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 |