A group of twentysomething friends meet one evening for a small party. During the festivities, two intruders break into the home. The friends appear to be popular, sophisticated, and attractive. The intruders are crude, scruffy, and cruel. They're not here to steal. They're here to make the friends suffer and die. But are the intruders the bad guys?

Mercy of Others is a slickly made film, with strong production values. Cinematography, sound design, and acting all are professional. But the film's strongest point is its thematic weight. It seems that, years earlier, this attractive set of friends had bullied a classmate into committing suicide. The intruders have come for revenge. Or for justice. The audience is free to decide.

Bullying has been a common horror film theme for decades. But usually, the bullied becomes a slasher or monster, killing his tormentors while also butchering anyone who randomly crosses his path. But Mercy of Others treats the theme of bullying with seriousness, sensitivity, and emotional depth.

Mercy of Others is not a fun "roller coaster" ride as are some horror films. It's not a pleasant film to watch. It feels ugly because it deals with ugly matters, much like The Purge. But filmmaker Damien Giglietta wasn't going for fun or feel-good. In describing his goal, he says, "I wanted a film that will impact those who watch it." And in that he succeeds.

* Best Horror Documentary: The Darkside of Society

It has been said that those who write horror do so to exorcise personal demons. Larry Wade Carrell's The Darkside of Society provides powerful evidence for that theory.

Screenwriter, Zeph E. Daniel's credits include one of my personal favorites, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation, but Carrell argues that Daniel is best known for Society, a film in which wealthy, high society folk are actually monsters.

As it happens, Daniel grew up as a high society child. He also believed his family and their friends were evil -- really evil -- practicing Satanic child sacrifices. Daniel was later committed to an asylum. It's unclear from the documentary whether Daniel still believes this. At some points, he seems to dismiss these a childhood delusions. But late in the film he claims his mother told him that it was all true.

Carrell interviews such horror celebrities as Brian Yuzna and Richard Stanley (director of the excellent Hardware), who discuss the cultural significance of Society. The documentary is hosted (and dedicated to) the late Julian Sands. Carrell also provides an overview of the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s, which might have sparked Daniel's childhood memories,inspiring him to write Society. Daniels makes it clear that he had to get that stuff "out of his system."

The Darkside of Society is an important contribution to horror film history and analysis, as well as a compelling profile of the creative minds behind horror.

* Best Dramatic Horror Short: Love Story

Love Story is a perfect gem of a horror film. At under six minutes, there are no superfluous shots, dialog or mise-en-scene. Like the facets of a fine diamond, every creative element serves a purpose, contributing to the story, characters, or themes. And to a deeply unsettling, frightening ending.

We begin with a young woman (played by writer/director Bridget Barbara) walking about her house one night. Her life seems idyllic. She is happy and smiling, obviously in love with the man sleeping in their bedroom. Her boyfriend or husband, we don't know. But then she hears an otherworldly voice.

A lot happens in this short film. Barbara's tight script conveys much. With limited dialog, we have a setup, several surprises, an intriguing character, and an unexpected final twist. It's hard to surprise a jaded viewer who's seen thousands of horror films and TV episodes, but Love Story surprises.

Nor is this final twist a simple jump scare, as in too many horror shorts. Love Story's twist changes our understanding of the woman, her goals, her relationships, even who she is. But again, in unanticipated ways. In frightening ways. But not in an arbitrary way. The final twist redefines previous events, but it also flows naturally from those events. Earlier she was making silly faces in the mirror, but now we understand why.

Derek Haager did both cinematography and sound design, and both are first rate. His shots of the forest are dark and ominous. He also uses Argento style colored lights, but sparingly and with purpose. Just a deep pink light, limited to the bedroom, emphasizing the woman's idealization of romantic love. But this pink, which seemed idyllic at first, feels perversely creepy by the end. Once we understand what's going on, we feel differently about the woman and her pink bedroom.

As for sound design, a deep, slow, sonorous pitch underlies most of Love Story, contrasting the joyous events on screen; an ominous undercurrent threatening that joy. Then we hear the voice -- a distorted voice -- which progresses through several tonal phases, revealing new aspects about the characters. Again, the distortions are creepy, but appropriate to the story. We end on a final crescendo of music, a celebration of dark victory. As with the pink lights, this normally uplifting sound feels deeply unsettling in the context of the story.

