Saturday, August 22, 2009

BCIFF 2009 Winners Announced!

BCIFF 2009 Jury Awards

BCIFF 2009 Young Filmmakers Competition
1st Place - Angad Singh : “One Light”
2nd Place – Molly Adams : “Planting Seeds”
3rd Place - Tori Dailey: “The Kid”

Honorable Mention Young Filmmaker’s Competition (Screened Finalists)
Dillon Goad -“A Fairway Dream”
Brooks Dyroff – “Change for Change”
Emily Parks & Emily Van Horn – “Day By Day”
Jessica Perry & Carolyn Zoch – “Drug PSA”
Jessica Perry & Carolyn Zoch – “Shakespeare”
John Nutter – “I Can Fly”


Honorable Mention Young Filmmakers Competition
Enrique Vargas Celis – “Roald Dahl’s Three Little Pigs”
Dale Ward – “Abe Lincoln’s Life”
Blake Pruitt – “Canines”
Youn Kim – “KH1”
Chase Finn – “Symptoms”

BCIFF 2009 Animated Series Competition
1st Place – Travis Evans : “Cool Rules – Get Your Dream On!”
2nd Place :Laura Citron – “Chroma Chameleon”
3rd Place : Andrea Olivier – “Gifts of Seeing”


BCIFF 2009 Documentary Competition
1st Place : Sondra Martin Hicks – “Changing A Mind”
2nd Place : Jerry Smith – “Higher Ground”
3rd Place : Lawrence Marshall – “No Good Reason”

Honorable Mention Documentary Competition (Screened Finalists)
Jeffrey Mead – “Just Add Water”
Makia Harper – “God Speaks : Philadelphia Voices Against Violence
Karen Aptekar – “Saving Evan White”

Honorable Mention Documentary Competition
Gary Null – “Autism: Made In the U.S.A.”
Shannon Sonenstein – “Talkin Water”
Hadrien Don Fayel – “The Heart Spoke”
Curtis Elliot – “HairKuTT”
Scott Fernandez – “Under the Bridge”
Jerry Smith – “Able & Willing”
Sandy Crichton – “Karearea:The Pine Falcon”
Steven McCurdy – “No Matter How Dark the Present”
Andrea Kruezhage – “1,000 Journals”
Daniel Osorio – “Miracle”
Ann Scarboro – “Victor Anicet, Céramiste et artiste Martiniquais”
Jennifer Farmer – “Nimby Comes Home”
Tami Bradshaw – “A Necessary Journey”
AM Peters – “No Cross, No Crown”
Alan Barber – “Six Man, Texas”
Miki Kuretani – “Futebol”
Leona Krahn – “Beyond the Beat”
Victoria Barrett – “Journey of Faith"
Randy Holland – “Lyon Heart"
Sevan Matossian & Carey Peterson – “Every Second Counts”
Mark Arnett – “Baby Boomerang”
Charles Cohen – “Going All Pro: The story of Fancy Clancy, The Beer Man”
Ray Schmitt – “Dead Girl Walking”
Tara Nurin & Rob Stuart – “Free the River Park”
Marinell Haegelin – “A Little from Left of Right”
Ellie Pierce – “Fremont,U.S.A.”

BCIFF 2009 Short Film Competition
1st Place – Julian Bennett : “One of Us”
2nd Place – Kanika Sehgal : “Someone is Watching”
3rd Place – Rozie Curtis : “Last Chance
School”

Honorable Mention Short Film Competition (Screened Finalist)
Adam Ropp – “Richard Wurmbrand’s :Taps on the Walls”

