The 6th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (www.hollyshorts.com) came to a close early this past Friday with Nicholas Carmen’s short film “Piano Fingers” taking home the top Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film Presented by Company 3. Carmen took home a $10,000 post production services package from Company 3. Grzegorz Jonkajtys won the Best Director Award also presented by Company 3. Jonkajtys directed the acclaimed Sci Fi short film “The Third Letter” which drew a packed house when it screened on Saturday August 7 at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 and also won a $10,000 post production prize from Company 3. The awards were announced during a special ceremony hosted by Jessica King at MyStudio in Hollywood on Thursday evening. Photos from the entire week of the festival screenings, panels, and events are currently live on http://www.hollyshorts.phanfare.com, please credit Kim Ryan photography. Photos also available on wireimage credit Todd Williamson.

This year’s HollyShorts Film Festival drew thousands of attendees with 16 countries in competition and over 200 projects screened including short films, features, webisodes, and music videos. The festival kicked off with a star-studded opening night celebration at the DGA theatre hosted by Ben Lyons and Amy Paffrath, which honored acclaimed director John Dahl (”Rounders”) with the festival’s Indie Maverick Award, given out by Mike Wittlin of Inmoo.com. During the opening night celebration actor James Caan announced the six finalists for his company Openfilm.com and their 1st Get it Made competition. The finalists short films were screened during the festival and the winner will receive $50,000 in cash and $200,000 in financing to develop their short into a feature film and the company’s board consists of James Caan, Scott Caan, Robert Duvall and Mark Rydell.

During HollyShorts opening night, David Arquette who is currently shooting “Scream 4,” took time out of his schedule to premiere his 3D short film “The Butler’s In Love. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom also attended the festivities at the DGA to show his support for the project. On Friday, August 6 Jimmy Jean-Louis hosted a special evening at Bardot with the festival to bring awareness to the relief efforts in Haiti through his organization Hollywood Unites for Haiti. The festival featured an array of packed screenings, exclusive parties and panels all week long at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 theatres.

The festival came to a close this past Thursday with a special screening of the Denis Hennelly indie feature “Bold Native,” at Laemmle’s Sunset 5.

Other big HollyShorts 2010 winners: Gino Gianoli won the Martini Crew Booking Future Filmmaker Award for “The Great Destroyer,” Best Student Short Film went to Eliane Lima for “Djinn,” A.J. Carter won Best International for “Ronan’s Escape,” Brendan Murphy won Best Narrative for “Swerve,” Best Screenplay went to “The Violinist” directed by Carlo Besasie and written by Ryan Plato. Jack Daniel Stanley won two awards Best Music and Best Thriller for his short film “a Little Mouth to Feed,” Heather Harlow’s acclaimed documentary “Nous Deux Encore took home the prize for Best Doc. Adam Christian Clark won Best Cinematography for his short film “Goodbye Shanghai,” Best Drama went to John Wilberding for “Alberta, Detroit.” Best Comedy went to Justin Lusky for “The Action Hero’s Guide To Saving Lives,” Best Webisode went to Joel Huggins for “Fish Out Of Water”. Dick Thompson won Best Editing for his short “Porn Guide.” Best Music Video went to William Stahl for “Keep Me In My Plane.” Michael Godere won Best Actor for his role in “Time Trouble.” Best Actress went to Paulie Rojas from “Lucia Kisses No One”. David Weinstein’s “Azureus Rising” took home the Best Animation prize while Lucas Figueroa’s “Porque Hay Cosas Que Nunca Se Olvidan” won Best Spanish Film. JT Mollner received an Honorable Mention award for his short “Henry John and the Little Bug,” Francisco Ordonez also received Honorable Mention for “Cookie.” Special Jury Prize went to “Charlie and the Rabbit”, directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian. Best Experimental went to Andres Sanz for “Flat Love”.

The 2010 HollyShorts Film Festival Jury consists of:

Ryan Black, Grindstone
Jessy Terrero, Writer, Director, Producer (Soul Plane, music videos for 50 Cent, Sean Paul, The Lox, G-Unit)
Lucas Carter, The Weinstein Co. Director, Production and Development
Peter Russell, Story Analyst (Walden (AFG) Films (The Chronicles of Narnia), and Participant Productions (An Inconvenient Truth), Imagine Films, and CBS Television Network)
Amy Draughn, Production (Josh Brolin Productions)
Jamie Linden, Writer (We Are Marshall, Dear John)
Maurissa Tanchoreon, Writer, Actress (Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog)
Arianna Jackson, Partner, Producer, Chill Entertainment (G, Confessions of a Memory Eater)
Leah Meyerhoff, Writer, Director (Twitch, Unicorns)
Eric Robles , Executive Producer, Animator/Creator Nickelodeon’s Fanboy and Chum Chum
William Olsson, Director, An American Affair
Ray McDermott, Film Radar
Darren Lew, Cinematographer
Deddy Tzur, Composer, The Golden Compass
Frank Chindamo, Fun Little Movies

All HollyShorts 2010 winners received a copy of Roberta Munroe’s ground breaking book “How To Not Make a Short Film” as well as a copy of entertainment attorney Paul Batista’s book “Independent Film Producing.”, and a special subscription to InkTip.

