Three up-and-coming Burnaby filmmakers are among those who received awards at the 17th annual EyeLens Film, Video and Animation Festival.
The festival attracted more than 140 entries from work produced at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) during 2011.
Twenty-one films were honoured in 23 categories, including three by Burnaby residents.
Joey Lopez captured top honours for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Director's Filmmaking for the film Dead Memory.
"In this film, the director has artfully brought together the craft of cinematography, acting, editing and music into a story that is engaging and stylish," said judges' comments about the film.
Irving Diaz Hernandez was part of a team that captured Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects and Animation for their short film Aliveo. Hernandez and cowinners Bruno de Oliveira and Graham Campbell earned kudos from the judges for presenting the film that was "the most creative and professional visually."
Alexander Christine earned a runnerup nod in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Early Teen Dramatic Filmmaking. Christine and fellow filmmakers Jordan Somani and Emma Jane Cohen earned the honour for their work on Groovy Juvie, a comedy about two kids at a juvenile detention centre who are trying to think of ways to get out.
The festival was held on Saturday, April 21 in Victoria.
For more about GIFTS and the festival, including links to YouTube videos of the winning films, check out the website at www.giftsfilms.com.
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