Student filmmakers awarded $50,000 in prizes at 12th annual Angelus festival

November 9, 2007

The 2007 Angelus Student Film Festival was a gala event Oct. 27 at the Directors Guild of America that awarded some $50,000 in cash and film industry products and other prizes to the seven winning film students and 16 other finalists. Among them was Nicholas Ozeki, of Chapman University, Orange, Calif., who received the $10,000 Excellence in Filmmaking Award, presented in honor of Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, for his film Mamitas.

The event drew some 500 people. The winners were selected from 401 entries representing 141 film schools and 22 counties, including Russia, China and Bulgaria.

George Pennachio, KABC-7 Eyewitness News' entertainment reporter, brought professionalism, insight and humor to the event, in which six winning films were screened in the evening ceremony. One winning film, three Honorable Mentions and two Angelus showcase selections were screened at the DGA that afternoon.

Father Willy Raymond, CSC, National Director, Family Theater Productions, welcomed the audience and later presented the top award to Mr. Ozeki along with Father Arthur "Bud" Colgan, CSC, Chairman of the Board, Holy Cross Family Ministries; and Holly Book of the Peter Glenville Foundation, a major Angelus sponsor. Father John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, offered the opening prayer and spoke about the organizations' activities.

Monika Moreno, Family Theater's Director of the Angelus Student Film Festival, told of the origins of the festival 12 years ago and the need to cultivate, honor and showcase future filmmakers as they explore and create works that respect the dignity of the human person.  She related the impressive list of previous winners who are now working in the film industry.

All the winners are available at www.angelus.org as are interviews with several of them via YouTube.