2007 DIY FILM Festival Winners

Just to recap.. for those who are new to the blog..

2007 DIY FILM FESTIVAL NAMES WINNERS

"Last Stop For Paul" Wins Best Film Award

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 12, 2007)_ The hilarious comedy "Last Stop For Paul," the tale of two cubicle-bound workers who take an inspired trip around the world with a dead friend's ashes, has been named Best Film at the 2007 DIY Film Festival, which concluded Sunday.

The film was screened as part of the 2007 DIY Convention, which took place Feb. 9-11 at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

In "Last Stop For Paul," director Neil Mandt improvises a film based on the idea of a worldwide journey seeking both pleasure and to honor the memory of a departed comrade. Using local amateurs and actors he picks up along the way, Mandt crafted a hilarious film from a cast that the makers of "Babel" would envy. For his innovative use of resources and his flair for storytelling, Mandt wins the 2007 DIY Film Festival "Best Director" honors to go along with his best film award.

A special award was granted acclaimed writer/director Henry Jaglom, who was named "DIY Filmmaker of the Year" for his vast body of independent filmmaking, which includes 16 feature films. Jaglom was honored at a special Saturday evening screening of his latest film, "Hollywood Dreams," and participated in a post-screening interview with DIY Film Festival programming director Richard Martini and lead actress Tanna Frederick.

The other winners of the 2007 DIY Film Festival include:

BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE – "SHAMELOVE"
In the vein of "Fight Club," a group of friends decide on a novel way to pick up girls: staging a street mugging and then pretending to save them. But things go downhill when one of the friends falls in love with a victim...

BEST SCREENPLAY - "UNDER THE MUD"
An uproarious comedy depicting a dysfunctional family from Liverpool. Reminiscent of "Little Miss Sunshine," the story revolves around a young girl's first communion and her completely wacky family, all told in DIY fashion with residents of Liverpool as the cast.

BEST COMEDY FEATURE – "BIGGA THEN BEN"
Two Russian slackers move to London to scam their way to riches in two weeks. Thoroughly exploring the immigrant underworld of the UK, this film manages to feel like a "Borat" through the eyes of two hip Eastern Europeans.

BEST DOCUMENTARY – "THE LAST WHITE HOPE"
Director Kevin Booth exposes the people behind the so-called "War On Drugs" proposed by the Nixon administration and still operating as government policy – or is it? Featuring interviews with a former DEA agent, a conservative judge and other political leaders, Booth uncovers the lies and conspiracy theories of the drug trade.

BEST WORLD CINEMA - "JAB" (Trinidad)
A famous "Jab" dancer passes along his secrets to dancing, life, love and native cooking to a protege.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT – "MARKETING THE MESSAGE"
An insightful and funny look at the new Christian evangelical movement through the eyes of Stephen Baldwin, punk rockers and skateboarders.
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BEST COMEDY SHORT - "SPLITTSVILLE."
A guy loses his girlfriend and goes through an unusual fantasy of what happened – a dream where all the characters are played by her.

BEST DRAMATIC SHORT – "THOMAS IN BLOOM."
Touching story of a young boy whose attempts at communication with his grandmother are stifled until he realizes she's hard of hearing.

BEST ANIMATED FILM – "TENGERS."
This clay-mation animated feature from South Africa takes a look at life and love in Johannesburg.

BEST STUDENT FILM – "PERSPECTIVES"
A fresh and unusual look at a relationship told in split screen, and sometimes in triptych, where our hero's running monologue with himself is played in variations until he gets it right.