Denver Underground Film Festival

Join us Denver Underground Film Festival

Schedule:

06:00 Pm Doors Open

06:30 Pm Music Videos

Huliali (Гуляли)

Artist: Kozak Siromakha.

Director: Igor Pavluk. Ukraine.

Music Video. 2:37 Minutes. 2019. 

Award: Honorable Mention For Representing 

The Culture Of Ukraine Through Music And Spoken Word.

Standing By A River

Artist: Carla Sciaky.

Director: Steef Sealy. Boulder, Co.

Music Video. 5:20 Minutes. 2024.

A Cappella Song With Four Voices By Carla Sciaky. 

From The Album "Heart Of The Swan", Propinquity Records.

Award: First Place, Best Music Video 2024.

Al Kharif (Oud Music)

Artist: Tito Malaga.

Music Video. 4:08 Minutes. 2019.

Director: Tito Malaga. Denver, Co / Morocco.

Agua Y Arena (Water And Sand)

Artist: Tito Malaga.

Director: Tito Malaga. Denver, Co / Morocco.

Music Video. 4:21 Minutes. 2021.

Award: Honorable Mention For Excellence In Cinematography

And A Longstanding Musical Career In Colorado.

Heartshine

Artist: Verena, Featuring Ojo De Luna Band.

Directors: Jacob Montano And Verena Fuentes. Denver, Co. 

Music Video. 4:46 Minutes. 2024.

Hand-Painted/Animated By Verena Fuentes.

Award: Honorable Mention For Integrating Hand Painted Animation

In A Live Action Music Video.

Till The Day

Artist: Verena.

Director: Daniel Cano. Mexico City, Mexico.

Music Video. 4:22 Minutes. 2022.

Narrative Short

Black Metal

Director: Michael Hyon Johnson. Denver, Co.

Narrative Short. 15:00 Minutes. 2023.

A Black Teen Is Determined To Make It As A Heavy Metal Artist 

In Defiance Of His Father, A Failed Jazz Musician.

Award: First Place, Best Colorado Narrative Short.

Animated Shorts Program

Laffoon: Tales From The Quarter

Director: Jack Hutsey. New Orleans. La.

Animated Short. 4:48 Minutes. 2024.

When A Trendy Real Estate Development Looms Over New Orleans’ Colorful French Quarter, 

The Eccentric, Self-Appointed Mayor Must Unite His Eclectic Community’s 

Feuding Factions To Fight The Gentrifiers And Keep The Quarter Weird.

Award: First Place, Best Animated Short Of 2024.

Ballad Of A Bleeding Heart

Director: Fuzhi Zhao. Brooklyn, Ny.

Stop Motion Animation. 8:31 Minutes. 2024.

Roach Wants To Show People That She Is A Good Cockroach. 

With Her Friend Puppet They Help Various Creatures, But Puppet’s 

Old Enemy Finds Them And Roach Steps Up To Become An Unlikely Hero.

Award: First Place, Best Stop Motion Animated Short Of 2024.

The Last Snow

Director: Shayan Naghibi. Iran. 

Stop Motion Animation. 3:35 Minutes. 2023.

Everything Can Disappear, Like The Fall Of The Last Snowflake.

Award: Second Place, Stop Motion Animated Short.

Nerd

Director: Gustavo Andres Menese. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Animated Short. 3:10. 2024.

Gus Is Following His Path To Understanding Reality Through 

Science And What We Truly Are.

Award: Second Place, Animated Short.

The Almost Believable Bunny

Director: Daniel Roche. Urbana, Il.

Animated Short. 9:00. 2024.

A Cat Named Donna Knows In Her Heart-Of-Hearts She Is A Bunny. 

She Bravely Defies The Backyard Norms And Embraces Her True Identity, 

But Acorns Fly When The Squirrels Fiercely Reject Her Transition.

Intermission

Narrative And Experimental Shorts Program

Due Dilligence

Director: Peter Nepi. Denver, Co.

Narrative Short. 13:27. 2019.

A Young Idealistic Teacher Struggles With His Job As He Clashes With A Troubled Student.

Due Diligence Is A Love Letter To All Teachers And Educators.

Award Winner: Third Place, Colorado Narrative Short.

