IFP Phoenix Filmmaker Challenges 2014-15

IFP Phoenix runs a number of film challenges every year in the Phoenix area.

In the 2014-15 season, the challenges were again the Beat the Clock Challenge, the Mystery Box Challenge and the Breakout Challenge. All submissions were screened at events at the Phoenix Art Museum, while the top films from each will move on to screen in a dedicated block at the Phoenix Film Festival at the Harkins Scottsdale 101. Awards were given at each event.

The Beat the Clock Challenge screenings were on 31st July, 2014 where an unusually large proportion of films won awards. Project Daisy won as best film, with Petey and Split Three Ways in second and third. The audience favourite was Criminal, which also won Steve Briscoe the best actor award, while Joy Beth Benedict won as best actress for Masterpiece. Best director(s) went to Dulaney Annette, Chris Ayoub, Colleen Hartnett and Steve Hubbs for And Then There Were Monsters. Full results can be found here.

The Mystery Box Challenge screenings were on 30th October, 2013. Kitty swept three of the top four prizes, voted the best film, best actress for Yoshiko Ogawa and best director(s) for Josh Kasselman and Stephanie Lucas. The Other Brother broke in only for Scott Nass to win as best actor. The audience favourite was Amor de las chicas, which also won second place. Third was Alienated. Full results can be found here.

The Breakout Challenge screenings were on 4th February, 2015. Keep Running won for best picture and also as best director for Sean Oliver. Flight Fright swept the acting awards with Gerald Dewey as best actor and Swisyzinna as best actress. Flight Fright also won second place with Playtime Strikes Back, the audience favourite, in third. Full results can be found here.

Here are all the films that screened at these events this year, with titles linking to my reviews and the IMDb pages added for reference.

Rating System
1 - Abysmal | 2 - Bad | 3 - Poor | 4 - OK | 5 - Good | 6 - Excellent | 7 - Classic

Beat the Clock Challenge
Title	Year	H	D	Director(s)	IMDb
Masterpiece!	2014			Kirby Soderberg	n/a
Creature from the Green Lagoon	2014			Bonnie Sowle	n/a
Happy Ending	2014			Shari K Green & Patrick Giglio	n/a
Dear Claire	2014			Shawn Esplin	n/a
Closed on Sundays	2014			Torrey Inez	n/a
Woman in Blue	2014			Kyle Gerkin	n/a
Project Daisy	2014			Adolpho Navarro	n/a
Split Three Ways	2014			Adam Dub, Jose Meza & Jonathan Baden	n/a
Petey	2014			Sean Oliver	IMDb
Deception in the Desert	2014			Caleb Pearson	IMDb
Barely Sisters	2014			Shane Sandler	n/a
Closing Time	2014			Cory Rowe	n/a
Analyse Who?	2014			Sheri Barbera	n/a
In Your Dreams	2014			Eric Zagar	n/a
Criminal	2014			Darien Marion	n/a
Jungles Cup	2014			Jonathan Jones & Ben Levy	n/a
Shenanigans: The Movie	2014			Paul Nathan	n/a
The Thinking Cap	2014			Richard Stoudt	n/a
And Then There Were Monsters	2014			Dulaney Annette, Chris Ayoub, Colleen Hartnett & Steve Hubbs	n/a
Jersey Hunt	2014			David Miller	n/a
Sticky Fingers	2014			Aaron Hudson	n/a
The MacAlpine's Agenda	2014			Brett O Walker	n/a

Mystery Box Challenge
Title	Year	H	D	Director(s)	IMDb
Bro Chill	2014			Edwin Eliosa	n/a
Alienated	2014			Sean Oliver	n/a
Come Home, Julia	2014			Mack Duncan	IMDb
Desert Dogs	2014			Matthew Wetzel	n/a
Jose and His Hose, Eh?	2014			Thomas Fulks	n/a
Return to Sender	2014			Michael Dazen	n/a
The Catacosmic Glitch	2014			Gregg Griffith	n/a
The Fittest	2014			Marcelo Dietrich	n/a
Amor de las Chicas	2014			Travio Molinos, Santiago Alirez & Genoveva Nesbito	n/a
The Nude Scene	2014			Davis Marks	n/a
Urban Midnight	2014			Rasheda Poe	n/a
The Other Brother	2014			Jeff Schreckler	n/a
Time to Let Go	2014			Julie Van Lith	n/a
Kitty	2014			Josh Kasselman & Stephanie Lucas	IMDb

Breakout Challenge
Title	Year	H	D	Director(s)	IMDb
Charlie	2015			Butterfly Rose Cherry	n/a
Fading Away	2015	3	3	Timothy Helmstadter	n/a
Levine	2015			Matthew Padraic	IMDb
Half Measures	2015	5	5	J Schreck	n/a
Return to Sender	2015			Vinny Viti	n/a
Best Day of My Life	2015	5	5	Jeff Dykhuizen	n/a
Flight Fright	2015	5	5	Jim Politano	IMDb
One to Another	2015			Xavier Brennan Brown	n/a
Sinking	2015	5	5	Nathan Lawrence & Justin Ehlers	n/a
Sponsor Me Tape	2015			Roman Aguirre	n/a
Playtime Strikes Back	2015	4	5	Adolpho Navarro	IMDb
Stockholm	2015			Kyle Bryant	n/a
The Persistence of Imagination	2015			Tom Williamson	n/a
Keep Running	2015			Sean Oliver	IMDb
It Happened Next Year	2015			Gregg Griffith	n/a
Best Frenemies	2015			Gilbert Martinez	n/a