Congratulations to the 2019 Washington West Award Recipients!

The jurors for the 2019 Feature Narrative Competition were: alum Devin Landin (Producer, Saints Rest), Joe Amodei (Founder & Distributor, Virgil Films & Entertainment), Kimberly Skyrme (Casting Director, Producer, Writer & Director), alum Laura Somers (Director, Rich Kids), and alum Michael Gallagher (Director, Funny Story).

Jury Award Best Feature Narrative: Burden
Jury Award Best Feature Narrative Director: Bora Kim, House of Hummingbird

The jurors for the 2019 Feature Documentary Competition were: Dana Flor (Director & Producer), alum Josh Hansbrough (Director & Cinematographer, Peace of Heart), alum Matt Maude (Director, Producer, Writer & Cinematographer, General Magic), alum Priscilla Torres (Executive Producer, They Call Us Warriors), alum Samantha Smith (Director, 1-800-Give-Us-Your-Kidney), Sara Barger (Fellow, Docs In Progress), and Tiffany Fisher-Love (Producer, United Skates).

Jury Award Best Feature Documentary: 17 Blocks
Jury Award Best Feature Documentary Director: Davy Rothbart, 17 Blocks

The jurors for the 2019 Short Film Competition were: alum Gerardo Velasquez (Actor, Rich Kids), Gina Daddario (Media & Communications Professor and Chair, Shenandoah University), John Douglass (School of Communication Associate Professor, American University), alum Kyle Morrison (Director & 2018 Best Documentary Short Film award winner, Mott Haven), alum Verner Maldonado (Director & Producer, Swim).

Jury Award Best Short Documentary: R.A.W. Tuba
Jury Award Best Short Narrative: The Neighbors’ Window
Jury Award Best Short Film Director: Marshall Curry, The Neighbors’ Window

Congratulations to our award winners and a big thank you to our jury!

1. We’ll actually watch your film. From start to finish. At least 3 times.
   Believe it or not, many film festivals do not screen their submissions. We uncompromisingly believe every filmmaker deserves a fair chance to share their story.
2. Our screening team is anything but homogenous.
   It is diverse in age, gender, race, socio-economic background, ideology, etc. to ensure your film is carefully considered by screeners who look and sound like you.
3. We will provide feedback of your film upon request, regardless of selection status.
   It is important to us that filmmakers whose work is not accepted, still leave having benefitted from engaging with our film festival.
4. Most importantly, submitting your film allows us to raise funds for communities in need.
   As of last year, we gave over $30,000 for foster children arts education. You can be a part of this effort!

 

Submit a Film

Congratulations to our 2018 Washington West Film Festival award winners. These films and filmmakers exhibit excellence in artistry and craftsmanship in noteworthy ways. The Washington West family and jury extend a warm congratulations to these award winners who have positively shaped the world of film and storytelling.

Jury Award Best Short Documentary: Mott Haven
Jury Award Best Short Narrative: Fauve
Jury Award Best Short Film Director: Fauve, Jérémy Comte
Jury Award Best Feature Documentary: Nos Llaman Guerreras (The Call Us Warriors)
Jury Award Best Feature Documentary Director: Nos Llaman Guerreras (The Call Us Warriors), David Alonso, Edwin Corona Ramos, and Jennifer Socorro
Jury Award Best Feature Narrative: Funny Story
Jury Award Best Feature Narrative Director: Funny Story, Michael Gallagher
Audience Award Best Short Film: Headway
Outstanding Directorial Debut: Up to Snuff, Mark Maxey
Film of the Year: Widows
Metropolitan Award: Lauren Graham
Lifetime Achievement Award: W.G. Snuffy Walden
Sun City Storyteller of Hope Award: James Wahlberg

New York Times Best Selling Author named Washington West Film Festival award recipient

The programming team of the Washington West Film Festival is pleased to announce the 2017 Laura Hillenbrand Outstanding Literary Award recipient to be Ernest Cline, author of the New York Times Best Selling novel, Ready Player One. The film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, will hit movie screens worldwide in 2018.

The annual award is named in honor of longtime DC-resident and bestselling author, Laura Hillenbrand, whose incredibly inspiring Seabiscuit: An American Legend, and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption both became major motion pictures. The programming team of the Washington West Film Festival annually chooses an author whose exceptional book is turned into an influential film.

Previous Laura Hillenbrand Outstanding Literary Award recipients are:
2014 – Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend, and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption)
2015 – National Book Award winner, Nathaniel Philbrick (In The Heart of The Sea)
2016 – Pulitzer Prize winning author, Ron Suskind (Life, Animated)

Congratulations to our 2017 Washington West Film Festival award winners. These films and filmmakers exhibit excellence in artistry and craftsmanship in noteworthy ways. The Washington West family and jury extend a warm congratulations to these award winners who have positively shaped the world of film and storytelling.

