Editor

WorldFest-Houston, the third longest-running International Film Festival in North America, celebrated the conclusion of its 10-day run of film, fun and fanfare in its 45th annual independent film showcase with a 17% increase in box-office! 

With two engaging luminaries receiving the WorldFest Remi Lifetime Achievement Award this year, Louis Gossett, Jr. on opening weekend and the inimitable Sally Kirkland on closing, WorldFest bookended this year’s 45th edition and wrapped on a high note of Puerto Rican Sonia Fritz’s poignant film América to a full house of delighted Houston film buffs.  During the 10-day event, John Savage (Caporale’s The Black Dove) and Erin Gray (Jerry Deal’s Dreams Awake) flew in to lend their support for the world premiere screenings of their respective Indie-produced films.

             WorldFest celebrated its seventh annual Panorama Italia in collaboration with Albert di Mauro, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, CA. (IIC) and the Italian Consul Fabrizio Nava, featuring Paola Randi attending for her film Into Paradiso plus four other independently produced Italian films, Immaturi, Apartment in Athens, The Duck Hunter and My Tomorrow. Closing weekend festivities, April 21 & April 22, included a Grand Awards Gala on Saturday night that culminated with a Sunday morning VIP NASA & Space Center Houston whirlwind tour and WorldFest Consular Regatta and Barbeque hosted by The Houston Yacht Club.  All WorldFest events are open to the public.                     WorldFest, founded as an International Film Society in August 1961, became the third competitive international film festival in North America, following San Francisco and New York.  WorldFest evolved into a competitive International Film Festival in April 1968 and has a long list of “discovered” film greats such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, David Lynch, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Atom Egoyan, Randal Kleiser, Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, the Coen Brothers, John Lee Hancock and many others from their beginning efforts for film submissions early in their careers.  Multi award-winning producer/director, Hunter Todd, founded this special film festival to honor all categories of film and video production continuing his long dedication of “Discovery,” spotlighting emerging Independent filmmakers to be “the Spielberg’s & Ang Lees of tomorrow.”                      WorldFest’s mission is to recognize and honor outstanding creative excellence in film & video, validate brilliant abilities and promote future filmmaking in Texas as well as enhance cultural tourism for Houston and environs.  The 10-day festival ran to a strong finish with several sold-out screenings, one of which was the compelling documentary, This Space Available, directed by Gwenaelle Gobé focusing on the blight and recovery of visual pollution in public spaces which features Houston, TX as an early and ongoing pioneer in combating this global issue.  WorldFest celebrated Independently produced cinema from all over the globe with 15 World Premieres, 53 Indie feature productions, 107 award winning shorts and over 550 USA and International filmmakers attending this year, despite the current economic challenges and the sad loss of Kodak as a longtime sponsor.                 All film premieres screened at the Flagship AMC Studio 30 Theatres, an eighth year WorldFest-Houston Cinema partner. Other major VIP Partner/Sponsors include Boxer Property, The Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), The Marriott Hotels, The City of Houston, The State of Texas, The NEA, Avis/Budget Car Rental, NASA/Space Center Houston, The Wellness Center, The Houston Yacht Club.  WorldFest is delighted to welcome on board Tippit & Moo as the ad agency of record for the festival.The WorldFest Remi Awards Gala featured keynote speaker, Lee Majors on Saturday, April 21st at The HQ Westchase Marriott Hotel, VIP partner & official host hotel.  Festivities began with a cocktail reception hosted by The Houston Film Commission. Michael Cusack & Robert Roetzel of the 5-time World Champion Bagpipe Band of Houston’s St. Thomas Episcopal School opened the Awards Gala by piping in festival founder, Hunter Todd, followed by the enthusiastic filmmakers amidst a beautiful bevy of Pastorini Bosby Talent award presenters. Dance entertainment was courtesy of Nelly Fraga’s Ambassador Mexican Folkloric Dancers, Oksana Chernuk’s Sunrise Intl. Dance Company & a grand finale by Shawn Welling’s Planet Funk Academy’s lead dancers who performed a high-energy dance mix created especially for the gala.            On April 19, 20, and 21st, WorldFest conducted Six Film Industry Master Class Seminars concluding with the Indie Forum of WorldFest feature film Directors. John Cones, Entertainment Attorney, was this year’s featured Master Class presenter focusing on the legal aspects of film production.              The WorldFest 2012 Grand Remi Statuette Awards went to:

