The 11th Annual DTLA Film Festival Announces Award Winners

The 11th annual DTLA Film Festival, running October 23rd -27th at Regal L.A. LIVE, announced today its lineup of award recipients for 2019. Select winners include PUSHOUT: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS, directed by Jacoba Atlas for the Audience Favorite Award; AMERICAN WOMAN for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress; QT8: THE FIRST EIGHT for Best Director and Best Documentary and a Special Remembrance Award for Robert Forster; JOSIE & JACK picked up Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for William Fichtner; and Hong Chau has won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in AMERICAN WOMAN.

Earlier this evening, the first-ever Zeiss Cinematography Awards were presented to AMERICAN WOMAN for best feature (Gregory Middleton) and ME TAMBIEN (Jorel O'Dell) for best short with cash prizes of $2,500 and $500, respectively.

In the shorts series, thirteen filmmakers were honored with awards including the TV pilot "Neurotica," which was directed by Laura Moss, and stars Karen Gillan, Jillian Bell, Jon Bass and David Dastmalchian.

The entire list of winners in all categories listed below:

FEATURE FILM AWARDS:

Best Picture

American Woman, directed by Semi Chellas

Audience Favorite Award

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls In Schools, directed by Jacoba Atlas

Zeiss Best Cinematography, Features

American Woman - Gregory Middleton

Best Director, Narrative Feature

Semi Chellas, American Woman

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Simon Pegg, Lost Transmissions

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Hong Chau, American Woman

Best Screenplay

Josie & Jack, written by Sarah Lancaster & Kelly Braffet

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

William Fichtner, Josie & Jack

Best Ensemble Cast (Tie)

Inside Game (Scott Wolf, Will Sasso, Lindsey Morgan, Michael O'Keefe, Julie Claire)

The Living Worst (Zibby Allen, Erin Anderson, Jen Reiter, Amy Cale Peterson)

Best Editing Feature Film

Imaginary Order, edited by Debra Eisenstadt & Clark Harris

Breakthrough Performance

Otmara Marrero, Clementine

Jury Prize for Creative Vision

Mondo Hollywoodland, directed by Janek Ambros

Best New Director

Ashley Maria, Pioneers in Skirts

Best Film Score

My Summer As A Goth, directed by Jana Cushman

Best Director - Documentary Feature

QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood

Best Environmental Documentary

Chasing The Thunder, directed by Mark Benjamin & Mark Levin

Best Music Documentary

Devil's Pie: D'Angelo, directed by Carine Bijlsma

Best Sports Documentary Feature Film

Willie, directed by Laurence Mathieu-Leger

Best Documentary Feature

QT8: The First Eight, directed by Tara Wood

Best Foreign Language Feature Film

Yeva, directed by Anahid Abad

Special Remembrance Award

Robert Forster, QT8: The First Eight

Best Fantasy Sci-Fi Feature

Spinning Dry, directed by Elana Krausz & James Avallone

Best Anthology Film

Bushwick Beats (directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno, Chloe Sarbib, Brian Shoaf, Sonejuhi Sinha, James Sweeney, Anu Valia)

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Film

Foosballers, edited by Joe Heslinga

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Liu Zhushiman, You Will Never Walk Alone

SHORTS SERIES AWARDS:

Best Cinematography

Me Tambien, directed by Jorel O'Dell

Best Animation Short

The Opposite Game, directed by Anna Samo

Best Actor

Jasmine Guy, Illegal Rose

Best Short Documentary

Lowland Kids, directed by Sandra Winther

Best Short Narrative

Karma, directed by Armando del Rio

Best Director

Practice, directed by Moira Fett

Student Visionary Award

What You Mean To Me, directed by Jessica Diaz & Heaven Haliburton

Best Foreign Language Short

The Fires of Soledad, directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera

Best Ensemble Cast

Zoe In Review: Kezia Bernard, Colleen Slattery, Andrea Petersen, Brendan McGowan, Wenyi Wei

Best Social Justice Short

Freedom Song, directed by Andy McCallie

Best Experimental Shot

Liberated Zones, directed by Dana Washington

Best Web Series

King Ester, directed by Dui Jarrod

Best TV Pilot

Neurotica, directed by Laura Moss

SCREENWRITING COMPETITION:

Feature Screenplay Winner

Natalie Rising, written by Donna Bonilla Wheeler

Finalists

On Time, written by Xavier Neal-Bergin

Service Animals, written by Christopher Corte

TV Pilot Screenplay Winner

Happyland, written by Alexandra Fernandez

Finalists

Nearly Supernova, written by Annie Nishida

Hardcore Vegans, written by Laura Hooper Beck

Shorts Screenplay Winner

Melanin, written by Maris Tia Streaty

Finalists

Wink, written by Teo Frank

Any Given Day, written by Juan Burgos

Founded in 2008 as a nonprofit (501)(c)(3) arts organization, DTLA Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing films by and about groups underrepresented by Hollywood in the historic center of the Creative Capital of the World. The festival also strives to reflect in its programming the unique cultural and ethnic diversity of the neighborhoods of downtown Los Angeles and its surrounding communities.

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