Congratulations to our 2021 Award Winners!!
Top Awards
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Best of Show | Tempus | Amogh Thakkar | River Hill HS |
Best Cinematography | Tempus | Amogh Thakkar | River Hill HS |
Best Screenplay | Make a Wish | Elijah Edwards | Madison Memorial / Children’s Film Academy of Madison |
Most Inspirational | The Working Man | Matteo Zavaglia | Westminster Christian Academy |
Alternative
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Tempus | Amogh Thakkar | River Hill HS |
White Lion | The Color of Consciousness | Matteo Zavaglia | Westminster Christian Academy |
Mountain Lion | Proof of Residency | Spencer Sabath | Highland Park HS |
Finalist | Picnic | Darla Matches | Middletown HS South |
Finalist | Sleepless Night | Benjamin Turnquest | Homewood-Flossmoor Community HS |
Finalist | Coming Up for Air | Laila Sparks | Troy Athens HS |
Animation
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | The Homo Sapien Virus | Andrew Wang | Adlai E Stevenson HS |
White Lion | Ruth and Nick: A Confectionery Tale | Carter Rostron | Pembroke Hill School |
Mountain Lion | I Want Them to Know | Maura Collins | Middletown HS South |
Finalist | Beauty | Lexi Ziobro | Middletown HS South |
Finalist | Seed | Elizabeth Lappano | Alan B. Shepard HS |
Finalist | Immersion | Stephen | Middletown HS South |
Comedy
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Flat Line | Abby Estrada | Grandin Theatre Film Lab |
White Lion | Life After Death | Sophie Jackson, Maura Collins | Middletown HS South |
Mountain Lion | Mermaids Specifically | Nick Lusardi | Alpena HS |
Finalist | Perso Nella Salsa | Reese Robers | Grandin Theatre Film Lab |
Finalist | The Muggers | Jeffery Wu | Troy HS |
Finalist | The Elf on the Shelf 2: Saving Christmas | Braedon Ryle | Randall K. Cooper HS |
Commercials
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | HPTV Athletics Commercial | Ben Fitzsimons | Highland Park HS |
White Lion | HipCat Records | Halle Sanders, Ian Quiles, Maddie Murokh | Glenbrook South HS |
Mountain Lion | ACA Commercial | Owen Riley, Jack Riley, Benny Farbstein, Seth Estes, Riley Morris | Academy of Cinematic Arts |
Finalist | Something for Everyone | Jessie Arlinghaus | Randall K Cooper HS |
Informational/Educational
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | An Ecosystem on the Line | Steven Simpson | East Stroudsburg Senior High School South |
White Lion | ACA Informational Film | Owen Riley, Jack Riley, Benny Farbstein, Seth Estes, Riley Moris | Academy of Cinematic Arts |
Mountain Lion | How to Edit Your Photos | Ben Fitzsimons | Highland Park High School |
Finalist | Jess Ssej’s Tips and Tricks for Virtual Learning | Jessie Arlinghaus | Randall K. Cooper HS |
Long Documentary
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Outspoken Narrative – Episode 6: The Arctic Refuge | Eshan Vishwakarma | John Randolph Tucker HS |
White Lion | No Human Being is Illegal | Samuel Villagra-Stanton | John Adams HS |
Mountain Lion | Taking a Seat for Justice: The 504 Sit-In | Thomas Huang | Winston Churchill HS |
Finalist | Our Truth—The Diversity Alliance | Russell Yoh, Quinn Luong, Roch Parayre, Kethan Srinivasan, Ryan Ngo, AJ Sanford, Christopher Schwarting, Chase Nelson | The Haverford School |
Finalist | Outspoken Narrative – Episode 7: The Capitol Under Siege | Eshan Vishwakarma | John Randolph Tucker HS |
Finalist | Youth on BLM | Ayana Ahuja | The Madeira School |
Long Narrative
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Make a Wish | Elijah Edwards | Madison Memorial / Children’s Film Academy of Madison |