The Meeting

Directors: Kevin Hart, Steef Sealy. Highlands Ranch, Co. 

Narrative Short. 7:07. 2024.

A Lowly Office Worker Encounters Unrelenting Pressure From His Co-Workers 

To Lead A Meeting He Is Not Prepared For.

Award Winner: Best Of Fest And First Place, Best Cinematography. 

Sylvia Says Goodbye

Director: John Sylva. Los Angeles, Ca.

Narrative Short. 3:55 Minutes. 2024.

It Was Time.

Award Winner: Honorable Mention For Continuous Excellence In Filmmaking.

The Gate

Director: Philip Cooney. Spring. Tx.

Narrative Short. 15:00 Minutes. 2021.

A Man Wakes Up In The Afterlife And Finds Himself Represented By A 

Jaded Celestial Attorney On Whom His Soul’s Destinations Depends.

The Judgment Of Jonathan Crest

Director: Eddie Portoghese. Denver, Co.

Narrative Short. 14:45 Minutes. 2024.

Jonathan Crest Is A Staunch Unbeliever Of An Afterlife. 

His Convictions Are About To Be Tested In The Most Extraordinary Way Imaginable.

Image Dance

Director: John Dawson. Boulder, Co. 2023.

Experimental Short. 

This Short Film Is 100% Hand Made By Drawing, Painting And Scratching 

Directly Onto 16mm And Super 8 Film Stock.

My Films Are All About Motion And Having Fun!

Award Winner: Second Place, Best Experimental Short Shot On Film.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Director: Deven Verma. Boulder, Co.

Experimental Short. 8:09. 2023.

Hyperbolic Retellings Of Tropes Surrounding Consumerism And Advertising. 

Narrative Without Plot. Meaning Without Resolution. Structure As Narrative. 

Characters As Symbols As Opposed To Vehicles For Identification.

Award Winner: Second Place, Found Footage Short Film.

Clear

Director: Hogan Seidel. Boston, Ma.

Experimental Short. 6:20 Minutes. 2024.

Clear Is A Visceral Confrontation With The Illusion Of "Safety," 

Where Altered 16mm Footage And Layered Audio Reveal The Quiet 

Violence Surveillance Imposes On Trans And Gender-Nonconforming Bodies.

Clear Ice Fern

Director: Mark Street. Nyc, Ny.

Experimental Short. 12:00 Minutes. 2023.

Images Shot Through Architectural Glass On Super 8 Film 

In The Dead Of Night In Nyc. The City Peeks Its Head In 

As An Off Screen Character, But The Glass Bends And Twists 

It In Its Own Warped And Wonderful Way.

Lyfe

Director: Daniel Roche. Urbana, Il.

Experimental Short. 10:00. 2023.

“Lyfe” Is Virtual World Created For Everyone's Happiness. 

When Paul Decides To Return To Reality The Ai Refuses 

And He Must Learn To Live In A Simulation Not Unlike Our Own

Another Rapid Event

Director: Daniel Murphy. Milwaukee, Wi.

Experimental Short. 7:55 Minutes. 2024.

In 1859, Two Telegraph Operators Communicate Using The Radiant Energy 

From A Massive Solar Storm As Their Sole Power Source. In 2012, 

The Radiation From A Comparable Solar Storm Narrowly Misses The Earth.

Award Winner: Second Place, Nature Experimental Short.

Ai Generated Shorts

Something I Do Not Want

Director: Vasco Diogo. Lisbon, Portugal.

Experimental Film. 

A Day Dream Trip Around The Figure Of Vasco Diogo, Using Only A Mobile 

Phone And Several Artificial Intelligence Apps. Something I Do Not Want

Award: Third Place, Ai Animated Short And Honorable Mention For Continuous Excellence In 

Experimental Filmmaking.

Deep Time Of Latent Space

Director: Eric Souther. Michigan.

Ai Experimental Short. 9:59. 2024.

The Strata Of Human Activity As Another Layer Of The Anthropocene, 

Which Places Ai Into The Realm Of Geological Thinking.

Award Winner: Second Place, Best Ai Generated Short And Second Place, Experimental Short.

The Good, The Bad And The Bloodthirsty (Ep1)

Director: John Kalning. Usa. 

Animated Short. 10:00 Minuters. 2024.

