Winners 2015
Judge’s Picks
Higher Ground
1st Place
Mary Magsamen and Stephen Hillerbrand, United States, 2015, 11:51
In the spirit of George Méliès landmark illusionistic film, “A Trip to the Moon,” the artists Hillerband+Magsamen with their children embark on an adventure to construct and fly a rocket ship to the moon by taking apart their Houston, Texas suburban home.Mission Avante
2nd Place
Fernando Dueñas Peña, Colombia, 2015, 6:37
In the Year 2175 the humanity is facing an imminent extinction because of a giant meteor that is heading towards the earth. The NASA sends an expedition to discover and explore a new habitat for the humanity. The Mission Avante Humanitas finally arrives at an Exoplanet that has the perfect environment for the human race to survive. No matter the obstacles and the hostile ambient, the robot F3R, the ships pilot has always a plan B. We will manage to send the message that will save the world.Le Voyage
3rd Place
Alexandre B. Lampron, Canada, 2015, 5:26
Fascinated by cosmos and its marvels, two children will attempt the ultimate trip. Silent film produced for the event A Court des Mots of the Rendez-vous du Cinema Quebecois 2013. The score was played live by an orchestra of 25 musicians.Special Categories
Red Pearl
Film Best Depicting the Benefits to Humanity from the International Space Station
Wayne Slaten, United States, 2015, 12:47
Red Pearl is the story of Anuli, an eight-year-old girl whose mother dies due to the clean water crisis in Nigeria. Soon after, Anuli is inspired by her grandfather and NASA to pursue her dream of one day reaching the stars and keeping the magic of her mothers spirit alive.Home
Film Best Depicting the Spirit of Future Space Exploration
Benjamin Eck, United States, 2015, 1:00
In an attempt to find a new home for humanity, a female astronaut travels via a deep space habitat to a distant planet. As shes about to awake from hibernation, she remembers her last day on Earth with her friends and family.Finalists 2015
A Little Journey
Lisset Mendoza, United States, 2015, 5:13
A little boy uses his imagination to escape the difficulties and realities in Mexico by using space as an escape.As We Set Sail
Lee Arter, United States, 2015, 2:47
A compilation of the most epic and dramatic footage that shows humanity’s accomplishments in space flight, aided by footage of President Kennedy’s speech at Rice University when he challenged America to go to the moon in 1962. The footage varies from multiple rocket launches, from Apollo to Endeavor, Spacewalks, shots of the ISS, and re-entry footage all taken from various sources.Come Closer
Amia Yokoyama, United States, 2015, 4:02
Ceres is posited as a whispering seductress, a Mata Hari hiding a clue to human existence in the reflective nodes of her bumpy surface. She orbits around the same sun, like a past life revealed, a flirtatious parallel to ourselves that we have finally been able to appreciate.
End of the Sky
Elijah Alvarado, United States, 2015, 6:23
In the midst of a terrible drought, a brilliant young girl journeys to space aboard her home-made spaceship in hopes of watering her Grandmas plants in the geysers of Saturns moon Enceladus.General Astronomy
Victoria Taylor-Gore, United States, 2015, 2:20
Bodies in space that are bound together. Even dolls contemplate their connection to the universe. But what, if any, mysterious forces determine our fates?Gravitation: Variation in Time and Space
Andrei Severny, United States, 2015, 13:46
Gravitation is a synergy of dance and cinema. It features Diana Vishneva, principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet and the American Ballet Theater. The film is the story of creation, inner struggle and transformation. Calligraphic black and white images are rich in metaphors exploring the notions of time and space, movement and light.
Guiding Light
Guy Shahaff, Israel, 2015, 0:24
Just watch it.Is it Possible to Define Inspiration?
Courtney Robinson, United Kingdom, 2015, 1:45
A short video looking at how NASA and space inspires people from around the world. Using the NASA footage I made a montage including a poem I wrote about the essence and definition of inspiration.
Outer Space
Sander van den Berg, Netherlands, 2012, 1:52
The footage in this video is derived from image sequences from NASA’s Cassini and Voyager missions. There is no storyline, just beauty.
Supersymmetry
Trent Jaklitsch, United States, 2015, 5:33
Supersymmetry is Jaklitsch’s ode to his father. An inspirational tale for all of us, he uses personal footage from his childhood along with NASA archival footage to stitch together a story about how the universe created us and how we create the universe.
Voyagers
Daniel Land and Paul Frieling, United States, 2015, 7:36
A civilization reaching out into the void, armed for the first time with the tools to get there, chooses to offer a golden gift.