2005Winners

The following 51 award-winning college and high school student films screened over two days, July 30-31, 2005 at Sherwood Auditorium at MOCA in La Jolla.

College Filmmakers

High School Filmmakers

BEST of the FEST

Guinea Pig, SDSU, CA – Destin Cretton, Lowell Frank.

AUDIENCE CHOICE

Luna Chic, Grossmont College, CA – De Veau Dunn, Nicholas George, Ben Matias, Lisa Martin

One Night Stand Up, Loyola Marymount, CA – Stuart Altman.

DRAMA

1st + Best of the Fest – Guinea Pig, SDSU, CA – Destin Cretton, Lowell Frank. A roommate pushes his experiments too far with his subject.

2nd (tie) – The Isle Nevis, Point Loma Nazarene University, CA – Jason Carter, Jared Callahan, Chris Roberts. High seas adventure collides with pirates, treasure, Legos and an eight year-old boy.

2nd (tie) – Fear of Descent, San Diego City College, CA – Lance Page, Troy Page. Torment stalks a young man as he tries to overcome his deepest fears.

3rd – Blink, USC, CA – Richard Tucci. Choices between lust and justice are tested with just a blink of an eye.

COMEDY

1st – USAMA, SDSU, CA – Tobin Nageotte, Chris Manigault. Behind the scenes making of an Al-Quaeda video takes on new meaning.

2nd + Audience Choice – One Night Stand Up, Loyola Marymount, CA – Stuart Altman. A young comic gets his material from the most unusual places.

DOCUMENTARY

1st – Reading Between the Rhymes, San Francisco State University, CA – Keith Morikawa, Maya Chinchilla, Cathrina Chanco, Florian Quant, Michael Scheffold, Rebekka Sauter. Inspiration and learning come from rap and hip-hop music in a unique school setting.

2nd – Our Road to Kosovo, Southern Illinois University, IL – James Saldana, Rick Carsley. Six students follow a family torn apart by war and predjudice.

3rd – Luna Chic, Grossmont College, CA – De Veau Dunn, Nicholas George, Ben Matias, Lisa Martin. One girl fights for exercise, one for self defense, and one to reclaim the life her stepfather took from her.

EXPERIMENTAL

1st – Reincarnation, San Francisco Art Institute, CA – Gyeong-Tae Roh. Raw footage is mixed with new media to form unique art.

2nd – Glance, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA – Michael Scalisi. A poem is the backdrop for exploring the color of eyes and their journeys.

3rd – Mental Noise, Chaffey College, CA – Chayan Alavi. A tortured soul wrestles against his internal demons.

4th – The Importance of Stretching, Beloit College, WI – Sam Gaty, Dave Mertzig. Window-scape offers a playful palette for expression.

MUSIC VIDEO

1st – Sahara, Academy of Art University, CA – Jarmo Siimento, Sun Tae Hwang. Fantasies and the shallowness of love blend with this bohemian rap song.

2nd – Cry Freedom, Grossmont College, CA – Drew Renaud. Life’s pages turn in this anthem of a world reclaiming its past.

3rd – I’m Afraid of Americans, Grossmont College, CA – De Veau Dunn. America’s obsession with violence converges in this statement about video games and sex, blurring reality.

4th – The World is Yours, San Diego City College, CA – Troy Page, Norman Mackinnon. Hard rock video pulses with dramatic realism.

5th – Man in the Moon, UCSD – Eddie Jaceks. A throw-back 20’s black and white fantasy brings a young crippled girl to her feet.

48 HOURS OF MADNESS

1st – Best Forgotten, Team: Progressive Edge, Grossmont College, CA – Ray Gauger, Daniel Agustin, Sabrina Shammas, Joseph Agustin, Matt Wendhardt. A return to a deserted house reveals everything.

2nd – rita, Team: Team Life, Point Loma Nazarene University, CA – Jared Callahan, Bekah Macias, Joel McGinty, Adam Miller, Brad Kester. A laundromat sets the stage for a way-station of lost souls.

3rd – Gluttony, Team: Team G, Grossmont College, CA – Chris White, Justin Lang, Max Macke, Jeff Sullivan, Kraig D. Anders, Jr. Killers and cops are exposed in this thriller.

4th – Remote Reality, Team: Bars and Tone, Palomar College, CA – Peter Stoll, Christin Fisher, Dustin Fisher, Trace Rosser, Victoria Grimsley. A TV reveals more than just quirky programs.

5th – My Precious, Team: Vigilante Crew, Southwestern College, CA – Christina Barreto, Roberto Oliver, Robert Bullock, Rodrigo Espinoza. Betrayal and discovery tear at a man and his rival conscious minds.

BEST of the FEST

(tie) Rising Water, Scripps Ranch High, Adam Carver, Brian Gurriell.

(tie) Morning Rhythm, Santa Ynez Valley High, Steven Wilson

AUDIENCE CHOICE

Rising Water, Scripps Ranch High, Adam Carver, Brian Gurriell.