• BEST THEATRICAL FEATURE ~ CHINESE TAKE AWAY (Un Cuento Chino) Argentina, Sebastián Borensztein, represented by Stuart Strutin from Panorama Entertainment, NY who personally accepted the award.
• BEST FILM & VIDEO ~ STEVEN CARAS: SEE THEM DANCE, Deborah Nova, WITEK & NOVAK, INC., Huntington, WV, USA.
• BEST TV & CABLE PRODUCTION ~ THREE KINGDOMS, Xiaojun Yang, BEIJING ORIENT HENGHE FILM & MOVIE CO. LTD., Beijing, CHINA.
• BEST NEW MEDIA ~ AXI: AVENGERS OF XTREME ILLUSIONS, Shawn Welling, WELLING FILMS, Houston, TX, USA
• BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM & VIDEO ~ TEN QUINTILLION, Romilly Spier, Director/producer, SWINBURNE SCHOOL OF FILM & TV, Prahran, AUSTRALIA.
• BEST SHORT SUBJECT ~ GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKI, INSTANT FIRES, Taos, NM. USA.
• BEST STUDENT FILM, SHOOT THE MOON, Alexander Gaeta, CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY,        Orange,            and CA., USA. (Actress Pamela Bower on hand to accept.) 
• BEST MUSIC VIDEO ~ VUCCIRIA, Massimo Massara, NOTA PREZIOSA S.R.L.Palermo ITALY

             WorldFest Best Actor Remi Awards go to Jed Rees, in Phil Volken’s Garbage, Filmmuse Prods. CA., USA; Gwendoline Yeo, Best Actress in Torque Entertainment’s, Heathens & Thieves, CA., USA; Alex Meraz, Best Supporting Actor in Camilo Vila’s City of Gardens, Four Fish Films, CA,USA: Nazneen Contractor, Best Supporting Actress (Séance: The Summoning, directed by Alex Wright, Berkshire Axis Media, BAM, Toronto, Canada.)

            The Houston Film Critics Society presented two Critics Choice Awards selected from the World premieres submitted into competition Gotthard Schuh: A Sensual Vision of the World for the Best Documentary and Three of a Kind directed by Gregory James Green, Abruzzo Prdns., Boise, ID, USA for Best Feature. Other HF Critic’s Choice Awards this year were Best Actress, Jodi Russell (Three of a Kind), Best Actor, John Savage (Caporale’s The Black Dove) and two new awards, to best young actors; Brandon Tyler Russell (Opening night’s Smitty, Michael Baumgarten, Writer/producer) & Grace Powell (Larry Wade Carrell’s, Jacob, TX, USA).

            The Russian-American Publication sponsored the Best Foreign film award which went to Chinese Take Away (Un Cuento Chino) directed by Sebastian Borensztein in Argentina and repped by Panorama Ent. NY. The Best Houston Production Remi Award went to Still Born, Thomas Jackson, Houston, TX.  The Best Texas Production Award went to Damian Horan’s Children of the Air.All other award results from this year’s WorldFest competition from the Awards Gala are now posted on our website at www.worldfest.org – Photos posted soon…There were more than 4,200 category entries in all film and video competitions, and less than 12% of submitted entries placed for WorldFest Remi awards.  During the 10-day festival, over 550 filmmakers from more than 31 nations around the world were in attendance to personally accept their various awards from this year’s WorldFest’s competition of thousands of submitted category entries. Dates for WorldFest-Houston 46th are April 6-15, 2013.  Please check our website at - www.worldfest.org - for the full winners’ list or call 713-965-9955 for more information. “Call for Entries” for next year’s event will be mailed out in late August. Entries officially open August 1st, 2012. Main deadline is December 15, 2012. Download official entry forms from our website starting Aug. 1st.