2008 Winner Jeff Wadlow Directs Feature Film

DIY FILM FESTIVAL WINNER WADLOW HITS THEATERS
3/15/2008 Former DIY Film Festival winner Jeff Wadlow has his first theatrically-released film debuting this weekend.

Wadlow, who won the first short film award at the inaugural DIY Film Festival, will see his film “Never Back Down” hit theatres nationwide.

“Today is one of the days I've been working my whole life towards,” said Wadlow. “I've got to be honest, there were times, like when I was a PA on “Law and Order” and my only job was keeping the homeless people from eating off the snack table, that I doubted a day like today would ever come. But it's here -- at last!”

The film stars two-time Academy Award nominees Djimon Hounsou, who has appeared in “Blood Diamond,” “Amistad” and “Gladiator.” The initial reviews have been positive, with the Hollywood Reporter noting, “Never Back Down” is “energetic and warm-hearted enough to become a word-of-mouth hit.”

TRAILER: "NEVER BACK DOWN"

Past DIY Film Festival Winners

The DIY Film Festival is proud to talk about.. itself! We've had a lot of talented filmmakers in the past 8 years, and we want to brag about a few of them. Early winners from the festival, include Jeff Wadlow, (Tower of Babble, 2002, and Katching Kringle 2004) who won awards in two festivals, once for a comedy short, and another year for an animated short. He went on to win the Million dollar Chrysler Film Festival, and then Jeff went on to direct the feature film Cry Wolf in 2005.
2006 BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE and BEST DIRECTOR for "SELF MEDICATED" filmmaker Monty Lapica went on to release his film theatrically after winning numerous other film festivals.
2006 BEST FILM "AMAZING GRACE: JEFF BUCKLEY" went on to win numerous other film festivals, as well, the terric and moving portrait of the winger, and is awaiting release on DVD.
The 2007 Festival included recent theatrical release "Last Stop for Paul" by director Neil Mandt. "Last Stop" went on to win awards in 45 film festivals and was released theatrically this past spring. And finally, last year's Documentary feature winner "The American Drug War: the Last White Hope" went on to win numerous awards and was purchased by Showtime where it made its debut in March and is now on DVD. Congratulations to director Kevin Booth and kudos to all the filmmakers who've allowed us to get a glimpse of their careers early on! Keep up the good work!!

Last year's winner Best Film "Buskers" is showing at the upcoming Coney Island Festival on Sept 8th.