Author: Christian Candido

The Biggest Summer Festival dedicated to Indie Cinema in the United States!

Not Without Gloves

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR & BEST ARTHOUSE CINEMATOGRAPHY

Virtuality

BEST INDIE NARRATIVE SHORT & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

EarthLove

BEST INDIE MUSIC VIDEO

But I Want to Leave the Party

BEST ARTHOUSE SHORT FILM, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENWRITER & BEST INDIE FILMMAKER

The Sicilians

BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER

An impossible secret

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR & BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Key

BEST EUROPEAN SHORT

Willow’s Journey

BEST WRITER

Change The World

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY

The Dead Ringer

BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST INTERNATIONAL ORIGINAL IDEA

Please Help Me Forgive

BEST INTERNATIONAL SINGER

Zevi – Our Story

BEST INTERNATIONAL EDITING

Always Unfinished

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Emergency Musical Response: Part 1 – Journey to Netherworld

BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

Routine

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE, BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Checkered Trix

BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT

 Atlas of Uncertainty

BEST ORIGINAL ARTIST & BEST SOUND DESIGN

Say My Name

BEST ARTHOUSE NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER, BEST CASTING DIRECTOR & BEST SOUNDTRACK

Baby in the Basement

BEST INDIE SHORT FILM, BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST INDIE CINEMATOGRAPHER

TutuTango

BEST ART FILM, BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Master Speesa!

BEST INTERNATIONAL WRITER & BEST FEATURE SCRIPT

Grinders

BEST ORIGINAL FIRST TIME DIRECTOR

In a Whole New Way

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The Day She Awakened

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT SCRIPT

Chosen Family

BEST LGBTQ+ FILM & BEST AMERICAN FILMMAKER

Monument to Love

BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR, BEST HUMAN RIGHTS FILM & BEST SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY

Omnipotent Resolution

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG, BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO & BEST DIRECTOR (Category: MUSIC VIDEO)

The Maiden Tower

BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER & BEST ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

4 Estações

BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL STORY & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM

The Pathos of Hamlet – by Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST ORIGINAL SHORT FILM & BEST ARTHOUSE PRODUCER

The Stones of Rome – by Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST INTERNATINAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR

Ragzi & The Danseuse

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE SCRIPT

Who is God?

BEST INTERNATIONAL YOUNG DIRECTOR

Catalysm Down Under

BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR

Walk In My Shoes

BEST INDIE ACTOR

Michelangelo and Me + Da Vinci and Me opener

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE WRITER

Sinestesìa

BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC VIDEO

The Question Mark

BEST EUROPEAN SUPER SHORT FILM & BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR

Dojo

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BEST ACTOR & BEST ACTION SHORT FILM

Brothers of Babylon

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST ORIGINAL WRITER

Soul – by I-Jien Jane Kou

BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, BEST INDIE ANIMATED PROJECT, BEST FANTASY

Halloween (Rabbit Well Episode 6) – by I-Jien Jane Kou

BEST ANIMATED COMEDY, BEST FIRST TIME DIRECTOR

An Ever After Drama

BEST ACTRESS, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST INDIE NARRATIVE SHORT

Whispers of Love

BEST ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

Animal Messenger – A True Story

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENWRITER

What Kind of Day

BEST INTERNATIONAL DRAMA

Night Terror 2 The Awakening

BEST INDIE HORROR MOVIE & BEST SCREENPLAY (Category: Horror)

I Can’t Save You

BEST ORIGINAL SUPER SHORT FILM

The Lost Village

BEST INDIE PICTURE

Risveglio Planetario (Planetary Rebellion)

BEST INDIE SONG

 March 5 A Song For Carla

BEST ARTHOUSE SUPER SHORT FILM

The Queen of Camelot

BEST AMERICAN DIRECTOR

Niki Pilic- The Legend

BEST INDIE PRODUCTION COMPANY & BEST SPORT DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Hearing Voices

BEST ORIGINAL HORROR

TASTE: The Flavor of Life

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE & BEST SOCIAL FILM

Fatherhood

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT SCRIPT

Giulietta e Romeo?

