The Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series Announces the Winners of its 2014 Summer Series
Jury selects “Zela Trovke” by Asier Altuna First Place Winner; 2014 Audience Award goes to “Helium” by Anders Walter
SEPTEMBER 14, 2014 (BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA) – The Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series announces the winners of its 2014 summer series, as selected by its 7-person jury. Zela Trovke (Spain/Netherlands) by Asier Altuna came in first place, followed by Helium (Denmark) by Anders Walter in second place. Third place went to Baghdad Messi (UAE/Belgium) by Sahim Omar Kalifa. The 2014 Audience Award went to Helium by Anders Walter.
The Big Sur International Short Film Screen Series Jury consists of composer Philip Glass, musician and artist Laurie Anderson, actress Kirsten Dunst, Oscar-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, producer/film director Michael Polish, film editor Susan Littenberg, and film producer Lawrence Inglee.
Recognized as one of the most exciting and innovative short film series in the world, the Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series’ 2014 installment — its ninth since its inception in 2005 — was its most successful to date, receiving over 1,000 submissions from over 80 countries. The Screening Series has no submission fees or restrictions on content or genre.
The Series’ screening committee whittled down the 1,000-plus submissions to 54 films, which were screened across the summer. Every Thursday night in June, July, and August, hundreds of visitors came to the Henry Miller Memorial Library — a 501 (c) non profit art center and the Series’ “parent” organization — to watch four of five of these films. A selection of ‘finalists’ were subsequently sent to the Series Jury who then selected the “best of the best.”
“It seems like we say it every year, but we were particularly blown away by the breadth, diversity, and consistent quality of this year’s selections,” said Series Director Magnus Toren. “You never really know what to expect. One program can include a surrealist comedy from Mexico followed by a heart-warming animated film from Norway followed by a searing documentary from Somalia. These were powerful films that spoke to the core elements of our humanity, films that transcended language and culture.”
“I’d like to thank every filmmaker who made a submission as well as our ever-thoughtful Jury for taking the time to view the extensive list of finalists. Next year will mark the Series’ 10th anniversary and we’re already excited for what should be a landmark year.”
The Series is now accepting submissions for its 2015 installment. To submit and for more information regarding the series, as well as previous selections and winners, visit bigsurfilm.org.