The art decor is likewise admirable. The Hummel figurines -- a boy and girl kissing -- are appropriate to the story. But as with the pink lights and music, what initially felt innocent feels sinister as the story unfolds.

Barbara is to be commended for overlooking no detail, and excising anything that doesn't serve her story, character, or themes -- which serve as the foundations of her frightening film. That's much better than a threadbare tale relying on random jump scares, the work of all too many filmmakers.

Love Story is a substantive tale told in under six minutes, making it a mini-masterpiece of horror.

* Best Comedic Horror Short: Brennan Reed's The Box

 

In 1970, Playboy published Richard Matheson's classic short story, "Button, Button," which asks: Would you push a button that meant money for you, but the death of a total stranger? The story's concept was later adapted for radio, television, and film.

Writer/director Brennan Reed's version puts a comedic spin on that ethical dilemma. A stranger (William Sibley) mysteriously appears in Mr. Kaufman's (Angel Orlando) house, presenting him with a box containing that magic button. And the same deal. Press the button, and someone unknown to Kaufman will die.

But as Kaufman tells the stranger, "You have no idea what you're playing against."

It would be a spoiler to say too much more. Enough to say that Brennan Reed's The Box is the funniest and most entertaining comedic horror short film this year. Winners in this category always hold up to repeat viewing, like a classic Saturday Night Live skit. Brennan Reed's The Box passes that test. It remains enjoyable no matter how often you've already seen it.

 

 

Brennan Reed's The Box also has great production values. Sibley and Orlando are both funny, talented, appropriately cast, and share a great chemistry in their interplay. The film's slick sound design does much to support the story's supernatural elements. The production design's muted colors (enhanced by dimly lit cinematography) effectively portray Kaufman's gritty, low rent lifestyle, while aesthetically supporting the morally dark deal he is offered.

Dimly lit dark colors are uncommon in comedic horror films. Most past winners in this category opt for brightly lit, cheerful colors, thus creating an upbeat sitcom sensibility. But Brennan Reed's choices work well in his film.

 

 

* Best Avant-Garde Horror Film: The Crane Wife

 

We received a surprisingly large number of avant-garde films this year. The Crane Wife isn't the slickest, the most professional, or the most beautifully shot. It is a student film, after all. What it has is originality, imagination, and heart.

Nearly all the avant-garde entries were shot in black & white, including The Crane Wife. But while most of the others were clearly influenced by Luis Bunuel, David Lynch, or some combination of the two, The Crane Wife instead retells a traditional Japanese folktale set in the American frontier. In the context of all those Bunuel/Lynch retreads, that qualifies as originality.

The imaginative way the tale is told adds to its originality. Perhaps because student filmmakers lack access to experienced visual effects technicians, filmmaker Caleb C. Adams depicts the crane (who turns into a woman and back again) in a primitive yet hauntingly alluring manner. An actress dressed in a white wedding gown, her face hidden by a veil, at times communicating not with words but with interpretive dance.

 

 

Clearly a low budget affair, Adams also uses inexpensive tools to great effect. Heavy smoke and strategic lighting help to create a surreal, fantastical atmosphere. A primitive crane mask (home made?) is seen only briefly, enough to startle us, but not so long as to allow us to focus on its crude construction.

Adams wisely keeps conversation to a minimum. His cast also appear to be students, and the delivery of their dialog is a bit stilted. The Crane Wife is magical realism, and the film's crane (Elena Behnke) is more magical when she dances than when she speaks.

Above all, The Crane Wife has heart. Despite some rough production values, the film's aesthetic choices effectively convey the poignancy of the Japanese folktale's somber ending.

 

 

* Best Animated Horror Film: The Boogey and the Witch

 

A Boogey (a creature with a Jack O'Lantern head) is trying on masks in his bedroom. Meanwhile, in another realm, a crone of a witch is working on a beauty potion. It seems that both Boogey and the Witch are unhappy with their appearance. Then, through a rupture in space and time, a portal opens in each realm, leading into a third realm. Both Boogey and Witch enter, encountering spooky thrills before they finally collide.

But there's a happy ending. Both Boogey and Witch survive, and learn to love and accept themselves as they they are, warts and all.

 

 

Filmmaker Jorge Turell says that since he was little, he "always liked Tim Burton films." Well, that much is obvious when one sees The Boogey and the Witch. Not only are the characters and the story Burtonesque, but so too the art direction and sensibility (eerie, gothic, fantastical, yet warm-hearted). Morgana Acevedo's music score effectively evokes Danny Elfman.

