Hardacre Film Festival Announces 2013 Winners; Festival to Be Held This Weekend in Tipton

The jury of the 2013 Hardacre Film Festival has announced its award-winning films in six categories. The festival will take place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3, at the Hardacre Theater, 112 E. 5th St. in Tipton.

“We’re really excited to share such entertaining and innovative films with our audience,” said Will Valet, festival director. “Some of these films premiered at the top film festivals in the world and are having their Iowa or Midwest premieres at Hardacre.”

The 2013 award-winning films are:

Best Narrative Feature

WINNER—“Scrapper” tells the story of Hollis, whose drive in life is to collect scrap metal to pay for the care of his aging mother. That life is turned upside down when he meets Swan, a teenage runaway. Producer and co-writer Ed Dougherty will present the film at Hardacre Friday night, Aug. 2.

RUNNER-UP—”The Little Tin Man,” a comedy-drama, features Iowa native Aaron Beelner as a little person looking to score a big role in a remake of "The Wizard of Oz." Beelner will present the film at Hardacre Saturday night, Aug. 3.

Best Documentary

WINNER—“William and the Windmill” profiles young Malawian William Kamkwamba, who builds a power-generating windmill from scrap parts, rescuing his family from famine and poverty and setting him on a life path he didn’t expect.

RUNNER-UP—“The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne” tells how a poor African American woman from segregated 1930s America became one of the world’s most notorious and successful jewel thieves. This documentary presents the unapologetic 81-year-old Doris Payne as her life of crime catches up to her.

Best Short Film

WINNER—In “Gun,” directed by University of Iowa alum Spencer Gillis, a terrifying break-in prompts Roy to buy a handgun to protect his family, but the power he feels carrying the weapon leads down a path that may have tragic consequences. Producer Nicole Cosgrove will present the film at Hardacre Saturday night, Aug. 3.

RUNNER-UP—In “Paper People,” the lives of a suicidal U.S. Marine, a single mother, and her precocious daughter collide with incendiary results.

Best Student Film

WINNER—In “Escaping the Island,” a young man struggles with society’s obsession with technology.

RUNNER-UP—In “Christian Dating 101,” two young people revel in the social boundaries of Christian dating.

Best Animated Film

WINNER—In “Double Occupancy (Zweibettzimmer),” two old men share a hospital room in which the window is the only connection to the outside world, and thus, it becomes a highly demanded resource. This is a dark parable about the greed of man;an animated, psychologically intimate play about the power of imagination and illusion.

RUNNER-UP—“Animation Hotline” is a series of daily animations that use messages left on the Dusty Studio voicemail for content. The project was first seeded by giving out the phone number to a few poets and friends, but it eventually caught on with bloggers and as the phone number proliferated through the internet, the messages increased.

Best Iowa Film

WINNER —In “Bring Me a Dream,” young Lynn disobeys her parents by not going to bed on time and Mr. Sandman decides that it’s time to pay Lynn a little visit. Director Mikeal Burgin and star Kaylynn Burgin will present the film at Hardacre Friday night, Aug. 2.

Hardacre will also give an Audience Award, to be voted on by the audience and announced at the conclusion of the festival Saturday, Aug. 3.

Hardacre 2013 will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3. Admission to any of Hardacre’s programs, Friday Night, Saturday Day or Saturday Night, is $8 each. An all-festival pass can be purchased for $20. Films on Friday begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, screenings will run all day from 9 a.m. through 11 p.m.

For a full schedule or more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.