Many thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival. It was great to see so many filmmakers and film enthusiasts filling the screenings in support of both local and international indie films. The judges' votes have been counted and added to the audience's feedback. Huge congratulations to the filmmakers who screened with us, who all did themselves proud. All Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival winners will receive complimentary screenings at future Lift-Off Film Festivals. A special well done to the following films.
Photos from the event can be seen on the Berlin Lift-Off Facebook Page.
Festival Winners
Best Short Live Action Narrative
(next screening with Lift-Off in New York)
Stigma
Dir. Helen Warner
Synopsis: A string of confessions unveil a tale of religious guilt, sin and redemption in this short experimental drama.
Best Short Documentary
(next screening with Lift-Off in New York)
Miss Black Germany
Dir. Elisha Smith-Leverock
Synopsis: "Being German doesn't equal being white."What does it feel like to grow up in a society whose beauty standards are so different from your own? Challenging what it means to be beautiful in the Western world, Miss Black Germany documents the stories, hopes, dreams, and fears of four contestants participating in the first Miss Black Germany pageant.
Special Mentions
Special Mention
(next screening with Lift-Off in Tokyo)
Rubberneck
Dir. Frederic Kau
Synopsis: When Hannah, a British truck driver passing through Germany, decides to pick up two male refugees from the side of the road, the encounter takes an unexpected turn of events that is nothing like what it seemed at first.
Online Winners
Winner
(next screening with Lift-Off in New York)
The Shades
Dir. Lisa Regina
Synopsis: A original series based on a Sicilian tradition known as, 'The Shades', an underground vigilante court system that functions on the ideology of
‘lex talons’. Talion Law - ‘an eye for an eye’ - The episodes are based on real stories of injustice to victims in our legal system. When our legal system fails us, The Shades seeks retribution. The pilot episode unfolds with Mr. Vaccaro, top criminal attorney conflicted over his years of service to defending some of the most heinous criminals. Vaccaro's final decision to follow his Sicilian family tradition and to implement 'The Shades' is triggered by the rape and assault of his beautiful step-daughter, Belle. In our pilot episode, the farm owner, Audrey, opens up the flood gates and invites a large group of women survivors and advocates to her secluded South Jersey farm and to 'The Shades.'
Season Award Nominations
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event which celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films which have excelled in their respective category are nominated and invited to attend the prestigious Lift-Off Season Awards, culminating at the end of the Lift-Off season. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.
Thirsty Eyes - 838
Dir. Ioan Gavriel
Synopsis: 838 is a music-video taking place in its own dark & obscure Eastern European world, a constant escape from oneself in a schizophrenic nightmare. Triggered by a sudden encounter on a lonely road, the protagonist’s grasp of reality starts to fall apart — at fast pace.
Nominated for Best Music Video
Stigma
Dir. Helen Warner
Synopsis: A string of confessions unveil a tale of religious guilt, sin, and redemption in this short experimental drama.
Nominated for Best Cinematography
