The 2021 Golden State Film Festival, now in its 4th year, gave out its awards to the independent films and their filmmakers on March 26. Congrats go out to Reel 360’s and Reel Chicago’s West Coast Editor Colin Costello for winning Best Director of a Web Series/Pilot.
During the event, held over ZOOM, while fighting back tears a shocked Colin said, “I’m so honored. This was such a high-pressured project and so hard to complete with hardly any money. I’m just thankful. I’m grateful to the creators, the talented cast and producers who made me look way more talented than I am. More than anyone else, I’m so grateful to my daughters Max and Chloe for their support.”
From Russia with Motive is an 8-episode webseries that follows the over-the-top adventures of sisters Natasha (Charlotte Roi) and Svetlana (Jessie Nolé), who have fled their small Russian village to find rich husbands in Beverly Hills. Costello describes it as a modern-day Beverly Hillbillies meets 90-Day Fiancé. Watch the trailer below:
The Golden State Film Festival is run by passionate indie supporters Peter Green and Jon Gursha. The week-long event, which streamed on Roku, caters to independent filmmakers of shorts and feature projects looking to promote to distributors and film aficionados in the Los Angeles area and California.
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Here is a complete list of all the Golden State Film Festival winners:
- BEST MICRO DOCUMENTARY SHORT – LIFE SAVER
- BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORT – THE WAY WE ARE
- BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE – JULIET MUST DIE
- BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – INERTIA
- BEST DRAMA SHORT – LATE SHIFT
- BEST COMEDY SHORT – DON’T JUMP
- BEST SCI-FI SHORT – US MIX
- BEST THRILLER SHORT – SIN CITY PSYCHO
- BEST SUSPENSE SHORT – COURAGE
- BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT – THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE IBEX
- BEST SCORE SHORT FILM – THE LAST RIGHT
- BEST SCORE SHORT DOCUMENTARY – UNDISPUTED DREAMS
- BEST SCORE DOCUMENTARY – CRAIG STUART GARFINKEL- WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT
- BEST SCORE FEATURE FILM – DAVID ROTHBAUM, JONATHAN SNIPES/MURDER BURY WIN
- BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT FILM – A NEW YORK STORY
- BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE FILM – THE SAINTS OF THE RUE SCRIBE
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR SHORT FILM -Peter Boiadzhieff/BRAAKING NEWZ
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FEATURE FILM – MICHAEL EMERY – WISPER
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS SHORT FILM – LYS DI LUCCE/DOBLEZ
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FEATURE FILM – HAILLEY LAUREN/MY STRETCH OF TEXAS GROUND
- BEST ACTRESS – SHORT FILM – Brittnee Johnson/VAGINAL SOBRIETY
- BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE FILM – SOPHIE GUEST/LANDFILL
- BEST ACTOR – SHORT FILM – Minho Kim/BOXING DAY
- BEST ACTOR – FEATURE FILM – ASHLEY STRAND/THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
- BEST SCREENPLAY – WEBISODE OR PILOT – PEGGY LANE/DONNA ON THE GO: DANCE
- BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY SHORT FILM – DALEELAH SADA/DEAR VIVIAN
- BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY FEATURE – BEN KERN, MARTIN G LEWIS/THE OFFICE JOB
- BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN SHORT – QUEEN MARLENE’S TOY MUSEUM AND FRIENDS
- BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN FEATURE – HOTEL LIMBO
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN SHORT – MUTINY!