BEST EUROPEAN FIRST TIME DIRECTOR

Burbujillo

BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT FILM

THE BLANKET – Die schwarze Decke

BEST INTERNATIONAL SUPER SHORT FILM

Alta California

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT

World War II US Army Airborne Tribute

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Luzinete

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM, BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS & BEST INDIE DIRECTOR

Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana

BEST INSPIRATIONAL FILM

Cosmic Light

BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

Mettersi in gioco…

BEST EUROPEAN INDIE SHORT FILM

Tirare la cinghia

BEST EUROPEAN FILMMAKER

Wave Man

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE PROJECT

Oceans

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM

The Girl Made of Earth and Water

BEST ORIGINAL ANIMATED PROJECT

The Package

BEST ORIGINAL INDIE NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST FILMMAKER & BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT

The GFILES

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY

Nuce

BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT

Last Sunrise

BEST SCI-FI

No Porn Avocado

BEST ORIGINAL COMEDY

You’re Safe With Me

BEST DIRECTOR (Category Indie Music Video) & BEST INDIE SONG

Bat Sheva (The Daughter of 7even)

BEST INDIE ORIGINAL SCORE

Goccia

BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO

My Father Moves Mountains

BEST INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER & BEST ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY

Anima # 1-4

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM & BEST INSPIRATIONAL DIRECTOR

Doctor Hypotheses

BEST ORIGINAL ACTOR

Antiquarius

BEST INTERNATIONAL ART FILM

Willow’s Journey

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT

Mi Cuba

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY

The Diary of a Weird* Child

BEST ANIMATED INDIE SHORT FILM

Appoggiata a un Tramonto

BEST EUROPEAN WRITER

Alex McKenna Series: Alex & Margaret’s Beginning

BEST ORIGINAL LGBTQ+ PROJECT

The Orphanage for Records

BEST DIRECTOR (Category: DOCUMENTARY SHORT)

Stone face

BEST ORIGINAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR

Museum or The Marble Statue

BEST EUROPEAN NARRATIVE SHORT & BEST ORIGINAL EDITING

The Addends

BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR, BEST INDIE CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST ARTHOUSE SHORT

Love & Horror

BEST ORIGINAL HORROR PROJECT

We love Everywhere

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR

Artists and Aliens

BEST INTERNATIONAL SOUNDTRACK & BEST ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SHORT

Casting film Yousef Shahen

BEST ORIGINAL INDIE FILMMAKER

A Pilgrimage Into Tibet

BEST SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY & BEST ORIGINAL EDITING

Only Eden

BEST POETRY MUSIC VIDEO

What’s it like to be a nude model, Wonderhussy?

BEST INSPIRATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Heart to Heart

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

To Outwit the Fate

BEST INTERNATIONAL BOOK

Paradox

BEST ORIGINAL SCI-FI & BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR

Heartifical Intelligence

BEST FEATURE FILM

Youiverse

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT SCRIPT

A Pilgrimage Into Tibet by Mark Gould

“A Pilgrimage Into Tibet,” directed by Australian filmmaker Mark Gould, is a journey into an ancient culture condensed into a documentary that, in just under 30 minutes, illustrates the importance of cinema in sharing the stories of entire populations that would otherwise remain largely unknown to much of the audience. Mark Gould masterfully creates a project that we at the Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards will never forget. We will contribute to spreading the documentary by recommending the selection of “A Pilgrimage Into Tibet” to other festivals as well. We believe that Mark Gould’s idea of telling a story from Tibet deserves great attention for social reasons too. Combining sociology and cinema can sometimes yield admirable results in terms of civil rights, and “A Pilgrimage Into Tibet” is one of those cases. We also express our gratitude to the WILD FILMMAKER Community for suggesting we pre-select Mark Gould’s project, as independent cinema, through documentaries like this, achieves its unique and precious characteristic of being a “free space for free artists.”

