Independent Films

Los Angeles Film Festival

LOS ANGELES – Film Independent announced the winners for the Los Angeles Film Festival, including the winner of the Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature), which went to Mark Banning for Jellysmoke. The winner of the Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature) went to Beth Bird for Everyone Their Grain of Sand.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know. David Zeiger’s Sir! No Sir! won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

A total of 266 films including 77 features representing more than 30 countries screened at the festival. This year the festival received more than 3,700 submissions from filmmakers around the world, with the final selections representing several premieres.

In announcing Jellysmoke directed by Mark Banning as the winner of the Target Filmmaker Award, the jury stated, "The jury enjoyed the diversity of the selections, which included many films outside the usual independent genres. The winning filmmaker succeeds in treating difficult material in an interesting and subtle way, giving us a haunting and ultimately moving study of a character struggling to connect with the people around him."

In his feature debut, Jellysmoke, Mark Banning paints the portrait of a young man searching for love and a way to maintain his sanity. Though sweet, handsome, and well-liked, Jacob suffers deeply from bipolar depression. After a stint in the psych ward, he resolves to find normalcy and sees the key to securing it in the love of a beautiful stranger and her young son. Quietly nuanced, Michael Ealy's performance is a beautiful and apt reminder of how heartbreakingly fragile, yet ultimately hopeful life can be.