2019 HollyShort Film Festival - Film

(C) 2019 by Rych McCain, All Rights Reserved. No part of this column may be reprinted, re-posted or duplicated without written permission from Rych McCain Media/Syndication. Violation is subject to applicable laws

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   2019 HollyShorts Film Festival - Film

Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

The 2019 HollyShorts Film Festival Celebrated Fifteen Years In Style!

    

      The 2019 HollyShorts Film Festival celebrated 15 years of excellence and opportunity for film makers and fans. The event was held at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood. The ten day fest saw sold out screenings daily and packed attendance at panels, social mixers, after parties and of course the grand finale; the awards night presentations that took place at the Harmony Gold Screening Room on the world famous Sunset Strip.

     The fest opened with a keynote conversation with industry heavyweight Anthony Russo. A host of other informative panels provided participating film makers with the opportunity to dialogue via Q&A upfront and personal with knowledgeable industry brass, then socialize with them afterward during the post panel social mixers. This also provided ample opportunity for everyone to power network

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     HollyShorts co-founders Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol along with fest director Nicole Castro has built a powerhouse film fest that is now recognized worldwide with film entries from over 80 countries. HollyShorts is also a Hollywood Film/TV industry go to mainstay and has 3 Oscar qualifying categories of which a couple of their film makers have won. One such film is “Skin” by Oscar winning director Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman, which was the feature awards ceremonies closing night film.

     “The Orphan” received the Oscar-Qualifying Best Live Action award and “SISTER” snagged the Best Animation award. The three films – “Balloon,” “The Orphan” and “SISTER” are officially now qualified to be in the running for an Academy AwardⓇ in 2020. 

L-R: Raraka Ito & Mako Hironaka; Impossible Dream & Dest Director Awards for "Homesick"

  “Homesick” was recognized with two top prizes including Best Director and Best Grand Jury Impossible Dream Award, which will be turned into a feature courtesy of Impossible Dream Entertainment and is notably one of the biggest prizes of the night.

   

Award Winners On Stage

  “Mum’s Hairpins” took home the Best International Award which includes a generous roundtrip to London and badges to C21’s Content London, courtesy of Studio 21; at the conference they will have the opportunity to pitch their shorts as a series. Best Screenplay is sponsored by Seattle Film Summit for the second year in a row and the winner “Desmond’s Not Here Anymore” will see the script made into a short and premiered at HollyShorts 2020. Film Augusta will be flying out both Best Comedy “Adams” and Best Drama “The Neighbors’ Window” to Augusta, Georgia to meet with Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. and the Augusta Film Commission. 

    

Crowd Filing Out For A Festive After Party!

“Esta Es Tu Cuba” won the Best Panavision Future Filmmaker Award and will receive $15K Camera Package from Panavision. Stampede Ventures awarded “Tangles and Knots” the Best Female Director Award, “STARBOY” went on to win Revry’s Distribution deal for Best LGBTQ+, “The Old Wolves Club” was awarded the PaperChase Film PitchFest Award, and “T A L K” won the ISA Story Award.

HollyShorts Film Festival 2019 Awards Winners

Best Action – Mama Bear

Best Animation – SISTER

Best Cinematographer – On The Border

Best Comedy – Adams

Best Coming of Age – Now You Know

Best Director – Homesick

Best Diversity – Catch A Girl

Best Doc – Lazarus

Best Drama – The Neighbors’ Window

Best Editing – For The Love I Show

Best Female Director – Tangles and Knots

Best Grand Jury Impossible Dream Award – Homesick

Best Horror – Oscar’s Bell

Best International – Mum’s Hairpins

Best LGBTQ+ – Starboy

Best Live Action – The Orphan

Best Music Video – Pa’lante

Best Narrative – Lady Parts

Best Panavision Future Filmmaker Award – Esta Es Tu Cuba

Best Period Piece – The Legend of Grayson Crockett

Best Producer – Piel Canela

Best Romance – Evelyn x Evelyn

Best Sci Fi – Storm

Best Screenplay – Desmond’s Not Here Anymore

Best Short Film Grand Prix – Balloon

Best Shot On Film – Spin Cycle

Best Student – Tree #3

Best Thriller – Shehita

Best TV Category – Rainbow Ruthie

Best VFX – The Shipment

Best Web Series – Black Girls Guide to Fertility

Honorable Mention – A Million Eyes

ISA Story Award – T A L K

PaperChase Films Award – The Old Wolves Club

Screenplay Runner Up – Fireflies

Screenplay Runner Up – Meadow Valley Dollhouse Competition 

 © 2019 Rych McCain Media/Syndication TM 

(You DID Hear It From Me!) 

