The third annual Vancouver Web Fest isn’t until next March, but official selections and nominees for series representing 12 different genres and 23 awards categories were announced today by VWF Founder and Executive Director Suzette Laqua, and Director of Development Paula Hoffmann. (A full list of selections and nominees can be seen below.)
The event, taking place March 17-20th, 2016 at Performance Works (located on Vancouver’s Granville Island), will also feature a wide array of series screenings, workshops and parties for those who attend.
Throughout the weekend, there will also be various networking and pitching opportunities for web series creators, and informative panel discussions on topics pertaining to original online content.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 20th, with its official trophy sponsored by the Vernon, British Columbia-based Sparkling Hill Resort, and custom designed by the prestigious Austrian crystal design firm Swarovski. Incidentally, the resort is owned by Gernot Langes-Swarovski, who is the great grandson of company founder Daniel Swarovski.
“I am so honoured to have Sparkling Hill Resort and Mr. Gernot Langes-Swarovski as key sponsors for VWF2016,” says Laqua. “After the incredibly difficult selection process due to the outstanding digital series submitted this year from around the world, it will be an absolute pleasure to award the winners these stunning trophies.”
Just as original content produced for the web has improved and evolved in all aspects of production, the Vancouver Web Fest has also experienced tremendous growth since its inaugural event in 2014. It’s something that both Laqua and Hoffman marvel at as the third annual VWF approaches.
“I am so impressed with the quality of the shows we received this year, and (I) want to congratulate everyone that submitted,” Hoffman says. “It’s been so exciting to witness the evolution the independent digital series over the past 3 years and I wish all the creators who submitted the best of luck with their shows.”
Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, here are the official selections for the 2016 Vancouver Web Fest, spanning a diverse range of genres including comedy, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, horror, reality, documentary and more.
These series will screen throughout the 4 day event:
20 Seconds to Live – Horror (UNITED STATES)
AirLock – Science Fiction (AUSTRALIA)
Arlington Passages – Documentary (CANADA)
Arthur – Action/Adventure (SWITZERLAND)
Bennington Gothique – Mystery/Thriller (UNITED STATES)
Black – Action/Adventure (CANADA)
Burning Wishes – Comedy (IRELAND)
Capitol Hill – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
Coded – Drama (CANADA)
Couch Surfing – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
Dark Darkness – Fantasy (UNITED STATES)
Desenterrados – Horror (SPAIN)
Empty Space – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
Fragments of Friday – Comedy (AUSTRALIA)
Garage Sale Diaries – Reality (CANADA)
Gifted Corporation – Action/Adventure (BASQUE COUNTRY)
Growing Up Guide Pup – Family (UNITED STATES)
Heard in Bars (Entendu Dans les Bars) – Comedy (CANADA)
High Road – Comedy (NEW ZEALAND)
History Bombs Series One – Reality (UNITED KINGDOM)
Homogen – Documentary (CANADA)
Horizon – Science Fiction (UNITED KINGDOM)
Il Sonnambulo – Horror (UNITED STATES)
Late Bloomer – Reality (UNITED STATES)
Les Berges (The Banks) – Drama (CANADA)
Listen Up: Making it at Berklee College of Music –Reality (UNITED STATES)
Livin’ The Dream – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
Manic Pixie Dream Wife – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
Mortus Corporatus – Comedy (FRANCE)
Mythos – Fantasy (CANADA)
Nia’s Extra Ordinary Life – Family (NEW ZEALAND)
Nikola Tesla and the End of the World – Science Fiction (UNITED KINGDOM)
