Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2019 Winners

Many thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Lift-Off Facebook Page.

Best Short Film

(next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)

Safety

Dir. Fabrice Joubert
Synopsis: A bright sunny afternoon in november. It is wind-down time after gym class for the 2nd graders. Michael and eleven other children lie side by side on the floor of the gym, breathing quietly. Suddenly, a detonation tears the silence.

Best Local Film

(next screening with Lift-Off in Sydney)

The Lovely's

Dir. Michael Lopez
Synopsis: The Lovelys is a dark comedy that follows a family of quirky misfits who inhabit a remote area in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The family, run by fierce and former drag queen, "Memaw Lovely", grapple with all the typical trials and tribulations of any close-knit family with one distinct difference - they're a pack of misguided killers!

Special Mention

(next screening with Lift-Off in Sydney)

The Scorpian's Tale

Dir. Jhosimar Vasquez
Synopsis: Greed, revenge and death all impact one another in this taught crime drama. Nothing is what is seems in this film written and produced by Maximiliano Hernández and directed by newcomer Jhosimar Vasquez.

Special Mention

(next screening with Lift-Off in London)

A Boy a Man and a Kite

Dir. Adam Matalon
Synopsis: A dying man contemplates his younger self as he floats in the blackness of a coma, coming to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. The boy’s parents seem oblivious as he struggles with his guilt and shame at a new school where he feels left out until his housemaster makes a move. The film explores themes of love, child sexual abuse and redemption. in an abstract evocative telling of a story based on a real court case. At a time when voices deserve to be heard, this long hidden true story comes to light.

Special Mention

(next screening with Lift-Off in London)

Scrap

Dir. Leena Pendharkar
Synopsis: After getting fired, young single-mom Beth (Vivian Kerr) finds herself living in her car and struggles to hide her homelessness from her estranged brother Ben (Anthony Rapp).

Yet to be announced...

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.