2014 Fall Winners

LAMA Fall 2014 Winners & Selections

Best Narrative Short

Best Narrative Feature

Best Documentary Short

“Hollygrove - The True Life Story of Monserrat”

Dir. by Carlos Hurtado

1st Place Winners

“Deadly Revisions”

Dir. by Gregory Blair

“Committed”

Dir. by Mehran Torgoley

International genre favorite Bill Oberst Jr. plays an amnesiac horror writer who becomes trapped in his own nightmare as terrifying images emerge that may or may not be memories, madness, or both!

'Committed' is a riveting, suspenseful, and we'll acted triumph - a haunting drama reminiscent of Serling and Hitchcock. The year is 1951. Evelyn, a compassionate nurse in an over crowded mental hospital struggles to prove the sanity of a young, wheelchair-bound patient named Clara. The film provides a powerful look into the mental health industry of mid century America when male doctors controlled the hospitals and nurses were overworked and under slept. The film features a predominantly female cast and was written and produced by a woman.

Audience Award

“Committed”

Dir. by Mehran Torgoley

This short revolves around Hollygrove, which was founded in 1880 as the Los Angeles Orphans Home Society. Hollygrove provides help and hope to children in crisis including movie icon Marilyn Monroe when she was a nine-year-old with no family to take care of her.

The focus of the film is about healing and the true life story of Monserrat, a former child in crisis who shares how she learned to trust and love herself again after experiencing trauma and despair.

Best Documentary Feature

Best Animation

Best International Film

“To Be Delivered”

Dir. by Pierre Amstutz

“Treasure Nest”

Dir. by Meng Chwen Tien, Allison Botkin & Mike Bourbeau

“Freedom From Choice”

Dir. by Tim Delmastro

Treasure Nest is a 3D animated short following the adventures of Blue, a cat-like creature in search of hidden riches. Along his way Blue discovers a bird-like creature, named Peanut, who he reluctantly brings along in hopes that she will be the key to unlocking the treasure. Through the use of such programs as Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, Houdini, Nuke, and After Effects the Treasure Nest thesis group presents a beautifully hand-painted world in which Blue’s resolve is tested throughout his journey... eventually leading him to a prize of which he never expected.

Freedom From Choice is a feature-length documentary examining the current state of life and personal choice in America today. Experts from many different fields offer a frank and startling look at the hidden limitations in our daily lives. Focusing on key areas such as food, medicine, finance, and media, Freedom From Choice provides viewers with a glimpse at the myriad of ways their lives are being dictated, and tells us who stands to gain.

To Be Delivered is the story of Tom, a wannabe actor who's hitchhiking to go to an audition in Los Angeles.
The only car that stops is Amy's, who is a cute and nice 28 years old girl.
Everything seems to go well, until Tom discovers that Amy is not the person she pretends to be...

Best Experimental

Best Student Film

“Carry On”

Dir. by Yatao Li

“11 Minutes”

Dir. by Tom Botchii

During the brutal withdrawal of Japanese forces at the end of WWII, a Chinese father does whatever he can to save his family.

Set to director Tom Botchii's real life suicide note: As the last moments of his life play out - A shooter goes on a rampage, but is it real or just in his head?

Best Music Video

Best Script

“Freedom One”

by Jeffrey Ryback

“The Ramona Flowers Tokyo”

Dir. by Bouha Kazmi

The young computer programmer responsible for programming the “Freedom One” rocket and bringing the long awaited “Missile-Defense-initiative” online returns home to the family farm in Kansas to patch up his relationship with his father and rekindle an old romance, only to learn that his computer efforts have resulted in foreclosures and government bailouts, and a corporate-military partnership whose “Freedom at Midnight” July 4th launch and celebrations could mean the deaths of over one million people and the end of the family farm.

A mysterious masked stranger and a boy form the centrepiece of a gathering of elderly society women who yearn for their youth and the exquisite command of their lure.