Even so, Turell tells an original story with a positive message for children -- and a final surprise from the Boogey. The film also moves at a brisk pace. It's never boring or padded. The colorful set design and characters are a delight to behold.

Overall, The Boogey and the Witch is a spooky but family friendly thrill ride.

 

 

* Best Trash Horror Film: Santa Slays

 

Kris's dearly departed dad was a legendary Santa, inspiring Kris to leave his Small Town to became a Big City Santa. But things don't work out. So Kris returns home and begins rekindling his childhood romance with Noelle. Unfortunately, Noelle is already living with a man -- who hates Christmas. And Kris hates people who hate Christmas. (Or just about anyone who pisses him off.)

Santa Slays has all the Hallmark Christmas Movie cliches. Those cliches have been extensively satirized by YouTube filmmakers, but Santa Slays adds an original twist. It's a feel good story, but with lots of trashy blood and gore. If Herschel Gordon Lewis were to direct a Hallmark Christmas Movie, scripted by Lewis Jackson (Christmas Evil), it would look like Santa Slays.

 

 

 

Like most great trash horror, Santa Slays is funny and ridiculous and over-the-top, with hammy acting and high entertainment. The production values are decent if a bit rough. Special effects are silly rather than realistic (how do you realistically stab someone to death with a candy cane?), but there is much blood. And a warmly glowing Santa animatronic adds a festive touch to one of the murders.

 

 

* Best Horror Web Series: Chromaescope

 

Chromaescope is a Spanish web series that serves as a love letter to 1950s American horror/sci-fi films. Each episode satirizes a particular monster movie subgenre from the period. There are the pointy rocket ships, the Twilight Zone type narrator, absurd monster aliens, nuclear spawned giants, mad robots and mad scientists, and Cold War villains.

The special effects are old school and intentionally bad, such as a rocket ship being pulled up by a string. Most scenes in this black & white production use green screen technology. That's new tech, but the "inept" obviousness of its application supports the conceit that we're watching something made in more primitive times.

 

 

 

While poking fun at old movie tropes, the series also injects doses of original humor. Such as when the mayor and doctor argue about the propriety of putting gas into a car one has borrowed (very Seinfeld), while a giant snail wreaks havoc behind them. All episodes are performed by an ensemble of appropriately hammy actors.

Chromaescope (because each episode is shot in "glorious Chromaescope!") is hilariously entertaining, a joy to watch for any fan of 1950s bug-eyed monster movies. Written and directed by Alvaro Beltran.

 

 

* Best Horror Music Video: Cakes!

 

Ever since this category's inception in 2004, the Tabloid Witch has honored horror music videos of a variety of musical styles, but Cakes! is the first that evokes a Broadway musical.

A woman (Rebecca Ritchie-Smith) prepares to bake a cake. Whereupon she is pulled into her oven and serenaded to a bevy of cakes, donuts, pies, and other assorted pastries. Some cakes sing solo, others as part of a chorus backed by what sounds like a large orchestra. The visuals are both funny and surreal, the woman groping in a black void, assaulted by song and fury. All is jolly good fun, until the bloody "surprise twist" ending.

 

 

Like several past winners, Cakes! incorporates satire. Writer/director Johnny Herbin cites many influences. "The song itself [composed by Oliver Lodge] owes a debt to tunes from Beauty & the Beast, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, and The Nightmare Before Christmas." Herbin likens the woman entering the oven to Alice in Wonderland going down the rabbit hole. "The cakes were sculpted with the frozen faces of British 1980s Thomas the Tank Engine television show in mind."

Herbin claims that Cakes! was shot on a micro budget. It doesn't look it and even less sounds it. A Scottish production, Cakes! is both creatively impressive and entertaining. And like many winning shorts, it holds up to repeated viewing.

 

 

* Honorable Mention

 

The Honorable Mention prizes, like the "Best ... Film" prizes, are shared by the film's writer and director.

Honorable Mentions go to films that didn't win in any specific category, but still deserve attention.

 

* Birdwatcher

 

Heather (Megan Gibson) is a birdwatcher. "A unique hobby," she is told by her friend Kate. One might also call it harmless and peaceful. But also a bit voyeuristic. And is voyeurism ever harmless? People generally don't like voyeurs secretly photographing their private lives. Has anyone ever asked birds how they feel about voyeurs?

