2005 TABLOID WITCH AWARDS PRESENTED AT LOSCON 32
by Thomas M. Sipos, managing editor.
[November 29, 2005]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
Winners of the 2005 Tabloid Witch
Awards -- sponsored by the Hollywood Investigator! -- convened at the Loscon
32 science fantasy convention on November 26 to screen their horror
films -- and collect their trophies!
During the Q&A following
the screenings, filmmaker Robert
Sexton told the audience that is he now raising money for a feature-length version of Legion: The Word Made Flesh.--
which won Tabloid Witches for Best Horror Short Film, Best Supporting Actress,
and Best Visuals.
A seasoned
director of commercials and music videos, Sexton financed Legion in the time-tested manner of independent filmmakers -- credit cards --
leaving him in debt. While cryptic about Legion's
budget, Sexton allowed that $25,000 was not far off the mark.
Now that Legion has proven itself on the festival circuit, Sexton hopes to find other investors
-- or a studio -- to finance its feature-length version.
Legion is the tale of an enigmatic ex-priest who assists a desperate mother seeking
a cure for her possessed daughter. They meet many charlatan shamans
and witches and crackpots promising a cure, but have difficulty finding
the "real thing."
Noteworthy for its moody,
beautifully haunting visuals, evoking supernatural horror films such as Lost
Souls, The
Ring, and Gothika, Legion won the Tabloid Witch Award for Best Visuals, shared by its DP Bobby Eras
and colorist Marshall Plante.
Legion also benefits from a gripping performance by Italian actress Sabrina Bertaccini,
who portrays a gypsy con artist performing a phony cure for the possessed
daughter.
Upon seeing her Tabloid Witch
Award for Best Supporting Actress, Bertaccini exclaimed, "It's so cute!"
Bertaccini told the audience
that the reason she acts is because she "has no choice" and that her life
would be easier if she could ever wake up without her driving passion to
act.
Also present at the awards
ceremony was filmmaker and author Christopher
Alan Broadstone, who collected two Tabloid Witches, one for Best Sound
and one for Honorable Mention, for Human No More.
A former musician, Human
No More is Broadstone's third self-financed horror short film.
"Nobody took me seriously
as a filmmaker until I made some films," Broadstone told the audience,
explaining why he turned to self-financing his shorts.
He is currently developing
a feature film -- that has interest from outside investors!
Human
No More is about a hard-boiled police detective who, after the murder
of his wife and son, loses faith in God, Satan, and humanity. Rejecting
all three, he takes a dark and surprising plunge into the occult.
An audience member said he'd
liked to have seen what happens to the detective after he embarks
on his path. Broadstone agreed that Human No
More has sequel potential.
While soft-spoken and self-effacing
during the Q&A, Tony Simmons portrayed a grim and gritty detective
on screen, earning him the Tabloid Witch Award for Best Actor.
While
all seven Tabloid Witch Award-winning films were screened at Loscon 32,
some of the winning filmmakers and actors could not attend the Los Angeles
event as they were working on projects either in New York or Japan. Their
trophies will be sent to them over the next month.
After
the screenings, the Loscon audience was invited to vote for their favorite
of the seven films. In a surprising three-way tie, Legion, Mole,
and SuperStore shared the honor for "Audience
Choice." Human No More ranked fourth
behind them, but ahead of the other three films.
This was
a surprisingly strong showing for SuperStore,
which had won only one Tabloid Witch Award -- for Honorable Mention.
The Hollywood
Investigator will continue to follow the the future successes of its Tabloid
Witch Award-winning filmmakers and actors! Stay tuned!
ADDENDUM:
Filmmaker
Jennifer Soemantri was unable to attend Loscon, but received her Honorable
Mention on December 8, 2005.
She
continues to make short horror films -- but is also in talks with a manager
about directing her first feature project.
If you
haven't already read about our 2005 winning films -- read
about them now!
Read about
the New York winners.
It's not
too early to enter our next search! We're reviewing entries as they arrive.
And if you're
a filmmaker, actor, musician, or writer who doesn't do horror -- we want
to hear from you too! Email or snail mail
us about your project, and if we're intrigued we'll cover it or invite
you to submit a report! |
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Copyright 2005 by HollywoodInvestigator.com
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