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The Connecticut Film Festival recently culminated its weeklong cinematic event in Danbury screening independent movies, holding educational workshops and receptions.
The awards ceremony, held at the Amber Room in Danbury honored the festival”™s best independent films in eight categories.
“With more than 130 exceptional films, this was certainly the toughest year to single out only a handful,” said Thomas Carruthers, executive director of the Connecticut Film Festival. “I believe that the audience and judges”™ selections represent the best of what the Connecticut Film Festival has to offer.”
The Audience”™s Award winner for best feature film was a tie between “The Flyboys,” directed by Rocco DeValyours and “The Beverages,” directed by Adam Garcia.
The judges”™ choice for best feature film was “War Eagle Arkansas,” directed by Vincent Insalac.
Other categories were best documentary, best international film, best student film, best short, best animation and best outdoors.
The winner of the Connecticut Filmmaker Award was “Love and Class in Connecticut,” written by Susan Cinoman and directed by her fiancé, Doug Tenaglia.
“With such strong award winners in 2008, we”™re sure that the 2009 Connecticut Film Festival will attract an even more diverse pool of entrants,” Carruthers said.
The film festival also made stops in nine communities throughout the state at theaters in New Canaan, Hartford, Stamford, Norwalk, New Haven, Bethel, Greenwich, Wilton and Trumbull.
According to Carruthers, the festival plans to expand into New London, Mystic and farther into the northeastern reaches of the state.
The organization also has partnered with numerous nonprofit groups to create charity fundraising events which have benefited the American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Hole In The Wall Gang camps.
