The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
Encyclopedia
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
and AtomFilms to showcase and acknowledge the growing genre of fan film
Fan film
A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more notable films have actually been produced by...
s made by, for, and about fans of the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
saga. The inaugural contest in 2002 was the first time Lucasfilm had officially sanctioned the genre. Since 2007, the contest has been called the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge.
Awards
Rules
A number of guidelines ensure that entries are produced by amateurs and do not infringe on Lucasfilm properties. The contest limits the content of entries to short film and video parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, mockumentaries
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, and documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
of the Star Wars universe and fan experience. Until 2007, In-universe fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
-type stories were not allowed. Rules changed in 2007 after all Star Wars movies have been released and fan fiction is now allowed. The contest imposes a time limit on entries - for the inaugural contest, it was 30 minutes, but this was lowered to 15 for the 2003-2005 contests. For 2006 and 2007, the time limit was lowered again to 10 minutes. Entries must not contain nudity, excessive swearing, explicit sexual themes or graphic violence. In addition, no unlicensed copyrighted material may be used in the entries, with the exception of a collection of approved images, music and sound effects. For 2006 onward, the contest rules were revised to prohibit contributions by union members.
Presentation
The awards have been presented at ceremonies held at either Comic-Con InternationalComic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
or Lucas’ Star Wars Celebration
Star Wars Celebration
Star Wars Celebration is a fan gathering to celebrate the release of a Star Wars franchise movie. It all began in 1999, when Lucasfilm held the Star Wars Celebration in Denver, Colorado to celebrate the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace...
conventions. For the first contest in 2002, Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
hosted a special on the SciFi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
to showcase the winners and some finalists. Winning films have be shown online at starwars.com, atom.com, and some have appeared on SpikeTV. In October 2008, a selection of winning films will be shown in a special Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge themed episode of Atom TV on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
.
Categories
The contest’s grand prize is the George LucasGeorge Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
Selects Award, which is presented to the film Lucas himself selects as his favorite. The Audience Choice Award is selected by the worldwide internet audience, as all contest finalists are available to view online at Atom.com. The Pioneer Award is given to a film that either defined, changed, or influenced the genre. Other awards are given by a jury of people selected from employees of Atom.com and Lucasfilm. Beginning in 2004, some of the major awards were sponsored by Lucasfilm licensees.
2002
- George Lucas Selects Award – Christmas Tauntauns; Matt Bagshaw, director
- Audience Choice Award – Star Wars Gangsta Rap; Thomas Lee, director
- Best Animation – Jar Jar’s Walking Papers; Joe Fournier, director
- Best Documentary – Waiting for Jar Jar; Meredith Bragg, director
- Best Mockumentary – SW Project; Gregory Hiltz, director
- Spirit of Fandom Award – Figure Club; Matt Petrilla, director
- Young Jedi Award – Sparring Program; David Tomaszewski, director
- Best Comedy – Stargeeks; Marc A. Samson, director
- Best Short Subject – A New Dope; Chris Gortz, director
- Pioneer Award – TroopsTroops (fan film)Troops is a mockumentary film by Kevin Rubio, which made its debut on the Internet in 1997. The film is a parody of COPS, set in the Star Wars universe...
; Kevin RubioKevin RubioKevin Rubio is an American filmmaker, best known for his Star Wars parody film Troops.Rubio studied theater and photography throughout his high school years in California, and made his directorial debut at the age of 17 with a stage adaptation of Robert Redford’s Ordinary People...
, director
2003
- George Lucas Selects Award – Pink FivePink FivePink Five is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2002. It was written and directed by Trey Stokes and stars Amy Earhart as Stacey , a fast-talking Valley Girl-type dropped into an X-Wing cockpit during the Battle of Yavin, and presents familiar events and story points from...
; Trey StokesTrey StokesTrey Stokes is an American filmmaker and puppeteer, best known for his Star Wars parody series Pink Five, and his puppeteering work on various movie, TV, and motion-ride projects.-Early career:...
, director - Audience Choice Award – The Jedi HunterThe Jedi HunterThe Jedi Hunter is a fan film that made its debut on the internet on August 30, 2002, created by fans of the Star Wars franchise. It is a spoof of Star Wars and The Crocodile Hunter, with Boba Fett sliding into the Steve Irwin role, hunting Jedi along with his wife "Terri Fett".While the film...
