Find out which 20 films are headed to the big screen finals at Film Prize in Shreveport
It's that time of year where the summer vacations are coming to an end and the Louisiana Prize Foundation begins making its preparations for the annual Prize Fest in downtown Shreveport in October.
Over the next week, the announcements for who made it into the finals for each category of Prize Fest will be taking place. Keep checking back here to see who will go on to compete in the 2023 Comedy, Music, Food, Fashion and Film Prizes.
Film Prize
This is the Prize that started it all and now it's time to find out what 20 films are headed to the big screen finals to battle it out for the trophy, bragging rights and the $50,000 grand prize.
Filmmakers across the world are invited to participate in Film Prize and a mentor judge panel and the Prize Fest audience will vote to choose the grand prize winner during the second weekend of the festival.
For its 12th year, filmmakers from across the state and country made the trip to Louisiana to shoot their films to qualify for the big prize. Over the years Film Prize has made an impact on both filmmaking in Northwest Louisiana and the local economy, generating over $30 million in economic activity for the region.
Each film is required to be between 5 and 15 minutes in length with the production taking place in Louisiana. The winning filmmaker will take home $25,000 if they shot in Louisiana and $50,000 if they shot in Caddo Parish. Additionally, the top five films will each receive a $1,000 cash prize and up to five films will be awarded a $3,000 reimbursable grant to support a film project for the 2024 Film Prize.
To date, the Film Prize Foundation has granted over $500,000 in cash prizes to independent filmmakers.
A national selection committee have watched and reviewed all of the submissions and the 20 films headed to Film Prize are:
David Long - The Artiste
Gray Fagan - The Ballad of Mae Rose
Caleb Lemon - Bug
Monique Derouselle - The Candy Lady
Gian Smith - The Capitalist
Chris Evans - Caught on Tape
Clayton Henderson & Tamra Davis - Clownfish
Jeremy Enis - Criterion
Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz - Dead Flesh
Geno and Josh Munds - For the Love of Balls
Matthew Eli Judd & Carlos Jimenez - I Am
Christine Chen - Jamgasm
RJ Rosasco - Legacy
Charles Jones - Loving You Is Complicated
Kaitlyn Brown - Off Sides
Jacob McSharma - Pink Suit Black Suit
Carlos Jimenez - Tongues of Fire
Hannah Dorsett Floyd - Wedding War
Brandon Kotfila - Xulectra
Jaclyn Bethany - The Yellow Bird
"Film Prize serves as a catalyst for cultivating the potential of independent filmmakers in Northwest Louisiana," said Prize Foundation Founder and Executive Director Gregory Kallenberg. "We wholeheartedly encourage all those who value and champion the indie filmmaking community to join us at Film Prize, as together, we can illuminate the brilliance of these remarkable films and the talents behind them."
The Louisiana Prize Fest will take place October 13 - 15 and October 19 - 21, for more information on the festival including how to purchase tickets, visit the Prize Fest website.
Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Check out the 20 films headed to Shreveport's annual Film Prize