TutuTango by Dorothee Elfring & Michael Finbar Sheehan

“TutuTango” is one of those projects that make our work an exciting journey of discovering free and inspired artists who share their art from all over the world without the pressure of having to “sell a product.” This condition allows artists to create what we at the Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards consider the purest form of art. The project by Dorothee Elfring & Michael Finbar Sheehan successfully combines photography, music, and dance into a poetic and moving music video. Our unanimous decision was to award “TutuTango” the highest scores, both for the courage demonstrated by the two directors in creating a new language and for the atmospheres present in the project. A big thank you to the WILD FILMMAKER Team, whose ability to always seek out original artists reveals experimental art forms that we will help to spread. Our appeal to all viewers of “TutuTango” is to let themselves be taken by the hand by this music video, hoping you experience the same emotions felt by the entire jury of the Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards.

Soul & Halloween (Rabbit Well Episode 6) by I-Jien Kou

The Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards has a unique prerogative: to particularly reward those projects that, through experimentation, manage to create a new kind of cinema. This is why we decided to recognize several awards for I-Jien Kou, who, with her two projects “Soul” and “Halloween (Rabbit Well Episode 6),” demonstrated that she is a director ready to surpass the expressive limits that an author often sets when creating a work. These expressive limits often stem from the fear of not being understood by much of the audience, but in the case of I-Jien Kou, they were absent. Her courage has been rewarded. “Halloween (Rabbit Well Episode 6),” despite being a debut project, did not suffer from the first-time effect that often occurs when a director is inexperienced. This is why we wanted to award it as both First Time Director and Best Animated Comedy, in addition to the production award. We also greatly appreciated the project “Soul,” where the director’s style is perceived as always experimental but very direct. Ultimately, we at the Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards believe that I-Jien Kou is an artist destined for a great international career. We were happy to support her with our awards.

Omnipotent Resolution by Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

Poetry, dream, dance, music. All these elements are what we admired in the project “Omnipotent Resolution” by Uniqueness Heiress & Azia. This music video transported us to another dimension, confirming that art can truly be the most powerful means to explore seemingly distant realms of one’s soul, which become very close thanks to the artwork created by an inspired and highly talented artist. In the 2024 edition of the Sun Dance In Paris Film Awards, we received various music videos, and “Omnipotent Resolution” is certainly among those we appreciated the most. The credit goes to the two artists who have also demonstrated great skill in distributing their work. It’s no coincidence that such an original project came to us from the WILD FILMMAKER Community, which has a dual mission of discovering artists with both aesthetic value and a vision of the world based on free thought. Our jury, both French and international, awarded “Omnipotent Resolution” the highest marks.

Not Without Gloves – by Lena Mattsson

The Maverick International Film Festival has watched “Not Without Gloves” by the talented Swedish director Lena Mattsson multiple times, and we admired a project that combines the director’s originality with extraordinary visual impact cinematography. Our jury, which loves Swedish cinema, recognized in “Not Without Gloves” the atmospheres of a context that has inspired directors worldwide. We were very pleased to award a project rich in poetry, which made us immediately understand, from the very first images, that it was made by a director with technical experience and great expressive strength. As always, the WILD FILMMAKER Community reveals filmmakers capable of offering a personal perspective on cinema. At the Maverick International Film Festival, we give a very high rating to projects that don’t resemble others we’ve seen before. In the case of “Not Without Gloves” directed by Lena Mattsson, our expectations were confirmed. The project was awarded the highest score!

Only Eden – by Andrea Plamondon

When the aesthetic choice to use music and video for expression is deeply congenial to a director, a jury immediately perceives they are facing a high-quality music video. This happened when we saw “Only Eden,” a work of art in music and images created by Andrea Plamondon. A poetic and engaging style characterizes Andrea Plamondon’s direction, already awarded in many festivals, including the 8 & Halfilm Awards, elected best indie festival of 2023, which recently “moved” to the WILD FILMMAKER platform! We were thrilled to discover an artist of Andrea Plamondon’s caliber, who confirmed how fascinating it can be to discover independent filmmakers worldwide. Creativity knows no bounds! We will recommend that our associated indie festivals select projects by this unique artist. From the entire team at the Maverick International Film Festival, our best compliments to the director of “Only Eden.”

