Event Report: The Winners of 2018’s Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival

This past weekend FanBolt attended the 5th annual Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival which consisted of four days of independent cinema ranging from student films, to visually impressive features made on the most modest of budgets. A couple of those projects included Site 22 and NS404 (Provenance), which I’ve covered in the past. As with most film festivals, there’s quite a bit to take in. Some works projected on the silver screen are very powerful, a few may be thought-provoking. A rare one or two are forgettable. A couple I quietly cheer for because I personally know those involved.

At the end of the day, the judges have the tough decision of awarding only a handful of these artistic visions a plaque showing their excellence in a certain category.

Check out the winners below:

BEST FLORIDA FEATURE FILM
NS404 (Provenance)

BEST FLORIDA SHORT FILM
In Dark

BEST FEATURE FILM
The Sleeper by the River

BEST FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR
The Last of the Manson Girls

BEST SHORT FILM
Quiver

BEST SHORT FILM DIRECTOR
Minos Records

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Virgin Blacktop: a New York Skate Odyssey

BEST STUDENT FILM
Together

BEST HIGH SCHOOL FILM
Daddy Issues

BEST LEADING ACTOR

The Sleeper by the River (Dominique Pinon)

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Good Morning St. Pete (Andi Matheny)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
83 Days (Lucius Baston)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
The Last of the Manson Girls (Cindy Marie Martin)

BEST FEATURE SCREENPLAY
Sometimes Our Friends Come Over

BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY
Claire Means Well

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Quiver

BEST EDITING
27 WEST

BEST EFFECTS
Minos Records

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Last of the Manson Girls

BEST MUSICAL SUPERVISION OR SCORE
The Ills: Prologue

BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY FILM
Other Realities

BEST HORROR
Devil’s Tree: Rooted Evil

BEST ESCAPISM FILM
Lost in Romance

BEST COMEDY FILM
Zeroes

BEST ACTION OR CRIME FILM
Fallout of the Reaper

BEST DRAMA FILM
My Million Dollar Mom

BEST WORLD PREMIERE FILM
Counter Clock

AUDIENCE CHOICE – FEATURE
Halloween at Aunt Ethel’s

AUDIENCE CHOICE – SHORT FILM 
TIE: Stubbz and 83 Days

About TBUFF:

The Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival was founded *5 years ago* by award-winning Bay Area filmmakers, actors, critics, artists and cinephiles to catch the independent films that fall through the cracks and end up… underground. With most independent films going straight to home video, TBUFF offers cast and crew the opportunity to see their movie on the big screen in digital sound at a real theater, as well as marketing, promotion and accolades to shore up distribution prospects.

Although we are “underground,” that has more to do with the “underground” nature of the filmmaking (low budget indies) than genre. We showcase dramas, comedies, action, adventure, crime, musicals, horror, sci-fi, thrillers, fantasies, mysteries, romances, animation, children’s, religious, lgbt, foreign, documentaries, experimental – basically anything, and it doesn’t have to bizarre or on the fringe, though we definitely delight in those. We do love our crazy home state with all of its rogue pythons, sequenced hurricanes and face eaters, but we have plenty of slots for films from beyond the Sunshine and from around the world, plus other worlds and worlds that don’t even exist – just as long as it’s interesting and innovative.

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