Established in 2016 in honor of Moët’s long-standing position as the official champagne of the Golden Globes, the Moët Moment Film Festival celebrated its third year on Wednesday, April 25th, 2018, during the Tribeca Film Festival. The challenge issued to its contestants: create a short film in 60 seconds or less. The theme: celebration!
This year’s all-female judging panel was led by actress Billie Lourd and included the likes of Anke Hofmann (Vice President of HFPA & Journalist), Kisha Imani Cameron (Chief Talent Development Officer of Ghetto Film School), Laura Dern (Actress), Leslie Urdang (President of Mar-Key Pictures), Sharon Badal (Vice President of Filmmaker Relations & Short Programing – Tribeca Film Festival), and Violaine Etienne (Founder of Serial Pictures).
The night started off with a vibrant cocktail hour featuring, of course, Moët & Chandon champagne in fabulous single-serve miniature bottles with elegant golden sip tops. What followed was a Q&A panel with the knowledgable judges and a screening of the twelve finalists’ films. Guests were ushered into a cozy theater at NYC’s Metrograph on Ludlow Street and given buckets of popcorn for the viewing.
During the viewing, the top films were played last in descending order. In third place was Off Season, directed by Hye Na, a delightful tale of a city pup who misses the joys of running free. Second place went to Director Aubrey Smyth’s film The Bout, a heart-wrenching depiction of a cancer survivor’s life, based on a true story. Lastly, the grand prize winner was Director Angelita Mendoza for her film You Deserve It, the harrowing tale of an immigrant’s courageous journey to citizenship. The crowd cheered as each of the winners stepped on stage to say a few words about their film and accept large bottles of Moët signature champagne.
The night ended with a toast to the winners and several rounds of hors d’oeuvres. The Moët Moment Film Festival gives filmmakers from all over the country and from different walks of life the opportunity to showcase their talent, share their passions, and express themselves through the medium of film. They will no doubt continue to mentor budding talent for years to come.
