This year for the wrap-up I’ve decided to list my top 16 Features as well as Top 15 Shorts from this year’s festival, as well as awards for various categories, and I also asked some cast and crew/directors for their favorites of the films they saw during Cinequest 2024. Don’t forget Cinejoy starts today March 21st and runs through March 31st, and a lot of the films listed below are available to stream..
Arman’s Top 16 Features seen:
16. Future Date (dir. Stanley Wong) (Available via Cinejoy).
Wong’s dystopian sci-fi drama, is creative, refreshing and entertaining. The premise is people who have had no in-person human contact throughout their lives compete for a prize by living with someone in an old-fashioned house. This film seemed to be a crowd favorite at this year’s Cinequest. It is available via Cinejoy.
15. Drama Life (dir. Bo Yao) (Available via Cinejoy)
Bo Yao’s story of a woman who always wanted to be a movie star, and her quest to invest in a film and finally get the lead role she’s been desiring. Things take a left turn as she comes across some shady individuals. Yao’s film is very well-shot and has a great performance from Peng Chi.
14. The Trouble With Jessica (dir. Matt Winn)
This was a delightful film that got better as it went a long with some solid plot twists and very good performances. As I write this I’ve seen 21 of this year’s Cinequest films and Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson’s performances are up there with the very best of the year.
13. Ba (dir. Benjamin Wong)
Benjamin Wong’s creative sci-fi/drama has some very potent emotional scenes and dialogues, as well as an intriguing story. I could see this film finding some distribution. Lawrence Kao’s performance is noteworthy and one of the best I’ve seen during this year’s festival.
12. A Romantic Fragment (dir. Pingdao Yang) (Available via Cinejoy)
A very interesting take on a familiar story. A man seeks to go on a romantic trip with his ex-girlfriend, but wait, plot twist she brings her new partner, Gu along with them. The comedy and awkwardness that ensues is entertaining while morphing into some profound lessons as well. I found this to be pretty delightful.
11. The Italians (dir. Michelle Danner)
Wanted to show this film some love, it isn’t available via Cinejoy, however keep it on your radar as I have no doubt it will find distribution, if it hasn’t already. I saw it on Saturday night at the California Theatre; It was hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed this laugh-out-loud family comedy. The film has an interesting take on the only child bringing home a new girlfriend to meet his folks tale.
10. Single Car Crashes (dir. Brittani Ward) (Available via Cinejoy)
This heartfelt story of a former baseball prospect whom lost his best friend, Zach in a car accident 10 yrs ago, but begings to confront his past after he runs into Zach’s sister, Kendall who was also his first love. This unexpected run-in evokes much feelings which haven’t been dealt with. The film tells a familiar story in a unique way and has some very convincing performances and writing.
9. Day Trippers (dir. Veronica Kedar) (Available via Cinejoy)
An interesting film about two people who become unexpected friends after embarking on a mushroom-filled adventure with one another. Veronica Kader provides a well-thought out film that is imaginative and full of emotion. Another quality must-see film that I thoroughly enjoyed.
8. Three Brothers (dir. Francesco J. Paparella) (Available via Cinejoy)
7. A House for Shahana (dir. Leela Gazi) (Available via Cinejoy)
A gripping story and examination of fundamentalism vs. youthful expression. Given the parallels to my Iranian culture, and having worked at a tech company with many Paki and Bengali coworkers, i found the story and anthropologic and sociological themes and message of this film to be especially intriguing. I commend Gazi for tackling these tough subjects and bringing it to the screen.
6. Falling Into Place (dir. Aylin Tezel)
Brilliantly shot, Aylin Tezel’s debut feature in which she stars and is the writer of, is a slow-paced romance which has a great mood and atmosphere. Its an intriguing portrayal of Kira and Ian meeting on the Scotish Isle of Skye and befriend one another,
5. Another Day in America (dir. Emilio Mauro) (Available via Cinejoy)
Mauro’s film uses black comedy and other tactful strategy to tell a powerful story. Packed with some of the best performances I’ve seen this year at Cinequest (especially Alexis Knapp and Paul BenVictor), the script is potent and clever, and the payoff is interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this film as it was unnerving, challenging, tested my anxiety, but very necessary.
