BHFF
Archives

2016

Award Winners

The 17th Anniversary Edition of the Beverly Hills Film Festival has warmly welcomed an exceptional set of filmmakers and writers.

Remaining dedicated and focused on its artists’ creative vision, the Beverly Hills Film Festival® is more than honored to present the 17th Edition of its Awards with the close collaborative efforts of the Beverly Hills Film Festival Executive Directorial Team and the Beverly Hills Film Festival President of the Jury.

2016 Beverly Hills Film Festival Golden Palm Award

Irrefutable Proof

Director: Ziad H Hamzeh

Country: United States

RT: 90min

Synopsis: IRREFUTABLE PROOF begins with a car crash preventing Jeanine Markham, a world-renowned astrophysicist, from delivering her controversial lecture about her findings. The accident puts Jeanine at the cross roads of conscious and subconscious, between Comatose and awake as she struggles to live. But even in her vegetative unresponsive state, her mind, slipping between the two realities, continues her quest to deliver the truth. For Jeanine’s husband and others, accepting the irrefutable proof that she presents is unthinkable – that we’re alone in the universe, that no deity hears or answers our prayers nor punishes our sins, that humanity is entirely the product of random events, and that our sufferings, indeed our lives and loves are ultimately pointless. Her journey becomes shrouded by dark and unexplainable events that create a whirlwind of tumultuous emotions and terrifying realizations....

2016 Screenplay Awards

GOLDEN PALM AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY

Emma’s Song

Gillian Croft & Jessica Van der Veen

1ST RUNNER UP

The Cypherian: Lineage

D.K. Johnston

2ND RUNNER UP

Dreamland

Eric Jones

2016 Film Awards

Best Actor, Best Feature Film

A Punters Prayer

Country: UK

RT: 93min

Director: Savvas D. Michael

On a Friday afternoon in North London, Jack decides to bet ?250 on a horse win treble which, if all three horses win, would net him and his friends a fortune. Jack’s selection of various long-shots chosen by name rather than form creates a buzz at the bookies and suddenly his potential winning betting slip becomes a point of interest for more than one party which sees the friends desperately try to hang on to this potentially winning ticket....

Best Director, Best Feature Film

The Lennon Report

Country: United States

RT: 85min

Director: Jeremy Profe

The incredible true story of the moments after John Lennon was shot as seen through the eyes of those who lived it. Alan Weiss, an ambitious young news producer, finds himself in a position to break the biggest story of the year following a violent motorcycle accident. The emergency department at Roosevelt Hospital discovers a John Doe shooting victim is the worlds biggest rock star and struggles to keep the news quiet while working to save his life....

Best Animated Film

Rainfall

Country: Canada

RT: 7min

Director: Efehan Elbi

Jessica experiences her first date, her first kiss, and her first heartache after one unforgettable evening in the storm....

Best Producer

The Drop: Why Young People Don’t Vote

Country: Canada

RT: 50min

Director: Kyle McCachen

Young actor Dylan Playfair seeks the answer to the question why so many young people don’t vote and are turned off by the political system in western democracies while in other parts of the world young people are dying for the right to vote. His journey takes him from Vancouver to Ferguson Missouri via Ottawa, the Burning Man in Nevada, Mayor Rob Ford’s Toronto, and North Carolina. The film played on Canadian television prior to Canada’s recent election and its new charismatic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in the film, benefited from an increased turn out by young people....

Best Foreign Film

Stuffed

Country: Australia

RT: 22min

Director: Warwick Young

Peter loves two things in life: stuffing animals, and his mother. When the beautiful Ellen asks him to the local dance he struggles to leave the comfort of home and his mum....

Best Actress, Best Cinematography

Irrefutable Proof

Country: United States

RT: 90min

Director: Ziad H Hamzeh

IRREFUTABLE PROOF begins with a car crash preventing Jeanine Markham, a world-renowned astrophysicist, from delivering her controversial lecture about her findings. The accident puts Jeanine at the cross roads of conscious and subconscious, between Comatose and awake as she struggles to live. But even in her vegetative unresponsive state, her mind, slipping between the two realities, continues her quest to deliver the truth. For Jeanine’s husband and others, accepting the irrefutable proof that she presents is unthinkable – that we’re alone in the universe, that no deity hears or answers our prayers nor punishes our sins, that humanity is entirely the product of random events, and that our sufferings, indeed our lives and loves are ultimately pointless. Her journey becomes shrouded by dark and unexplainable events that create a whirlwind of tumultuous emotions and terrifying realizations....