DRAMA

1st + Audience Choice + Best of the Fest (tie) – Rising Water, Scripps Ranch High, CA – Adam Blake Carver, Brian Gurriell. A tortured teen’s friends ignore his problems until it’s too late.

2nd – Misjudged, Agoura High, CA – Candace Infuso. A train ride with a stranger leads to desperation.

3rd – A Girl & Her Squid, Carlsbad High, CA – Alex Carracino, Chris Mayer, Andrew Fisher. A poem comes to life in a story of two friends and the hatred that destroys them.

4th – The Stranger, Poway High, CA – Mike Roddy, Garrett Shannon, Chris Treichel. Right and wrong confront in a showdown in the old west.

COMEDY

1st – Flat, Torrey Pines High, CA – Michael Gallagher, A walk in the woods turns into an adventure.

2nd (tie) – Twilight Clone, Tamalpais High, CA – Lucas Guilkey, Jesse Wilson. A twice-born boy meets himself with dire circumstances.

2nd (tie) – A Dark & Stormy Night, Princeton High, NJ – Ben Saltzman. A search for milk creates suspense and danger.

3rd – Dogzilla, Carlsbad High, CA – Sarah Kapp, Tess Team. 50’s b-movie glory in this campy romp.

DOCUMENTARY

1st – America on the Go, Tamalpais High, CA – Kayvon Beykpour, Jessica Galvin, Harrison Gough, Jessica Carsten. America’s obsession with materialism and the quick-fix are explored.

2nd – If I Were Emperor of the United States, Tamalpais High, CA – Nina Helen Hirten, Nicholas Crummey, Zack Shiner, Anna Kocherousky. Emperor Norton’s life and times are explored.

3rd – Dogs, Tamalpais High, CA –David Lanes, Ross Larson, Drew Frazier, Chi Ho. America’s fixation on dogs reveals an out-of-balance world.

4th – Keepers of Light, Allen High, TX – Diana Milena Miernik. Two young fire performers share their dangerous passion.

5th – By Any Means Necessary, Tamalpais High, CA – Alex Grande, Kayvon Beykpour, Laura Fiesel, Amena Baporia. The closing of a middle school offers a battleground for debate.

EXPERIMENTAL

1st – A Step in the Right Direction, Poway High, CA – Garrett Shannon, Mike Roddy, Kramer Sharp. A man walks away from industry into the ultimate return to nature.

2nd – Built to Spill, Carlsbad High, CA – Breeze Kanikula, Chelsea Main, Hunter Goldman. Senses reel as toxic images collide to a driving beat.

3rd – Contrast, Poway High, CA – Jordan Burt. Urban living is juxtaposed against the calm of the ocean.

MUSIC VIDEO

1st + Best of the Fest (tie) – Morning Rhythm, Santa Ynez Valley, CA – Steven Wilson. Simple human and house sounds blend to create a unique symphony.

2nd (tie) – Haus, Poway High – Blake LaRue, Paul Hill. A house comes alive and moves to a music beat in this animated film.

2nd (tie) – Reel Talk, Coronado High, CA, Jonathan Smith, Alex Fairman. The story of Coronado High School is told through an original rap song and choreography.

3rd – The End, Riverdale Country School, NY – Tovah Leibowitz. Contrasting images meld with this Doors song to offer life’s ups and downs.

4th – American Living, Poway High, Ray Roman. Our way of live is teased with this music video.

48 HOURS OF MADNESS

1st – The Hardy Boys, Team: Teenage Mutant Ninja Filmmakers, Carlsbad High, CA – Jacqueline Caraglior, Hunter Goldman, Josh Valle, Collin McConnell, Chelsea Main. The Hardy Boys converge on a movie set and turn it upside down.

2nd – Rebirth, Team: Four Anglo-Saxon Protestants, Santana High, CA – Dane Tellinghuisen, Kyle Kramer, Keith Bergen, Jon Bones. A dark tale of loss and discovery among young love’s passion.

3rd – Levy, Team: Incognito, Valley Center High, CA – Rodney Krueger, Katie Leclerc, Raf Cesmat, Alan Lee, Moses Constable. Inept superheroes struggle with the loss of a teammate.

4th – Departure, Team: Patriot Productions, Orange Glen High, CA – Trevor Ervin, Brooke de Bie, Scott Morton, Corey Cooper, Meredith Butler. Denial and discovery interlace in this poignant story.

5th – Out, Out Brief Candle, Team: Star Wipe and We’re Out, Mira Mesa High, CA – Dustin Neal, TJ Barton, Trevor Smith, Venessa Castle, Heather Nelson. Shakespeare offers the backdrop for this modern tale of death and deception.

PSA (Public Service)

1st (tie) – Angry Fish, University City High, CA – Marlon Soriano, Gilberto Parra, Megan Eiselen, Ciara James. The environment turns on its intruder in this clay-mation.

1st (tie) – Littering is Bad, Poway High, CA – Blake LaRue, Paul Hill. Discarded trash avenges itself on its perpetrator in this clay-mation.

View award-winners from BestFest America 2004 and 2005 at

Learn to make better movies. Every entrant receives their film's scoring sheets.