Driven By A Dark Personal History This Gothic Western Delves Deep Into 

Themes Of Love, Redemption, And The Eerie Boundaries That Blur Man And Monster.

Award: First Place, Ai Animated Short.

Duff 2024 Award Winners

Best Of Fest

The Meeting

Directors: Kevin Hart, Steef Sealy. Highlands Ranch, Co.

First Film Submitted And Festival Opening Film

Enter The Room

Director: Harry Waldman. Chicago, Il.

Best Director

1. The Meeting

   Directors: Kevin Hart, Steef Sealy. Highlands Ranch, Co.

2. The Itch

   Director: Gordon Phillips. Palm Springs, Ca.

3. Laffoon: Tales From The Quarter

   Director: Jack Hutsey. New Orleans. La.

Best Narrative Short

1. The Itch

   Director: Gordon Phillips. Palm Springs, Ca.

2. Couch

   Director: Ross Chavez. Chicago, Il.

3. The Door Back

   Director: Jillian W Fudali. Los Angeles, Ca.

Best Experimental Short

1. Oscillating Sporadically

   Directors: Gabby Follett Sumney, Hogan Seidel. State College, Pa.

2. A Mountain Is Like A House.

   Director: Stephan Hillerbrand, Mary Magsamen. Houston, Tx.

3. Revelation To The Disembodied

   Director: Andre Silva. Wilmington, Nc.

Best Narrative Experimental Short

1. Zakhme

   Director: Soore Vahe. Iran.

2. Feedback Loop

   Director: Thomas Nelsen. Denver, Co. 

2. Ithinkifigureditout

   Director: Colleen Lee. Evergreen, Co.

Best Experimental Animation

1. Despite

   Director: Kate Raney. Athens, Oh.

2. Revelation To The Disembodied

   Director: Andre Silva. Wilmington, Nc.

3. Cry For Help

   Director: Brandon Murphy, Devin Nutt. Stillwell, Ks.

Best Nature Experimental Short

1. Tides

   Director: Andre Silva. Wilmington, Nc.

2. Another Rapid Event

   Director: Daniel Murphy. Milwaukee, Wi.

3. Silent Chirping Of Invisible Digits (Das Feine Zirpen Einer Dunkelziffer)

   Director: Vera Sebert. Austria/Germany.

Best Animated Short

1. Laffoon: Tales From The Quarter

   Director: Jack Hutsey. New Orleans. La.

2. The Good, The Bad And The Bloodthirsty (Ep1)

   Director: John Kalning. Usa. 

3. Nerd

  Director: Gustavo Andres Menese. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Best Stop Motion Animation

1. Ballad Of A Bleeding Heart

   Director: Fuzhi Zhao. Brooklyn, Ny.

2. The Last Snow

   Director: Shayan Naghibi. Iran.

Best Narrative Animation In A New Medium

1. Golden Sea

   Director: Erik Sémashkin. Ukraine / France.

   For Utilizing Fish As Talent In A Narrative Short.

Best Ai Generated Animation

1. The Good, The Bad And The Bloodthirsty (Ep1)

   Director: John Kalning. Usa

2. Deep Time Of Latent Space

   Director: Eric Souther. Michigan.

3. Something I Do Not Want

   Director: Vasco Diogo. Lisbon, Portugal.

Best Experimental 3d Animation

1. Effigy House

   Director: Deb Ethier. Canada .

Best Documentary

1. Black Raven

   Director: George Wyhinny. Ukraine / Los Angeles, Ca.

2. The Wintering Grounds

   Director: Jeff Springer. Columbus, Ga / Nyc.

3. Embroidered Whispers

   Director: Rongyu Zhou. China.

Best Experimental Documentary

1. Eighteen Mill Street

   Director: Josh Weissbach. East Haddam, Ct / Sweden / Kherson, Ukraine.

2. Sml 

   Director: Eleni Morchadze. Ilysa Spencer. Milwaukee, Wi / Republic Of Georgia / Ukraine.

Best Lgbtq+ Narrative Short

1. Masc

   Director: Jason Eldredge. Los Angeles, Ca.

2. Couch

   Director: Ross Chavez. Chicago, Il.

3. A Careful Whisper

   Director: Makayla Levy. Denver, Co.