Best Editing

Trigger

Country: United States

RT: 10min

Director: Christopher Folkens

KEVIN is a shy young man who, after being rejected by his family, battles the warring thoughts in his head while coming dangerously close to ending his own life. But when an unsuspecting friend shows up at his doorstep, he must face his past in order to change his life forever....

Best Screen Play Produced

A Beautiful Now

Country: United States

RT: 98min

Director: Daniela Amavia

Five friends reunite for one night to save Romy (Abigail Spencer), the woman at the center of their former circle. As the night progresses, they struggle with their past relationships, and truths are revealed as Romy, who has barricaded herself in the bathroom, tries to put the pieces of her life back together. This thrilling journey into the mind of a woman teetering on the edge of letting go ultimately asks “if your life flashed before your eyes- would you like what you see?” and reveals a gripping story of how the past shapes who we will become. ...

2016 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best Short Film

Breathe

Country: United States

RT: 22min

Director: Paul Kowalski

Dr. Filip Kardel is an ambitious Polish neurosurgeon working in America, struggling to cope with the loss of his wife, Ania. As the memories of her untimely death and his neglecting her in favor of his career continue to haunt him, will he escape the prison of his grief and guilt, or will it destroy him?...

Best Documentary

Nathan East: For The Record

Country: United States

RT: 85min

Director: Chris Gero

Nathan East For The Record is a documentary film that takes viewers behind-the-scenes as one of the most influential bass players in modern music recorded his debut solo album last year. His long-awaited solo album (released in March) spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Album chart and 34 weeks in the top position on smoothjazz.com. For The Record also chronicles Nathan’s three decade plus career from when he hit the road age 16 with Barry White, his session and touring work across musical genres and membership in the legendary jazz quartet Fourplay...

Best Director, Best Feature Film

The Lennon Report

Country: United States

RT: 85min

Director: Jeremy Profe

The incredible true story of the moments after John Lennon was shot as seen through the eyes of those who lived it. Alan Weiss, an ambitious young news producer, finds himself in a position to break the biggest story of the year following a violent motorcycle accident. The emergency department at Roosevelt Hospital discovers a John Doe shooting victim is the worlds biggest rock star and struggles to keep the news quiet while working to save his life....

2016 SPECIAL JURY AWARDS

Best Documentary

The C word

Country: United States

RT: 89min

Director: Meghan O’Hara

A personal, important, surprising, and funny documentary about the industries of death that give us cancer, and the unheralded science of prevention....

Best Short Film

Cowboys

Country: Spain

RT: 20min

Director: Bernabé Rico

Martin is a finished actor, both professionally and personally. He’s divorced, has no friends and a son he hasn?t talked to for more than a year. But one fine day he?ll get a working offer his agent will not let him pass: to be companion of a 5-year-old boy to bring him luck in a costume contest at the Amusement Park....

Best Actor, Best Feature Film

A Punters Prayer

Country: UK

RT: 93min

Director: Savvas D. Michael

On a Friday afternoon in North London, Jack decides to bet ?250 on a horse win treble which, if all three horses win, would net him and his friends a fortune. Jack’s selection of various long-shots chosen by name rather than form creates a buzz at the bookies and suddenly his potential winning betting slip becomes a point of interest for more than one party which sees the friends desperately try to hang on to this potentially winning ticket....

Best Animated Film

After The End

Country: UK

RT: 11min

Director: Sam Southward

For Rene Fustercluck, life was bad, the Apocalypse was awful and then Gordon arrived. ‘After the End’ explores the possibility that the only thing worse than being the last man on earth, is being the second to last man on earth....

2016 Juries

Pearry Teo

Zach Staenberg, ACE

Ilia Beizerman

Executive Director Sony Pictures Home Entertainment ...

Marc Barson

Deputy General Counsel & SVP, Business & Legal Affairs Starz Media/Anchor Bay Films & Starz Entertainment ...

Mark Amin

Mark Amin is the founder and CEO of Sobini Films. ...

Spike Seldin

Spike Seldin is known for The A-Team (2010), His Way and Face/Off (1997). ...

Mark Hefti

Mark Hefti was born and raised in Wisconsin ...

Scott Karol

President, SP media Group ...

Lara Minassian

Manager Producer ...

Steven Paul

Steven Paul is a celebrated filmmaker, producer, and CEO of a number of companies ...