By Jason Godbey, Creative Director, Behind the Rabbit Productions
[New York, NY August 21] World Webfest Mania concluded its third year on Saturday with a screening of some of its official selections and an award ceremony. Last year due to Covid 19, the festival went completely virtual, but this year was a hybrid with some works screening at the Wild Project Theater in Manhattan and some streaming online.
The festival showcased a wide variety of shorts, episodes, and series pilots ranging from quirky animation to hard-hitting family drama. Some of the standouts included: Breaking and Entering– the pilot episode of a comedy series about people minimizing their lifestyles in New York City and Seven Fishes – a short film about a dysfunctional family at Christmas time.
Award winners included: #richieneedsawife directed by Rich Devaney for best pilot, Seven Fishes directed by Jaclyn Gramigna for best short, and Breaking and Entering directed by Heather Spilkin for best series. In the screenplay competition, Plum Nasty by Derek McDaniel won for best short screenplay, and Coney Island by David Toussaint won the award for best feature screenplay.
When asked about her experience at the festival, award winner Heather Spilkin (pictured above with her team) said “Great venue, and I felt very supported as a filmmaker. It was such a delight to finally have an in-person NYC screening.”
Despite the deluge of rain outside, the festival environment was delightful with quality picture and sound projection and a friendly festival staff. Festivals like this will most likely be the standard for the remainder of 2021 and the near future with some works streaming online and some shown in a theater with an emphasis on keeping the experience safe for creators and patrons alike.
Festival Founder Geoffrey Guerrero who hosted the screening and award ceremony said of the proceedings, “It’s great to be back in-person for year three of World Webfest Mania. [There’s] nothing like being in a movie theater with talented creatives watching their works on the big screen and hearing their war stories during the Q&A. It was a fun night, and I can’t wait to be back for 2022.”
For more festival news and movie reviews follow us here, and for more on World Webfest Mania and other Katra Film Series festivals, visit their website.
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