The Jane Austen Society of North America’s Southwest Region Announces Winners of Its 2020 Short Film Contest – Entertainment News

[AdSense-A]

Six winners submitted short films judged by preeminent experts in the industry; each entry examined the life and works of Jane Austen in new and innovative ways.

The fourth annual Young Filmmakers Contest announces its first, second and third place winners in two age categories: Under 20 and Over 20. Selected from an unprecedented volume of entries, each of the winning entries explored the characters, books, mores and life of Jane Austen in films of five minutes or less.

Winners in the Under 20 category are:

1st place: Thomas Fitzgerald, 16, of Warwick Rhode Island. Fitzgerald’s film titled “Handsome, Clever and Rich” follows a young woman in contemporary times whose life begins to mirror Emma’s in both expected and unexpected ways.

2nd place: Ellie Cagle, 17, of Lebanon, Tennessee. Cagle bravely re-created a prom scene as backdrop to the meeting of Lizzie and William in her film, “A Certain Step Towards Falling in Love.”

3rd place: Sajween Khan, 18, of Irving, Texas. With a nod to the significance of letter-writing in Austen’s life, Khan’s “Letters to Cassandra” created an intimate “what if” letter in which the author reveals hints of her works and characters.

The Over 20 winners are:

1st place: Jillian Davis, 27, of North Hollywood, California and Yolanda Rodriguez, 29, of South Pasadena, California. The filmmaking duo presented “Jane Austen Virtual Book Club,” a spirited anachronistic Zoom event in which characters from various Austen novels discuss the merits of a particular love story.

2nd place: Lydia Smith, 26, West Sacramento, California. Soaring cinematography and original writing distinguishes “A Letter to Jane,” a tribute to the humanness of both Austen and those who love her.

3rd place: Courtney Birnbaum, 29, Burbank, California. Original animation in “Morland & Mishaps” brings an awkward Catherine Morland through her first ball and into the future with the man of her dreams.

The judges included “The Jane Austen Book Club” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” screenwriter/director Robin Swicord; LA Times (retired) film critic Kenneth Turan; “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” actress and writer Ashley Clements; “Black Girl in a Big Dress” actress and writer Aydrea Walden; Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict novelist Laurie Viera Rigler; and Emmy-winning executive producer and director Thomas Rigler.

The JASNA Southwest Region sponsors the Young Filmmakers Contest annually. The Jane Austen Society of North America is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers and dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing.