Big Bear Film Summit 2021 wraps celebratory 2nd year and first in-person outing with filmmaker awards

The 2nd Big Bear Film Summit announced its filmmaker awards during a Sunday afternoon ceremony at Big Bear Bar and Grill (42164 Moonridge Rd.) as BBFS wrapped up the three-day in-person/in-theater portion of the hybrid event which successfully brought the film festival experience back to the Big Bear Lake area. Lane Michael Stanley’s Addict Named Hal took the jury prize for Best Narrative Feature Film and the Chris Hite and Dennis Ford’s Firestorm ’77: The True Story of the Honda Canyon Fire won the Best Documentary Feature Film award.

Audience Awards went to Sri Charan’s Half & Half for Favorite Narrative Feature, Christina Hogarth’s With Flying Colours for Favorite Documentary Feature, and Tracie Laymon’s Ghosted for Favorite Short Film.

Following the ceremony, which included the presentation of one of a kind, hand blown glass awards created by Mike Mendez (Glazed and Amused Gift Shop) to the winners of select categories, Co-Founders Gabriel Horn and Michael P Hanson, said, “As filmmakers AND film fans ourselves, it was a thrill to see this this weekend instantly become a joyous coming together of the people who make the films with the people who love the films. Big Bear once again lived up to its reputation as a place that embraces the moviemaking spirit, with a rustic setting that is beloved by the people that make those movies. Our award winners exemplified that spirit, both with their wonderful films and with how they immediately felt at home in this amazing locale. We absolutely expect to see several of them returning to make their next films here.”

The thought-provoking drama Welcome to the Show was a two-time winner, with Dorie Barton winning the award for Best Director – Feature Film and the film’s cast winning the Best Ensemble award. Jared Jay Mason and Clark Runciman’s locally shot and produced The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord won the inaugural Big Bear Mountain Made Award. Best International Narrative Feature went to Brent Baird and Becker Brothers’ Canadian-produced Seeking Oblivion, while Best International Documentary Feature went to Christina Hogarth’s Australian-produced With Flying Colours. The feature film awards were rounded out by the presentation of the Big Bear Film Summit Rising Star Award to 11-year-old Wolfgang Wincott for his performance in The Issue with Elvis.  

Short film winners included the locally shot and produced winner of the Best Narrative Short, Killing Time, directed by Patrick Hogan, Nancye Ferguson’s Sue, winner of Best US Documentary Short, and Tathagata Ghosh’s Indian produced drama The Meat, which took the prize for Best International Narrative Short Film. Tracie Laymon won the Best Short Film Director nod for her work on Ghosted, and Best Ensemble Cast went to Jesserey Tugas’ All In.

Additional awards included; Best Music Video, which went to Stephen Foster’s Dream Vacation; Best Experimental Film, which was won by Dan Parks’ America: Socially Speaking, Best Animation, which was taken by Bryan Beasley’s The Gherm Guys; and Best Student Film, which was won by Joshua Gravitt and Anthony Alyassi’s Back the Way We Came.

Winners of the Screenwriting Competition were Edson McClellan’s “Kill Button,” which won Best Feature Script, and Todd Bird’s “Gus,” which won Best Short Script.

Completing the awards ceremony was the presentation on the inaugural Big Bear Film Summit Lifetime Achievement Award in Film & Television to legendary Casting Director Mary Jo Slater. Slater, who earlier in the day took part in a casting workshop with friends and casting professionals Jenny O’Haver, Susan Turner, Michelle Gabriel, and Sharon Gytri, told the very funny story of her first job in casting which due to leaving Neil Simon on the hold too long, ended her job answering phones, yet launched her casting director career with an assignment to cast Simon’s next play.

From the enthusiastic reception on Opening Night to Stanley’s deeply affecting drama Addict Named Hal, to world premieres of Charlotte Wincott’s The Issue with Elvis, Sri Charan’s Half & Half, and Bentley Doyle’s In Their Honour, to the lively post-screening discussion following the Comedy Shorts program and Barton’s Welcome to the Show, the Big Bear Film Summit demonstrated that beyond the gorgeous destination appeal of the Big Bear Lake area, there is a strong base of film lovers happy to forego the draw of the mountains to spend some time inside a theater and be introduced to great and entertaining independent films.

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2021 Big Bear Film Summit Filmmaker Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award in Film and Television 

Mary Jo Slater

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FEATURE FILMS

Best US Narrative Feature 

Addict Named Hal 

Director: Lane Michael Stanley

Best International Narrative Feature 

Seeking Oblivion

Directors: Brent Baird, Becker Brothers

Big Bear Mountain Made Award

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord

Directors: Jared Jay Mason, Clark Runciman

Best Director – Narrative Feature 

Welcome to the Show

Dorie Barton 

Rising Star Award

The Issue with Elvis

Wolfgang Wilcott

Best Ensemble Cast in a Feature 

Welcome to the Show

Best US Documentary Feature 

Firestorm ’77 The True Story of the Honda CanyonFire

Directors: Chris Hite, Dennis Ford 

Best International Documentary Feature 

With Flying Colours

Director: Christina Hogarth

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SHORT FILMS

Best Narrative Short 

Killing Time

Director: Patrick Hogan

Best US Documentary Short 

Sue

Director: Nancye Ferguson 

Best International Narrative Short 

The Meat

Director: Tathagata Ghosh  

Best Director – Narrative Short

Ghosted

Tracie Laymon  

Best Ensemble Cast in a Short 

All In

Best Music Video 

Dream Vacation

Director: Stephen Foster

Best Experimental Film 

America: Socially Speaking

Director: Dan Parks

Best Animation Film  

The Gherm Guys

Director: Bryan Beasley

Best Student Film 

Back the Way We Came

Director: Joshua Gravitt, Anthony Alyassi

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SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

Best Feature Script

“Kill Button”

Writer: Edson McClellan

Best Short Script

“Gus”

Writer: Todd Bird

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AUDIENCE AWARDS

Favorite Narrative Feature

Half and Half

Director: Sri Charan

Favorite Documentary Feature 

With Flying Colours

Director: Director: Christina Hogarth

Favorite Short Film

Ghosted

Director: Tracie Laymon