Our 2022 Digital Film Festival Winners
This year we had the pleasure of hosting our third annual Digital Film Festival. We had the honor of partnering with Norby to bring our talented winners $500 cash prizes as well as subscriptions to their platform. Norby is your all-in-one marketing platform for creators, brands, and small business owners. Norby is dedicated to helping creatives succeed and engage with their audience on a whole new level.
Throughout the summer we were blown away by the incredible quality of the films we received from young filmmakers across the world. While it was tough to make our selects, we could not be more excited to share our winners below.
Check out the films that blew us away and have been selected as the winners for this year’s Digital Film Festival below.
Director Paul South takes us back in time with his 8mm film The Bellman. A homage to the 70’s Italian Giallo slasher genre, The Bellman captures you with its eerie feeling and beautiful cinematography. Following the tale of a scandalous woman working in an upscale hotel, the film keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, unsure of what fate lies ahead for the woman.
South shares, “We are truly honored to have this award and the entire team was ecstatic to hear we won. This was such a fun project and unique experience all around. The movie was shot on 8mm film using 1960's era equipment to replicate the same look of the golden age of Italian Giallo slashers. We love the way it turned out and are glad that others did too.”
Category: Animation
Winner: Kan Sasaki , Dinoscare
Runner Up: Shari Gaynes, Reframing
Rising senior in the Animation Department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design., Kan Sasaki is sure to bring a smile to your face with his animated short DINOSCARE. Film goers have their movie experience rattled by a dinosaur on the loose, who might just be looking to enjoy the cinema as well. Sasaki shares, “I didn't think my film was going to win this category but I gave my work a lot of effort and perseverance.”
Category: BIPOC/POC
Winner: Thomas Percy Kim, BUSAN, 1999
Runner Up: Remy Styrk, MAKING A HOME
Thomas Percy Kim’s BUSAN, 1999 takes first place in the BIPOC/POC category. The short illustrates the at-times gut-wrenching sacrifices of migration through the story of a pregnant Korean-American woman’s return to her mother in Korea. They bathe each other’s hard-to-reach places and discuss both the delights and distresses of motherhood. Close shots of the two women and their bodies elicit tenderness: a c-section scar, a tattoo, acne and aging skin. Kim presents the concealed aspects of his characters with a confidence of acceptance. Bringing viewers into the tight bathroom with the mother and daughter, Kim invites viewers directly into their intimacy.
On the win, Kim says: “Thank you to Luna, Norby, and their team! I’m proud to represent their BIPOC category with this little film I made last Summer... enjoy and check out the debut feature film I’m currently raising for!” Narrative Short Winner of the SFFILM Golden Gate Awards, 21-year-old Kim’s BUSAN, 1999 is qualified for the 2023 Oscars®. A student at the University of Southern California, Kim is preparing for his debut feature film based on his 2019 short film Si starring Ki Hong Lee.
Category: Comedy
Winner: Jasmine Jackson, GENDER IS A TELFAR BAG
Runner Up: Cayleigh Pine, THE GOD COUPLE †
Portland-based creator Jasmine Jackson aims to tell stories that explore the intersection of race, sexuality and gender, with the goal to help fellow Black, Queer and Non-binary creatives find comfort and even inspire them to grow and ignite change.
Their short, GENDER IS A TELFER BAG, takes a comedic approach to better understand the intersection of gender and the Black community. Jackson notes, “I love that this was the category this short film won under — I contemplated submitting for other categories, but ran with the comedic approach I went with producing this project. This project is layered in comedic undertones to address the real intersections of gender identity & Blackness — both personal & applicable to me — and what other way could that lightly be tapped into than through the mouth of the iconic Telfar bag? I’m hoping others who relate, can resonate with the fruit of the project.”
Category: Documentary
Winner: Catalina Giraldo, PROMISES TO THE FUTURE
Runner Up: Giulia Assenza, lol ur not harry styles
Colombian video artist and screenwriter Catalina Giraldo lets us take a glimpse into her world while trying to make it as a creative in New York through her documentary, PROMISES TO THE FUTURE. Taking us through a journey many of us know too well, the filmmaker looks to others in the community for guidance and advice. PROMISES TO THE FUTURE mixes both traditional documentary-style approaches and experimental art. Giraldo shares, “I am deeply thankful to The Luna Collective and Norby for the opportunity to share this work and I'm honored to be recognized alongside great filmmakers. This documentary is for the creatives, for those who feel lost, for those who love what they do and for those who still haven't been heard. I want to celebrate those voices, and I'm thankful to everyone that has shared their stories.”
Category: Drama
Winner: Sarah Ritter, Hyde
Runner Up: Amanda Ferrarese, COMMUTERS
A lot can go on behind closed doors, and filmmaker Sarah Ritter lets your imagination run free with her film, Hyde. Written by, directed by and starring Ritter herself, Hyde follows the seemingly normal life of an office worker, before revealing a rather disturbing secret in the last few seconds. Leaving the audience slightly uncomfortable and with a lot of questions, Hyde is a thought-provoking debut from the Los Angeles based creative. Ritter shares, “On behalf of Hyde’s cast and crew we’d like to thank the Luna Film Festival for their selection as they obviously have great taste! This was a huge learning experience for all of us, so we’re overjoyed to know that the film resonates and connects with anyone, especially the talented folks at The Luna Collective!”
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