1st Annual WISFF Announces 2016 Finalists and Winners for Emerging Moviemakers from AFI, Stanford

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Dec. 9, 2015 - PRLog -- The Windrider International Student Film Festival (WISFF) today announced their 2016 finalists and winners of emerging moviemakers for its 1st annual festival edition.  WISFF, (formerly the Angelus Student Film Festival, founded 1996), celebrates excellence in cinematic arts among college/university filmmakers whose works reflect the human condition with creativity and respect.  WISFF boasts five Oscar nominees, in five consecutive years. This phenomenon brings to a total of seven Oscar nominees and two winners among the winning alumni, which also counts Emmys, Peabody awards, Sundance, Toronto, AFI and Tribeca selections among the alumni’s achievements.

“Our festival continues its reputation in finding the next generation of talented filmmakers with this year's finalists and winners. Bravo to the student talent that brought these cinematic stories to life; these films stir the human heart and are evidence that our theme —films with universal human values- is not only inherent to great storytelling, but also will find their way to audiences hungry for meaningful entertainment.  We can’t wait to share these films with everyone in Park City in January 2016!” states WISFF Director, Monika Moreno-Lapp.

Winning filmmakers (live-action and documentary shorts) have received cash and industry prizes among the most generous in the industry. WISFF offers visibility for the emerging artist, practical career-making advice, and mentorship. Also included in the industry-package are introductions to potential executive producers and investors, exposure to agents and managers, as well as creating in an arena in which future collaborations among filmmakers can flourish. WISFF has had a hand in fostering many a film and launching more than a few on their paths in the industry.

WISFF has brought worldwide visibility and attention to talented young filmmakers for over 15 years as the Angelus Student Film Festival.Angelus Honorary Chairs have included Gary Oldman, Martin Sheen, Sean Astin and Lynn Redgrave. Angelus Honorary Committees have included Glenn Close, Matt Damon, Geoffrey Rush, John Travolta, Anjelica Huston and Dame Judy Dench.

FOR PRESS: Download Film stills of winners & WISFF Logo:http://bit.ly/WISFF2016_WINNERS_FILMSTILLS

WINNERS OF THE 2016 WISFF

GRAND JURY PRIZE *WINNER* - THIS WAY UP
Director: Jeremy Cloe
School: American Film Institute
Logline: When a hardworking homeless man living in a storm drain beneath the Las Vegas strip learns his daughter is coming to stay with him, he enlists the help of a teenage vagrant to create a fake life to keep his daughter from discovering what his life has become.

CINEMATIC STORYTELLING PRIZE *WINNER* - YOUNG AMERICANS
Director: Kevin Lacy
School: American Film Institute
Logline: A teenage girl recruits a former high school classmate with a crush on her to help her rob a bank.

DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARD*WINNER* - DAY ONE
Director: Henry Hughes
School: American Film Institute
Logline: Inspired by a true story, a translator’s first day on the job has her accompanying a US Army unit as they search for a local terrorist.  As she quickly discovers, her job will bring up brutal complexities as gender and religious barriers emerge with lives hanging in the balance.

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY*WINNER* - WHITE EARTH
Director: J. Christian Jensen
School: Stanford University
Logline: An American oil boom through unexpected eyes.

OUTSTANDING SHORT SHORT *WINNER* - THE BENCH (live-action)
Director: Cameron Burnett
School: University of Southern California
Logline: An old blind man’s whole world is completely changed after he is given a chance to see for the first time through the eyes of a man he meets on a park bench.

WISFF 2016 Sponsors
John Templeton Foundation, Priddy Brothers, Family Theater Productions, Fuller Seminary, Peter Glenville Foundation, Loyola Marymount University Extension, Brent Green (Toy Gun Productions), Film Freeway, Without A Box, Screenwriter (software), Uber, Jungle Software, Screencraft, South Beach Soap Co.,  Gurkha Cigars, Iken Watches, Basic Wallet, Shady Face, Creo Pop, Meatloaf’s Kitchen, Audition Magic, and Butcher Bunches.

About Windrider International Student Film Festival (WISFF)
The Windrider International Student Film Festival (WISFF) honors emerging filmmakers whose independent voices reflect the human condition with creativity and respect. Formerly the ANGELUS STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL, WISFF boasts a world class alumni that have gone on to win Oscar, Emmy, Peabody and Sundance recognition.  Their goal is to create live and virtual community spaces across the globe that allow people to thoughtfully explore the centrality of story in how we make and understand meaning in the world.

About The Windrider Institute
Through the global reach of the Windrider Institute, the Windrider Film Forum (founded in 2004), serves as a leadership forum, laboratory, classroom and resource provider for filmmakers and those that understand the power of story to change lives and impact culture. The Windrider International Film Festival joins in honoring emerging filmmakers whose independent voices reflect the human condition with creativity, compassion and respect.

The Windrider Institute, Inc. was established as a vehicle to promote the presentation and exploration of the human story through film and visual media.

The next festival takes place in January 2016 in Park City, Utah,

Notable alumni who first gained notice at the festival include: Academy Award winner Luke Matheny, GOD OF LOVE  (2011) currently showrunner on Gordon Gibbons (Amazon), Destin Daniel Cretton, SHORT TERM 12, Sundance Jury Award winner, (currently in production on The Glass House with Brie Larson attached), Wes Ball, director of THE MAZE RUNNER, Justin Lerner, Gotham Independent Audience Award for THE GIRLFRIEND, Barbara Stepansky, TAKEN FOR RANSOM, FUGUE., Peabody Award winner Hilla Medalia –TO DIE IN JERSUSALEM, also Sundance selected films CENSORED VOICES, WEB JUNKIE and DANCING IN JAFFA.

Connect With WISFF:
Site: http://www.wisff.com/ |
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/WISFF  |
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WISFF |