Awards Night Winners

The Smoking Cocktail would like to congratulate all the winners at Outfest Awards Night last night.

A special nod out to friend Dave O Brien and Nicole Bilderback, whose work and creative endeavors I've followed for a while. These kudos are well deserved and long over due! Also to HAMLET 2 and Andy Flemming - great work! I can't wait to see that film again when it opens in theatres in August.

Nicole won for her complex yet understated performance in THE NEW TWENTY as a woman whose only fault is being smarter and more successful than all the men around her.

Dave won for the documentary EQUALITY U.

Caroline Coal won for her documentary about the LA Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing: A PLACE TO LIVE.

I will post all the other winners once Outfest posts them!  Meanwhile, here are some photos from Brian Putnam.

Model JP Calderon

Nicole Bilderback from THE NEW TWENTY.

TR Knight.

JP with Janice Dickenson

Director Donna Deitch (Desert Hearts)

Emerging talent winner Dave O Brien.

Best actor winner Tye Olsen with Calpernia Addams (TransAmerican Love Story).

A PLACE TO LIVE wins.

Rex Lee (Entourage)

Grand Jury Awards

Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature (Heineken Red Star Award):

Were the World Mine, directed by Thomas Gustafson


Outstanding International Dramatic Feature:

XXY, directed by Lucia Puenzo


Outstanding Documentary Feature:

Sex Positive, directed by Daryl Wein


Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film:

Tye Olson in Watercolors


Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film:

Nicole Bilderback in The New Twenty


Outstanding Screenwriting:

James Bolton, Dream Boy


Outstanding Dramatic Short:

Countertransference, directed by Madeleine Olnek


Outstanding Documentary Short:

La Corona (The Crown), directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega


Special Programming Awards

Outfest Freedom Award:

Football Under Cover, directed by David Assmann and Ayat Najafi

Outstanding Emerging Talent ($5,000 product grant from Kodak):

Dave O'Brien, director, Equality U


Outstanding Artistic Achievement:

Matt Wolf, director, Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell

Audience Awards
HBO Outstanding First Dramatic Feature ($5,000 cash prize):

Watercolors, directed by David Oliveras


Outstanding Dramatic Feature:

Hamlet 2, directed by Andrew Fleming


Outstanding Documentary Feature:

A Place to Live, directed by Carolyn Coal


Outstanding Dramatic Short:

I’m Jin-Young, directed by Lee Sung-eun


Outstanding Documentary Short:

La Corona (The Crown), directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega


Outstanding Soundtrack:

Hamlet 2

AND THE WINNERS ARE....

Hello folks, here's a list of the award winners from both OUTFEST and the Philly LGBT Film Festival.


Outfest Grand Jury Awards:

Outstanding American Narrative Feature ($2,500 cash prize, courtesy of 20th Century Fox):
25 CENT PREVIEW directed by Cyrus Amini


Outstanding International Narrative Feature:
TULI directed by Auraeus Solito


Outstanding Documentary Feature:
JERUSALEM IS PROUD TO PRESENT directed by Nitzan Gilady


Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film:
Merlin Gaspers and Dorian Brockington in 25 CENT PREVIEW


Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film:
Michelle Ehlen in BUTCH JAMIE


Outstanding Screenwriting:
Casper Andreas and Jesse Archer for A FOUR LETTER WORD


Outstanding Dramatic Short:
PARIAH directed by Dee Rees


Outstanding Documentary Short:
LEGACY directed by Inge Blackman


Special Programming Awards:

Freedom Award:
THROUGH THICK AND THIN directed by Sebastian Cordoba


Outstanding Emerging Talent ($5,000 product grant from Kodak):
Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert, directors, FINN’S GIRL


Outstanding Artistic Achievement:
Angelina Maccarone, director, VIVERE


Audience Awards:

HBO Outstanding First Dramatic Feature ($5,000 cash prize):
SHELTER directed by Jonah Markowitz


Outstanding Dramatic Feature:
THE BUBBLE directed by Eytan Fox


Outstanding Documentary Feature:
FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO directed by Daniel Karslake


Outstanding Dramatic Short:
PARIAH directed by Dee Rees


Outstanding Documentary Short:
FREEHELD directed by Cynthia Wade


Outstanding Soundtrack:
Michele Mulroney and Micah Schraft for SUNNY AND SHARE LOVE YOU




PHILLY AWARD WINNERS:

Audience Award – Best Short Film (Female) Pariah



Audience Award – Best Short Film (Male) Kali Ma



Audience Award – Best Documentary Film (Feature) Life of Reilly



Audience Award – Best Feature Film The Bubble



Jury Award – Best Short Film (Female) Peace Talk
(no photo available)

Jury Award – Best Short Film (Male) The Saddest Boy in the World



Jury Award – Best Documentary Film (Feature) In Sickness and In Health


Jury Award – Best Feature Film Itty Bitty Titty Committee


Scion First Time Director Award - Jonah Markowitz, Shelter


Rising Star Award - Charlie David
(from 4 Letter Word, Dante's Cove)



Make sure to keep checking back as I will continute to dish with the stars, upload photos and interviews, etc.

Today, I leave you with one of my favorite things, like, ever.

This is from a National Geographic spread I read about eight years ago. Look at the photo, then I'll tell you the story.

So the photographer, Mark Thomas, was doing a shoot on the sled dogs in Manitoba, Canada(where temperatures reach a bone chilling 40 below!). All the sled dogs were tied up for the night when a giant polar bear emerged on the horizon.

It had been a tough season, and with the lack of food available it was getting more common for the polar bears to wander into populated areas looking for nosh - and a pack of leashed sled dogs certainly fit the bill perfectly.

The photographer readied his camera, anticipating the carnage that would occur. Then something amazing happened.

As all the dogs barked, one assumed the play position. The polar bear approached this dog, then sat down. And well, you can see the rest in the photos. The two of them had a little play time. A hungry bear, a work dog - natural enemies, yet they engaged in a little romping in the snow.

The article pointed out that as much as the animals need food, they also need play.

And the moral of the story is.... YES, lesbians and gay men can get along!!! There are plenty of lesbian/gay man rompings to be seen in throughout my blog, so enjoy y'all.

And see you tomorrow!