Heart to Heart – by Bruno Marro

The Italian artist Bruno Marro reminded us of that legendary phrase by Pablo Picasso, when he said that as a child, he could paint like an 80-year-old painter, and as an old man, he had learned to paint like a 5-year-old. A wise lesson from Picasso, which makes us understand how much wisdom is needed to express oneself in an apparently simple style. Bruno Marro, in his beautiful music video “Heart to Heart,” interprets Picasso’s phrase in his own way, creating a fascinating project where music and images initially seem contrasting but then reveal a deep affinity. This international project thrilled us at the Maverick International Film Festival. Once again, WILD FILMMAKER connects us with filmmakers experimenting with new cinematic languages with great success, as well as musicians, in an era where making music is increasingly challenging because the music industry seems more interested in the appearance of singers than in the musical notes they can create with an instrument. From our side, the highest rating for “Heart to Heart” by Bruno Marro.

Omnipotent Resolution – by Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

The Maverick International Film Festival was honored to receive the project “Omnipotent Resolution” from our friends at WILD FILMMAKER, and we immediately decided to give it at least one award. Watching this poetic music video, we noticed how rich it was with original elements, from the choreography to the music and cinematography. That’s why we decided, in full agreement with the entire jury of the Maverick International Film Festival, to award the project multiple awards. All this because “Omnipotent Resolution” directed by Uniqueness Heiress & Azia is a beautiful spiritual as well as artistic journey. When a work of art, besides being captivating, also helps us grow ethically as human beings, we believe the artist has reached their highest goal, and for us at the Maverick International Film Festival, the brilliant Uniqueness Heiress & Azia have achieved this mission!

Halloween (Rabbit Well episode 6) – by I-Jien Kou

When the Maverick International Film Festival team received the project “Halloween (Rabbit Well episode 6),” we knew we would see the work of a director with excellent feedback from the Wild Filmmaker Community, and we were pleased to have our expectations confirmed. The project “Halloween (Rabbit Well episode 6),” directed by the talented and multi-award-winning director I-Jien Kou, perfectly synchronizes animation and documentary in a work that reminded us of Andy Warhol’s Pop Art. Independent cinema is that fascinating context in which an artist like I-Jien Kou can best express themselves, and unlike major studio productions, can achieve an unparalleled form of originality. The Maverick International Film Festival, after multiple viewings of “Halloween (Rabbit Well episode 6),” awarded it the highest score! We will suggest to other international festivals to pay attention to the works of the brilliant I-Jien Kou.

What’s it like to be a nude model, Wonderhussy? – by Michael Mayhan

An experimental director whose creativity we at the Maverick International Film Festival have decided to reward. We were very pleased to discover a director capable of creating a deeply personal documentary that would be impossible to see produced by a major film company. All this makes us understand how important it is for an artist’s freedom of expression to remain independent. Michael Mayhan, with his original and ironic project “What’s it like to be a nude model, Wonderhussy?” made us realize that today, thanks to the network of independent festivals created by the WILD FILMMAKER platform, a director can, first and foremost, have the opportunity to be heard without any prejudice. We at the Maverick International Film Festival unanimously decided to award “What’s it like to be a nude model, Wonderhussy?” for the documentary’s value, but also for the director’s courage to express himself without censorship. Long live free and independent cinema!

Discover Kenya – by Arjav Vyas

Can a documentary dedicated to wild nature become poetry? The best answer can be found by watching “Discover Kenya” directed by the talented Arjav Vyas, a multi-award-winning author, already a winner with his project “Green Zanzibar” at the 8 & Halfilm Awards, elected best indie festival of 2023, which recently “moved” to the WILD FILMMAKER platform! “Discover Kenya” is a journey for those who love Africa, particularly Kenya, but also for those who wish to discover the deep nature of a territory that reminds every human being that we are guests on a wonderful planet, and beyond admiring it, we should always remember to respect it first and foremost. Arjav Vyas’s direction almost blends into nature, becoming one with the wind and colors of Kenya. We at the Maverick International Film Festival watched “Discover Kenya” multiple times and unanimously decided to award it the highest score. Once again, we are deeply grateful to the WILD FILMMAKER Community for giving us the excitement of seeing this beautiful project directed by an exceptionally talented director. We will recommend to all festivals in contact with our team to select the works of Arjav Vyas!