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN FEATURE – KRAZY MEETS KARMA
- BEST SOUND DESIGN SHORT – ECHOES OF KERBEROS
- BEST SOUND DESIGN FEATURE – BOTTLE MONSTER
- BEST DIRECTOR – DOCUMENTARY SHORT – Laura Barbato/THE STATES OF EMERGENCY NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
- BEST DIRECTOR – NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – JUDAH RAY/MAKING PEACE
- BEST DIRECTOR – WEBISODE OR PILOT – COLIN COSTELLO/FROM RUSSIA WITH MOTIVE: S1 EP1 “AEROPORT 2020”
- BEST DIRECTOR – DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – Joseph C. Stillman/CITIZEN CLARK…A LIFE OF PRINCIPLE
- BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE – ZWTRAL/ZWTRAL
- BEST HORROR SHORT – WHAT IF
- BEST HORROR FEATURE FILM – EDWIN
- BEST EDITING SHORT DOCUMENTARY – JUST 1 STORY AT A TIME
- BEST EDITING SHORT NARRATIVE – QUACK
- BEST EDITING – WEBISODE OR PILOT – EZRA ALBARRAN/IMPOSTER SOCIETY
- BEST EDITING – FEATURE DOCUMENTARY – SOLDIERS: SIX STORIES, SIX WARS
- BEST EDITING – FEATURE NARRATIVE – ALTA VISTA
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT NARRATIVE FILM – Susanne Salavati – THE HONEY MAKERS
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM – LES OWEN/IN CHINA
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM – CATHERINE’S KINDERGARTEN
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE FILM – JOHN JORAH KOSTER/LOST IN YONDERVILLE
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST MUSIC VIDEO- SWIMMING UPSTREAM
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST SHORT ANIMATION – THE SUN STILL SHINES
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY- SAM: TO DENMARK WITH LOVE
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST SHORT NARRATIVE – DEALBREAKER
- AUDIENCE AWARD BEST WEBISODE OR PILOT – ACTORS BY ACTORS SHOW
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY – THE STATE OF TEXAS VS MELISSA
- AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST FEATURE FILM – THE AMORETTTE HOTEL
- GRAND PRIZE MUSIC VIDEO – GIRLS LIKE ME
- GRAND PRIZE BEST ANIMATED SHORT – LUDI TUNES
- GRAND PRIZE BEST NARRATIVE SHORT – THE TURNAROUND
- GRAND PRIZE BEST WEBISODE OR PILOT – THE DOLL FROM THE BOX (PILOT)
- GRAND PRIZE – BEST HISTORICAL SHORT
- SURVIVING EVIL: THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH THE STORY OF STEPHAN H LEWY
- GRAND PRIZE – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – KILLING THE SHEPHERD
- GRAND PRIZE – BEST FEATURE – AMIDST MY OWN
- BEST COMEDIC WEBISODE SCREENPLAY – Donna On The Go: MAMMA
- BEST FANTASY SHORT SCREENPLAY – Hobgoblin Gennel
- BEST LGBT SHORT SCREENPLAY – La Ultima Muñeca
- BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY DRAMA – Permission
- BEST TV PILOT SCREENPLAY – VOICES (‘Wake Up’ – Pilot Ep.)
- BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORT SCREENPLAY – The Purifying Angel
- BEST COMEDY SHORT SCREENPLAY – Private Number
- BEST ROM-COM SHORT SCREENPLAY – Pretty Piranha
- BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE SCREENPLAY – A Colorful Life
- BEST CRIME DRAMA FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Reap / Sow
- BEST THRILLER FEATURE SCREENPLAY – 2 Dead Sons – 2 Deadly Father
- BEST BIOGRAPHY FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Black Star Rising
- BEST SCI-FI THRILLER FEATURE SCREENPLAY – The Celestial Highway
- BEST ENVIRONMENTAL THRILLER FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Vigilante Preacher
- BEST MYSTERY THRILLER FEATURE SCREENPLAY – “MUFFIN CLUB”
- BEST SEXY THRILLER FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Gimme Shelter Part Three
- BEST YA HORROR FEATURE SCREENPLAY – End of the Book
- BEST HORROR FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Bestial
- BEST SCI-FI FANTASY FEATURE SCREENPLAY – TRAPPED IN PLAIN SIGHT (aka THE PUZZLE)
- BEST NOIR FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Ocean Drifters
- BEST DRAMA FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Northville
- BEST INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Stronger When She’s Broken
- BEST COMEDY/ROMANCE FEATURE SCREENPLAY – Saving Shakespeare
- BEST YA FEATURE SCREENPLAY – The Loser’s Club
- BEST ADAPTED FEATURE SCREENPLAY FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM – The Last Ones
Congratulations, Colin. Well done.
