‘Enforcement Hours,’ ‘Departing Gesture’ Take Top Prizes at TheWrap’s Shortlist Film Festival 2019
ShortList 2019: Two documentaries take top prizes and “No Sanctuary,” by Nathan Knox of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, wins the student competition
Emily Vogel | August 22, 2019 @ 7:42 PM
Last Updated: August 23, 2019 @ 7:58 AM
Photo by Ted Soqui
“Enforcement Hours,” director Paloma Martinez’s timely documentary short about a hotline for immigrants in San Francisco, won the Industry Prize at TheWrap’s Shortlist Film Festival on Thursday.
Brian Bolster and Jonathan Napolitano’s “Departing Gesture,” a documentary short centered on a funeral director in the heart of the South confronted by societal shame and ignorance as he handles the bodies of people who have died of AIDS, took the Audience Prize at an awards ceremony held Thursday at the W Hollywood and hosted by Harvey Guillén, star of FX’s “What We Do in The Shadows.”
“Departing Gesture” directors Jonathan Napolitano and Brian Bolster accept the Audience Prize (Photo by Ted Soqui)
“No Sanctuary,” a short exploring human nature through the personal lens of those who have been affected by America’s indifference to gun violence, won the top prize in the student competition for University of North Carolina School of the Arts student Nathan Knox. His film received the most votes in an online poll.
“Enforcement Hours” tells the true story of the volunteers at the San Francisco Response Network who field calls from scared immigrants who’ve heard about impending ICE raids as well as angry anti-immigrant citizens who want to berate the hotline volunteers or simply tie up the phone lines.
“We found this film to be emotionally compelling, high stakes, timely and have the DNA of present-day America embedded within it,” a jury of industry veterans and award-winning filmmakers said in a statement. “It uses a clever storytelling device to put a face on an issue — without actually using any faces — and compresses a complicated topic we hear about every day into something we can begin to understand and empathize with.”
“Enforcement Hours” and, “Departing Gesture,” which received the most votes in an online poll over the last two weeks, will each receive a cash prize of $1,000.
Producer Moriah Hall of “No Sanctuary” at the ShortList 2019
The ceremony on Thursday featured a screening of select finalist films as well as panel discussions with the filmmakers and jury members moderated by Sharon Waxman, editor-in-chief of TheWrap and Steve Pond, awards editor for TheWrap. The evening wrapped up with a reception where industry vets and up-and-coming filmmakers mingled.
The 12 films in the main competition were a mix of foreign language, drama, comedy and animation created by filmmakers from around the globe.
The four student films from top colleges and universities listed in TheWrap’s ranking of film schools included filmmakers who studied at UNCSA, UCLA, University of Texas at Austin and Chapman University.
This year’s jury members include Topic VP of Development & Video Programming Gena Konstantinakos, “When They See Us” actress Marsha Stephanie Blake, “It’s a Disaster” filmmaker Todd Berger, Bentonville Film Festival President of Programming Wendy Guerrero, “The White Helmets” director Orlando von Einsiedel and 30WEST EVP Tristen Tuckfield.
TheShortlist Film Festival is presented with the generous support of Alexa, Delta, Lionsgate and Topic.
The Scene at ShortList 2018: TheWrap's 7th Annual Short Film Festival (Photos)
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.
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Jurors Dana Gill, Jim Cummings, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Jihan Robinson and Rafael Casal at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Weekends" director Trevor Jimenez at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Student director Cecilia Albertini at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" actress Ellie Dubin and director Charlie Schwan join the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Cecilia Albertini and Andrea Brusa are featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Actress Ellie Dubin, who starred in "The Goodnight Show," at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team and "Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers David Fortune, Dominique Koski, Aqsa Altaf, Charlie Schwan and Cecilia Albertini.
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"Night Shift" team before the awards ceremony at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Night Shift" actor Calvin Picou at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan joins the crowd before the awards ceremony.
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TheWrap team celebrates before the awards ceremony.
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The jurors of the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman kicks off the awards ceremony.
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Sharon Waxman speaks about the selection of short films featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The audience at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival awards ceremony.
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Guests mingle at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Quran Squire and David Fortune.
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Sharon Waxman welcomes guests to the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky speaks at the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Blindspotting" co-writer and star Rafael Casal speaks during the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Juror Jihan Robinson, VP of nonfiction programming at Topic Studios, speaks about the short film format.
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"Thunder Road" filmmaker and Shortlist 2016 winner Jim Cummings joined the jury at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" team before the awards ceremony.
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Guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Guests converse at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Eleven filmmakers sit down to talk about their projects during the panel and awards ceremony.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune speaks about his film during the filmmakers panel.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa speaks about some of the challenges working with a goat in his film.
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Aqsa Altaf, director of the student short "One Small Step," joins the filmmaker panel.
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Student director Aqsa Altaf speaks abut her film, "One Small Step."
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Filmmakers Randall Christopher, Quran Squire and David Fortune meet up during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune takes a selfie with Sharon Waxman and filmmaker Quran Squire.
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Sharon Waxman and filmmakers Quran Squire and Marshall Tyler converse during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan speaks at the filmmakers panel.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler speaks about the challenges of making his film, which is set in a bathroom.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler.
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Program director Landon Zakheim announces the student prize winner, "The Peak."
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TheWrap's awards editor Steve Pond announces the audience prize winner, voted on by the public.
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Co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize for "Magic Alps."
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize on behalf of his co-director, Marco Scotuzzi and the rest of the film's team.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa with Steve Pond after his win.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher accepts the industry prize, voted on by the jury.
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"The Driver Is Red," directed by Randall Christopher, is the industry prize winner.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with jurors Rafael Casal and Jim Cummings.
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Producer Dominique Koski holds the student prize for "The Peak."
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Director Randall Christopher holds the industry prize for "The Driver Is Red."
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with Steve Pond.
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Juror Irene Taylor Brodsky after the awards ceremony.
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Juror Jim Cummings and director Randall Christopher at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winners Randall Christopher and Andrea Brusa.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon with guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winner and director of "The Driver is Red," Randall Christopher.
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Filmmakers and filmgoers gathered at AMC Century City to celebrate this year’s slate of award-winning shorts
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.