The 2010 HollyShorts sponsors consisted of Openfilm, Company 3, Inmoo, Art Lewin & Co. Custom Clothiers, Martini Crew Booking, HD Creative Services, Inktip, Moet, Hollywood Unites for Haiti, Hollywood Film and Acting Academy, Krol Vodka, Ciroc Vodka, Café Bustelo, Stella Artois, OPI, Conair, SLS Hotel, Indie Rentals, h Magazine, Indie Printing, Doomsday Entertainment, Showbiz Software stores, Film Radar, 22 Entertainment, Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Performer Track, Footage Firm, John Kearns, Jr, Hollywood Film and Acting Academy, and Arthouse Shorts.

2010 HollyShorts Winners List

HollyShorts Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Film Presented by Company 3
PIANO FINGERS-Nicholas Carmen
$10,000 post production services package from Company 3.

Best Director Presented by Company 3
The Third Letter-Grzegorz Jonkajtys
$10,000 post production services package from Company 3.

Martini Crew Future Filmmaker Award
The Great Destroyer- Gino Gianoli
$5,000 Martini Crew Booking Camera Rental package

Best Student Short Film
Djinn- Eliane Lima Djinn

Best International
Ronan’s Escape- A.J. Carter
HD Stock footage, 10 HD Stock Footage Collections, from StockFootageForFREE.com , worth $2,500

Best Narrative
Swerve- Brendan Murphy
h Magazine Profile

Honorable Mention-Henry John and the Little Bug-JT Mollner

Honorable Mention-Cookie- Francisco Ordonez

Best Music
A Little Mouth to Feed- Jack Daniel Stanley

Best Documentary
Nous Deux Encore- Heather Harlow

Best Cinematography
Goodbye Shanghai- Adam Christian Clark
$1000 Indie Rentals Prize Package

Best Drama
Alberta, Detroit- John Wilberding
3 Ton Grip and Tungsten/Kino Lighting Package Rental from John Kearns Jr.

Best Comedy
The Action Hero’s Guide To Saving Lives-Justin Lusky
Showbiz Software Prize Package

Best Thriller
A Little Mouth To Feed-Jack Daniel-Stanley
Studio Space Prize package from Hollywood Film and Acting Academy to shoot next project

Best Webisode
Fish Out of Water-Joel Huggins
Cell Phone Distribution Deal with Fun Little Movies

Best Editing
Porn Guide-Dick Thompson

Best Screenplay
The Violinist - Ryan Plato
InkTip Prize Package

Special Jury Prize
Charlie and The Rabbit - Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Machoian

Best Music Video
Keep Me In My Plane-William Stahl
Agency Meeting Doomsday Entertainment

Best Actor
Michael Godere-Time Trouble
6-month subscription to PerformerTrack Online donated by fellow performers Kristina Hughes & Brian Vermeire, PerformerTrack is a web-based application that works on Macs & PCs, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Droid, etc. PerformerTrack is the easiest way for a performer on a daily basis to log, track and manage their careers so they can leverage their info and move their careers forward!

Best Actress
Paulie Rojas-Lucia Kisses No One
6-month subscription to PerformerTrack Online donated by fellow performers Kristina Hughes & Brian Vermeire, PerformerTrack is a web-based application that works on Macs & PCs, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Droid, etc. PerformerTrack is the easiest way for a performer on a daily basis to log, track and manage their careers so they can leverage their info and move their careers forward!

Best Animation
Azureus Rising-David Weinstein

Best Experimental
Flat Love-Andres Sanz

Best Spanish Film
PORQUE HAY COSAS QUE NUNCA SE OLVIDAN- Lucas Figueroa

Audience Choice Winners

August 6, 2010

Lying Right Here - Chad Knutsen

Jimmy Jean-Louis’s Haiti Documentary

Djinn-Eliana Lima

August 7, 2010

Michael Saints-Katie Mahalic

Verreckt!-Christian Bahlo

The Response-Andrew Speiler

Hit Me-R.C. Davis

August 8, 2010

Henry John and The Little Bug-JT Mollner

Canary Suicides-Natalia Provatas/Valerian Zamel & The Violinist - Carlo Besasie

Devolution-Gavin Heffernan

Never Winter-Moe Charif

August 9, 2010

Gumbo-Veleeta Dacosta

The Way We Are - John Kenney

August 10, 2010

Career Day-Ivette Garcia Davilla

Hours Before-Joel David Moore

New Project: They Are All Not Lost-Dawn Kirk Alexander

August 11, 2010

Jr. Posse-Michele Ervin

Abracadabra-Julie Pacino

August 12, 2010

Real Girl’s Guide-Carmen Elena Mitchell

Lucia Kisses No One-Emanuel Gironi

About HollyShorts
HollyShorts is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information, please visit www.hollyshorts.com.