White Lion | Morgen Ludwig – The Stray Dog | Morgen Ludwig | Carmel High School |
Mountain Lion | Angora | Galen Cunningham | Fine Arts Center of Greenville |
Finalist | Red Snow | Erik Jaman | New Trier High School |
Finalist | Reflection | Ethan Erdman | Mason Middle School |
Finalist | The Humanity Test | Samuel Mitchell, Lily Kaplan | Sidwell Friends School |
Middle School
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | unbuntu | Konner Turner | Downriver Detroit Student Film Consortium |
White Lion | Sky High | Sean Zielinski | Homeschool |
Mountain Lion | First Chair | Matthew Wilson | Downriver Detroit Student Film Consortium |
Finalist | The Kite Genie | Luis Campos, Evan Mischnick, Wyatt Elma, Will Koester, Derek Mischnick | Academy of Cinematic Arts |
Finalist | The Trusting Tree | Elizabeth Yeager, Madelyn Pergrem, Ainslee Lloyd, Amelia Eshman | Academy of Cinematic Arts |
Finalist | 60 Seconds | Seraphina Jerome | Bonnie Branch Middle School |
Music Video
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | X-Ray | Martaize Smith | Hope Community |
White Lion | Black Girls Fly 2 | Tez Smith | Hope Community Best Buy Teen Tech Center |
Mountain Lion | Wishful Thinking | Bridget Leary | Vernon Hills HS |
Finalist | Go | Zachery Crew, De’Quan Jones | Downriver Detroit Student Film Consortium |
Finalist | Penny for Your Thoughts | Jack Raese, Erik Jaman | New Trier HS |
Finalist | Orange Crush | Benjamin Turnquest, Eliana D’Astici, Gianna Smith, Adam Freeman | Homewood Flossmoor HS |
New Story
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Fasnacht Day | Maguire Younes | Hempfield HS |
White Lion | Learning Situation in District 113 | Ben Fitzsimons | Highland Park HS |
Public Service Announcement
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | You Need to Vote | Amogh Thakkar | River Hill HS |
White Lion | Texting with Your Nose | Adam Zheng | Williamsville North HS |
Mountain Lion | Surprise | Laura Claire Walker | Hempfield HS |
Finalist | Baking in the Bathroom | Tyler Harding | Walled Lake Northern HS |
Finalist | The Ripple | Shannon Germaine | Clonlara School, Off-Campus Program |
Finalist | PSA Drunk Driving | Alexander (Xander) Hughes | Hempfield HS |
Short Documentary
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Human Endogenous Retrovirus | Amogh Thakkar | River Hill HS |
White Lion | Sunrises | Henry Armstrong | New Trier HS |
Mountain Lion | A Walk in the Forest | Adam Zheng | Williamsville North HS |
Finalist | Sam Brief Documentary | Ben Fitzsimons | Highland Park HS |
Finalist | P.E.T.S. | Andrei Thuler | Lycee Francais de Chicago |
Finalist | Plastic Crisis: Our Oceans in Peril | Shannon Germaine | Clonlara School, Off-Campus Program |
Short Narrative
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | A Bag’s Life | Wyatt Knoell, Malcolm Moses | The Prairie School |
White Lion | The Working Man | Matteo Zavaglia | Westminster Christian Academy |
Mountain Lion | Signaled | Joseph Suarez, Sovereign Suarez | Lima Senior HS |
Finalist | All Eyes on Me | Bridget Leary | Vernon Hills HS |
Finalist | Bury the Truth | Arman Taheri | University School |
Finalist | Her | Samuel Mitchell | Sidwell Friends School |
Trailers
AWARD | FILM TITLE | STUDENTS | SCHOOL |
Golden Lion | Finding Innocence | Eliana D’Astici, Benjamin Turnquest | Homewood Flossmoor HS |
White Lion | The Last Resort Trailer | Braedon Ryle | Randall K. Cooper HS |
Mountain Lion | Corona Stars | Nia Amour | East Orange Recreational Center |