Twitter@rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)

Richard Pryor Jr. Talks Life - Event

(C) 2019 by Rych McCain, All Rights Reserved. No part of this column may be reprinted, re-posted or duplicated without written permission from Rych McCain Media/Syndication. Violation is subject to applicable laws

This blog is ranked #15 in the Top 20 Hollywood Blogs from the
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   Richard Pryor Jr. Talks Life - Event

Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

Richard Pryor Jr. Talks Life

   

  

  

  The Hollywood Museum recently celebrated the career of Comic/Acting great, the late Richard Pryor Sr. The occasion doubled as the Los Angeles launch and signing of Richard Pryor Jr.’s memoirs book titled “In A Pryor Life.” The book immediately took off and was in it’s second printing just days after release. 

L-R Donelle Dadigan & Richard Pryor Jr

      The first order of the evening was the unveiling of a costume worn by Richard Pryor Jr. in the film "College Debt" co-starring Lucille Ball's granddaughter, Katherine Luckinbill, Janet Carroll and Academy Award winner, Celeste Holmes, in what would be her last film. The costume will be included in the museum's upcoming Real to Reel: Perceptions and Portrayals of LGBTQ History in Film and Television.

Richard Pryor Jr. & dad

 

Ricard Jr at Daytime Emmy Bominees Reception

 

Having such a super famous and controversial  father in the person of the late, great comedian/actor Richard Pryor, Sr.; what could it possibly be like being his son? Pryor lights up saying, “Crazy! It’s crazy! Right now in my life, as far as my age, I’ve learned to enjoy and embrace it, so I’m happy to be the son of Richard Pryor. It’s something to be proud of. It’s something to be happy about. And to be able to carry on his legacy in my own way is an important thing and it makes me feel good.”

Richard Jr & Donelle Dadigan Creator/Director of the Hollywood Museum

    

"Stir Crazy" co-star Lee Purcell

 
     Because of who he is, people in general use poor judgement and expect Pryor to be or act a certain way. How has he handled that over the years? He gestures, “Years ago I used to let it affect me and bother me. It effected my mind, my body and all of those things. Now you have to learn to take those things and shake them off. It’s like being a plant and you have a bind wrapped around strangling it. You have to learn to cut those things off, step back from those things and those people who are detrimental to who you are as a person. On the pleasant side, what is Pryor up to these days? He flashes a big, satisfying smile, “I live in New York City. I’m a nominated cabaret performer. I sing, act and have done quite a few indy films. Now I’m working on creating my one man show off of my book. I’m excited about it. It took me a while to do it. I’m ready now and ready to go. I’m moving ahead.”

L-R: Chrystee Pharris, Ricahrd Jr & Donelle Dadigan

L-R: Billy Van Zant, Teresa Ganzel & Richard Jr.

   
 
  


 Getting back to his book, appropriately titled “In A Pryor Life.” Pryor explains, “It’s about telling the struggles and things that I went through as the son of. But showing the darkness I was in but also showing the light and how you come out of those obstacles, trials and tribulations and the pain. How you can be a better person to yourself so you can be a better person to others.” He mentioned being sexually abused by a friend of the family, Performing in drag (his father simply said "Just be the best at it."), a parallel life to his fathers and the addictive personality they shared and how his father talked him down from the drugs, doing drugs while working on "The Color Purple “the differences between life in his moms home and the other side of the family coin in a world of fame, celebrities, etc. at father's home and how his father once said "Had I know I would become famous, I would never have cursed you with my name."

Richard Pryor Sr. on stage   R.I.P.

     Doses Pryor like the way his dad has been portrayed in some of the documentaries made about him? He frowns a bit, “Some of them; especially the last one I know I didn’t care for as much. I thought it was quit sad that you can do a documentary without interviewing any of his children, his legacy. That’s the part that hurts me a lot. When you want to get the truth, get the whole truth not the half-truth.

    

Debe Graff & Richard Jr.

What words of wisdom does Pryor offer to young people aspiring to enter show-business? He advises, “ you have to be a strong person, know how you are and be able to handle rejection because that comes along with the territory. But you have to surround yourself with people who are looking out for you best interest. It’s not always a thing like because someone says no to push them away because you want to hear yes. Sometimes you need those people around you to tell you no and not to do this and let’s go here. You want to make sure that you stay on your right journey and not a journey that someone else put you on.” Why New York instead of LA? Pryor explains, “Well I lived in LA years ago. I just love the energy of New York City. 

     

     Among the celebrated colleagues on hand to reminisce were Teresa Ganzel (The Toy/The Duck Factory), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), Geri Jewell (Facts of Life/Deadwood), Kate Linder (The Young & the Restless), Jaime Monroy (Comedian/TV Host), Chrystee Pharris (Queens of Drama), Jim Meskimen (Comedian/Inpersonator), Barbara Van Orden (Producer), Jeanne Russell (Denise the Menace), Elaine Ballace (The Rich & The Ruthless), Alice Amter (Big Bang Theory), Tracy Weisert (The Neighbors), Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), Billy Van Zandt (Martin/The Hugelys), and more

                     

 © 2019 Rych McCain Media/Syndication TM 

(You DID Hear It From Me!) 

Twitter@rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)