An impressive 120 filmmakers from eight countries gathered for the Festival in Avalon to showcase their work, including cinema icons such as Oscar-nominated Mark Rydell, director of “On Golden Pond,” starring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn; and “The Rose,” starring Bette Midler, and “James Dean,” in which he discovered and helped earn James Franco a Golden Globe.
And the Winners Are”¦
Among award winners at the Festival was Avalon resident Scott Dennis, along with his writing partner, Monika Henning, who resides in Hawaii. The two won the Avalon Screenplay Award for “Fire and Rain” ”“ a supernatural thriller about a young historian who uncovers a covert conspiracy surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“This the first time Monika and I have ever walked this out to the world,” Dennis said. “It was very gratifying that these professional readers thought our screenplay had merit,” he said. “This has been a seven-year part-time project.”
Catalina Film Festival First-Place Winners
Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Award ”“ Stan Lee
Majestic Award ”“ “With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story,” directed by Terry Dougas, Nikki Frakes and Will Hess
Best Feature Film ”“ “Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy,” directed by Roy Heydon
Best Animated Film ”“ “Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon,” directed by Brad Schaffer
Best Documentary ”“ “Sunset Strip,” directed by Hans Fjellestaf
Best Short Film ”““Trotteur,” directed my Arnaud Brisebois and Francis Leclerc
Best Screenplay Award ”“ “Boarders,” by “Skip” Harold Clark
Catalina Island Conservancy Isla Earth Award of Excellence ”“ “Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist,” directed by Peter Jay Brown
Catalina Island Conservancy Isla Earth Award of Merit ”“ “Rock the Boat,” directed by Thea Mercouffer
Career Tribute Award ”“ Mark Rydell
