2019 Grand Jury Award Nominees & Winners:
Note: OIFF 2019’s Grand Jury was Comprised of Multiple Industry Professionals Who are in no way affiliated with the Oceanside Intl. Film Festival Staff, Board or Organizational Committee. All Jury Members Vote Anonymously and Privately, without knowledge of their peers identities and without prior or post discussion or interaction to ensure a completely non-bias voter outcome for all OIFF 2019 award winners.
Best Art Design:
Entrenched: Prologue (Dir. Ray Gallardo, San Diego, CA)
Rocket Boy (Dir. Simon Sorted, UK) Winner
Saint (Dir. Francisco Javier Gomez Pinteño, Spain)
Spice Frontier (Dir. Jalil Sadool & Adam Meyer, Mount Dora, FL)
Best Original Score:
Equinox (Dir. Bruno Carnide, Spain)
Self-Discovery for Social Survival (Dir. Chris Gentile, New York/LA)
The Tony Alva Story (Dir. Rick Charnoski & Coan “Buddy” Nichols) Winner
Vampire’s Appointment (Dir. Tobias Musante, France)
Best Editing In a Short Film:
Alone Together (Dir. Erin Martinez, San Diego, CA) Winner
Icons (Dir. Ronnie Cramer, Denver, CO)
Limo For Sale (Dir. Luc Hollywood, Vista, CA)
Saint (Dir. Francisco Javier Gomez Pinteño, Spain)
Best Editing in a Feature:
The City’s Champions (Dir. David Pradel, San Diego, CA)
Self-Discovery for Social Survival (Dir. Chris Gentile, New York/LA) Winner
Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Dir. Bill Wisneski, San Marcos, CA)
The Tony Alva Story (Dir. Rick Charnoski & Coan “Buddy” Nichols)
Best Screenplay:
Banana Split (Dir. Benjamin Kasulke, Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Drive-Thru (Dir. Lauren Simpson, Los Angeles, CA)
Kings Boulevard (Dir. Neil Payne, Los Angeles, CA)
Lucky (Dir. Riley Wood, San Diego, CA)
Best Cinematography in a Short:
Alone Together (Dir. Erin Martinez, San Diego, CA)
Rocket Boy (Dir. Simon Sorted, UK)
Shaped (Dir. Andrew Daughters, Buena Park, CA/Fallbrook, CA) Winner
The Power of Stone (Dir. David & Barbarella Fokos, San Diego, CA/Brazil)
Best Cinematography in a Feature:
Banana Split (Dir. Benjamin Kasulke, Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Self-Discovery for Social Survival (Dir. Chris Gentile, New York/LA)
Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Dir. Bill Wisneski, San Marcos, CA)
We Were íslands (Dir. Amrita Pradhan, San Diego, CA)
Best Supporting Actress:
Ashley Hogan – Kings Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA)
Alison Pill – The Most Magnificent Thing (Alberta, Canada)
Addison Reicke – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Allie Rivera – Kings Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA)
Best Supporting Actor:
Mark Atkinson – Lucky (San Diego, CA)
Micah Cohen – Kings Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA)
Joe Hurley – Break of Dawn (San Diego, CA)
Luke Spencer Roberts – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Best Lead Actress:
Liana Liberato – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA)
Hannah Marks – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Amrita Pradhan – We Were íslands (San Diego, CA)
Haley Rawson – Drive-Thru (Los Angeles, CA)
Best Lead Actor:
Josh Bywater – Part 5B (Chicago, IL/Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Taylor Miller – Drive-Thru (Los Angeles, CA)
Dylan Sprouse – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA)
Noel Taylor – We Were íslands (San Diego, CA)
Best Direction in a Short Film:
David & Barbarella Fokos – The Power of Stone (San Diego, CA/Brazil)
Erin Martinez – Alone Together (San Diego, CA) Winner
Neil Payne – Kings Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA)
Lauren Simpson – Drive-Thru (Los Angeles, CA)
