- Clifton Film Fest
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Clifton Film Fest 
Photo Credit: Sarah Patch, 2009 Festival Clifton, VALocation Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA Official website The Clifton Film Fest is an independent film festival located in Northern Virginia showcasing original films made by the creative people. Filmmakers, students ages 13-21, and adults 21+ submit short films 3-8 minutes long. They show creative and thought provoking independent dramas, comedies, documentaries, and animations made by national and international film makers to the local community. The top films will be shown in July at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, VA as well as on the Clifton Film Fest website.
Contents
Planning and preparation
The festival was created by Dani Weinberg whom is also the Festival Director as well as a freelance Editor, Producer, and Instructor around the DC Metro Area. She created the festival at age 21 following her college graduation. She gathered support and sponsorship from her local town of Clifton, VA for the 2009 and 2010 festivals before moving the venue in 2011 to Lorton, VA. Eugene Abedejos is the Technical Director running the outdoor screen and projection systems (video and audio) for the main showcase. He is also a Videographer, Editor, and creates graphics for MHz Networks in Falls Church, VA.
Change in Venue
In 2011 the Clifton Film Fest moved to a new venue, The Workhouse Arts Center, located in Lorton, VA. The Workhouse provides essential visual and performing arts studio and exhibition space as well as engaging arts education programs for people of all ages and artistic abilities.
The Festival
The festival is an outdoor community setting in the courtyard of the Workhouse Arts Center. People bring picnic blankets and chairs and gather around a 20 foot outdoor screen to view the original films. There is live music before the show starts until dark, playing covers and original music for the audience to enjoy.
Festival support has come from companies and media outlets including Adobe, Clifton Enrichments, Workhouse Arts Center, Executive 411, Ruder Finn, Sure Shot Productions, Cox Cable, Graine Mediation, Fairfax Hyundai, Fairfax Kia, Nova Music Center, and Village Time Saver.
Past Winners
2011 Winners
Student Films Category (ages 13-21)
- Best Picture- Saga Moktan- Hometown by Nathan Smith
- Best Editing- Sagar Moktan- Hometown by Nathan Smith
- Best Audio/Soundtrack -Racket Punk by David Ashton
- Best Cinematography- 911 by Dillon Meyer
- Best Story/Theme - The Sound Barrier by Allie Foreman
- Best Acting/Narration- 4 Seconds by Brian Rose
- Audience Choice- Observed by Cameron Powell, Nick Needham, & Jacqueline Olivo
21+Category
- Best Picture- Bing by Alex Zeldin
- Best Editing- Mediations: Man in Water by Jonathan Ade
- Best Audio/Soundtrack- Game Over by Nick Sampson
- Best Cinematography/Compositon- Oneironaut by Erica Kobren
- Best Story/Theme- Bing by Alex Zeldin
- Best Acting/Narration- Witness to Innocence by Brian Bullock
- Audience Choice- Bing by Alex Zeldin
2010 Winners
Student Films Category (ages 13-21)-
- Best Picture- Theodork
- Best Cinematography - Theodork
- Best Audio- Bridge The Gap
- Best Editing- Bridge The Gap
- Best Acting/Narration- Beauty IsBest
- Special Effects- An Empire's Abandon
21+ Category-
- Best Picture- Motherworld
- Best Cinematography - 30288
- Best Audio- Checkers at 9th and S
- Best Editing- 30288
- Best Acting/Narration- Motherworld
- Special Effects- No time to lose
2009 Winners
Student Films Category (ages 13-21)-
- 1st place- Clifford Miu
- 2nd Place- Dillon Meyer
- 3rd Place- Nathan Smith
- Participation Award- Emma O’Brien & Kevin Monnin
21+ Category-
- 1st Place- Nick Sampson
- 2nd Place- Jon Seiler
- 3rd Place- Eric Kent
- Participation Award- Jeris Quinn
Growth of the Festival
The Festival's had 100 attendees the first year which more than doubled by the following year.
History
The Clifton Film Fest was created in 2009 by Dani Weinberg a recent college graduate who's mission was to provide young filmmakers a local outlet to showcase their original films. This quickly turned into providing all filmmakers even adults with a place to turn in films and be viewed locally under the stars in July. The first and second festival was held in the Clifton Town Park located in Clifton, VA but changed their venue in 2011 to move to a larger more appropriate setting for a festival rooted in independent art and music. At 2011's Festival they received an overwhelming amount of new submissions as well as 200+ Attendees. They also did their first live webcast event at this festival.
Clifton Enrichments
Clifton Film Fest runs under Clifton Enrichments, a "mobile" enrichment company created to bring fun and cutting edge activities to after-school programs. The classes include Digital Media, Yoga, and Tennis in schools all over the DC, VA, MD Area. This company is owned and operated by Sandi Weinberg.
See also
- Workhouse Arts Center
References
Press
- The Washington Post (July 22, 2010)
- Fairfax Times (July 21, 2011)
External links
Categories:- Proposed deletion as of 16 November 2011
- Festivals in Virginia
- Recurring events established in 2009
- Film festivals in the United States
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
