Pranav Bhasin’s “We Were Here,” a story of Indian men who take robots’ jobs to plead for humanity, won the Grand Jury Prize at the seventh annual Ouray International Film Festival, a soul-stirring event in the Colorado Rockies where the emphasis is on craft, collaboration, and encouraging filmmakers to speak with their truest voice.
Best director went to Carter Amelia Davis for her stunning and maniacally funny animated short “Homemade Gatorade.” The film, which made its premiere at Sundance, is also a Youtube phenomenon that you can watch here.
The Audience Award went to Yo: Love is a Rebellious Bird, directed by Anna Fitch and Banker White. The film is about Fitch’s attempt to sustain memories of her older, beloved friend, an artist and rebel named Yo.
The Student Award went to Downbeat, writer-director Danny Madden’s semi-autobiographical story of a feral musician who takes up street drumming to sustain himself on the streets of Boston. The student jurors applauded the film for grit, passion and reality, and they wanted to “prioritize reality.”
Other winners included Best Short Documentary “The Boys and the Bees,” director Arielle C. Knight’s portrait of a mother and father in rural Georgia, trying to teach their young sons self-reliance and stewardship.
Best Short Narrative went to “Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart,” director Julian Doan’s story of a Little Saigon convenience store where people can buy a few precious moments with dead loved ones. “Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart” debuts today on Short of the Week, and we recommend visiting the site to see it.
Best Performance went to Ayla Xuân Chi for an outstanding part in director Jack Dorfman’s “Triptrap.” They star as Jade, a lonely, anxious type who agrees to go on a drug-fueled spiritual journey with some acquaintances at an apartment where the previous tenant died.
Best Editing went to Born Secret, in which director Riley Fitchpatrick returns to his hometown of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to examine its role in the creation of the atomic bomb. The film’s producers include Fitchpatrick, Grant Conversano and his brother Adam Conversano, who edited it, incorporating modern interviews and archival materials including the words of President Harry S. Truman.
Best Cinematography went to “I Saw You in the Flood,” director Kevin Xian Ming Yu’s story of Kai, a nonbinary Chinese American, and their mother, Li, who on one stormy night are visited by a familiar spirit. Dan Chang is the film’s cinematographer.
Jurors created a special award — Filmmaker to Watch — to honor the infectiously winning work of Nathan Xia, the writer, director and star of the excellent “Flavor of the Month,” about Hollywood’s knack for typecasting and pigeonholing.
Additionally, the frantically funny “We Buy Gold,” about two young men trying to buy and sell their way to quick money while racing through New York City and meeting some of its strangest characters, received the Short of the Week award, meaning the film will soon be available on Short of the Week.
More About the Ouray International Film Festival
Founded by the endlessly thoughtful and indefatigable Jared LaCroix and Jake Abell — two friends who first bonded over hanging out at a screening of the Godfather — Ouray, or OIFF, is based on the idea that “movies and mountains can change your life.” It is one of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.
The emphasis is on forming lasting friendships and mutual support, rather than networking and jockeying for distrubution. The organizers encourage guests to rest up by enjoying hikes to the stunning local waterfalls, sojourns to the dark vapor caves underground, and hot springs. With support from filmmakers and board members like Benjamin Wiessner and Anna Baumgarten, they ensure that everyone has time for relaxtion and fun, along with great cinematic experiences. And they serve delicious homemade food late into the night.
The awards were chosen by jurors who included Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, co-writer of the hits Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s the Man, the House Bunny, and an upcoming sequel to The Idea of You; filmmaker Kayla Abuda Galang, whose film “When You Left Me on the Boulevard” won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival; Francis Román, the senior film and TV programming manager for SXSW and co-founder of The Direct Line production company; Rob Mundy, senior programmer and managing editor of Short of the Week, and your humble correspondent.
Highlights of the festival included Smith discussing her fascinating, prolific career with candor and comedy, and advising her audience to control their IP and to take studio notes as a form of help, not criticism.
Attendees were also treated to a section on the Cinema of the Andes from Quechua-Aymara filmmaker Sisa Quispe, director of “Kusi Smiles,” whose exquisite curation included introducing the new film “The Inka of Malvas,” which followed a queer antropologist who returns home to Peru to reconnect with his homeland and understand his tension with it.
The Film in Action Award went to the Ross Brothers, Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, who presented their hypnotic 2009 film 45365, a detailed portrait of their hometown of Sidney, Ohio. They spoke with filmmaker Alexandria Bombach about making audiences feel like they were in the thick of life with the people of Sidney.
The Director’s Spotlight Award went to Erica Tremblay, who recounted the making of her 2023 film Fancy Dance, starring LIli Gladstone, after the screening of the film. She also talked about her work on TV shows like Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds, and the challenges of bringing genuine Indigenous stories to the screen.
You can visit here to learn more about the Ouray International Film Festival. More of our festival coverage is here.
Main image: Pranav Bhasin, writer-director of “We Were Here,” Grand Prize Winner at the Ouray International Film Festival. Photo by Travis Perkins, courtesy of OIFF.
Editor’s Note: Corrects typos