4. Bosnian Pot (dir. Pavo Marinkovic )
3. Listen Up! (dir. Kaveh Tehrani)
Kaveh Tehrani’s film about Pakistani immigrants in a Norwegian community is both thought-provoking, emotional, and a cinematic marvel. Equipped with amazing cinematography via Annika Summerson, the film based on Gulraiz Sharif’s bestselling novel is one of this year’s absolute must-sees.
2. One Night in Tokyo (dir. Joshua Woodcock)(Available via Cinejoy)
A very well done film about a man who goes to Tokyo to visit his long-distant girlfriend, but the trip ends up being everything but what he expected. Packed with potent performances and very solid writing, Woodcock’s debut feature is one of those gems that have refreshing takes on familiar concepts.
1.Dead Man’s Switch (dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci) (Available via Cinejoy).
A brilliant film from Bicecci about a woman who discovers her husband has dissapeared without a trace left behind. Adriana Paz gives a tour-de-force performance, and the cinematography, overall atmosphere and suspense build-up is well constructed. This might end up being the best film of the entire festival, definitely is my personal favorite at the moment. Cinematography is absolutely stunning from Hatuey Viveros.
Arman’s Top 13 Shorts seen:
13. The Time Machine (dir. Ebrahim Ghaeini) (Available via Cinejoy)
12. Judy-Ism`(Available via Cinejoy)
11. Walking Fernando (Available on Cinejoy) (Available via Cinejoy)
10. Ivy’s Dream (Available via Cinejoy)
9. American Girls (Available via Cinejoy)
8. El Halcon (Available via Cinejoy)
7. All Choked Up (Available via Cinejoy)
6. And You Are… (Available via Cinejoy)
5. Officer Stanley (Available via Cinejoy)
4. Dead Presidents (Available via Cinejoy)
3. Diving In (Available via Cinejoy)
2. Deal of a Lifetime (Available via Cinejoy)
1. Zip (dir. Ava Maria Safai) (Available via Cinejoy)
I have yet to see The Invisibles, The Greatest or Bosnian Pot, will try to see those before the 31st via Cinejoy.
I also wish I was able to catch Gondola, Bleecker, Ezra and a few others before writing my Cinequest wrap-up article. Hopefully i get to catch those through streaming in the future.
Based on the 30 films and 20 shorts I’ve seen, i did something below which are my personal Cinequest Awards aka #TheMoodys .
2024 Cinequest Moody Awards:
Best Picture:
- Dead Man’s Switch
- Falling Into Place
- One Night in Tokyo
- Listen Up!
- One Night in America
- Day Trippers
- A House for Shahana
- Three Brothers
- Single Car Crashes
- Bosnian Pot
Best Actor
- Connor McGill (Shift)
- Reza Emamiyeh (One Night in Tokyo)
- Corey Johnson (Warhol)
- Trevor Morgan (Single Car Crashes)
- Lawrence Kao (BA)
- Senad Basic (Bosnian Pot)
Best Actress
- Adriana Paz (Dead Man’s Switch)
- Aanon Siddiqua (A House for Shahana)
- Tokiko Kitagawa (One Night in Tokyo)
- Naama Amit (Day Trippers)
- Alexis Knapp (Another Day in America)
Best Supporting Actor
- Dan Bekkedahl (Puddysticks)
- Rufus Sewell (The Trouble With Jessica) (Tie)
- Asim Chaudry (Listen Up!)
