V7 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Thompson’s film Bedford Park Boulevard won the Excellence in Narrative Award at the first ever Visions event circa 2011 and is back to speak about his feature, King Jack (2016), and give insight to working in the professional film industry post-graduation.

Recognized at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards as “Someone To Watch”, Felix Thompson is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and received his MA in Screenwriting from the Royal Holloway University of London. His previous short films have been screened at festivals such as SXSW, Tribeca and the BFI’s London Film Festival. It was selected for the Sundance Creative Producing Labs and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015 and currently lives in Los Angeles. Felix is working as a writer and director in Los Angeles and is currently working on his second feature film.

During our Keynote Address, Thompson will be sharing his experiences as an independent director navigating the film world. Thompson, along with other industry professionals, will be available to network throughout the entire festival. Join us in Lumina Theater for an all day film celebration on Friday, March 31st, 2017.

V7 AWARD WINNERS

VISIONARY AWARD: ELI AYRES

ONE WAY TOWN, ST. MARY'S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND

Seasoned Private Eye Dash Stone and his trustee secretary Nancy Sullivan find themselves in over their heads on a case involving a high profile kidnapping, and a mad scientist's experiment gone terribly wrong.

EXCELLENCE IN SCHOLARSHIP: ELIZABETH MCCAULEY

THE VISUAL AND SYMBOLIC POWER OF MILK IN AMERICAN GANGSTER FILMS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

This presentation explores multifaceted applications of milk as a cinematic device through the lens of the American Gangster Film Genre, examining how the uses of milk can range from illustrating the mythology of social mobility to connoting a deviant male character's oedipus complex. 

EXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE: EMMA HUIBREGTSE

HEAD SPACE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

A single mother concerned with her son's inability to cope, sees the tables turn when faced with danger. 

EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY: DAVID HUTCHINSON

HOW FAR I WANT TO GO, PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

A short film about love, pain, and the meaning of life, as told by former Kenyan street children. 

EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION: MARTIN NABELEK

OFF, TOMAS BATA UNIVERSITY OF ZLIN

OFF is an atmospheric, full of CG animated short film. It's a story of an astronaut traveling through space and time. The film explores what awaits us as we venture beyond our own small world. 

EXCELLENCE IN EXPERIMENTAL: ASHLEN RENNER

THE AIR PASSAGES, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL

Suffering from underlying disrepair and neglect, the body is not its own entity, but an extension of the outside world. The Air Passages explores the connections between the body and the environment inhabits. 

REGIONAL AWARD: LANA LORAINE JORDAN

HOME VIDEO, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL

Footage from 2001 reveals Lana's first experience using a video camera. Lana returns to film her childhood home once again. The result is an experimental yet intimate reflection on the past and on the present. 

AUDIENCE AWARD IN FILM: BEN DAVIS

PAUL'S RIDE, SUNY PURCHASE

A short documentary following the story of a Vietnam veteran and his love for motorcycles.

AUDIENCE AWARD IN SCHOLARSHIP: JILLIAN CARNEY

ACCIDENTAL AVANT-GARDE: "TEARING APART" TOMMY WISEAU'S "THE ROOM"

Cult classic "so-bad-its-good" film The Room made by the enigmatic auteur Tommy Wiseau fits the qualities for primitive filmmaking and the interest of audiences. However, Wiseau's break of conventional filmmaking was not of any purposeful artistic expression, but an accident which kept fans coming back for more.