“Hollywood comes to Block Island”
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Past Winners

Winners of the Lighthouse Award

Winners of the 2024 sixth annual Block Island Film Festival:

Best Student Short Film — (The Deep End) — Andrew Gerstenblatt & Arthur Goldbart

Best Student Short Film Director — John David de Virgiliis — (A Texas Mermaid Movie)

Best Student Short Film Script — Charlie Norton — (The Lost Weekend)

Best Short Film Drama — (Smile) — Ethan Fulton

Best Short Film Comedy — (Bus Stops) — David Alan Goudge

Best Short Film Director — Mo Faisal — (A Bad Day)

Best Short Film Script — (Perception) — Robyn Babina

Best Short Film Actor — Ajay Jain — (A Bad Day)

Best Short Film Actress — Tina Alexis Allen — (The Men’s Room)

Best Documentary Short Film — (Tuckerman’s Rock) — Damian Ewens and Kelly Riley

Best Documentary Short Film Director — Jesse  Pearlmutter — (Mainspring Harbor: the Oyster Farmers of Block Island Sound)

Spotlight Film Award — (Demons and Dragans) — Dante Bellini & Mark Patinkin

Spotlight Film Award — (Deep Ambition) — Shareen Anderson

Spotlight Film Award — (Damn Handy) — Peter Filardi

Spotlight Film Award — (The Independent Man Restoration Project) — Robert Beadle

Best Feature Screenplay —  Chris Willis — (Say His Name)

Best Feature Film — Good Side of Bad

Best Feature Film Director — Alethea Root — (Good Side of Bad)

Best Feature Film Screenplay —  (Good Side of Bad) — Jules Bruff, Alethea Root & Ciera Danielle

Best Feature Film Actor — Lexi Simonsen — (Good Side of Bad)

Best Feature Film Supporting Actor — Christopher Mikael — (Good Side of Bad)

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Winners of the 2023 fifth annual Block Island Film Festival

Best Actor Short Film - Joe Coffey — “Micks Out”

Best Short Film Director — Lisa Aimola — “The Nickname”

Best Short Film Drama — “Mick’s Out” — Keenan O’Reilly, Director / Written and Produced by Joe Coffey & Kennan O’Reilly

Best Short Film Thriller — “The Devil’s Playground” — A.J. Ciccotelli (Writer/Director/Producer)

Best Short Film Comedy — “Get In” — Nick Beaubien & Mike Brown (Writers/Directors/Producers)

Best Short Film Newcomer — Kristen Falso Capaldi (Writer/Director) — “You Weren’t Afraid At All”

Best Feature Film — “The Dancing Monkey” — Chandler Wild (Writer?Director/Producer)

Best Feature Film Director — Chandler Wild — “The Dancing Monkey”

Best Feature Film Script — Larry Natalia — “By the Water’s Edge”

Best Feature Film Actor — Shawn Fitzgibbon — “By the Water’s Edge”

Best Short Film Documentary — “Love Letters for New Bedford” — Ethan de Aguiar (Director)

Best Screenplay/Screenwriting Competition — Steven Keith Bogart — ”The Last Skywriter in the Universe”

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winner — Short Documentary — “Finding Hope” — Nick Rapuano (Director) & Lisa Deane (Writer)

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winner — Documentary-series — “Slatersville” — Christian de Rezendes (Director/Producer)

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winner — Documentary — “Bound by Blue” — Katherine Reaves (Director), Susan Bush & Laura Parsons (Producers)

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Winners of the 2022 fourth annual Block Island Film Festival

Best Student Short Film — “Stay Don’t Go” — Brian Velsor (Writer/Director)

Best Screenplay - Screenplay Competition — Millie West — “Cat Island”

Best Drama Short Film — “I.W.S.K.” — A.J. Ciccotelli (Writer/Director/Producer)

Best Comedy Short Film — “Pulp Friction” — Mark Atkinson (Writer/Director/Producer)

Best Screenplay Short Film — Josie Burke — “Heirloom”

Best Actor Short Film — Robert Isenberg — “The Invisible Thread”

Best LGBTQA+ Short Film — “OUT: a short film” — Seth Chitwood (Writer/Director)

Best Short Film Documentary — “Faces After Suicide” — Lindsey Doolittle (Director/Producer)

Best Director Short Film — Shadi Ghaheri — “Swimming”

Best Picture Thriller Short Film — “Hazardous” — Peter Filardi (Writer/Director/Producer)

Best Female Actor Feature Film — Timothy Laurel Harrison — “Rock Paper Scissors”

Best Actor Feature Film — Justin Chatwin — “The Walk”