Honorable Mention Short Film Competition
Joshua Provost – “Days of Being Wrinkle Free”
Tonya Lehman – “Rock Solid”
Kalani Queypo – “Ancestor Eyes”
Sage Drake – “My Gift”
Ben Rapson – “Balance”
Ruth Villatoro – “Not So Superhero”
Martin Rosete – “Basket Bronx”
Gordon Williams – “Do You”
Barbara Sundstrom – “On the Edge”
Bryan Caron – “My Necklace, Myself”
Sheila Cavalette – “The Little Samaritan”
Ela Their – “A Summer Rain”
Chris Jones – “Gone Fishing”
Paula Wood – “Reverie”
Belinda Benko – “Propel”
Barbara Kerr Condon – “Just Desserts”
Richard Crook – “ The Killer’s Reprieve”
Susan Cohen – “Open Your Eyes”

BCIFF 2009 Best Animated Short Film
Dickson Chow : “The Veiled Commodity”

Honorable Mention Animated Short Film Competition
Neil Needleman – “Corner Delancey”
Torrance Carroll – “The Zonus Project”

BCIFF 2009 Feature Film Competition
1st Place – Ralph E. Portillo: “Set Apart”
2nd Place – Dave Moody : “Praise Band :The Movie”
3rd Place – Barbara Sundstrom : “In the Mirror Dimly”


Honorable Mention Feature Film Competition
Paul Alexander Morales – “Concerto”
Cheryl Hammer – “The Stopping Place”
Drew Kronlund – “Closure: The Problem With Money”
John Moore – “The Widow’s Might”
Andrew Silver – “Radio Cape Cod”
Maya Batash – “Out of the Fog”
Kingslee Purcell – “God Fly”

BCIFF 2009 Music Video Competition
1st Place – Theresa Westbrook : “God’s Pearl”
2nd Place – Gabriel Haze : “Freedom-Elizabeth June”
3rd Place – Garrett Marks : “Somebody’s Baby”

Honorable Mention Music Video Competition (Screened Finalists)
Taama Forasiepi – “Alone This Christmas”
Diana Bald – “Unfair [Bill Madden]”
Cara Hagan – “Breathe In, Breathe Out”

Honorable Mention TV Pilot Competition
Ahmet Kukrek – “The Wisdom Tree”


BCIFF 2009 Student Film Competition
1st Place – Tim Kashani : “Back To Me”
2nd Place – Susan Hogue : “Why We Smoke”
3rd Place – Lauren Kimball : “Perchance to Dream”

Honorable Mention Student Film Competition
Br. Anthony Marie – “Pearl of York”
Mark Strydom – ‘Men of the Number”
Susan Hogue – “Rx”
Will Kim – “In Search of the Colors”




Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Welcome to the Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival 2009!

Join us for BCIFF 2009, August 14-15, 2009 in Houston, Texas. We will be showcasing exceptional educational, inspirational, and positive films and videos from around the world. Admission to all film screenings will be free to the public. Don't miss this awesome opportunity to experience the best works from independent filmmakers and artists from throughout the United States as well as countries such as England, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and India to name a few. There will also be a special "Young Filmmaker's Showcase" spotlighting films made by youth from around the world.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

BCIFF Award Winners Announced!

BCIFF 2008 Jury Awards

BCIFF 2008 Feature Film Competition
1st Place- The Flyboys- Rocco DeVilliers
2nd Place- War Eagle Arkansas- Vincent Insalaco
3rd Place- Forgiveness- MARIUSZ K. KOTOWSKI

BCIFF 2008 Best Animated Feature
Donkey Ollie Shipwrecked- Brian Stewart

BCIFF 2008 Most Inspirational Feature
Blind Ambition- Yatrik Mehta

BCIFF 2008 Honorable Mention Feature
The Pack- Alyssa Rallo Bennett
Expiration Date- Rick Stevenson
Hit For Six- Alison Saunders-Franklyn
The Dark Horse- Cornelia Duryée Moore
A Thousand Hills- Stephen Bowes
The Team Player- Geoff Davis
A Federal Case- George Ninan

BCIFF 2008 Best Music Video
1st Place- Save the World- Mukama Morandi
2nd Place- Praise Him- Lionel and Leslie Green
3rd Place- God Never Fails- Pamela Wiebe

