Guam Film Festival Awards Revolution and Cicada
Kel Muna speaks at the GIFF 2014 awards ceremony at Agana Shopping Center.
Festival co-founders Jason JD Iriarte, left, and Don Muna, right, hand out awards at the GIFF 2014 awards ceremony at Agana Shopping Center.
The weeklong showcase of international films at the Agana Stadium Theatres wrapped up Sunday with an awards ceremony honoring the best of the 2014 Guam International Film Festival.
The 2014 GIFF Grand Jury Award winners were chosen by local and international judges.
Friends, supporters, filmmakers and actors, including those from centerpiece film "Cicada" attended the ceremony.
Here are the winners:
Best narrative feature:
• Winner: "Cicada" (Japan and U.S., Director: Dean Yamada).
• Nominee: "Big Significant Things" (U.S., Director: Bryan Reisberg).
Best narrative short:
• Winner: "Balcony" (Kosovo, Director: Lendita Zeqiraj).
• Nominee: "A Man On The Edge" (Australia, Director: Edward Lyons).
• Nominee: "Berlin Troika" (Germany, Director: Andrej Gontcharov).
• Nominee: "The Story of M" (Russia, Director: Anna Arlanova).
Best docu feature:
• Winner: "Revolution" (Canada, Director: Rob Stewart).
• Nominee: "Kumu Hina" (US, Director: Dean Hamer).
Best docu short:
• Winner: "Not Anymore: A story of Revolution" (Syria, Directors: Matthew VanDyke and Nour Kelze).
• Nominee: "Sailing Canoe" (Guam, Director: Adam Thompson).
Best made in Marianas:
• Winner: "The Psyche of Manson" (Director: Kent Velesrubio).
• Nominee: "#LiveLife for Kicks" (Director: Michael Marriott).
• Nominee: "Across The Water In Time" (Director: Jillette Leon-Guerrero).
• Nominee: "Adonis of Denver" (Director: Neil Tinkham).
• Nominee:"First Day of Spring" (Director: Nick Kinkade).
• Nominee:"Jam: A Strawberry Girls Documentary" (Director: Theodore J. Maider).
• Nominee:"Po's Journey" (Director: Wednesday Alexander Palacios).
• Nominee: "Sleepwalker" (Directors: Niel Romero, Justin Baldovino).
Achievement in acting:
• Winner:Yugo Saso, "Cicada."
• Nominee: Harry Lloyd, "Big Significant Things."
• Nominee: Afa Pio Tupua "Coral."
• Nominee: Matthew Burton, "Berlin Troika."
• Nominee: Aaron Hitz, "Lothar."
For the second consecutive year, the Guam International Film Festival (GIFF) is proud to announce Tom Brislin, Ph.D. as Head Juror of the GIFF Grand Jury panel. Professor Brislin has played a vital role in the diligence of materializing the Festival’s community and educational outreach via his highly-attended industry workshops of past GIFF Festivals. Festival organizers are also excited to announce that the original Grand Jury members are returning for the 2014 season which also includes a new addition to the panel.
“Tom, Gabrielle and Dan have been a staple of GIFF since our inception in year one. Their keen sensibilities and expertise as jury members has helped catapult GIFF into one of the notable film festivals in Pacific Asia. I’m extremely grateful that they’re returning for the Festival’s fourth year” states GIFF Program Director, Kel Muna. He adds, “I’m also excited to say that it’s our pleasure to welcome Mariana J. to the 2014 GIFF Grand Jury panel. A Guam native, Mariana is no stranger to the independent film scene and for the past decade has amassed an extensive background in independent cinema and festival circuits.”
A number of notable independent films have earned their nominations and first U.S. awards here at GIFF and have subsequently gone on to win major awards at other film festivals across the globe. 2013 GIFF alum, “Cavedigger” (US), had become an official 2014 Oscar Nominee; “Boundary” (PHILIPPINES) by director Benito Bautista, “Night Market Hero” (TAIWAN) by director Yeh Tien-Lun which was one of the most anticipated films in Taiwan, and “Jesus Hospital” (KOREA) by directors Sang-Cheol Lee and Ah-Ga Shin have all won top honors from the GIFF Grand Jury members.
Films awarded in their respective categories will be announced during the 2014 GIFF Festival Award Ceremonies (Sunday, September 28, 5:50 PM).
Here’s a look at the 2014 GIFF Grand Jury panel:
TOM BRILSIN, Ph.D
Head Juror
Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at University of Hawai’i, Professor Brislin’s broad media career began on Guam. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree and Ph.D in Mass Communications and film at Ohio State University. His specialty areas include indigenous Film, Media Ethics, international and intercultural Journalism and Mass Communication.
He was twice a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and has led teaching and research projects at three major universities in Japan. Brislin administers the programs, including ethics and film at the Hawai’i International Film Festival, of the Carol Burnett Fund for Responsible Journalism and is on the board of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics.
GABRIELLE KELLY
Juror
Gabrielle Kelly is an Associate Arts Professor for New York University, Tisch Asia School of the Arts and is on the Board of Directors for the British Academy of Film and Television, Women in Film and Co-Founder of the International Alliance of Women Cinematographers.
She is a Fulbright Scholar Senior Specialist/Media & Communications, screenwriter & producer of feature and indie films, with extensive international indsutry experience including projects with Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Marvel Comics, HBO, CBS Film & Television, Cannes Film Festival and USC School of Cinematic Arts.
DANIEL FERRANTI
Juror
DW Ferranti studied film at New York University and Theater at UMass, Boston. Active in the underground theater scene in Boston and later New York, he co-founded Boston’s Acme Theatre and was a frequent collaborator with The House of Borax. While working with House of Borax he started working in New Media when it was actually new producing live netcasts of theater, sketches, and a live rock and roll interview show long before the era of live blogs, podcasts, and YouTube.
Much to his surprise, he found himself living in Los Angeles where he has worked on a wide array of projects uniting theater, film and the digital realm, such as state of the art interactive theatrical campaigns, DVD special features, original comedy shorts, viral marketing campaigns and independent feature films including “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” for Academy Award nominated director, Kirby Dick, and “Satan Hates You” for James Felix McKenney. He currently works as a consultant in Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, primarily working for the Warner Archive Collection.
He is beyond honored to participate in GIFF – Guam is his favorite place he has never visited!
MARIANA J.
Juror
Screenwriter, producer and all-around talent, Mariana (aka da Duck) has spent years immersed in the festival circuit producing the 48 Hour Film Project-Inland Empire festivals, San Diego IndieFest Film Stage; in addition to consulting and judging for festivals such as the San Diego Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Irvine International Film Festival, and inaugural CambodiaTown Film Festival. She is currently co-producer on a feature slated to shoot in Poland, helmed by the Oscar-winning director of “Rocky.”
Stewart Rob 