Best Direction in a Feature:
Chris Gentile – Self-Discovery For Social Survival (New York, NY/Los Angeles, CA)
Benjamin Kasulke – Banana Split (Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Amrita Pradhan – We Were íslands (San Diego, CA)
Bill Wisneski – Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (San Marcos, CA)
Best Student Film:
Alone Together (Dir. Erin Martinez, San Diego, CA) Winner
The City’s Champions (Dir. David Pradel, San Diego, CA)
Shaped (Dir. Andrew Daughters, Buena Park, CA/Fallbrook, CA)
Vampire’s Appointment (Dir. Tobias Musante, France)
Best Animation:
Equinox (Dir. Bruno Carnide, Spain)
The Most Magnificent Thing (Dir. Arna Selznick, Ontario, Canada) Winner
Seen Again (Dir. Peter Murphy, Rochester, NY)
Spice Frontier (Dir. Jalil Sadool & Adam Meyer, Mount Dora, FL)
Best Documentary Short:
Shaped (Dir. Andrew Daughters, Buena Park, CA/Fallbrook, CA) Winner
The Power of Stone (Dir. David & Barbarella Fokos, San Diego, CA/Brazil)
Somewhere Between (Dir. Shuo Wang, Los Angeles, CA)
Stuck on a Rock (Dir. Asher Flatts, Melbourne, Australia)
Best Feature Documentary:
The City’s Champions (Dir. David Pradel, San Diego, CA)
Self-Discovery for Social Survival (Dir. Chris Gentile, New York/LA)
Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Dir. Bill Wisneski, San Marcos, CA) Winner
The Tony Alva Story (Dir. Rick Charnoski & Coan “Buddy” Nichols)
Best Narrative Short:
Alone Together (Dir. Erin Martinez, San Diego, CA) Winner
Drive-Thru (Dir. Lauren Simpson, Los Angeles, CA)
Lucky (Dir. Riley Wood, San Diego, CA)
Rocket Boy (Dir. Simon Sorted, UK)
Best Narrative Feature:
Banana Split (Dir. Benjamin Kasulke, Los Angeles, CA) Winner
We Were íslands (Dir. Amrita Pradhan, San Diego, CA)
Best Picture of OIFF 2019:
Alone Together (Dir. Erin Martinez, San Diego, CA)
Banana Split (Dir. Benjamin Kasulke, Los Angeles, CA) Winner
Self-Discovery for Social Survival (Dir. Chris Gentile, New York/LA)
Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Dir. Bill Wisneski, San Marcos, CA)
The Tony Alva Story (Dir. Rick Charnoski & Coan “Buddy” Nichols)
Special Jury Prizes:
Emerging Filmmaker Fund – $1,000: Eleri Edwards (Director of “The Goat”, Wales, UK)
Emerging Student Scholarship Award – $500: Laura Nguyen (Director of “Hazel”, San Diego, CA)
Inspiring Student Scholarship Award – Presented by Jim & Charlene Hamilton of the North County Film Club – $625: David Pradel (Director of “The City’s Champions”, San Diego, CA)
Honorary Awards:
2019 Oceanside On Screen Award: Tony Alva
Skateboarding did not start out as a rebellious, anti-authority lifestyle activity. One of the key figures in the early evolution of skateboarding from a wholesome, contest based “sport” into the freewheeling art form that it is today was Tony Alva. Alva is considered by many to be the godfather of modern-day skateboarding. Alva’s brand of aggression and bravado in the 70’s set the stage for the way skateboarding would be forever defined.
2019 Oceanside Intl. Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award: Taylor Steele
Taylor Steele is an award-winning filmmaker, creative visionary and entrepreneur who has played a vital role in bringing the thrill and serenity of surf culture to the masses. At the young age of seventeen, he released the surf film ‘Momentum’, and over the following two decades he went on to direct and produce over forty best-selling titles starring the world’s best surfers and musicians. Steele’s films have starred world famous surfers such as Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Craig Anderson, Ozzie Wright, Jordy Smith and Taylor Knox.
