Tallahassee Film Festival announces 16 awards for filmmakers

Special to the Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

The 15th annual Tallahassee Film Festival took place over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-3, with 70 films across five screens and over 80 attending filmmakers and industry talent. The awards ceremony capped off the festival with a total of 16 awarded films. See more about the winners at tallahasseefilmfestival.com.

Florida Filmmaker Award

Presented by Flamingo Magazine: The Florida Filmmaker Award, including a cash prize of $1,000, went to Raymond Knudsen for his starkly powerful and personal "Prep," a bodybuilding fever dream fueled by childhood trauma, food porn and acid techno music, and based in part on Knudsen’s own experience with the competitive sport of bodybuilding. Knudsen is a Filipino-American writer, director and producer who founded Big Blue Pictures in 2020.

The Tallahassee Film Festival opens Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, with “Natalia,” from Academy Award-nominated director Elizabeth Mirzaei, which traces the journey of a 29-year-old woman as she prepares to become a nun.
The Tallahassee Film Festival opens Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, with “Natalia,” from Academy Award-nominated director Elizabeth Mirzaei, which traces the journey of a 29-year-old woman as she prepares to become a nun.

Directors’ Choice Award

The Directors’ Choice Award, including a cash prize of $500, went to Elizabeth Mirzaei for her beautifully poignant "Natalia," a portrait of the 29-year-old titular Natalia who is about to make her Life Profession in the orders of the Byzantine Catholic Church, having left behind her exciting life as a young student to devote herself to God. Natalia is a film about returning to the world or walking away from it, and just how far a person would go for who they love. Mirzaei is a director and cinematographer of nonfiction films.

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature

"Clocked" by Noah Salzman

Local filmmakers Chucha Barber and Josh McLawhorn will present their documentary “Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters” on the IMAX screen on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023.
Local filmmakers Chucha Barber and Josh McLawhorn will present their documentary “Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters” on the IMAX screen on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023.

Best Documentary Feature

"Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters" by Josh McLawhorn

Best Comedy Feature

"The Last Movie Ever Made" by Nathan Blackwell

Best First-Time Filmmaker – Feature

"Pomp & Circumstance," by Adrian Anderson & Patrick Gray

Best Student Film

"Picture Day," by Kelly Pike

Best Short Film

"Forward Fast," by Lorraine Sovern

Best Narrative Short

"Footprints," by Tathagata Ghosh

Best Documentary Short

"Finish," by Dev Walker

Best Thriller / Suspense Short

"Drawn" by Ty Clancey

Best Comedy Short

"Hold to Dash," by John Connor Hammond

Best Comedy-Drama Short

"Bruno," by Michael Dean Wilkins

Best Dramatic Short

"Paper Planes," by Alyssa Thordarson, Michael Glover Smith

Best Art/Experimental Short

"Discarded," by Ilana Goldman

Best First-Time Filmmaker – Short

"Emerald Sanctuary," by Conor MacDonnell

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Film Festival announces 16 awards for filmmakers