Best of the Festival Award
The Best of the Festival Award, initiated in 2005, is given to the short comedy film judged highest by a jury of Chicagoans prominent in the comedy and filmmaking communities and the media (see below). The jury members are present during the two shows, scoring the several dozen festival entries that are screened. The 2008 winner will receive an Avid Xpress Pro software package (a $1,750 value) courtesy of Avid Technology, Inc., a Major Sponsor of the festival.
Jury for 2008:
Kathy Byrne, Project Coordinator, Chicago Film Office
Elizabeth Donius, Executive Director, Independent Feature Project (IFP) Chicago
Ron Fleischer, Full-Time Faculty Member, Film and Video Department, Columbia College
Norm Holly, Artistic Director/Conservatory Head Second City Chicago; Actor; Director
Mike McNamara, Director of Programming, Midwest Independent Film Festival
Eric Patrick, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Radio-TV-Film, Northwestern University
Jason Stephens, Executive Director, Split Pillow
Steve Zacharias, Screenwriter, Producer, Actor, Director
Winner, Best of the Festival Award 2007:
Girls Room by Maria Gigante
Winner, Best of the Festival 2006:
Must Like Magic, by David Pasquesi, T.J. Jagodowski and Steve Stein
Winner, Best of the Festival 2005:
Time Traveler, by Consortium Productions