Best Music Video

1. Standing By A River

   Artist: Carla Sciaky.

   Director: Steef Sealy. Boulder, Co.

Best Narrative Short Cinematography 

1. The Meeting

   Directors: Kevin Hart, Steef Sealy. Highlands Ranch, Co.

2. The Itch

   Director: Gordon Phillips. Palm Springs, Ca.

3. Hot Samantha

   Director: Frank Zanella. Brescia, Italy / Los Angeles, Ca.

Best Found Footage Short

1. Dear, When I Met You

   Director: Craig Smith. Los Angeles, Ca. 

2. Comply

   Director: Padrick Sean Ritch. Michigan, Usa.

3. Pineapple Upside Down Cake

  Director: Deven Verma. Boulder, Co

Best Use Of Film On Film

1. Oscillating Sporadically (35mm)

   Directors: Gabby Follett Sumney, Hogan Seidel. State College, Pa.

2. Image Dance (16mm)

   Director: John Dawson. Boulder, Co. 2023.

Best Narrative Short Screenplay

1. Inversion

   Director: Xiaoki Peng. China.

2. Wellness Check

   Director: Tyler Holme. Denver, Co.

3. Lurker

   Director: Savanna Wrobel. Usa.

Colorado Awards

Best Colorado Director

1. Black Metal

   Director: Michael Hyon Johnson. Denver, Co. 

2. The Judgment Of Jonathan Crest

   Director: Eddie Portoghese. Denver, Co.

3. Due Dilligence

   Director: Peter Nepi. Denver, Co.

Best Colorado Narrative Short

1. Black Metal

   Director: Michael Hyon Johnson. Denver, Co. 

2. The Muse & Her Author

   Director: Jordan Spalding. Denver, Co.

3. Wellness Check

   Director: Tyler Holme. Denver, Co.

Best Colorado Narrative Experimental Short

1. Ithinkijustfigureditout

   Director: Colleen Lee. Evergreen, Co.

2. Feedback Loop

   Director: Thomas Nelsen. Denver, Co.

Best Colorado Screenplay

1. The Muse & Her Author

   Director: Jordan Spalding. Denver, Co.

2. The Judgment Of Jonathan Crest

   Director: Eddie Portoghese. Denver, Co.

3. Due Dilligence

   Director: Peter Nepi. Denver, Co.

Best Colorado Cinematography

1. The Judgment Of Jonathan Crest

   Director: Eddie Portoghese. Denver, Co.

2. Black Metal

   Director: Michael Hyon Johnson. Denver, Co.

2. Due Dilligence

   Director: Peter Nepi. Denver, Co.

Best Colorado Lgbtq+ Narrative Short

1. A Careful Whisper

   Director: Makayla Levy. Denver, Co.

Honorable Mentions

Director: John Sylva. Los Angeles, Ca.

For Continuous Excellence In Filmmaking.

Director: Vasco Diogo. Lisbon, Portugal.

For Continuous Excellence In Experimental Filmmaking.

Director: Camila Dron. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

For Pioneering Cyanotype Filmmaking.

Director: Brandon Murphy, Devin Nutt. Stillwell, Ks.

For Excellence In Animation Screenwriting.

Director: Ed Mizner. Redondo Beach, Ca.

For Continuous Excellence In Filmmaking.

Artist: Kozak Siromakha. Ukraine.

For Representing The Culture Of Ukraine 

Through Music And Spoken Word.

Clear

Director: Hogan Seidel. Boston, Ma.

For Bringing Awareness Of Surveillance

On Trans And Gender-Nonconforming Bodies.

Director: Anne Ciecko. Amherst, Pa. 

For Representing Ukrainian Culture On Film.

Director: William Briggs. Denver, Co.

For Continuous Excellence In Filmmaking In Colorado.

Director: Martin Del Carpio. Venezuela/Nyc.

For Continuous Excellence In Experimental Filmmaking.

Artist: Tito Malaga.

For Excellence In Cinematography And A Longstanding 

Musical Career In Colorado.

Artist: Verena

For Integrating Hand Painted Animation

In The Live Action Video Heartshine.

Director: Padrick Ritch.

For Continuous Excellence In Experimental Filmmaking.

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