Diablo Valley College Film Club has announced the winners of its first ever virtual Blossom Film Festival, which featured dozens of film participants from community colleges in northern California, including Las Positas College and Sierra Community College in Sacramento.

Directors, writers and cast members submitted a total of 11 films to run for awards at the festival, which concluded May 7 and had been held on the DVC campus twice annually since 2015. Most of the spring films were produced in less than two months, between January and March, when schools closed their campuses in response to the coronavirus. 

“In that short time, so many people wrote scripts, got groups together, went out and shot films, and edited really polished looking work,” said Juliet Lucas, president of DVC Film Club.

Unlike spring semester film festivals in prior years, which usually showcased love and romantic-themed movies around the time of Valentine’s Day, this year’s films connected with the themes of growth and change. According to Lucas, the stay-at-home order promoted experimentation and new filmmaking techniques.

“There were a lot of creative mediums that came out of being under lockdown,” she said, adding that she feels inspired by the way filmmakers aren’t giving up under less-than-ideal circumstances.

To properly assess the films, several judges with a wide range of talents, from screenwriting to production, were chosen from DVC drama and film faculty. Their names remain anonymous to support the judging and awards nomination process.

During a Zoom meeting on May 8, directors answered questions from the public submitted through DVC Film Club’s social media platforms. The Q&A session video can now be accessed on the club’s YouTube channel.

All movies submitted to the festival were made available to the public through May 14 on the DVC Film Club YouTube channel’s playlist, entitled “Blossom 2020 Film Festival” and “Blossom Festival Full Videos”. 

According to DVC Film Club’s Instagram and Facebook Group post, the free window for viewing films had to end to ensure that filmmakers could submit their work to other venues, competitions, or festivals that might require that the films not remain public.

People can stream the movies by going to the respective movie directors’ social media accounts. 

Here is the full list of the award nominations and winners of Spring 2020 Blossom Film Festival, according to the DVC Film Club’s YouTube channel, on its May 7 video entitled “Announcing Film Festival Winners!!”:

Best Comedic Performance

Nominations:

• Robert King as Don Calzone 
• Taylor Danzi as Dick Mackey
• Christian Aceves, as “Cowboy, Jonathan”
• Christopher Velgakis-Blanck as “Santa”

WINNER: Christopher Velgakis-Blanck as “Santa” from “Hometown Santa”

Best Dramatic Performance

Nominations:

• Valentine as “The Artist”
• Mo Alagi from “The Perfect Pancake”

WINNER: Valentine as “The Artist” from “Friday 0.17”

Best Directing

Nominations:

• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin
• Sounds of Science, Director: Christian Aceves
• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos
• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour

WINNER: Friday 0.17, Marc Thureau-Dangin

Best Screenwriting

Nominations:

• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour
• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos
• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin
• Calling Card, Director: Brian Hamilton
• Salt and Pepper, Director: Ryan Gallagher

WINNER: Distractions, by Jessica Quintos

Best Editing

Nominations:

• Sounds of Science, Director: Christian Aceves
• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin
• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour
• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos

WINNER: Distractions, by Jessica Quintos

Best Sound Design

Nominations:

• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos
• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour
• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin

WINNER: Distractions, by Jessica Quintos

Best Cinematography

Nominations:

• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos
• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin
• Sounds of Science, Director: Christian Aceves
• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour

WINNER: My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Borna Moinpour, and Friday 0.17, Marc Thureau-Dangin

Most Inspirational Film

Nominations:

• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour
• The Perfect Pancake, Director: Mo Alagi
• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos

WINNER: My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Borna Moinpour

Best in Festival

Nominations:

• My Persona’s Self-Portrait, Director: Borna Moinpour
• Friday 0.17, Director: Marc Thureau-Dangin
• Distractions, Director: Jessica Quintos

WINNER: Distractions, Jessica Quintos

Best Quarantine Film

Nominations:

• The Perfect Pancake, Director: Mo Alagi
• A Fistful of Paper, Director: Christian Aceves 

WINNER: The Perfect Pancake, Mo Alagi

For further info about DVC Film Club and its activities, students can go to their website, Facebook Group, YouTube channel, and Instagram page.