The audience at the fifth annual Carrboro Film Festival met most of the films with enthusiastic applause, leading the festival committee members to believe this was the best yet.
The event committee gave out 11 awards, and two films received honors given by the audience. Awards ranged from best music video to best animated film.
Young filmmaker Kelly Katzenmeyer picked up two awards for her film “To Be Remembered,” which won best student film. Her mother, Paige Blackman, accepted the awards on behalf of Katzenmeyer, who is in Korea and worked on the film for nearly a year.
“I wish she was here,” Blackman said. “I’m going to e-mail her when I get home.”
Katzenmeyer’s short film has been screened at the 2010 Nashville Film Festival, and she won the Young Filmmaker Prize at the 2010 Gasparilla International Film Festival.
Her short film and 27 others were selected by the Carrboro Film Festival committee from 105 submissions. The 28 films were screened at the Carrboro Century Center on Sunday in three 80-minute blocks from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a party at Southern Rail Restaurant and Bar.
The film festival was co-founded by Jackie Helvey and local filmmaker Nic Beery in 2006. Helvey said she was surprised there wasn’t already a film festival in the area.
“It was just something that needed to be here,” Helvey said. “This area is becoming more arts oriented.”
Helvey said she felt films by local filmmakers like Beery were not being seen before the festival began because there was not a local venue. With funding from the town, she was able to get the festival off the ground in a matter of months.
Beery had two films at the festival but was not eligible for awards because of his spot on the committee.
“We attract film lovers,” Beery said. “If you don’t have a variety, you have no flavor.”
Melissa Lozoff, the winner of the Best Actress award for Beery’s film “12,” said the area is a good place for people interested in the business to get their start.
“There are a lot of talented filmmakers in the area,” she said.
Katie Jones said this is the second year she has attended the festival, and the quality of the films has always been good.
“It’s a great thing that the community is getting people involved in film,” she said.
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