The inaugural Boise Film Festival announced its filmmaker awards during an entertaining gala ceremony at The Grove Hotel on Sunday evening. Leading the awards haul was Cutter Hodierne’s Cold Wallet, which took Best Narrative Feature, and Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s Porcelain War, which received the prize for Best Documentary.
The awards in the Pacific Northwest category, for films created and shot in that region of the country, went to Eric Esau’s Saturn (Best Pacific Northwest Feature), and Jacob Ronnow’s Mankind (Best Pacific Northwest Short Film).
The Boise Film Festival, was created to be a film event focused on discovery, looking to find, highlight, and celebrate new cinematic voices and faces, to promote the next generation of film makers and artists, and inspire film production in Boise and the surrounding areas in Idaho.
BFF Founders and Executive Directors, Christine, and Mark Holder, said, “We couldn’t be happier with the reception our filmmakers received from our local film fans, as well as how much our film festival was embraced by the city of Boise. From a supremely supportive Board to an amazing list of sponsors, to the last volunteer, there was an enthusiastic energy that swept up everyone throughout the past four days. Filmmakers bonded with audiences during our Q&As, aspiring writers, directors, and producers received insider knowledge during our master classes, and everyone immersed themselves in the world of cinema with Boise providing a flawless backdrop to it all.”
Additional award winners included a very special presentation to Esther Simplot with the first Esther Simplot Excellence in the Arts Award, named in her honor. The presentation inspired a standing ovation as she accepted her award. Best Director awards for La Cocina’s Alonso Ruizpalacios (Best Director – Narrative Feature), and Linda Perry: Let It Die Here’s Don Hardy (Best Director – Documentary). Esteban Pedraza’s Bogota Story doubled up on the awards, taking both the Best Short Film prize, as well as the Best Director – Short Film award.
Previously announced, jury members for the inaugural edition of BFF include Academy Award-nominated producer David Permut, Academy Award-winning actor Octavia Spencer, Emmy Award-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser, Talent Agent David Boxerbaum, Manager/producer Andrew Wilson, and Boise State Film Professor Ryan Cannon.
The Boise Film Festival kicked things off with a hockey-fueled bang at the historic Egyptian Theater filling the house for a 20th Anniversary screening of Gavin O’Connor’s crowd pleaser Miracle (2004). On hand to talk about the film was producer Mark Ciardi, as well as Mike Eruzione, the beloved real-life captain of that legendary team, and Patrick O’Brien Demsey, who played Eruzione in the film. Preceding the screening was a presentation of GameAbove Entertainment’s ECHL Unfiltered: Idaho Steelheads – For the Love of the Game, with the added bonus of director and executive producer Tyler Nimmons, and the entire Idaho Steelheads hockey team attending the gala “Green Carpet” event, with the Steelheads also signing autographs and taking pictures with scores of their devoted fans before the screening.
Other highlights included master classes on producing and screenwriting by prolific producer Mark Ciadi, and CSI’s Anthony Zuiker, who proved to be a high-octane force inspiring a room full of aspiring TV and film writers to churn out that first draft. Following the opening screening event at the Egyptian Theater (700 West Main Street), BFF’s screenings flourished at Boise’s popular home for cinema at The Flicks (646 West Fulton Street).
In addition to the award-winners, highlights among the narrative features include Zoë Eisenberg’s Chaperone with producer Devin Parnell Murphy making the trip from Hawaii to talk about the film, Sam Friedman, and Will Bermudez’s drama Grassland with the directing duo, as well as producer David Goldblum, in-person, and Susan Dynner’s short, The Soul Trader, with the director/producer and star/executive producer Shauna Grace both on hand to represent their film. The Closing Night Gala and Filmmaker Awards Ceremony was hosted by former NFL Pro Bowler and America’s Got Talent finalist, Jon Dorenbros, who wowed the crowd with his magic and his inspirational story of overcoming great odds to reach success.
2024 BOISE FILM FESTIVAL (BFF) Filmmaker Award Winners
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Cold Wallet
Director: Cutter Hodierne
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Porcelain War
Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
BEST SHORT FILM
Bogota Story
Director: Esteban Pedraza
BEST DIRECTOR – NARRATIVE FEATURE
Alonso Ruizpalacios (La Cocina)
BEST DIRECTOR – DOCUMENTARY
Don Hardy (Linda Perry: Let It Die Here)
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT FILM
Esteban Pedraza (Bogota Story)
BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURE
Saturn
Director: Eric Esau
BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHORT FILM
Mankind
Director: Jacob Ronnow
