Heart Above All was named best film and Artificially Alone the audience choice winner at the first Still Dead Film Festival awards.
Still Dead, a collection of horror shorts filmed by northern residents, fills a void left by the demise of the former Dead North festival.
Its name is a riff on Still Dark, the title of a music festival that took place earlier in the month.
Still Dead held its screening night on February 16 and an awards ceremony on February 21.
Award winners included:
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- Best Film: Heart Above All
- Audience Choice: Artificially Alone
- Best Acting: Paul McKee, Wrought
- Best Editing: Artificially Alone
- Best Sound: Paired
- Best Practical Effects: Monsters
- Best Emerging Filmmaker: Kai Walden, Paralysis
- Best Heart: Heart Above All
Each short film had to incorporate some form of “heart” element, a feature recognized by the last award on the list.
Heart Above All was directed by Chris Aitken and Emmanuel Ramos. Artificially Alone – tag line “how do I make a girl fall in love with me?” – was made by Jonny Vu and Elliot Pope, and also scooped best editing.
Paul McKee, who won Still Dead’s acting award for his performance in Dawson Mercer’s Wrought, said he was “over the moon” to win.
“Northern cinema is alive and well and a force to be reckoned with,” he wrote.
In keeping with Dead North’s penchant for eyecatching awards, Still Dead winners received large wooden trophies featuring a prominently displayed heart.
Jocelyn Shepel’s Paired won for its sound, the practical effects award went to Monsters by Tanya Krueger and Carson Asmundson, and Kai Walden was named best emerging filmmaker for Paralysis.