A quiet, low-key film during its first half, Birdwatcher implies more than it explicitly states. But it seems that the bird community, upset by Heather's voyeurism, turns tables on her. Until finally, one very unusual bird -- or a supernatural avenger of birds? or, well, it's hard to say what it is -- inflicts a final revenge on Heather.

 

 

 

Birdwatcher is a slick looking film, its photography and sound design polished and professional. This helps create a serene mood and atmosphere, which darkens as the story progresses. The film is also entertaining, drawing us into Heather's plight. But its chief strength is its originality.

There have been plenty of "revenge of nature" films (a very popular subgenre in the 1970s), but animals usually turn on humans for polluting the planet, or for hunting or slaughtering them. Never before in the history of horror cinema have animals been so upset merely for being photographed.

Birdwatcher's special makeup effects are impressive, especially considering the film's apparent low budget. It ends the film on a surreal note, a strange mix of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Tod Browning's Freaks.

 

 

* Whispers and Secrets

 

Two women invite their friend, Juliette, to join them in a seance. The spirits know if you're telling the truth, they say. It's a fun game, they say. But the women have an ulterior motive, suspecting Juliette of cheating with one of the conspirator's boyfriend. Naturally, they plan to fake the seance and trick Juliette into confessing the truth. But as often happens in horror films, they inadvertently invite a real spirit into the proceedings.

 

 

 

Whispers and Secrets is not big on originality. Its strengths are in its execution. This is a beautifully photographed film, boasting lovely, low-key lighting amid soft, pastel colors. Those elements, and the sound design and music, go far in creating an eerie atmosphere. Especially impressive is that all of it -- writing, directing, editing, cinematography, sound, music -- was done by Christian Delavie, making Whispers and Secrets a one man project by a true auteur.

Delavie doesn't act in his film, but his cast of three -- Chloe Mouchoux, Sarah Denys, Marine Rosse -- are all first rate. Their characters are young but sophisticated, their demure, soft-spoken manners covering deceit, guilt, anger, and a conspiracy of vengeance. Whispers hiding secrets.

Which makes Whispers and Secrets an appropriate title. And an entertaining, old-fashioned ghost story.

 

 

* Additional Winners

 

Every year we see some bad actors, some mediocre actors, and some talented actors who do a professional job. Among the latter are those few who leave an impression. Who go beyond the job and create a character that lingers in our minds. This last quality is often the crucial difference between the winners and the merely talented.

Another consideration is aesthetics. Many films are technically slick. They are nicely lit, the sound clearly recorded. But if a film's technical choices also aesthetically support its story, characters, and themes, then so much the better. 

 

Isabella can contact dead people. She doesn't like it, but it's her burden to bear. People seek her for her talents. That's bad enough. But Isabella's bigger problem is that she's a romantic. Only, how can she know if a man really loves her, or only wants to use her to communicate with his dearly departed?

The Living Things (aka Las Cosas Vivas) has its share of scares, but it's also a character study with a strong "indie film" feel. The focus is on Isabella, her quest for romance, her elation when she thinks she's found it, her ensuing doubts, and the tragic result.

Assisted by Luis H. Quevedo's subtle script, Angie Arevalo infuses Isabella with depth, complexity, and sympathy. Her emotional journey is more memorable even than is her necromancy, ending the film on a creepily poignant note.

Angie Arevalo wins for Best Dramatic Actress.

 

 

Yuji has been under a lot of stress lately. Working too hard. But he promises his wife, Mai, that he'll slow down and take her on a trip to Kyoto. But first he must repair the hole in the wall.

When Yuji's friends arrive, they are surprised to learn about the hole. Yuji's story about breaking a hole in a concrete wall by stumbling against it sounds odd. Their surprise grows when they see Yuji talking to Mai, who Yuji claims is in the next room.

The Staircase of Lost Dreams (written & directed by Takeshi Kinugasa) is a slow burn. A mundane domestic situation becomes increasingly unsettling. The sterile set decor and calculated sound design (ominous tones at key moments) helps. But more so the acting by an excellent cast of four, with their abrupt pauses, subtle looks, and tense dialog.

At its center is Yoshiyuki Iwata. As Yuji, Iwata exhibits a Norman Bates quality. Yuji has a similar strained politeness, quickly dismissive and quick to laugh at suggestions that anything's wrong. His tensely calm demeanor masks a storm beneath the surface, creating a memorable character who captures and holds our attention throughout the film.

