New Bedford Film Festival nominated several local filmmakers. Here's what we know.
NEW BEDFORD -- New Bedford Film Festival announced its nominations on Thursday, for its highly-anticipated award ceremony taking place on April 21 at 7 p.m. at Steeple Playhouse.
The festival has already generated buzz with its star-studded nominations, featuring local filmmakers and Hollywood actors alike.
In a video hosted by Marion actor Paul Kandarian, festival board members such as Alyssa Botelho, Vincente DiSanti, Ryan Nunes, Von Marie Moniz and Leia Onofrey, along with festival co-founder Ethan de Aguiar, announced the nominations in a video posted on YouTube.
The video also featured guest appearances from Drew Furtado of the New Bedford Whaling Museum and Sarah Athanas, co-founder of Ground Work New Bedford. Both organizations will be hosting screenings during the festival.
The video was recorded on the fourth floor of the Ground Floor Coffee building, which will serve as the main hub of the festival. The building will also host networking events in the evening, with the festival taking place on the first floor and fourth floor.
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Local actors and filmmakers received nominations
One notable acting nominee is Fall River native Pamela Jayne Morgan, who received nominations in both the Lead Actress category for her roles in the TV series "Eyes: The Series" and short film "The Principal's Assembly." Academy-Award nominee Liam Neeson also received a nomination for Best Voice Over for his work on the Public Service Announcement "The Grey Space."
Nominees from the New Bedford area include Mackenzie McCree for her films "A Video Essay on Ballroom," "Don't Touch My Hair," and "Fall of 1985," Julia Harley Francisco-Simoes for her animated short "Widow's Peak," Carley Byer for "Don't Fall From Grace," Bill Hendricks for his short "Monogamish," Scott Bishop for the music video "Polaroid Dreams," Adam P. Cray for his short "Which Hunt," the Westport documentary "Burning of the Mishoon," and Garry Medeiros for his feature film "Plaga Zombie American Invasion," which received four nominations including Best Director.
Dream Out Loud Center's "Better Days" produced by Kris Motta and Chris DeOliveira, were also nominated alongside music videos "Haunted" and "Back in Time" by local Jake Tollman of Boydsworlds Productions.
There were the top nominated films
Leading the nominations is the short film "Sister," which received nine nominations including Best Short, Best Actress, and Best Actor for Billy Magnussen ("Into the Woods"). The film tells the story of a bereaved woman who finds solace in the company of a friendly bartender on the day of her sister's burial.
The feature film "Antarctica" also received eight nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The film follows two lifelong friends as they navigate the pressures of adulthood in their final year of high school.
Also receiving eight nominations is the TV pilot "Morse Code," which explores the eccentric community of modern-day East Nashville through the story of a talented but flawed indie folk singer. The pilot received nods for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "Got To Be More," performed by Korby Lenker and written by Korby Lenker and Megan McCormick.
The comedy feature "Cast and Crew" and the drama "Scrap," starring Vivivan Kerr, Lana Parilla ("Once Upon a Time"), and Anthony Rapp ("Rent"), both received eight nominations. A noteworthy nominee is "Blue Sunshine," which also received seven nominations, including Best Actress, Director, and Screenwriter for Samyuktha Vijayan. The film tells the story of a high school teacher in South India who wants to transition from male to female.
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Tickets are on sale until April 17
Tickets are now on sale for the award show, pre-cocktail hour at Gallery X and Steeple Playhouse on April 21. However, all screenings around town and workshops at Ground Work are free to the public, with seating being first-come-first-serve.
Screenings will be held at Gallery X, Co-Creative, New Bedford Creative, and Ground Work New Bedford from April 19-21, with a late-night encore presentation at the Harbor Hotel from 11pm-1am.
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To ensure a seat, according to the video, it is recommended to purchase a VIP Day Pass which also includes access to the networking night at Ground Floor Coffee each evening. VIP ticket holders will also have first access to seating at the screenings and workshops, while non-ticket holders will have to line up and wait for remaining seats five minutes before.
The All-Access VIP Day Pass also includes access to the opening night after-party at the Harbor Hotel, the pre-award show cocktail hour, and the award ceremony. Ticket sales will end on April 17th and will not be sold at the door.
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford Film Festival drops nominations for its first year