Best Screenplay Feature Film — “Rock Paper Scissors” — Doug Bollinger & Josh Lee (Writers/Directors/Producers)

Best Picture Feature Film — “The Walk” — Daniel Adams (Director)

Spotlight Award (Feature Film) — “Sandstone” — Nick Rapuano (Writer/Director/Producer)

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winner (Feature Documentary) — “Island Nurse” — Sue Hagedorn (Director/Producer)

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Winners of the 2021 third annual Block Island Film Festival

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winners: “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America — Willa Kammerer; “The Berrigans: Devout & Dangerous” — Sue Hagedorn

Best Feature Film — “Butterfly Lost” — Mei Bignall

Best Feature Film Director — Jim Schneider (“Jack and the Treehouse”)

Best Actor Feature Film — Daniel Brindley (“Butterfly Lost”)

Best Composer Feature Film — Andy Fite (“Jack in the Treehouse”)

Best Feature Screenplay — Bill Brock (“The Dress”)

Best Narrative Short Film (Drama) — “The Dance” — A.J. Ciccotelli

Best Narrative Short Film (Comedy) — “Matched” — Zack Kron

Best Narrative Short Film (social awareness) — “Ethan Song” — Nick Rapuano

Best Director Short Film — Marcellus Cox (“Mickey Hardaway”)

Best Screenplay Short Film (drama) — Anna Simone Scott (“Take My Heart”)

Best Screenplay Short Film (comedy) — Philip C. Sedgwick (“Zap!”)

Best Student Short Film (drama) — “Speechless” - Yufan (Jane) Chai

Best Student Short Film (Comedy) — “A Special Dinner” — Haley Pine & Brendan Egan

Best Director Student Short Film — Aggie Ryan — “His Eyes are Blue”

Best Documentary Short — “Not Broken: Freedom Ride” — Krista Dillane, Emma Lao & Dylan Abad

Best Documentary Short (social awareness) — “NWWVT: Rehousing the Homeless Recovery Program” — Melanie Paskevich, C.J. Jackson & Missi Delehanty

Best Documentary Short Director — Robert Isenberg — “The Painter”

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Winners of the 2020 second annual Block Island Film Festival

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winners: “Jay Myself” — Bette & Stephen Wilkes; “Stevenson - Lost and Found” — Sally Williams & Josie Merck

Best Feature Film — “Butter” written & directed by Paul A. Kaufman

Best Narrative Short Film (Drama) — “Guest of Honor” written & directed by Justin Robinson

Best Narrative Short Film (Comedy) — “The Pitch” written & directed by Ayman Samman

Best Short Screenplay — “Bigger Than a Breadbox” written by Lauren & Frank Leon

Best Documentary Short — “The Ocean Knows No Borders” directed & produced by Jack Gordon

Best Screenplay — “Young Widow Coffin” written by Scott Carneal

Best Narrative Student Short Film — “Sucker” written & directed by Tricia Cramer

Best Actor — Tina Alexis Allen (“Diamonds & Rust”)

Best Actor - Alex Kersting (“Butter”)

Audience Award — “The Sand Castle” written & directed by Eli Katzoff

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Winners of the 2019 inaugural Block Island Film Festival:

Spotlight Lighthouse Award Winner: “Underdog” written & directed by Richie Greer, produced by Kim Estes and Amber Wegner

Best Feature Film — ”Greenfield” written & directed by Julius Telmer

Best Director Feature Film “Take Care of Emily”— Nick Rapuano

Best Feature Film Screenplay “One Hour Outcall” — Bill Norrett

Best Actor Feature Film “Nothing To Do” — Paul Fahrenkopf

Best Screenplay (non-fiction)(Black Star Rising) — Doug Williams

Best Screenplay (fiction)(True Destiny) — Joe Leone

Best Short Film (drama) “Breathe” — Mark Aznavourian, Mitch Yapko & Jacob Pinger

Best Short Film (comedy)”Sac de Merde” — Greg Chwerchak & Arielle Haller-Silverstone

Best Short Film (technical achievement)”The Automaton” — Alex Reeves & Adam Janeira

Best Short Film (comedy/audience award)”Walter Treppiedi” — Elena Bouryka

Best Short Film (drama/audience award)”Together” — Tony Scott

Best Director Short Film (comedy)”Oh Boy” — Loring Murtha

Best Director Short Film (drama)”Nasty Habits” — Allisyn Arm

Best Actor Short Film (comedy)”Sac de Merde” — Arielle Haller-Silverstone

Best Student Short Film (drama)“A Glimpse of Happiness” — Stefan Sauer

Special Student Cinematography Certificate of Achievement “Parallels” — Alex Collinger