"Joe's Wedding," an edgy romantic comedy, has won this year's "Best of Festival" prize at the Canyonlands Film and Video Festival.
"Joe's Wedding," by Michael Kennedy, is about a new style of shotgun wedding. It follows a young man who is supposed to marry his boss' daughter but who is being held at gunpoint by his jilted former girlfriend.Another wedding-oriented film, "The Scottish Tale," from director Robert Mack Polhemus, won the festival's best comedy award, while the best short drama award went to Steven Cowie's ghost story, "Lola."
Other prizes went to Frank Green's "El Dorado" (best documentary); Lee Bridgers' "Pieces" (best technical experimentation); Trent Harris' "Burning Man" (best visual); the public school-produced "Bullets Through My Window" (most inspirational); John Howard's "Darkhorses" (best student-produced); and Holly Du Rivage's "Out of This World" (best animation).
An award for an unofficial new category, "most unique concept," went to Mark Foster's "Terribilita"; Suzanne Girot's "The Ultimate Dive" won an honorable mention.
Attendance for this year's festival, held April 18 and 19, was up considerably from last year, according to organizers. All the Friday night screenings sold out, while the Saturday events were at near capacity.
Also, several filmmakers - including Bridgers, Polhemus and Harris - were on hand to discuss their works with audiences in special appearances held before their films were screened.
"Every year things seem to improve exponentially and this year was no exception," festival director Nicholas Brown said. "I'm pleased with the way the festival went. The support for this festival is obvious and growing."
However, he said that he expects next year's festival, which promotes independent cinema, to progress yet another step. His production company, County Pumpkin, has already begun organizing next year's event, and he is encouraging anyone with an interest in film and video or the community to get involved.
Sponsors and contributing agencies to the Canyonlands Film and Video Festival include the College of Eastern Utah, the Utah Film Commission and the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission.
For more information on the festival or for entry guidelines, contact County Pumpkin Productions at (801) 259-9135.