BCIFF 2008 Best PSA
Priceless- Mike Noel

BCIFF 2008 Short Film Competition
1st Place- The Miracle- JEFFREY JON SMITH
2nd Place- Against the Wind- DAN MASUCCI
3rd Place- The Cookie Thief- Adam Davis

BCIFF 2008 Best Animated Short Film
Snow Snow for Lucy- Andrew Kerekes

BCIFF Most Inspirational Short Film
The Barefoot Bull Rider- Lisa Almstead

BCIFF 2008 Honorable Mention Short Films
The Last One Standing- GERWOOD SHEPHARD
Me, Masi & Mr. Clean- Nina Sudra
To Paint the Portrait of a Bird- T. D. White
A New Life- Paul Kuritz
The Gift Wrapper- Daniela De Carlo
Prey- Errol Anthony Wilkes,Corey Shields
& Don Robey
Trouble in the Water- Roger Lee Edwards & Jim McQuaid
Unto the Least of These- Kandis Heckler
The Enemy Inside- San Banarje
Twlight Blind- Nicholas Rubino-Bradway
Letting Go- DAN MASUCCI

BCIFF 2008 Student Film Competition
1st Place-August- Jay Gammill
2nd Place –Keys- Christopher Babers
3rd-The Strange Case of Salman abd al Haqq- Jeff Orlowski

Best Student Documentary
The Sheriff- Jeff M. Giordano

Best Silent Film
Hungry-Trent

Best Student Film Series
The Burundi Film Center’s DVD Compilation-
Christopher Redmond
Compilation includes the following shorts:
Nothing’s the Same
Bigger Plans
Abuse
Reveal Yourself
Kivumvu: Basket Boy
We also had a special screening of the Showtime featured, award-winning student film “The Sunday Morning Stripper”-Lionell Hilliard

BCIFF 2008 TV Pilot Competition
1st Place- The Mission- Phillip Travis
2nd Place- Me and My Old Man- Rhondahl Adams
We also had a special screening of the award- winning locally produced sitcom- “As For Me and My House” – Lionell Hilliard

BCIFF 2008 Young Filmmakers Competition
We were proud to have 10 films from young filmmakers ages 18 & under screening in this year’s festival. The Competition was broken down into 2 categories
Ages 13-18 & Ages 12 & under
Ages 13-18 Winner: A Drop In the Bucket –
Brooks Dyroff and Kenny Haisfield
Ages 12 & under Winner: Treasure Diversity-
Drew Goldsmith
Honorable Mention Young Filmmaker’s Competition
The Good Shepherd- Lubomir Mihailo Kocka
Sweet Cement- Chad Cooper
Speaking Truth to Power- Melissa Merger
Bullying Hurts- Brittany Rich
Buckle Up- Brittany Rich
Gatastrofe en el Hotel del Gallo- Enrique Vargas Celis
Long Way Down- Shane Spiegel
The Romanov’s Last Photograph- Catherine Faris King

