An Evening of Inclusion and Excellence: The 13th Annual NBC Universal Short Film Festival

The 13th Annual NBC Universal Short Film Festival was a star-studded culmination of a months-long process that whittled down a crop of 4,000+ short film submissions to six extraordinary finalists. These six films represented the best and brightest of hungry and talented filmmakers. After seeing all six films, I concurred wholeheartedly with the judges’ choices.

The finalists included a record number of three women directors and stories running the gamut from a closeted Middle Eastern med school student (“Masks”) to a Chinese-American hustler in Highland Park trying to make it day-to-day (“Monday”). The big winners were the aforementioned “Masks” (a student MFA thesis!) and “Monday”; the judges, audience and critics were wowed at the scope, tone and writing for both.

Another big winner included “Kyenvu” (pronounced as ‘chen-voo’) from writer/director/actor Kemiyindo Coutinho. With a background in one-woman shows, Coutinho produced a tour de force performance about finding love and in one brief moment, losing everything you held dear. Winner of the Harness award for social impact, Coutinho implored men to “believe women, uplift women. Be an ally.”

Though the competition was tough, the night ultimately belonged to two films: “Masks” and “Monday.” The latter (the first film from self-described “Old-ass man” Dinh Thai) was awarded Outstanding Acting for its lead, debuting actor Kevin David Lin, Next Gen Filmmaker AND Outstanding Directing awards for director Dinh Thai. A film about choices and consequences, it resonated tremendously with the judging panel.

 

 

 

The passion, comedy and dramatic quality in all of the films shown were incredibly impressive. All of the dedicated creatives showed the bravado necessary to build a narrative and make their voices heard. NBC Universal has shown a wonderful commitment to embracing and building up the new, inclusive generations of writers, directors and actors. The film fest has proven to be a champion for them all.

Complete list of 2018 NBCU Short Film Festival winners:

Harness Award (Social Impact)-Kyenvu

Outstanding Comedy-B.U.T.S: Spanish Class

Outstanding Drama-Masks

Outstanding Writer-Hammad Rizvi, Rani

Outstanding Acting-Kevin David Lin, Monday

Best Director-Dinh Thai, Monday

Next Generation Filmmaker-Dinh Thai, Monday

Critics’ Circle-Masks

Audience Choice-Masks