THUNDER BAY – Three aspiring filmmakers from the graduating class of the Confederation College Film Production department took centre stage at the Conflix film night at SilverCity April 17th, receiving awards of distinction from the North of Superior Film Association.
Darren MacDonald received the first place award for his western horror film, “The Killer Is Me,” about two cowpokes searching for bewitched treasure. The film is noteworthy for its cinematography and stylistic flourishes, reflecting a variety of cinematic genres, including allusions to the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood.
Deborah Blundell took second place honours for “The Long Goodbye,” a sensitive tale about a wandering man afflicted by Alzheimer’s. Aside from nuanced performances by the cast, the film is masterfully rendered in one take via Steadicam.
Jessica Corbett took the third place award for “Abducted,” a suspense tale about a harried father battling a villain while searching for his daughter buried alive. Inspired by the Ryan Reynolds’ film, “Buried” (featured during NOSFA’s 2013 film fest) the film skilfully stages the heroine’s sense of confinement, featuring impressive cinematography and action sequences.
The three directors received cash awards of totalling $1,000.00 as well as a short critique in a congratulatory letter presented by NOSFA President Marty Mascarin. The judging panel used criteria centering on direction, cinematography, editing, lighting, and sound in their assessment.
The winners were viewed as the cream of the crop of 27 short films.
This marks the 19th year that NOSFA has issued the David Brown awards to graduates of the College’s film production program. The awards are named in honour of NOSFA’s dedicated, vice-president, David Brown, who passed away from cancer in 2008
