Five films received awards at the first Red Cedar Film Festival held July 25-28 in downtown Menomonie.
The event, founded by UW-Stout and held at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, featured 31 films from nine states and six foreign countries.
Winners of the Copper Quill award are:
- Best Narrative Feature, “All Eyes on You,” directed by Felix Maxim Eller, Germany
- Best Documentary Feature, “Decoding the Driftless,” directed by Jonas Stenstrom, Sweden; produced by Timothy Jacobson, Minnesota
- Best Narrative Short, “The Graveyard Shift,” directed by Michael Price; produced by Tom Radovich, California
- Best Midwest Roots: “Spin,” directed by Jonathan Wheeler, of Kohler, a graduate student in UW-Stout’s Master of Fine Arts in design program
- Best Student Short, “DAD.u.Men.ta.Ry,” directed by Ashley Barningham, of Bristol, a May graduate in UW-Stout’s entertainment design program.
A total of 70 films were submitted for consideration.
Event founder Professor Pete Galante said the inaugural event “was an absolute success, from attendance to the reception of the films screened. I think we received the most feedback about ‘Decoding the Driftless.’ People almost universally stated how much they learned about the region,” Galante said.
Galante is a filmmaker and director of UW-Stout’s new video production undergraduate program.
Most of the films were shown at the Mabel Tainter, along with one session Saturday night at nearby Wilson Park. “Screening outdoors at Wilson Park, on such a beautiful evening, was perfect,” Galante said.
Featured speakers included Rick Vacius, founder of the Flyway Film Festival held in the Pepin area; and Kevin Pontuti, a filmmaker, former UW-Stout professor and now a professor at University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
Along with UW-Stout and the Mabel Tainter, sponsors included the Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, Menomonie Market Food Co-op, Volume One and Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Photo
Red Cedar Film Festival attendees watch a festival film at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie.
