MOVIEMAKER MAGAZINE CITES ANGELUS AWARDS AS "BEST BET" FESTIVAL FOR STUDENT FILMMAKERS

January 19, 2005

HOLLYWOOD –  MovieMaker, “the best-selling independent movie magazine,” named the Angelus Awards as the “best bet” for student moviemakers in its the “Best Of” Issue (Winter 2005). The issue arrived in the mail Jan. 19. The cover featured several “Best of” headlines, including “Best of Film Festivals.”

In a three-page article, free-lance writer and film critic Michelle Devereaux, who scoured “the country to find the best film festival bets,” highlighted “festival gems” by categories. For “Student Moviemakers” it was “The Angelus Awards.” She noted the $30,000 in prizes, including the $10,000 grand prize, for a “paltry $25 application fee.”

She also noted content stipulations – films “must explore the complexity of the human condition with creativity, compassion and respect” – of the festival “started by the Catholic media group Family Theater Productions in 1996,” but that students don’t “have to be Catholic to enter.” She gave examples of past Angelus winners, Sabrina Dhawan (Monsoon Wedding) and Tony Bui (Red Dragon), which “reflect a commitment” of the festival to “cultural diversity.”

Meanwhile, Family Theater staff is putting the finishing touches on its planning for “An Evening of Angelus,” at the inaugural Windrider Forum at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 at Mountain Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Park City, Utah, during the second week of the Sundance Film Festival.