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Over 26,000 attended the 17th Annual Garden State Film Festival’s held in Asbury Park this past weekend, festival organizers said. The five-day event was attended by a host of celebrities, honorees, film executives, and movie fans from March 27 to 31.

In honor of the recently restored New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program, Gov Phil Murphy and Secretary of State Tahesha Way were featured guests during the star-studded Red Carpet Gala Networking Event and Cocktail Party Friday.

In total, the festival featured over 245 film screenings from over 20 countries, as well as networking events, industry workshops, panel discussions, an open talent casting call, live screenplay reading, and afterparties.

Sunday’s Awards Gala, for the first time this year, recognized actors, as well as the festival honorees and winners. The honorees included Honorary Chair Dr. David Stout, a Broader Vision Accolade for the John R. Elliott Hero Campaign for Designated Drivers, MVP Kim Waltrip, Educators Erin Gomez & Linda Krebs, Exceptional Women to Lisa G. Black, and the Rising Star in Acting to Allison Strong.

Below is a list this year’s featured winners:

Narrative Feature: Burning Kentucky

International Narrative Feature: The Bird Catcher

The M. Carroll Raver Award for Cinematography: John Christian Rosenlund for The Bird Catcher

Horror Feature: Clinton Road

Narrative Short: Missed

Science Fiction Short: The Beacon

Lou Costello Award for Comedy Short: Swung

International Narrative Short: Are You Volleyball? [Iran]

International Comedy Short: Kapital [Russia]

Emanuel ‘Manny’ Berlingo Award for Best Feature Length Documentary: Funny You Never Knew

Short Documentary: One Less Flight

International Short Documentary: Portrait of the Milliner as yer man himself [Ireland/Canada]

Animated Short: Two Balloons

Commercial: Art of Play

Web Series/New Media: Hooked

Music Video: Waiting Tables

Trailer: Shady Glen

Feature – College: Olympia [DePaul University]

Narrative Short – College: The Chrysalis [Quinnipiac University]

Documentary Short – College: Reberth [Rowen University]

International Narrative Short – College: Toward the Sun [London School of Film]

Narrative Short – High School: Grab Him by the- [Interlochen Arts Academy, MI]

Documentary Short – High School: Inclusion on the Air [Mamaroneck High School, NY]

Home Grown [in state] Feature: The Incoherents

Home Grown Documentary Feature: Roadie My Documentary

Home Grown Short: Scar

Home Grown Comedy Short: Masters

Home Grown Documentary Short: First Steps

Home Grown Music Video: Everybody Said

Home Grown Commercial: Nike’s Can’t Catch the Dark

Home Grown Student Short – College: Catalina [Montclair]

Home Grown Student Documentary Short – High School: Sonic Highways Middletown [Middletown South HSl]

Home Grown Student Short – High School: Tillie [Fieldston]

Home Grown Student Short – Honorable Mention The Art of Observation [Howell High School]

Home Grown Student PSA – High School: Are you Enough [Communications High School]

And, in the Music Category:

Best Theme From A Comedy: He’s A Beautiful Boy

Best Orchestration From A Documentary: World Water Puerto Rico

Best Theme From A Home Grown Feature: The Hospital Room

Best Orchestration From An Animation: Never Give Up

Best Musical Score from a Short: Circus Fantasy

Best Musical Score from a Feature: Fox Medicine

Home Grown Alternative Rock: How the Hell Am I Getting Home?

Best Ballad From A Short Film: Wild One [The Ballad of Brando]

Best Pop Song: Far Away Places

Best Orchestration From An Animated Short: Skip Rescues Pip

Best Music From a Home Grown Student -Elementary School: MP News Theme

Best Home Grown Pop Duet: You

This year’s Garden State Screenplay Competition Win went to Drew Henriksen for A Brooklyn Christmas. The Acting awards are as follows:

Best Actor – Feature Film: Jeff Burrell in Robin

Best Actress – Feature Film: Sarah-Sofie Boussnina in The Bird Catcher

Best Supporting Actor – Feature Film: Jacob Cedergren in The Bird Catcher

Best Supporting Actress – Feature Film: Talulah Riley in The Last Witness

Best Actor – Short Film: Dan Franco in The Recursion Theorem

Best Actress – Short Film: Casey Landman in Scar

Best Supporting Actor – Short Film: Matt Riker in Let Mercy Come

Best Supporting Actress – Short Film: Michelle Hurst in Baby Won’t You Please Come Home

Ensemble Acting went to Breathing’s cast Ali Ataeehoor, Salar Daryamadj, Hamed Sheikhi, Saeed Ahmadi, Hesam Kalantari, Meysam Damanze, Sajad Rostami and Arash Gholam Azad.

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