Yoshiyuki Iwata wins for Best Dramatic Actor.

 

 

Patricia (Kat Lynch) is alone in her apartment, talking to a potential online date. She is happy and bubbly, until the man suggests he come over. Patricia is taken aback by the proposal, her smile dropping, her tone stiffening. The normal reaction of a woman to a man moving too fast? Or does Patricia have a dark secret in her apartment?

Strange occurrences begin intruding upon Patricia. Monstrous marks suddenly appear on her arm - and soon disappear. Then Patricia senses someone else in her apartment ...

Some comedies are funniest when the characters play it straight. As The Patricia Party's (directed by Jonathan Frey) tone careens from ominous to frightening to ludicrously over-the-top, Lynch's performance remains consistent. She grounds her character in reality, even as events spiral into campy body horror. Her serious reaction to bizarro happenings enhances the comedy. She also retains our sympathy despite her unfortunate affect on others.

Kat Lynch wins for Best Comedic Actress.

 

Santiago (Albert Sanz) is a new Superhost (they're like Airbnb) and he's eager that his first review be five stars. Thus, he is kind. Really kind. But as his first guest Chloe (Anais Duperrein) tells him, "Kindness can also be toxic."

Creeped out by Santiago's extreme unselfishness and consideration, Chloe thinks him "weird." Her traveling companion, Marcos (Matias Briceno), assures Chloe that Santiago is not dangerous. But when they try to cancel the booking and leave early, they find the front door locked. And a very upset Santiago.

Superhost (directed by Joan Alamar) is a slow burn horror comedy. Santiago's excessive attentiveness to his guests becomes increasingly intrusive as the evening progresses into night. His behavior builds from funny, to weirdly funny, to creepily funny, to frighteningly funny. Like Chloe and Marcos, we never quite know if Santiago is a threat ... or how he will react to dissatisfied guests.

For a disturbingly hilarious performance that is a delight to behold, Albert Sanz wins for Best Comedic Actor.

 

 

An unnamed woman (Nadine Scheidecker) becomes obsessed with a hole in a wall. She stares at it for hours. Her obsession grows to include all holes, real and imagined. Including the holes in her body.

Director Dominik Balkow describes O as a film about the horrors of addiction. The film is a surreal journey as experienced through the eyes of an addict.

What's that like? Extreme closeups that distort the commonplace into the bizarre. Rich, stark black & white hues. Deep, unearthly sounds. It's all very avant-garde. Very Eraserhead. And compelling to watch.

O succeeds in unsettling us on every level, from Scheidecker's creepy facial performance (she has no dialog), to the sound design and visual effects. And of course, the high contrast cinematography, with its jarring compositions, are also unsettling and compelling. It draws us in, inviting us to stare along with the woman. Seeing the world through her stoned perspective, we can understand why her visions so mesmerize her.

Darja Pilz wins for Best Cinematography.

Love Story opens with menacing trees looming against the night sky, their threatening appearance heightened by deep, ominous sounds. These sounds intensify and change as the story progresses. Then a disembodied voice, distorted, something alien or supernatural, assaults our heroine. Until the voice's pitch and timbre change to reveal a shocking twist.

Love Story's soundtrack conveys the story's shifting moods and expectations, its emotional and dramatic turns, while also instilling fear and revealing information. It contributes much to make Love Story a frightening horror gem.

Derek Haager wins for Best Sound Design.

 

Under pressure from a loan shark, a young woman (Gahyeon Kim) breaks into a home in search of cash. She finds a wardrobe sealed with an occult amulet. What's that amulet meant to protect? Desperate for money, she breaks the seal.

The Visit is a supernatural tale of mounting terror. It's not big on originality, employing many of the tropes made famous by Asian horror films of twenty years ago. Yet despite that, it manages to surprise with unexpected twists. It's also one of the scariest entries this year.

Cinematography, music, and editing all contribute to an initial feeling of unease as the thief enters the apartment, our fear increasing as events and revelations unfold. There are the canted frames, and quickening musical beats supported by an editing pace that changes as the story requires. All aesthetics elements work in unison to reinforce each other and the thief's terrifying experience.

Jaehyuk Im wins for Best Editing.

 

 

Thirty2 is an avant-garde version of Edgar Allan Poe's "Berenice." As in the original story, a man is obsessed with a woman's perfect set of teeth. The film depicts his obsession as a delirium of insanely horrific images. The woman appears to fall ill, is buried, exhumed, and yet lives. Only to suffer under the man's monomaniacal fixation on her thirty-two pearly white teeth.