Jury Award Best Short Documentary: Run Mama Run
Jury Award Best Short Narrative: Letter to the Free
Jury Award Best Short Film Director: Game, Jeannie Donohoe
Jury Award Best Feature Documentary: Corridor Four
Jury Award Best Feature Documentary Director: What Haunts Us, Paige Goldberg Tolmach
Jury Award Best Feature Narrative: King of Peking
Jury Award Best Feature Narrative Director: King of Peking, Sam Voutas
Audience Award Best Short Film: Under An Arctic Sky
Metropolitan Award: Bradford Young
Laura Hillenbrand Outstanding Literary Award: Ernest Cline
Sun City Storyteller of Hope Award: Mariska Hargitay

Washington West Film Festival, presented by Boeing, Releases Schedule for Oct. 25-30 Event in Reston, Arlington, and Eastern Loudoun County

Hollywood icon Frank Marshall, Ty Burrell of “Modern Family,” and film by record producer Clive Davis headline event that will screen 56 films across Northern Virginia

September 26, 2017; Reston, Virginia – The Washington West Film Festival, presented by Boeing, today released a robust schedule of 56 films that will anchor its six-day, October experience that will bring a substantial presence to Arlington, Virginia for the first time, this to supplement the festival’s traditional anchor location of Reston. The full list of films, organized by date, location, and category is available at www.wwfilmfest.com. Ticket bundles and Fest Experience Packages for the Oct. 25-30 event will begin selling on the site on Thursday, Sept. 28.

Frank Marshall, a familiar Hollywood name for films such as the Sixth Sense and the Bourne Identity and Indiana Jones series will introduce a documentary, What Haunts Us, which inspects the “haunting” associations between an extended, 35-year series of suicides from the Porter Gaud High School’s Class of 1979.

A short film that is sure to attract a lot of attention comes from ESPN Films and Daniele Anastasion, Run Mama Run, which chronicles the challenges of Olympic aspirant Sarah Brown who is compelled to deal with an unexpected obstacle as she vies for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team—pregnancy.

Another powerful documentary from HBO chronicles the frustrations of four rape victims navigating a broken criminal justice system. I AM EVIDENCE shows some of the ways that rapists elude consequence for their actions, which includes untested rape kits. The film shows what happens when appropriate attention is cast on sexual assault and survivors finally are provided the opportunity to feel some measure of healing and justice.

Actor Ty Burrell from the hit comedy Modern Family will attend the festival in 2017 to showcase two films from Kids in the Spotlight, a Los Angeles nonprofit organization that helps youth in foster care and other under-served children to create professional-caliber films. Burrell is closely involved with the charity.

Another noteworthy film that will screen at Washington West is entitled Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, which profiles the five-decade career of a legendary music producer. Davis will attend the Fri., Oct. 28 event at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston.

Washington West has built a national and international reputation among film festivals based not only on its impressive list of films and accompanying special events, but also for its unyielding premise that “Story Can Change the World.” As in years past, Washington West will donate 100% of its net box-office proceeds to charitable projects and causes that it believes is making a difference. This extends the festival’s reach to use the power of story to effect positive change around the world.

“A well-told story captures our imagination, makes us laugh, forces us to reflect, and inspires transformation,” said Washington West Founder Brad Russell. “While we are extraordinarily proud of the stories that will be told through our festival, we try to do more than that. We try to channel the power of story to further support and cast attention toward those who are making a difference in our communities.” The festival will announce the specific projects and causes its board of directors has selected to support later this week.

Ticket Sales
Ticket sales are expected to be brisk with packages made available to the public beginning on September 27th. Find out more information on ticket packages as well as a schedule of films.

Sponsors
Boeing is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Washington West Film Festival. For more than 100 years, Boeing – the world’s largest aerospace company – has helped to make the impossible, possible through innovative products and technology, and a deep commitment to the community.

Additional support is provided by Boston Properties, Cadillac, Canvas, Cstraight Media, Leidos, LMO Advertising, Reston Community Center, the Reston Town Center Association, and Yorktel Media. For a full list of sponsors, visit this page on our website.

For the Media
A limited number of press passes will be distributed to verified members of the press. Visit this page for more information. We will make filmmakers and
others available for interviews in advance and during the film festival based on availability. Please direct advance requests to jim.cudahy@7marcom.com.

PDF version of this press release can be found here.

Chris Burkard’s Under An Arctic Sky is officially in our 2017 line-up. Make sure to come watch this group of adventurous cold water surfers in a beautifully shot masterpiece.

Under An Arctic Sky follows six surfers along with adventure photographer Chris Burkard and filmmaker Ben Weiland as they seek out unknown swell in the remote fjords of Iceland’s Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Chartering a boat, they depart from Isafjordur on the cusp of the largest storm to make landfall in twenty-five years. With the knowledge that storms bring legendary swell the crew are optimistic, but face failure when the storm forces them back to shore. Making the decision to carry the expedition on by road they experience the brutality of Iceland’s winter and begin to question if searching out the unknown is worth risking their lives. Despite setbacks the team pushes on and finds that uncertainty is the best ingredient for discovering the unimaginable.

Director Bio:

Chris Burkard is an accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. Traveling throughout the year to pursue the farthest expanses of Earth, Burkard works to capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature, while promoting the preservation of wild places everywhere. Layered by outdoor, travel, adventure, surf, and lifestyle subjects, Burkard is known for images that are punctuated by untamed, powerful landscapes. Through social media Chris strives to share his vision of remote places with millions of people, and to inspire them to explore for themselves. Along with his team, Burkard is based out of his production studio and art gallery on the Central Coast of California. At the age of 30, Burkard has established himself as a global presence and influencer. He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons Jeremiah and Forrest in his hometown of Pismo Beach, California.

We are so excited to have our brand new website designed, developed, and powered by our partner Cstraight Media. We are fortunate to have them as part of the Washington West family!