Lion Ark tops Omaha docs
Lion Ark took its fifth award with the jury prize for Best Documentary at Omaha Film Festival, Nebraska, topping an incredibly tough documentary category, and making it back-to-back awards after winning the Audience Choice Best Environmental Film at Sedona International Film Festival, Arizona the previous weekend.
It was a huge win for Lion Ark in Omaha as the documentary competition showcased some of the absolute top rated films currently on the festival circuit including two Sundance Film Festival winners.
Lion Ark’s stiff competition in the Documentary category included: Rich Hill, which won the US Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival; Watcher of the Sky, which won two awards for editing and use of animation; Uranium Drive-in, which won the Documentary Excellence Award at St Louis Film Festival and took Best Feature Film at Arica Nativa Film Festival in Chile; 16 Acres, winner of Golden Ace in Las Vegas; as well as some top new documentaries from local filmmakers like Growing Cities and Little Hope Was Arson – the latter won Audience Choice Best Documentary at the festival.
The 9th Annual Omaha Film Festival had certainly gone for quality over quantity and had audiences appreciating it, with MovieMaker magazine justified in listing this as one of the “Top 25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee!”
Lion Ark had a tremendous audience response and, as is becoming the norm for Lion Ark, there were so many questions that the Q&A session had to be wound up by festival organizers and questions continued outside the theater.
Lion Ark’s Tim Phillips (Director) and Jan Creamer (Producer) also participated in a lively Q&A Panel, joining the filmmakers responsible for The Odd Way Home (narrative feature), Glitch (narrative feature), Druid Peak (narrative feature), Warren (Narrative feature), Little Hope Was Arson (Documentary), and I Do (short).
A huge “thank you” to everyone involved in the Omaha Film Festival, especially Marc Longbrake, Program Director, and Jeremy Decker, Festival Director, who put on a tremendous festival with superlative screening at the Village Pointe Theater.
Finally our thanks to everyone who came to see Lion Ark, cheered on the lions and were on their feet applauding as the credits rolled!
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- Jan & Tim are jubilant as Lion Ark takes Best Documentary Jury Prize at Omaha Film Festival
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- The Lion Ark stand, ready for the screening
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- Jan & Tim introduce the film
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- The Q&A session after the screening
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- Jan takes an audience question during the Q&A session
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- Another Lion Ark Q&A has to be wound up because the questions keep coming
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- Crowds around the Lion Ark stand after the screening
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- Hannah Waltemath selling t-shirts at the Lion Ark stand after the screening
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- Questions and interest in the film continue long after the Q&A finished
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- Hannah Waltemath helping at the merch stand
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- Crowds at the film festival
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- Jan & Tim join the filmmakers from “I Do,” “Glitch,” “Druid Peak,” “Warren,” and “Little Hope Was Arson” for the Filmmaker Panel
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- Jan has a lighter moment while taking a question during the Filmmaker Panel
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- Left to right: Tim Phillips, Jeremy Decker (Festival Director) and Jan Creamer
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- Left to right: Jan Creamer, Marc Longbrake (Program Director) and Tim Phillips
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- Theo Love wins Audience Choice Award Best Documentary for “Little Hope Was Arson”
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- Jan & Tim proudly display Lion Ark’s award for Best Documentary
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- Jan playfully shows Lion Ark’s Best Documentary award. With an incredibly competitive field of documentaries, it was a an honor to be recognized
The Omaha Film Festival Awards in full:
Screenplays:
Best Nebraska Screenplay – “My Father’s Arms” by Mark Hoeger & Will Rolofson
Best Short Screenplay – “Leaving Kansas” by Chuck Mittan
Best Feature Screenplay – “Crossings” by Fred Perry
Films:
Jury Prizes:
Best Animated Short Film – “The Gallant Captain” directed by Katrina Mathers & Graeme Base
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Woody” directed by Stuart Bowen
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Applesauce” directed by Nathan Hansen
Best Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “The Cursed Columnist” directed by Drew Conley
Best Short Film – “Distance” directed by Aimee Long
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Hero Pose” directed by Mischa Jakupcak
Best OFF the EDGE Film – “Blood Punch” directed by Madellaine Paxson
OFF the EDGE Honorable Mention – “Oltre il Guado (Across the River)” directed by Lorenzo Bianchini
Best Documentary – “Lion Ark” directed by Tim Phillips
Documentary Honorable Mention – “Watchers of the Sky” directed by Edet Belzberg
Best Feature Film – “Druid Peak” directed by Marni Zelnick
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “Warren” directed by Alex Beh
Award for Best Cinematography for a Nebraska Short – Dylan Adams for “Hedron”
Audience Choice Awards:
Audience Choice Short Film – “Fool’s Day” directed by Cody Snider
Audience Choice Documentary – “Little Hope was Arson” directed by Theo Love
Audience Choice Feature Film – “The Retrieval” directed by Chris Eska
