresses and making ugly films.
www.reneezhan.com