; John E. HudgensJohn E. HudgensJohn E. Hudgens is an independent director, producer, and editor noted for his short Star Wars fan films and for many Babylon 5 promotional videos....
, director - Skywalker Sound Award – Carbonite; Mark Rusciano, director
- Best Animation – Trooper Clerks; Jeff Allen, director
- Spirit of Fandom Award – Silent But Deadly #2; Jeff Cioletti, director
- Best Commercial Parody – Dark Side Switch Campaign; Daniel Johnson, director
- Pioneer Award – Hardware WarsHardware WarsHardware Wars is a short film parody of the classic science fiction film Star Wars. The thirteen-minute film, which premiered in theatres only seven months after Star Wars, consisted of little more than inside jokes and visual puns that heavily depended upon audience familiarity with the...
; Ernie FosseliusErnie FosseliusErnie Fosselius is an American filmmaker who has largely stayed out of the public eye. He is best known for his satirical spoofs of popular films, including the classic Star Wars parody Hardware Wars.-Film career:...
, director
2004
- George Lucas Selects Award – Escape from Tatooine; David Tomaszewski, director
- Audience Choice Award – Pink Five Strikes BackPink Five Strikes BackPink Five Strikes Back is a fan film that made its debut on the internet in 2004, created by fans of the Star Wars franchise. The sequel to the popular Pink Five, it is a comedy set in the Star Wars universe...
; Trey StokesTrey StokesTrey Stokes is an American filmmaker and puppeteer, best known for his Star Wars parody series Pink Five, and his puppeteering work on various movie, TV, and motion-ride projects.-Early career:...
, director - Best Comedy – Recruitment; Scott Zier, director
- Best Animation – Wampa; Andreas Peterson, director
- Spirit of Fandom Award – 8 Minutes; Wendy Woody, director
- Best Crossover Spoof – Carbonite Confusion; Ryan Simmons, director
- Pioneer Award – George Lucas in LoveGeorge Lucas in LoveGeorge Lucas in Love is an independent, live action, parodical short film that started attracting notice in June 1999 when it was passed around Hollywood offices as a filmmaker's "calling card"...
; Joe NussbaumJoe NussbaumJoe Nussbaum is an American film director. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he got his break into the movie industry by passing around Hollywood offices his short film George Lucas in Love...
, director
2005
- George Lucas Selects Award – For the Love of the Film; Barry Curtis & Troy Metcalf, directors
- Audience Choice Award – Sith ApprenticeSith ApprenticeSith Apprentice is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the internet on March 29, 2005, directed by John E. Hudgens and co-written by Hudgens, Denny Humbard, and Men in Black creator Lowell Cunningham. Made for around $1000, it is a spoof of Star Wars and The Apprentice, with Emperor...
; John E. HudgensJohn E. HudgensJohn E. Hudgens is an independent director, producer, and editor noted for his short Star Wars fan films and for many Babylon 5 promotional videos....
, director - Spirit of Fandom Award – Boba; Mark Rusciano, director
- Best Animation – Walk in a Bamboo Bush; Tetsuro Sakai, director
- Best Comedy – Cheap Seats; Robert Reeves, director
- Best Crossover Spoof – Anakin Dynamite; Wayne Barnes, director
- Best Original Concept – Star Wars: Elements; Robert Bunch, director
- Best Original Song – One Season More; Timothy Edward Smith, director
- Pioneer Award – Return of the EwokReturn of the EwokReturn of the Ewok is a 1982 American mockumentary short, written, produced and directed by David Tomblin, first assistant director of Return of the Jedi, starring Warwick Davis as himself in a fictionalized account of how he got the role of Wicket W. Warrick...
; David Tomblin, director
2006
- George Lucas Selects Award – Pitching Lucas; Shane FeluxStar Wars: RevelationsStar Wars: Revelations is a fan film released on April 17, 2005, created by fans of George Lucas's Star Wars saga. The film takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and explains why the Jedi Order was extinct in the original trilogy.Compared to the average fan film, Revelations runs...