- Michael Paul Chan (BA)
- Paul BenVictor (Another Day in America (Tie)
- Rob Estes (The Italians)
Best Supporting Actress
- Olivia Williams (The Trouble with Jessica)
- Abigail Breslin (The Italians)
- Paulyna Olszynski (Single Car Crashes)
Best Director
- Alejandro Gerber Bicecci (Dead Man’s Switch) (TIE)
- Aylin Tezel (Falling Into Place)
- Francisco J. Paparella ( THree Brothers [Tres Hermanos])
- Kaveh Tehrani (Listen Up!) (TIE)
- Veronica Kedar (Day Trippers)
- Emilio Mauro (Another Day in America)
Best Screenplay
- Dead Man’s Switch (Alejandro Gerber Bicecci)
- Falling Into Place (Aylin Tezel)
- One Night in Tokyo (Joshua Woodcock)
- Brittani Ward (Single Car Crashes)
- Emilio Mauro (Another Day in America)
- Pavo Marinkovic (Bosnian Pot )
Best Cinematography:
- Hatuey Viveros (Dead Man’s Switch)
- Xoaher Musavvir (A House for Shahana [Barir Naam Shahana] )
- Roman Kasseroller (Three Brothers)
- Joshua Woodcock (One Night in Tokyo)
- Annika Summerson (Listen Up!)
- Andre Xara Carvalheira (Same Old West)
Best Editing:
- Rodrigo Raos Legaspi (Dead Man’s Switch)
- The Trouble With Jessica
- Joshua Woodcock (One Night In Tokyo)
- Zaklina Stojzevska (Listen Up!)
- Dubravko Slunjski (Bosnian Pot)
Best Score:
- Sohini Alam & Oliver Weeks (A House for Shahana)
- Laughing Buddha
- One Night in Tokyo
- Falling Into Place
Best Short Film Under 10 min
- Diving In (dir. Nitzan Mager)
- Officer Stanley (dir. Scottie Cameron)
- Cheol (dir. Yeajoon Cho)
- All Choked Up (dir. Allison Volk)
Best Short Film Over 10 Min
- Deal of a Lifetime (TIE) (dir. Lev Pakman)
- El Halcon (dir. Arlene Torres)
- Ivy’s Dream (dir. Louis Leuci)
- Walking Fernando (dir. Max Mir)
- American Girls (dir. Molly Robbins)
- Dead Presidents (dir. Ryan Lillienfield)
- Zip (TIE) (dir. Ava Maria Safai)
I also asked a bunch of people I met/talked with at Cinequest about what films/shorts they liked and have listed them below as well:
Recommended Features:
Canvas (Dir. Kimberly Stuckwisch & Melora Donoghue) (Available via Cinejoy)
Recommended by : Ava Maria Safai (Writer/Director of short film, “Zip”)
Listen Up! (dir. Kaveh Tehrani)
Recommended by: Brittani Ward (Writer/Director of “Single Car Crashes)
One Night In Tokyo (dir. Joshua Woodcock) (Available via Cinejoy)
Future Date (dir. Stanley Wong) (Available via Cinejoy)
Recommended by: Chris Newberry (Writer/Director of “Retreat”)
Paradise (dir. )
Recommended by: Ebrahim Ghaeini (Writer/Director of short film, “The TIme Machine”
Recommended Shorts:
Judy-ism (Dir. Emily Lerer) (Available via Cinejoy)
Recommended by: Joshua Woodcock (Writer/Director), Matthew Niemmi(Producer) & others from “One Night in Tokyo” crew)
Dead Presidents (dir. Ryan Lillienfield ) (Available via Cinejoy)
Canta Santiago (dir. James Valdez ) (Available via Cinejoy)
Recommended by Arlene Gibson (Writer/Director of short film, “El Halcon”)
Wrecker (dir. ) (Available via Cinejoy)
Recommended by: Ebrahim Ghaeini (Writer/Director of short film, “The TIme Machine”
& That’s all folks, see you next year. Thank you Cinequest.
Arman Film 