The Documentary Category is our largest category. This year’s official selections were comprised of 51of the best educational, inspirational, humanitarian, musical, investigative and medical documentaries. The documentary category was divided into 8 categories:
Investigative/ Political Docs
Spiritual
Inspirational
Educational
Music
Humanitarian
Sports
Medical
Best Investigative/ Political Documentary
1st Place- Drug Wars: Silver or Lead-Rusty Fleming
2nd Place-An Islamic Conscience- Shamir Allibhai
3rd Place- Documented America: The I Word- CJ Raef
Best Spiritual Documentary
1st Place- Sakthi Dancers & Sister Chandra- Kazu Matsui
2nd Place-Spiritual Revolution- Alan Swyer
3rd Place- The Meaning of Tea- Scott Chamberlin Hoyt
Most Inspirational Documentary
1st Place-Go Another- Joseph Nolan
2nd Place- Get on the Bus for Mother’s Day- Jennifer Farmer
3rd Place- D.O.P.E.-Brian Stewart
Best Educational Documentary
1st Place-Flunked- Steve Maggi
2nd Place-E-Dump- Michael Zhao
3rd Place- Dreaming in Morocco- Pam Nice
Best Music Documentary
1st Place- The Millennium Musicians- Edson Pacheco
2nd Place- This Time- Victor Mignatti
3rd Place-From the 50 Yard Line- Doug Lantz
Best Humanitarian Documentary
1st Place- Beyond the Call- Adrian Belic
2nd Place – Not Broken- Armando Ibanez
3rd Place - A Ripple In the Water- Patricia Piroh, Eileen M. Foti
Best Sports Documentary
1st Place-'Winning Lives: The Story of Ted Ginn Sr'-
John Dauphin
2nd Place- Appalachian State Football: A Date With Destiny- Jeff Genthner
Best Medical Documentary
1st Place- Vaccine Nation-Gary Null
2nd Place- Dandy Kids- Darla Rae
3rd Place- Solace:The Wisdom of Dying-Camille Adair
Best Documentary DVD Series/ Compilation-
Dewayne Rudd
Includes the following documentaries:
They Are Still There
Into the Way of Peace
Friends in Discovery
BCIFF 2008 Honorable Mention Documentaries
The 80/20 Project-Daniel Gervais
Camp Katrina- Michael Colasurdo
What I see When I Close My Eyes- Leslie Hope
One Water- SAM L GROGG
A Nashville State of Mind-Samantha Gibb
Duty- H. Scott Hughes
The Boy Inside - Marianne Kaplan
A Brighter Future- Eve Burris
Real Hope, Real Truth, Real Answers - the 2006 Exodus Freedom Conference- Thomas Coy
Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda- Prem Anjali
Henry D. Remple: Finding Hope in Troubled Times-
Linda Haskins
Katrina’s Children- Laura Belsey
Thank You Tanzania- Sarina Condello
The Water Bearer- Pascal Gelinas
Arno Peters: Radical Map- Ruth Abrams
Bob Abramms

Monday, April 28, 2008

Welcome to the 2008 Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival

The Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival (BCIFF) will take place August 7-9, 2008 in Houston, TX. The festival is presented by The PROGRESS Arts Group Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, evangelize and create opportunities through the arts.The Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival (BCIFF) was founded by its executive director, Shanda Davis, to showcase diverse film and video projects that:
-Educate and enlighten us on political, social, psychological, economic, health, religious and a variety of other issues,
-Offer hope and encouragement as well as inspire us to contribute towards the betterment of society and
-Display positive relationships, morals, individual and family values.

The Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival's mission is:
* To provide a viable platform for independent filmmakers and artists from around the world to showcase their works,
* To provide awareness to the world about the variety of educational, inspirational and positive works available and the need to integrate more of these types of works into society,
* To provide a networking platform for filmmakers and industry professionals and
* To showcase the artistic excellence of children & youth in Houston and surrounding areas and provide scholarships to assist them in furthering their arts education.

The 2008 Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival will showcase 121 projects from around the world including: 62 World Premieres, 2 U.S. Premieres and 1 North American Premiere. This spectacular multi-cultural event will offer 3 exciting days of film screenings, workshops, seminars, filmmaker interviews, industry mixers, youth forums and spotlights, an opening night extravaganza and a closing night awards banquet. Our workshops and seminars will be conducted by industry professionals who have years of experience and knowledge in filmmaking, producing, directing, entertainment law, public relations and many other areas.

Proceeds from the festival will go towards the SHOCK Arts Children & Youth Arts & Wellness Program. The SHOCK Arts Children & Youth Arts & Wellness Program's mission is:
* To provide arts awareness, education and training to low income children and youth,
* To provide a platform for children and youth to showcase and cultivate their creative gifts and provide scholarships to assist them in furthering their arts education.
* To provide a positive alternative to the negative alternatives in their environment.