Pasadena International Film Festival Caps 72 Hours of World Class Cinema With Awards Ceremony

The 2nd Annual Pasadena International Film Festival capped off an exciting, and thought provoking 72 hours of world class cinema at last night’s awards ceremony.

The PIFF was held at the historic Laemmle 7 theater, where the night belonged to “Fragmented,” which won Best Feature Film as well as Best Director.

“My reaction to hearing our film announced was shock and horror,” dryly remarked ‘Fragmented’ producer Verity Oswin.

This award ceremony should serve as a blue print to other overblown, never ending award shows. Master and Mistress of Ceremonies were Marco Nerves and comedian Katsy Chapel. The pair were witty, entertaining and warned the winners to limit their acceptance speech to ten seconds. In all it lasted only an hour due in part, so everyone would attend the after-party at Vertical Wine Bistro.

The after-party allowed the filmmakers, whether or not they won awards, an opportunity to bond with one another. The word that kept being used to describe the festival was:community.

Some of the veteran filmmakers said PIFF was unique compared to the myriad of other festivals, where the competitive nature prevails and everyone is either rude or aloof.

The German Short Film, Till Then (“Bis Gleich”) richly deserved the award for Best Short Film. A heart warming tale of two elderly neighbors making a human connection.

“This was a journey that began years ago, to finally see it on the big screen is amazing,” said screenwriter Tara Lynn Orr. The woman is so dedicated to her craft that she broke down in tears explaining the making of the film earlier in the day during a Q and A session. That’s powerful.

Afraid you’ve missed out, there is one last chance to view the winning films this afternoon from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Laemmle theater. The list includes:

Best Animation- The Looking Planet

Screenplay- Dance of the Blessed Spirits

Best Director- Douglas Elford-Argent (Fragmented)

Actress-Sara Drew

Actor- Jeffrey Johns

Best Documentary- A People Without a Land

Best Short Film-Till Then (BIS GLEICH)

Best Feature Film- Fragmented