Cooking, green energy, global security and an African lion conservation project are among selections for Best of Festival-Grand Prix in the 2016 US International Film & Video Festival. The nominees, in Corporate, Education, Entertainment and Documentary, represent nine countries.
Nominees in Corporate:
- “Punctuation,” by Khaki Films, Tunbridge Wells, UK, follows a family dealing with HIV, but also addresses the broader issue of how people with HIV manage their long-term health. It was supported by Gilead Sciences Europe, a research-based biopharmaceutical company.
- “Wattway – Solar Road,” from Colas, a French civil engineering firm based in Paris, tells of a test project using roadway solar panels to generate energy. The project is a collaboration between the National Institute of Solar Energy and Colas. Arizona Films, Brussels, was the production company.
- “Let’s Dream of a New World,” from Dounia Productions, Casablanca, Morocco, expands through elaborate sets and settings the movement of BMCE Bank to become global.
Nominees in Education:
- "Eats and Beats Show: Fun and Tasty Norimaki" from the Cooking Channel. It was entered by NHK, Tokyo.
- "Touch the Limits: Being Better When It Counts," from the Swiss Armed Forces, Electronic Media Center, Bern, Switzerland, was done for SPHAIR, a flight aptitude testing company in Dübendorf. It reveals the challenges faced by young men who want to be parascouts.
Nominees in Entertainment:
- "Alamat: Alamat ng Bayabas (The Legend of The Guava)" from the Filipino weekly anime Alamat. The program features voices of various artists from GMA Network Inc., Quezon City.
- “Barefoot in LA,” featuring the Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten cooking with celebrities Neil Patrick Harris and Jennifer Garner. It was done by Pacific Television, London, for Food Network, New York.
Nominees in Documentary:
- “Stuck in Yemen,” from Russia Today, Moscow, an English-language news channel, is coverage of the evacuation of U.S. and U.K. citizens from Yemen following air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
- "John Pilger: Paris, ISIS and Media Propaganda," also from Russia Today, Moscow, features a discussion with John Pilger, journalist and author who offers his views on how Washington, London and Paris gave birth to ISIS.
- "Reel Time: Isang Paa sa Hukay (The Price of Gold),” from GMA News TV & GMA Network Inc., Quezon City, tells the story of young children who risk their lives diving down narrow shafts in search of little pieces of gold. It was written and directed by the show’s executive producer, Jayson Bernard Santos.
- "Wild Weather with Richard Hammond – Episode 1: Wind – The Invisible Force," produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios, Vienna, features journalist Richard Hammond investigating how wind actually starts.
- "Vanishing Kings – Lions of the Namib" was done by Interspot Film GmbH, Vienna, for ORF, the national public service broadcaster based in Vienna. The film features wildlife filmmakers Will and Lianne Steenkamp and Dr. Flip Stander’s Desert Lion Conservation project.
The Best of Festival winners will be announced June 14 along with the winner of the One World Award, which is given by the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ) to the entry that best represents global cooperation and issues. IQ members also selected the Best of Festival winners.
The 'Best" nominees are also First Place Gold Camera winners. All Gold Camera, Silver Screen and Certificate winners in the US International Film & Video Festival can be viewed at www.filmfestawards.com.
