The conclusion of the Mammoth Film Festival’s fourth day brought the grand return of the Celebrity Charity Bowling Tournament, an attendee favorite where celebrity competitors rally together for a good cause. Proceeds from the tournament benefited the Mammoth Media Institute, an organization that utilizes the mountain town to bring independent film and television, VR, documentaries, film education, and more to the public including industry professionals, distributors, producers, and financiers.
Due to back-to-back blizzards, the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, was nearly buried under a record-breaking 30 feet of snow. But no matter the weather, the show must go on…
The 2023 Mammoth Film Festival closed on a high note with the inaugural Mammoth Film Festival Awards Luncheon, held at The Fort and presented by Saldo Wines. Festival founders Tanner Beard and Tomik Mansoori, along with Theo Dumont and Alex Chando, hosted the closing ceremony.
With the fifth installment of this star-studded film festival being a success, it provided an impressive film slate of over 84 projects, inclusive of daily world premieres, and featuring 22 international films and 13 world premiere features.
Among the world premieres showcased at the festival was What Did Deborah Do? The film, from actor/writer/director Julius Ritter and starring Carmen Serano (Breaking Bad, Runaways), follows a young screenwriter who has just been released from a stint in a mental institution.
Other films that premiered in the packed theater included On Fire, Rise, Beach House, Julie Last Name, Blueberry Hall, For Good, All Their Worth, Oyakodon, Takbir, and Dreamer.
After all was said and done, the film festival boasted a long list of well-deserved winners including Beach House, Rise, The Engineer, The Duel, Bad Hombres, American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective, and The Many Worlds of George Goodman. The project that took it all, however, was the film Dreamer, bringing home both the Best Picture and Best Actor Awards.
Featuring Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (Babylon), Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Alfredo Castro, Renata Vaca, and newcomer Ari Lopez, Dreamer was inspired by a powerful and true story from the Golden Globe winning producers of Argentina 1985 and executive producer Yalitza Aparicio.
See below for a complete list of winners at the 2023 Mammoth Film Festival Awards.
- Achievement in Filmmaking – Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts for The Duel
- Achievement in Filmmaking, International – Beach House by Hèctor Hernández Vicens
- Achievement in Filmmaking, Music – The Engineer by Danny A. Abeckaser, scored by Lionel Cohen
- Achievement in Filmmaking, Cinematography – Alessandro Abate for Padre Pio
- Achievement in Filmmaking, Writer – Rex New and Nick Turner, story by John Stalberg for Bad Hombres
- Achievement in Filmmaking, Director – Hèctor Hernández Vicens for Beach House
The 2023 Mammoth Gold Award Plates were presented to the following winners.
- Best Action Sports – Citizen Athlete by Brandt Willie, written and produced by Ryan March
- Best Episodic – The Many Worlds of George Goodman, starring and produced by Blair Redford, written and directed by Gregg Bishop
- Best Genre Film, Short – Lucas Needs An Agent, starring, written and directed by Lucas Grabeel
- Best Documentary, Short – Somos by Rafael Pense
- Best Genre Film, Feature – Night Shift, written and directed by Paul and Benjamin China
- Best Documentary, Feature – American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective, starring and produced by Michael Madsen, directed by Dominique Milano
- Audience Award, Short – The Traveler, directed by DL Guerra
- Audience Award, Feature – Two Winners – Rise by Mariette Lee Go, produced by Maurice Fadida, starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Joy Sunday, Chike Okonkwo, Peter Mensah; and The Duel, directed by first-time directors Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts, starring Dylan Sprouse, Patrick Warburton, Hart Denton, Denny Love, and Callan McAuliffe
- Grand Jury Award, Short – The Last Bell, written and directed by Via Lubeck
- Grand Jury Award, Feature – Bad Hombres, starring Thomas Jane, Nick Cassavetes, Paul Johansson, Hemky Madera, Tyrese Gibson, Diego Tinoco, and Luke Hemsworth, produced by David Frigerio, written and directed by John Stalberg, EP Kyle Smithson
- Best Actress, Short – Dana Melanie, Ten Year
- Best Actress, Feature – Sasha Morfaw, Rise
- Best Actor, Short or Episodic – Blair Redford, The Many Worlds of George Goodman
- Best Actor, Feature – Ari Lopez, Dreamer
- Best Picture, Short – El Portafolio, starring Albert Hammond Jr., directed and written by Scottie Cameron
- Best Picture, Feature – Dreamer, starring Ari Lopez, Renata Vaca, Diego Calva, and Jason Patric
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