This past weekend the Los Angeles Film School hosted the Evolution International Film Festival (EIFF), red carpet style. Founded by film alum Sandra Seeling, the festival lives up to its global reputation, garnering over 300 submissions this year from 26 countries and in 22 different languages.
Festival director Sandra Seeling during her opening speech.
“The overall theme of the projects submitted this year was Revolution and Freedom – movies and documentaries about every day life in war-zones and conflict-stricken areas of the world,” said Seeling. “Filmmakers capture how people not only survive during crisis, but how they transform their lives, bridge cultures, embrace different perspectives and form new kinds of relationships.”
Xingu by Cao Hamburger (Brazil)
The final selection included 23 US, North America and International films in 10 different languages. Brazilian film Xingu, which was directed by the Emmy-nominated Cao Hamburger and selected for the 2013 Berlin Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival, made its premiere as the opening night movie.
Barzan by Cassidy Dimon (USA)
The winners were hand-picked by a selection of jury members, which included Elvi Cano, Executive Director EGEDA USA and Elliot Kotek, editor-in-chief for Beyond Cinema, who presented the awards with festival director Seeling. The prize for the top winners of the second Evolution International Film Festival was software from Final Draft and from Directors Notebook.
Festival Winners:
Best Narrative Feature: Xingu
Best Narrative Short: That Wasn’t Me
Best Feature Documentary: Barzan
Best Short Documentary: Not Anymore: A Story of a Revolution
Best Student Short Film: Try Outs
Best Male Actor in a Feature Film: Xingu, Joao Miguel
Best Female Actor in a Feature Film: Coyote, Jan Broberg
Best Male Actor in a Short Film: Buzkashi Boys, Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz (Tie)
Best Female Actor in a Short Film: Robyn O. (14), Zoë Thielemans
Best Screenplay: She Was Left Alone, Bela Wolf
Best Ensemble Cast: Coyote