Team: Fly on the Wall

City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Art
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: Artificial eye makers rekindle hope for victims of tragedy.

Awards: POV Award and Audience Award

 

Team: Noonday Films

City/Country: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Genre: Biography/Character Study
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: An intimate look at one man's struggle with fear and anxiety, and the beautiful reasons that he has to resist them.

Team: An Lár

City/Country: Dublin, Ireland
Genre: Historical
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: 4ºC at the Forty Foot swimming hole.

Awards: Best Film & Best Use of Historical Genre

 

Team: Reel Grrls

City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Art
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: Childhood fears of the dark resurface in the work of three artists.

Awards: Best Editing & Best Use of Theme

 

Team: Gloucester to Gloucester Films

City/Country: Gloucester, MA, USA
Genre: Sports
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: The bravest and the boldest of Gloucester's Fishermen risk all for the glory of a Greasy Pole Championship.

Awards: Documentary Educational Resources (DER) Award and Best Use of Sports Genre

The Greasy Pole is being turned into a feature length film by Emile Doucette, Thomas Papows, and Michael Pallazola of CoffeeBlack Productions!

 

Team: Polar Star Films

City/Country: Barcelona, Spain
Genre: Experimental
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: A visual poem about seeds and their role in the battlefield between variety and uniformity.

Award: Best Use of Experimental Genre

 

Team: JAGS

City/Country: Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: An antique clock enthusiast expounds on the problems of an increasingly rationalized society, and mourns the loss of human heart and touch involved in daily communication.

Award: Honorable Mention by Doc Challenge Jury

 

Team: Shed Collective

City/Country: Atlanta, GA, USA
Genre: Experimental
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: Every violin has its own unique voice but only certain instruments have something to say.

Award: Best Soundtrack

 

Team: Mirror

City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Nature
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: We need green energy, but at what cost?

Award: Best Use of Nature Genre

 

Team: Takashi Sugimoto

City/Country: Lisbon, Portugal
Genre: Art
Theme: Hope

Synopsis: Painter Nagashima's hope of perfecting his art.

Award: Best Use of Art Genre

 

Team: Frenetic Productions

City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Biography/Character Study
Theme: Hope

Synopsis: A portrait of Doug Yule, violin maker.

Award: Best Use of Biography/Character Study Genre

 

Team: First Touch Films

City/Country: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme: Fear

Synopsis: Porn performer Lorelei Lee challenges common perception of sex workers.

Awards: Best Directing, Best Original Score, Best Use of Social Issue Genre

 

Team: Mandarin Film

City/Country: Beijing, China
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme: Hope and Fear

Synopsis: Wu Tang Gran grew up with the party - the Communist Party - and has lived through some pretty tough times, but will this 70 year old and her crew be able to meet their greatest challenge yet - a break-dance battle against Beijing's finest hip-hop crew?