2021 Film Awards
As part as its continuing effort to discover and celebrate female voices working in the genre field, Other Worlds every year presents the Mary Shelley Award, awarded to the best film that furthers the involvement and representation of women in the SciFi genre. The award is named for the author of Frankenstein, the original SciFi novel – a work that examines the human condition and the positive and dangerous possibilities of science.
MARY SHELLEY AWARD
2021 NOMINEES:
BLANK, director Natalie Kennedy
HEKADEMIA, writer/director Gloria Mercer
HELL IS EMPTY, writer/director Jo Shaffer
MAEVE IN THE DARK, writer/director Kasia Kaczmarek
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT, writer/director Gia Elliot
“This year’s Mary Shelley Jury deliberations were the most difficult in the history of the festival. In fact, the jury was unable to come to an unanimous decision. In the end, we decided to award the prize to Natalie Kennedy for her feature film directorial debut BLANK.
In this cautionary tale of technology with unexpected consequences, Kennedy brings to screen a complicated portrait of a writer suffering from writer’s block in Rachel Shelley’s nuanced turn as Claire. Furthermore, it is nice to see a female director overseeing a script written by a man rather than the other way around. We felt it would have been a much less subtle and precise story without Kennedy at the helm and we applaud her for her mastery of confined space and rising tension.”
-Bears Rebecca Fonté, Founder/Artistic Director
The Other Worlds team sends its congratulations to 2021 Mary Shelley Award winner Natalie Kennedy, as well as all of the nominees. We're honored to have had the opportunity to showcase your work, and look forward to seeing future projects!
2021 JURY:
Chloe Carroll (filmmaker, THE HONEYMOON PHASE, ELYSIA)
Jenna Dufton (Programming Director, Inside Out Toronto and the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival)
Greta Hagen-Richardson (Distribution Coordinator at Ava DuVernay’s Array; Director of Programming at the Hot Springs Doc Film Festival; Lead Features Programmer at the New Orleans Film Festival)
Dan O’Bannon Audience Awards
2021 Winner for Other Worlds Short Film:
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
2021 Winner for for Other Worlds Feature Film: KRATT
This Estonian dark fantasy film, written & directed by Rasmus Merivoo, won the hearts of nearly every audience member who saw it!
Bolstered by two killer lead performances and a great third-act twist, this Spanish production directed by Miguel Campaña holds tension throughout its 20+ minute runtime.
2021 Winner for for Under Worlds Feature Film: HOMEBODY: THE HAUNT OF GUY WITHERS
"Existential dread + roommate horrors + two fantastic actors = HOMEBODY's recipe for success. Clearly our fans related to this strangely enticing mix of cringe comedy and morbid drama." - Jordan Brown, Associate Artistic Director
2021 Winner for Under Worlds Short Film:
STILL TOGETHER
"This short takes one of the most ridiculous concepts from the 80s and turns it on its head with creative special effects work, well-rounded characters, and a hilarious script. I’m so happy our audience found it as delightful our team did." - Dan Repp, Senior Programmer
PARSEC AWARDS
FEATURES
Best Script
Daniel Lazo, Eran May-Raz
SIGHT EXTENDED
Best Director
Rob Schroeder
ULTRASOUND
Acting Ensemble
Ed Gonzalez Moreno, Natalia Dominguez
THE ALTERNATE
SHORTS
Emerging Script
Luis López Carrasco, Miguel Campaña
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
Emerging Director
Gloria Mercer
HEKADEMIA
Acting Ensemble
Clare McNulty, Steve O'Brien, Donna Cooper, Eudora Peterson, Sara Ruth Blake
STILL TOGETHER
Best Cinematography
Christopher Walters
WICKED GAMES
Best Editing
Jason R. Miller
MADELINES
Best Score or Music
Tauno Aints
KRATT
Best VFX
Narath Boriboonhiranthana, Darby Faccinto
SIGHT EXTENDED
Best Production Design
Rylan Hornall, Jessica Savarese
RESIDENTS OF ARCADIA
Emerging Cinematography
Juri Beythien
BLUE FiRE
Emerging Editing
Brennan Gilpatrick
ACADEMY
Emerging Score or Music
Jorge Magaz
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
Emerging VFX
Roger Nall
THE RELIC
Emerging Production Design
Cheyenne Ford
FRIEND OF SOPHIA