Victor Gabriel, a Compton-based filmmaker, is one of a few filmmakers who will be eligible for the Oscars. He has won at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
Gabriel’s 13-minute film Hallelujah won the Grand Prix for Best Short at the festival’s awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon. HollyShorts qualifies for Oscars, so the win is significant. HallelujahIt is now eligible for Oscar consideration. Producer Duran Jones won the festival’s Best Producer prize.
Two other Oscar winners were also eligible for consideration Mulaqat/SandstromSeemab Gul directed the short film “Best Live Action” and it won Best Short Film. ScaleJoseph Pierce directed ‘The Best Animation’. (Scroll to see the full list of award winners).
HallelujahThe loss of a loved one to gun violence is a tragic event that can have ripples on many members of the family.
“After an inexplicable event, two brothers have to take on the guardianship of their nephew and niece,”Deadline spoke to Gabriel about the plot for his film. “Their nephew’s like a weird bookworm kid. This is in Compton, California. And then they have to figure out what does it mean for them to be men and adults and take on the responsibility of something that they don’t want to do.”
The director shot his film very close to home. It was very close.
“I just did it in my back yard, like literally my back yard,” Gabriel explained. “Shout out to Miss Luis. She let us see her front yard, my neighbor. It was super just us. I just stuck everyone in our backyard and made a movie and tried to tell a good story. Tried to tell an impactful story.”
Gabriel is not only a filmmaker but also works as a marriage & family therapist and at a residential treatment facility for teenagers. “I [also] facilitate a Black male trauma group once a month in South Central.”
He said the road to winning the Grand Prix at HollyShorts hasn’t been an easy one. His car also broke down last week.
“I’ve been commuting to work, been struggling with a lot of losses this year,” Gabriel said. “So, just to have like a little celebration and people honoring my work, our work, is just amazing. I’m just grateful, man.”
HollyShorts also offers top prizes like director (Basketball’s QueenHis March win at the Academy Awards was followed by a win in his latest documentary. MINK!The film tells Patsy Takemoto-Mink’s story, a Hawaii Democrat who became America’s first female of color elected to Congress. Mink was a co-author of Title IX legislation, which prohibited discrimination based on sex in schools receiving federal funding. Title IX became law on February 1, 1972.
Proudfoot described HollyShorts’ award as “a great honor.” “very meaningful because this is the 50th year of Title IX. And when I was making The Queen of Basketball, that’s how I learned about Patsy Mink, who was really the driving force behind the legislation that created the world for [The Queen of Basketball subject] Lucy Harris to play basketball and for so many millions of others to engage in athletics. Our film… chronicles Patsy’s story and where she came from, what she faced, the obstacles she overcame, and ultimately the legislation that she wrote and defended, Title IX. It’s very meaningful, and I think this is just another example of Patsy’s legacy living on.”
Proudfoot plans to take his film overseas over the next months, and most likely back to D.C.
“We are going to Japan for a screening at the U.S. embassy there in October, which is really exciting,”He said. “And we’re hoping to get some more screenings on the Hill in Washington and just bring people together to celebrate Patsy and what she stood for and also to celebrate a story of someone who showed us that change is possible.”
He said, “We live in a time when it just feels impossible, like we’re regressing, that we’re going backwards. And Patsy’s life is a testament, and her story is a testament – and our film tells the story of a specific moment when she persisted and she pushed through. And so much of the rights that we celebrate today are because of people like Patsy, who really pushed hard for progress. And that’s the onus that comes to us to continue in Patsy’s tradition.”
Here’s the complete list of 18 winners.ThHollyShorts Film Fest:
Grand Prix Best Short: HallelujahVictor Gabriel
Live Action at its Best: Mulaqat/Sandstorm, Seemab Gul
Best Animation: ScaleJoseph Pierce
Best Director: Carlos Segundo, Sideral
Best Action: Kickstart my Heart, Kelsey Bollig
Best Thriller: Wild BitchRebekka and Kate Johnson
Best Horror: Moshari, Nuhash Humayun
The Best Comedy: All I Ever Wanted, Erin Lau
Best Drama: Just like the ones I used to know, Annie St. Pierre
The Best Documentary: MINK! Ben Proudfoot
Best LGBTQIA+: North Star, P.J. Palmer
Best International: The Voice ActressAnna J. Takayama
Best Sci-Fi: Waltz of the Angels, Braden Barton
SAG Indie Winner: My JeromeAdjani Salmon
Hawk Films Screenplay Award: Mina finds her edge! Robin Rose Singer
Script Compass Screenplay Award: In the Garden of Tulips, Ava Lalezarzadeh
Best Female Screenplay(Presented By BeCine) Last Ship EastEris Qian
The Best TV: A Question of ServiceErin Brown Thomas
Best TV Screenplay: Forsyth County, James Sasser
LatinX Award(presented Viacom International Studios). Huella, Gabriela Ortega
Women in Film Award: Apart, Together,Olivia Hang Zhou
Midnight Madness:: HomesickWill Seefried
The Best Music Videos: ConsensualJoey Danger, Jeff Hilliard, and Jeff Hilliard
Best Web Series: Kura, Vince McMillan
The Best Producer: Hallelujah, Duran Jones
Best Editing: The Machine, Rowan McKay
Best VFX: Black Dragon, Rồng đen
The Best Costume Design: Sauerdogs, Carmen Granell
Social Impact Award: Stranger at the Gate, Joshua Seftel
Best Student Film: The Visit, Ebele Tate
Kodak Shot on Film: North Pole, Marija Apcevska
Kodak Film Super 8MM: Deerwoods Deathtrap, James P. Gannon
Kodak Film Honorable Mention: Not the 80sMarleen Vaien
Zeiss presents: HollyShorts Award in Filmmaking and Cinematography: Censor of dreams, Khalib Mohtaseb
Zeiss presents: HollyShorts Career Achievements In Filmmaking and Cinematography: Nancy Schreiber