NBCUniversal continued their 13th year of being the only short film festival created and put on by an entertainment studio primarily dedicated to celebrating the importance of diversity in entertainment and discovering the next generation of storytellers.
The awards ceremony to recognize the top six finalists took place at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood. All six finalists were in attendance for the final screening and presentation of winners. As the event began, finalists along with their cast and crew walked on the red carpet to get interviewed and photographed for their achievements throughout their creative journey on highlighting diverse topics in their films.
Zainab Johnson hosted the night and presented all the finalist film’s, the audience members in attendance were able to watch the final screening of the shorts consisting of: “Masks” the story about a closeted Persian woman’s experience after surviving a mass shooting, “Monday” telling of a conflicted young hustler who’s forced to confront the immorality of his occupation, “Kyenvu” short film about a young Ugandan woman who struggles to find her footing in a patriarchal society that entitles men to women’s bodies, “Rani” shines light on a socially outcasted transgender Pakistani woman who sets out to take care of an abandoned child, “B.U.T.S: Spanish Class” a short episode from a web series that parodies and satirizes the many ‘afflictions’ of the modern-day woman told through a Latina lens, and “We Know Where You Live” a comedic take on the on-going gentrification problem in LA, and how one particular Mexican-American family is faced with their hipster neighbors.
Every single short film highlighted a different story, extremely prevalent in today’s society, which is why it was no surprise how many of these films won multiple awards for their contribution to the festival. Awards were presented from industry talent such as; Melissa Barrera, Melissa Fumero, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Joseph Lee, Lyric Lewis, Trace Lysette, Kay Oyegun, Tess Paras, Claudia Puig, Mary Sohn, Kellee Stewart, David E. Talbert, and Wilmer Valderrama.
Following the awards ceremony was an after party for the award winning finalists and guests. NBCUniversal hosted a grand event filled with music, art, food, drinks, photo station, shortfest goodies and so much more! Finalists got to mingle all night in the VIP section and celebrate their achievements, while also building their networking. This Short Film Festival was definitely a highlight for the film industry.
List of 2018 NBCUniversal Short Film Festival Awards:
HARNESS Social Impact Award: “Kyenvu”
Outstanding Comedy: “B.U.T.S: Spanish Class”
Outstanding Drama: “Masks”
Outstanding Actor: Kevin David Lin, “Monday”
Outstanding Director: Dinh Thai, “Monday”
Next Generation Filmmaker Award: Dinh Thai, “Monday”
Critics’ Choice Award: “Masks”
Audience Award: “Masks”
Outstanding Writer: Hammad Rizvi, “Rani”n
