The juries and the audience have had their say about the best of the New York City fest.
The just-concluded Brooklyn Horror Film Festival showcased an impressive range of horror films, both feature-length and shorts, and today the awards have been announced:
DARK MATTER JURY AWARDS
Best Film: DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY (pictured above)
Best Director: Sasha Rainbow, GRAFTED
Best Performance: Blu Hunt, THE DEAD THING
Best Ensemble: DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY
Best Screenplay: Jayro Bustamante, RITA
“Thank you to the jury members for the awards, especially the Best Ensemble award. That means so much to me and everyone in the cast. Thank you to Brooklyn Horror for your continued support since DETENTION.”–John Hsu, dir. DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY
HEAD TRIP JURY AWARDS
Best Film: DEAD MAIL
Best Director: Emma Benestan, ANIMALE
Best Screenplay: Ariella Mastroianni and Ryan J. Sloan, GAZER
Best Actor: Zachary Ray Sherman, WHO’S WATCHING
Best Actress: Oulaya Amamra, ANIMALE
Best Ensemble: DEAD MAIL
“The Brooklyn Horror Fest was one of our favorite experiences in the short life of this film. With great fans and an amazing programming team led by Joseph Hernandez–all in the heart of Brooklyn–it was truly a blast on all levels. Our cast and crew are the heart of the film and endured a lot of subpar crafty, so we’re so grateful their amazing work is getting recognized by these awards.”–Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer, dirs. DEAD MAIL
SHORTS COMPETITION JURY AWARDS
Best Film: FEMME
Best Director: Émile Lavoie, MEAN ENDS
Best Performances: Sophie Neff and Woody Coyote, MAKE ME A PIZZA
Best Special FX/Makeup: Irene Uncal, APOTEMNOFILIA
Best Screenplay: Grace Rex, THE SHADOW WRANGLER
Best Production Design: Masha Lyass, LADY PARTS
Best Editing: Jordan M. Hahn, BEACH LOGS KILL
Home Invasion Award (sponsored by Cut and Measure, includes a $1,500+ credit for postproduction services): HAMMER
“We are so excited and incredibly honored to receive this award for FEMME, which, despite its fantastic spin, is about issues that are so real for almost every woman in the world. It is amazing that it has been given such a beautiful stage at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival! Big thanks to the jury!”–Nina Noël Raaijmakers, dir. FEMME
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
Gold: DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY
Silver: SOMNIUM
Bronze: BONE LAKE
In addition, veteran horror filmmaker and New York’s own Larry Fessenden received the Leviathan Award, presented by Arrow Video. Congratulations to all the winners!
