Award Nominations, Awards held on Sunday March 5th following Red Carpet Event

Best Actor
Jordi Vilasuso for This Modern Man is Beat
Brian Pollock for Licentious
WINNER Kazy Tauginas for Standing Eight
Gys De Villier for It Gets Better
Steve Silver for the Watchtower
Matthew Murumba for Now or Later
Jackson Rathbone for Horseshoe Theory

Best Actress
Yesi Rodriguez for Second Escape
Janel Tanna If Only For a Moment
Kate Villanova for the Art of Dreaming
Ozge Selin Akbaba for Butterfly
Natalie Sanchez for The Man in the Room
Danielle Guldin for the Weekend
WINNER Iliana Guibert for Twice Upon A Time

Best Actor-Comedy
Daniel Klimek for Witt and the Magical Spirits
Nick Giedris for Frame of Reference
Michael Tow for East of Hollywood
Brendan Krick for the Backpage
WINNER Joseph Donofrio for Pasquale's Magic Veal
Danny Grimaldi for Pasquale's Magic Veal

Best Actress-Comedy
Angie Marie for Pasquale's Magic Veal
Adison Eisenberg for Witt and the Magical Spirits
WINNER Gina Rodriguez for Frame of Reference
Dani Wang for East of Hollyood
Gillien Goll for Great Expectations
Chelsea London Lloyd for Sneezy G

Best Actor-Horror
Erik Searle for Wicked Conclusions
Drew Maniscalco for Addicted
Ryan Paregien for Oh the Fing Horror
Charles S. Dutton for Veneration
WINNER Ignacyo Matynia for Cabinet in the Woods

Best Actress-Horror
Danielle Baker for Oh the Fing Horror
WINNER Jacqui Rossi for Until the End
Chloe Hendrickson for Wicket Conclusions
Valerie Bauer for Veneration
Lauren Dougherty for Cabinet in the Woods
Janet Miranda for Defarious

Best Director
Brian Kazmarck for Standing Eight
WINNER Dennis Cahlo for The Weekend
Debra Markowitz for By Blood
Daryl Denner for Licentious
Hamza Zaman for Blue Skies
Steve Silver for The Watchtower

Best Director-Comedy
Chelsea London Lloyd for Sneezy G
Daniel Klimek for Witt and the Magic Spirits
D. J. Higgins for Pasquale's Magic Veal
WINNER Chris Caccioppoli for East of Hollywood
Ian J. Keeney for Frame of Reference
Don Downie for Great Expectations

Best Director-Horror
WINNER Christian A. Morán for Let's Play Dead Girl
Phillip G. Carroll Jr for Wicked Conclusions
Chase Michael Pallante for Defarious
Andrew Schwarz for Cabinet in the Woods
Larry Rosen for Until the End
Mark J. Parker for Sticks

Best Comedy
In the Name of Comedy
East of Hollywood (RUNNER UP)
Strayed Outa Compton
Pasquale's Magic Veal
WINNER Great Expectations
The Backpage

Best Horror/Thriller
WINNER Defarious
The Cabinet in the Woods
Venteration
Let's Play Dead Girl
Sticks (RUNNER UP)
Until the End

Best Short
Standing Eight
By Blood
WINNER This Modern Man is Beat
Horseshoe Theory
Twice Upon a Time
If Only For a Moment
The Man in the Room (RUNNER UP)

Best Short Short
Until the End
WINNER Second Escape
Blue Skies (RUNNER UP)
Last Call
Gemma
The Broken Places
Let Me Holla at Ya!

Best NJ Short
Butterfly
Spark
Falling in Love A Selfie Short (RUNNER UP)
Twice Upon a Time
Let's Play Dead Girl
The Other Side of Love
WINNER The Cabinet in the Woods

Best International Film
Dark Town (RUNNER UP)
Wanderlust
WINNER A Shadow of Dara
The Eve
Love in Motion
Arcade Girl
The Path of Avarice
Minotauress​

Best Documentary
In The Name of Comedy
WINNER By Spoon! The Jay Meisel Story
Nobody Dies Here
Courage of Her Convictions
The World of Dennis Patton
​
Best Cinematography
WINNER The Other Side of Love
The Modern Man is Beat
Butterfly
Horseshoe Theory
Spark
Standing Eight
Touching in Texas

Best Experimental
Love and Pain
Falling in Love A Selfie Short
It Gets Better? (RUNNER UP)
The Truth: A Selfie Short
Shackles of Fury
WINNER The Art of Dreaming

Best Ensemble
WINNER Pasquale's Magic Veal
The Watchtower
Veneration (RUNNER UP)
By Blood
Strayed Out of Compton
East of Hollywood

Top Scripts
Seth Kozak and Angela Kozak for The Angels
Yasir Shah for Happy Endings
Sean Whitley for Becoming Bigfoot
Jess Grant for Eleventh Earl of Getzford
Robin Jennings for Solstice (RUNNER UP)
Debra Johnson for The Brumbles
WINNER Debra Markowitz for Couple of Guys
Debra Markowitz for Brothers

WINNER
Student Nominations, Awards held on Saturday March 4th at 8:15:
Best Actor
WINNER Dylan Markiewicz Good Cop, Sad Cop
Gys De Villiers for Checkmate
Connor Hines for Foreign Sounds
Jeremy Sande for Cattle Call
Josh Cohen for Burnt Ashes
Alexander Robinson for Hound House
Stephen Bodossian for Church

Best Actress
Steph Tregillies for When Randy Was Here
Sherri Eakin for Cattle Call
WINNER Lauren Greene for My Name Is
Chelsea Holmes in Emma Inspired
Keala Kern for My Name is Grace
Anne-Marie Agbodj for Foreign Sounds
Makenzi Koyen for The Morning After

Best Director College
Jade Chamberlain for My Name is Grace
Rachel Varela for Cattle Call
Tiara Montgomery for Hi, My Name Is
Stephan Bodossian for Church
Michelle Martinez for The Morning After
WINNER Eric Shahinian for Foreign Sounds

Best Director High School/K-12
Tiny
When Randy was Here
Good Cop, Sad Cop
WINNER Hindsight
Sock Monster
Balloons

Best Comedy Short Film
Good Cop, Sad Cop
When Randy was Here
Hi, My Name Is
Emma Inspired
The Morning After
WINNER Church

Best Student Film High School
Tiny
When Randy was Here
WINNER Good Cop, Sad Cop
Hindsight
Sock Monster
Balloons

Best NJ Short
WINNER Checkmate
Burnt Ashes
Church
Hi, My Name Is
Extra 1104
The Morning After
When Randy was Here

Best Concept
Extra 1104
Checkmate
Hound House
Silence
Foreign Sounds
WINNER The Morning After
Burnt Ashes

Best Experimental
WINNER Sock Monster
Hindsight
Tiny
Degeneration
Voyager
Balloons

Best Cinematography
Hound House
My Name is Grace
WINNER Emma Inspired
Cattle Call
Foreign Sounds
Checkmate

March 2017 Festival Achievement Awards

NJ Achievement in The Art of Acting "The Tom Parisi" Award: Dan Grimaldi
Rising Star Award: Addison Eisenberg
Audience Award: Second Escape