Congratulations!

PIFA's 2019 Winner for

Best Tri-State Film:

Death Trail – (Director-Screenwriter: Michael Cutrone; Producers: Michael Cutrone and Shivantha Wijesinha; action, drama, thriller, martial arts, film short; 30 min.; 2018; US; English) A hitman attempts to go on the run after his identity is discovered. He is pitted against old enemies and assassins waiting to take him out. Watch the trailer

The other 2019 nomoinees were:

​Justin Geller – Thought It Would Be A Good Story – (Director-Producer-Screenwriter: Jon Rehr; film short; 6 min. 16 sec.; US; 2018)  After getting diagnosed with a super rare form of leukemia at 30, Justin's doctor convinced him to donate sperm before starting an experimental cancer treatment. Without hesitation Justin walked into that sperm bank thinking he would just leave with a funny story. Ten years later he ended up with a lot more.

Payback – (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Tyrone Blassingame; drama, film short; 16 min. 8 sec.; 2018; US; English) What if the #MeToo movement never existed? In the case of Sidney McKinnon, it didn't. So, what if she decided to take justice in her own hands? You know what they say: “PAYBACK IS A B*TCH!” Watch the trailer

Break the Camera – (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Jenna Sofia; experimental, poetic, ethnographic, documentary, film short; 5 min. 11 sec.; 2018; US; English) This short poetic documentary stars WW II Army vet and beloved family man Salvatore Pantozzi, who, his granddaughter discovers, lived a whole, full life before she existed.

​The film spotlights a man more comfortable on the sidelines than in the limelight. It stitches past and present together and the result is a bittersweet love note from granddaughter to grandfather, narrated by him. 

Rumination – (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Chad Eric Smith; sci-fi, drama, psychological; 12 min. 40 sec.; 2017; US; English) A heartbroken man travels into the past for a second chance at a failed relationship. Watch the trailer