SeriesFest 2016 Winners Include Fan Fiction and Irish Crime
For the second year in a row, the Denver-based independent television festival SeriesFest has selected winners from its pool of 34 original pilots.
READ MORE: SeriesFest: There’s a DIY Way to Break into TV
Winning for Best Drama was “Farr,” a crime drama set in Northern Ireland (which also won the same prize at last fall’s ITVFest). Per the drama jury’s statement, “The pilot we would like to recognize is ‘Farr’ since we were invested in the characters and storyline. We can’t wait to see how it unfolds!”
Best Comedy was awarded to “Truth Slash Fiction,” which revolved around a teenage girl’s discovery of erotic fan fiction. According to the jury’s statement, “We decided to recognize work that exists as a true pilot – establishing a mood, conflicts, characters, relationships and an ongoing story that would make a compelling series. With our choices, we wanted to acknowledge and recognize work that surprised us with an authentic and fresh point of view.”
READ MORE: Why Independent Television Finally Deserves Independent TV Festivals
The Audience Award went to Canadian fantasy comedy “Riftworld Chronicles” (which also won Best Actor in a Comedy). In addition, Virgin Produced revealed eight pilots that were selected for distribution opportunities across Virgin airlines and hotels. And the El Rey Network Diversity in Storytelling Award was granted to Ian Verdun for the pilot “Life’s a Drag.”
This year’s contenders featured a talent pool including Brad Leland, Jane Lynch, Tim Matheson, Amber Nash, George R.R. Martin, Tahmoh Penikett, Missi Pyle, Maisie Williams and Michael K. Williams. The full list of winners is below.
Drama
Best Pilot in a Drama: “Farr”
Best Actor in a Drama: Jarod Joseph, “CODED”
Best Actress in a Drama: Kelley Gates, “Takers”
Best Director in a Drama: Aidan Largey, “Farr”
Best Writer in a Drama: Martin Rohé & Jan Galli, “Dr. Illegal”
Honorable Mention in a Drama: “The Donovan of Civilization” (Jury Statement: “The jury wanted to recognize ‘The Donovan of Civilization’ for exploring creativity beyond the limits.”)
Comedy
Best Pilot in a Comedy: “Truth Slash Fiction”
Best Actor in a Comedy: Tahmoh Penikett, “Riftworld Chronicles”
Best Actress in a Comedy: Jordyn DiNatale, “Truth Slash Fiction”
Best Director in a Comedy: Ben Snyder & Ari Issler, “The Come Up”
Best Writer in a Comedy: Ben Snyder & Ari Issler, “The Come Up”
Honorable Mention in a Comedy: Greg Keller, “The Come Up” (Jury Statement: “We chose to award Greg with an honorable mention because he was unpredictably hilarious.”)
Audience Award
“Riftworld Chronicles”
Virgin Produced Choice Award
“Distance”
“Dropping the Soap”
“Five Star”
“It’s a Hit!”
“Rack & Ruin”
“Riftworld Chronicles”
“Supreme Tweeter”
“Truth Slash Fiction”
El Rey Network Diversity in Storytelling Award: Ian Verdun, “Life’s a Drag”
Storytellers Initiative Award: Claire Epstein, “Amazing Jane”
48-Hour Interactive “Series Jam” Award: “The Day Before”
TEAM MEMBERS
• Danny Diaz
• Taylor Widman
• Nick Bruso
• Joey Lopez
• Hanna Keller
• Dillon Welter
• Matt Parenti
48-Hour Interactive “Series Jam” Award Runner Up Award: “Misters Perfect”
TEAM MEMBERS
• Travis Lindner
• Justin Terrell
• Nate Gust
• Evan Sheppard
SeriesFest Season 3 is set for 2017.
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