The Crossroads Film Festival ended today with announcements of winning films, including a small handful done by Mississippi filmmakers. Here is a verbatim release with (M) following those by Mississippi filmmakers and a (J) for those based in Jackson:
After an amazing Sunday Awards Brunch on Sunday (special thanks to Iron Horse Grill โ our amazing venue!), Crossroads Film Society is pleased to announce the winning films for the 2017 Crossroads Film Festival:
Award for Best Feature Narrative (sponsored by I.A.T.S.E. Local 478) โ You Are Everything (Germany), Dir. Lena Geller, Prod. Matthias Becker
Award for Best Short Narrative โ The Swelling (Germany), Dir. Tom Bewilogua, Prod. Chris Krรผger
Award for Best Feature Documentary โ Forgotten Bayou (USA), Dir. Victoria Greene, Prod. Victoria Greene, John Darling Haynes & Paul E. LeDoux
Award for Best Short Documentary โ Inside These Walls (Canada), Dir. Lorraine Price & Juliet Lammers, Prod. John Christou & Aisling Chin-Yee
Award for Best Experimental Film โ Other Peopleโs Heads (USA), Dir. & Prod. Stephen Winterhalter
Award for Best Animated Film โ Chika, the Dog in the Ghetto (Germany), Dir. Sandra Schieรl, Prod. Bjรถrn Magsig, Marion Heinรen, Katrin Pilz, Marcus Horn & Annick Hillger
Award for Best Student Film โ The Happiest Place on Earth (USA), Dir. & Prod. Ceylan Carhoglu & Ryan King
Adam Ford Youth Filmmaking Award โ A Little Love Goes a Long Clay (USA), Dir. & Prod. Juliet Buckholdt (M)
Award for Best Music Video โ โUntil Weโre All Freeโ by John Kilzer & Kirk Whalum (USA), Dir. Laura Jean Hocking, Prod. Wade Archer
Award for Most Transformative Film โ The Parchman Ordeal: The Untold Story (USA), Dir. G. Mark LaFrancis, Prod. G. Mark LaFrancis, Darrell White, Robert Morgan (M)
Programmersโ Choice Award โ Shy Guys (USA), Dir. & Prod. Fredric Lehne
The Ruma Award for Most Promising Mississippi Filmmaker goes to Joe York for Shake โEm On Down (USA), Dir. Joe York, Prod. Joe York & Scott Barretta (M)
Audience Choice Award โ Eyes on Mississippi (USA), Prod. Ellen Ann Fentress, Edited Lida Gibson (M) (J)
Audience Choice Award (Music Video) โ โMy Cityโ (by Adam Collier), Dir. Philip Scarborough, Prod. Tom Beck (M) (J)
โLagniappe Awardsโ (Honorable Mention)
The programming team is pleased to offer these special โLagniappe Awardsโ to films we particularly enjoyed. The โLagniappe Awardโ is an โhonorable mentionโ for filmmaking achievement, for content, and/or for sheer fun! The only criteria are that a programmer must nominate the film, and it must not have won in another category. โLagniappe Awardโ winning films receive a certificate of merit and special Crossroads laurels. Winners of the 2017 โLagniappe Awardsโ are:
The Five Wives and Lives of Melvyn Pfferberg (UK), Dir. & Prod. Damian Samuels
Hate Crime (USA), Dir. Steven Esteb, Prod. Alicia Allain
HB1523: Growing Up LGBT in Mississippi (USA), Dir. Eli Bettiga & Maggie Jefferis, Prod. Mississippi Youth Media Project(M) (J)
The Learning Alliance (Pakistan), Dir. Muhammad Umar Saeed, Prod. Muhammad Farrukh Saeed & Muhammad Umar Saeed
Moby (Switzerland), Dir. & Prod. Sebastian Henn
The News Today (USA), Dir. Lisa Donato, Prod. Emily Irion
Pink Velvet Valley (Belgium), Dir. & Prod. Sรฉbastien Petretti
Pool (Piscina) (Brazil), Dir. Leandro Goddinho, Prod. Amina Jorge & Leandro Goddinho
Renewable (Renovable) (Spain), Dir. Jon Garaรฑo & Jose Mari Goenaga, Prod. Xabier Berzosa & Javier Bonilla
Sharks (Spain), Dir. Gabriel Fernandez-Gil, Prod. Wicked Tongues
Valentin (Germany), Dir. & Prod. Ingrid Hรผbscher
The Wedding Patrol (Die Hochzeitspolizei) (Germany), Dir. Rogier Hardeman, Prod. Alexander Pfeuffer & Christian R. Timmann
Congratulations to all these films and their filmmakers!
Special thanks to our panel of judges:
Special thanks to Tom Acito, Clint Bowie, Dr. Wilma Mosley Clopton, Ellen Ann Fentress, Andreas Herzog, David Rae Morris, Margaret McMullan, Pat OโConnor, Alem Sapp, Kevin Slark, Demetrius Wren.