"Berenice" was originally published in 1835. Tim Luna's art direction maintains the integrity of that period setting, effectively conveying the distant past, while casting it in hauntingly eerie black and white The world of Thirty2 is as it might appear in madman's visions or nightmares.

Tim Luna wins for Best Production Design.

 

Just as Thirty2's production design roots the film in its 1830s milieu, its visual effects depict that world as filtered through a madman's delirium. We envision his distorted childhood memories, his agonizing nightmares, and most of all, his monomaniacal fixation on his wife's teeth. We see her laughing pearly whites as he sees them.

Daniel Raboldt's visual effects are beautifully eerie, haunting and disturbing. But best of all, they are aesthetically appropriate. Not merely providing shocks or scares, they emotionally support Thirty2's story, characters and themes.

Daniel Raboldt wins for Best Visual Effects.

 

Not to be confused with Edwin Abbott's 1884 novella, Daniel Lardon Febrel's Flatland is inspired by Lovecraft, who often wrote of other dimensions containing incomprehensible curves and shapes.

In Febrel's film, a scientist (Maria Ladera) discovers a way to see into another dimension and beholds terrifying creatures. It's a concept previously explored in From Beyond. Flatland adds a twist in that the scientist sees the dimension of time, past and future together, inhabited by monsters who move through time and space.

Naturally, no good comes of this discovery.

Tono Garzon is responsible for creating the monster, which evolves before our eyes, incorporating elements both human and otherworldly. To say how, or why, or to what result, would introduce spoilers. Enough to say that Garzon has crafted a memorably gruesome creature, a worthy addition to the realm of Cthulhu.

Tono Garzon wins for Best Make-Up Effects.

 

A couple strolls happily along city streets when they come upon a car accident. A crowd of spectators stands at a distance, staring at the carnage. There's something creepy about lookie-loos staring at others' misfortunes. But even more creepy when they start singing.

At first glance, Jose Maria Flores's The Companions brings to mind Ray Bradbury's "The Crowd," a tale of sinister, almost supernatural spectators who descend on accidents with evil intent. But Flores's crowd turns out to have other motives.

The Companions's camera work is impressive, being shot in a single long take. But its song is the core of the film. Initially frightening due to its incongruity, the song slowly reveals key details about the unfolding events, ending on an unsettling but poignant note. One that is unexpected and very New Agey.

Planeta Murphy wins for Best Music Soundtrack.

 

 

* The Final Tally

 

* Best Horror Feature Film ........................... Damien Giglietta (Mercy of Others)

* Best Horror Documentary .......................... Larry Wade Carrell (The Darkside of Society)

* Best Dramatic Horror Short Film ................ Bridget Barbara (Love Story)

* Best Comedic Horror Short Film ................ Brennan Reed (Brennan Reed's The Box)

* Best Animated Horror Film ........................ Jorge Turell (The Boogey and the Witch)

* Best Avant-Garde Horror Film .................. Caleb C. Adams (The Crane Wife)

* Best Trash Horror Film .............................. Cam Woodman, Jamie Patterson, Brittany Clough, Anneka Rode & Pete MacLeod (Santa Slays)

* Best Horror Web Series ........................... Alvaro Beltran (Chromaescope)

* Best Horror Music Video ........................... Johnny Herbin (Cakes!)

* Best Dramatic Actress .............................. Angie Arevalo (The Living Things)

* Best Dramatic Actor .................................. Yoshiyuki Iwata (The Staircase of Lost Dreams)

* Best Comedic Actress .............................. Kat Lynch (The Patricia Party)

* Best Comedic Actor .................................. Albert Sanz (Superhost)

* Best Cinematography ................................ Darja Pilz (O)

* Best Sound Design .................................... Derek Haager (Love Story)

* Best Editing ................................................ Jaehyuk Im (The Visit)

* Best Production Design ............................. Tim Luna (Thirty2)

* Best Visual Effects ..................................... Daniel Raboldt (Thirty2)

* Best Make-Up Effects ................................ Tono Garzon (Flatland)

* Best Music Soundtrack .............................. Planeta Murphy (The Companions)

* Honorable Mention ..................................... Cian Gaffney (Birdwatcher)

* Honorable Mention ..................................... Christian Delavie (Whispers and Secrets)