, director - Audience Choice Award – Pitching Lucas; Shane Felux, director
- Spirit of Fandom Award – Memoirs of a Padawan; Michael Q. Yowhan, director
- Best Comedy – Sith'd; Brian Silva, director
- Best Commercial Parody – Blue Milk; William Grammer, director
2007
- George Lucas Selects Award – Chad Vader - Day Shift ManagerChad Vader - Day Shift ManagerChad Vader: Day Shift Manager is an American comedy web series created by Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan, who are also credited as actors, directors, editors and writers of the program. The show's central character is Chad Vader, the day-shift manager at the fictional supermarket Empire Market, who...
; Blame Society Productions, director - Audience Choice Award – Forced Alliance; Randolph Bookman & Gerry Santos, directors
- Best Short Subject – Incident at Toshi Station; Tyler Soper, director
- Best Animation – IG-88: The Dancing Robot; Anton Bogarty, director
- Best Action – Essence of the Force; Pat Kerby, director
- Best Comedy – The Eyes of Darth Tater; Lee Vehe, director
- Best Fan Fiction – Forced Alliance; Randolph Bookman & Gerry Santos, directors
2008
- George Lucas Selects Award – PadméPadmé (film)Padmé is a Star Wars fan film produced by Jason Ginsburg, Robert Reeves, and Kevin W. Walsh. The short was written by Walsh and directed by Reeves....
; Robert Reeves, director - Audience Choice Award – George Lucas Hip-Hop Awards; Kay Minckiewicz & Mark Minckiewicz, directors
- Best Comedy – Paraphrase Theater; Will Carlough, director
- Best Visual Effects – Ryan vs. Dorkman 2; Ryan WieberRyan WieberRyan Wieber is a compositor and amateur filmmaker, best known for his visual effects work in creating short Star Wars-related films. His lightsaber duel Ryan vs. Dorkman, which he co-created with Michael Scott, has received considerable internet recognition, including reaching #2 in Google Video's...
& Michael ScottMichael Scott (filmmaker)Michael "Dorkman" Scott is a Los Angeles-based independent filmmaker, best known for his visual effects work in Star Wars-related films Ryan vs. Dorkman and its sequel Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 , which he co-created with Ryan Wieber...
, directors - Best Creature / Character Makeup – Contract of Evil; Lou Klein, director
- Best Short Subject – The Empire Strikes Back in 60 Seconds; Oliver Jones, director
- Best Parody – Star Wars Grindhouse: Don’t Go In The Endor Woods; Michael Ramova, director
- Best Animation – George Lucas Hip-Hop Awards; Kay Minckiewicz & Mark Minckiewicz, directors
2009
- George Lucas Selects Award - Star Wars Retold; Joseph Nicolosi, director
- Audience Choice Award - Saber; Clare GrantClare Grant-Career:While at the University of Memphis she met director Craig Brewer who cast her in two indie films in Memphis before casting her in the film Black Snake Moan and later as the lead in his MTV series $5 Cover....
, Rileah Vanderbilt, Adam Green and Mike Civitano - Best Action Award - Saber; Clare GrantClare Grant-Career:While at the University of Memphis she met director Craig Brewer who cast her in two indie films in Memphis before casting her in the film Black Snake Moan and later as the lead in his MTV series $5 Cover....
, Rileah Vanderbilt, Adam Green and Mike Civitano - Spirit of Fandom Award - Star Wars: Cinemagic; Joe Presswood, director
- Best Comedy Award - Star Wars: Episode XVI - Family Dysfuction'; Rich Scheirmann, director
- Best Animation Award - Star Wars in a Notebook; Oscar Triana, director
- Best Parody Award - Star Sports: Episode M - Theatrical Trailer; Jeff Capone, director
2010
- George Lucas Selects Award - The Unconscious Sith; Adam White
- Audience Choice Award - Renaissance (Redux);
- Best Action Heroes Award - Chronicles of Young Skywalker;
- Spirit of Fandom Award - Star Wars 70s Animation;
- Best Animation Award - The Solo Adventures;
- Best Sequel Award - The Notebook Strikes Back;
- Best Cinematography Award - Makazie One;
External links
- Official Site
- TheForce.net - Fan film hosting site
- A Star Wars fan film database made by fans.