Filmmaker Grant to Cheshire Project
The 2006 OVFF Filmmaker Grant in the amount of $500 was awarded to Will Halby of the Cheshire Project as seed money for their next film. In 2006, we screened their pirate comedy The Return of the Muskrats. The Cheshire Project is a creative camp for the mentally disabled, and their films are made by the camp attendees. Congratulations to you guys!

2006 Abbot Awards® Winners
Local Maverick Abbot Award® - ROGER CORMAN
Opening night celebrated the prolific filmmaking career of Roger Corman, whose Concorde-New Horizons studio on Main Street in Venice put out hundreds of movies throughout the 1980’s and ‘90’s.

“I’ve attended hundreds of film festivals around the world, but there’s something special about receiving this award from the Other Venice Film Festival,” said Corman. After screening his classic Masque of the Red Death, Mr. Corman did a Q&A with the audience and then received the Local Maverick Abbot Award from 2005 recipient Stacy Peralta. Watch the video.

Most Excellent Feature - CHANDLER HALL
The Most Excellent Feature Abbot Award went to Chandler Hall directed by Jeremy Pollack of Agoura Hills and written and produced by Scott Yamano of Hermosa Beach. Learn more about Chandler Hall here.

Kevin Crust of The Los Angeles Times described the film as “an earnest drama that follows a group of college buddies whose drug dealing as a sideline spirals out of control” with a “good, young cast led by Jesse Luke Dunne and Shanna Collins and solid production values.” He also added that it’s “a nice calling card for its local director and writer.”

Audience Choice Feature - CAIN AND ABEL
The Audience Choice Abbot Award for feature film went to Cain and Abel directed by Shane Woodson, a native of Louisville, KY. This comedy about L.A. undercover cops Malcolm Cain, played by Terrence Flack of North Hollywood, and John Abel, played by Woodson, also featured Flavor Flav of the rap group Public Enemy. Learn more about Cain and Abel here and an article in The Advocate here.

Pictured here are Co-producers Christy Oldham and Terrence Flack with director Shane Woodson (on right).

Most Excellent Short - BLIND
The Most Excellent Short went to Saskia Jell of New York City’s East Village for her film Blind.  Jell happened to be visiting Venice last year and heard about the Other Venice Film Festival, but never imagined she’d be an award winner at the same event a year later.

“It’s a great fest.  I really liked the music video section - it was so raw, and the after party at the new Pussycat Lounge was fun,” said Jell. “I received a grant to complete my first feature film and hope to return to the OVFF in 2007.” Pictured on left is Saskia Jell (on right) with festival producer Catherine de la Casas.

Audience Choice Short - WASTED
The Audience Choice Abbot Award went to Wasted by Brendan G. Murphy, a native of Suffern, NY who now lives in Venice and works by day as an editor for Disney’s ABC Cable Group in Burbank. Learn more about Brendan and Wasted here.

When you’re young you think you’re invincible, but we all have to grow up sometime…

Audience Choice Music Video - Moby's SPIDERS
The Audience Choice Music Video award went to Venice director Ben Weinstein for Spiders by Moby, which made its U.S. Premiere at the festival.  Interestingly, Weinstein was inspired to create the lead character in the video by a young woman he met at the 2005 Other Venice Film Festival named Chrissy de la Casas.

Pictured here is video star Chrissy de la Casas with director Ben Weinstein.

Honorary Abbot Award® - VIDIOTS
An honorary Abbot was awarded to Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber of Vidiots Video Store of Santa Monica in recognition of its contributions as an excellent community resource for local filmmakers and film fans for more than 20 years.

Lifescape Magazine
"These days it seems that every human settlement with a population bigger than a house has its very own film festival... If you’re the founders of the “Other Venice Film Festival,” you rip up the hipster rulebook and create something utterly unique..." Read it.

Photos by Mimi Haddon and Courtesy of the filmmakers.