No More Parents (Avec pas de parents) – Family (CANADA)
Number of Silence – Mystery/Thriller (GERMANY)
Or So the Story Goes – Horror (UNITED STATES)
PERSUASIF – Drama (FRANCE)
Phoenix Run – Science Fiction (UNITED STATES)
RAPT – Science Fiction (IRELAND)
Riftworld – Science Fiction (CANADA)
Sacrificed! In the Name of Science – Animation (UNITED STATES)
Shorts About Giants – Animation (ARGENTINA)
Sìsara – Mystery/Thriller (ITALY)
Stage Daddy – Comedy (CANADA)
Standard Action – Fantasy (CANADA)
Stay At Home Mom – Family (UNITED STATES)
Stories of Youth (A Portrait Of A Generation) – Documentary (NORWAY)
Street Cuts – Documentary (UNITED STATES)
Sudden Master – Action/Adventure (CANADA)
Supernatural Fandom – Reality (CANADA)
Teenagers – Drama (CANADA)
The Drive – Drama (CANADA)
The First Musketeer – Action/Adventure (UNITED KINGDOM)
The Impossibilities – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
The Kino-Edwards Picture Show – Fantasy (UNITED STATES)
The Rolling Soldier – Mystery/Thriller (UNITED STATES)
The Story of Cancer – Documentary (UNITED STATES)
The Village Green – Comedy (CANADA)
Trials of Spring – Documentary (UNITED STATES)
Ty the Pie Guy – Family (UNITED STATES)
Two Robots Talking – Animation (CANADA)
Uberdude – Animation (CANADA)
Walking in Circles – Fantasy (UNITED STATES)
Zac and Me – Comedy (UNITED STATES)
ZOZO “The Fugitive of the Space” – Animation (FRANCE)
Zyara – Documentary (LEBANON)
Award nominees are as follows. Individual nominees are listed in bold.
BEST DIRECTOR
Arthur – Nick Rusconi
Heard in Bars (Entendu Dans les Bars) – Louis-David Jutras
Les Berges (The Banks) – Adam Kosh
No More Parents (Avec pas de parents) – Benoit Lach
Number of Silence – Csongor Dobrotka
RAPT – Kieran J. Walsh
Sacrificed! In the Name of Science – Michelle Nash
Shorts About Giants – Sol Rietti
The Drive – Stuart Gillies
The Story of Cancer – Tom Mason and Sarah Klein
BEST ACTOR
Arthur – Ettore Nicoletti
Coded – Jarod Joseph
Couch Surfing – Jackson Rathbone
HIGH ROAD – Mark Mitchinson
Les Berges (The Banks) – Xavier Huard
The Drive – Zach Martin
Uberdude – Jeremy Diamond
BEST ACTRESS
Couch Surfing – Sarah Clarke
Nikola Tesla and the End of the World – Gillian MacGregor
Phoenix Run – Julianne Christie
RAPT – Sarah Jane Seymour
Teenagers – Chloe Rose
The Drive – Jennifer Cheon
The Impossibilities – Kathryn Rediger
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
AirLock – Tom Gleeson
Desenterrados – Xavi Cortez
Il Sonnambulo – Matthew Beecroft
Les Berges (The Banks) – Arnaud Dumas
Number of Silence – Jens Bambauer
RAPT – Russel Gleeson
Riftworld – Jason Webber
Stories of Youth – Martin Slottemo Lyngstad, Aleksander Andersen, Lars Andreas Ellingsgard Øverli
The Impossibilities – Dagmar Weaver-Madsen
Zyara – Muriel Aboulrouss
BEST SCREENPLAY
Arthur – Chloe De Souza & Nick Rousconi
Coded – Steve Neufeld
Couch Surfing – Jackson Rathbone
Les Berges (The Banks) – Adam Kosh & Ariane Bessette
Mortus Corporatus – Thomas Pierre
No More Parents (Avec pas de parents) – Benoit Lach & Vincent Lafortune
RAPT – Devin John Doyle
Teenagers – Mathew Murray & Garrett Hnatiuk
The First Musketeer – Harriet Sams
Uberdude – Jeremy Diamond
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
AirLock
Black
Mythos
Nikola Tesla and the End of the World
Number of Silence
Phoenix Run
Riftworld
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Arthur
HIGH ROAD
Listen Up: Making it at Berklee College of Music
Shorts About Giants
The Drive
BEST SOUND DESIGN
AirLock
Arthur
Les Berges (The Banks)
Number of Silence
RAPT
Details on the full range of events taking place at the 2016 Vancouver Web Fest will be announced soon.
For more information, visit:
ON THE WEB: www.vancouverwebfest.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/VancouverWebFest
TWITTER: @VanWebFest