Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Announces Award Winners

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (April 12, 2024) - Fifty-seven films from across the country, all with an Iowa Connection, were screened at the 2024 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, April 5-7, 2024 at the Collins Road Theatres, 1462 Twixt Town Road, Marion, Iowa. Awards were handed out at the Saturday night Eddy Awards Ceremony, presented by Farmers State Bank, as well as following the Student Cinema Sunday screenings.

In addtion to the Eddy Awards, the CRIFF Iowa Filmmaking Impact Award was introduced this year; presented to individuals or organizations who have made a significant contribution to filmmaking with Iowa Connections or the festival.

The first Impact Award went to Bruce Taylor and Collins Road Theatres for supporting CRIFF, awarding thousands of dollars in scholarships, and being the host venue for 20 years.

The second Impact Award went to Craig Schaefer, Loras College Professor of Media Studies for his indelible impact on this festival since 2003. Craig has been directly or indirectly involved in 46 entries and 41 official selections, including 5 this year, and numerous Eddy Awards. Additionallly, Craig has mentored hundreds and continues to mentor young filmmakers, building the creative community of the future.

Eddy Award Winners

Student Freestyle
Gold – Genesis, by Dillon Jacobson, University of Iowa
Silver – Automated Confession Service, by Ethan John Ahrens, University of Iowa

Student Narrative Short Form Film
Gold – Layaway, by Kaitlyn Busbee, NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Silver – Charlotte’s: A Love Story, by Libby Perry and Emily Surma, Loras College

Student Documentary
Gold – Why Not Me? by Libby Perry and Emily Surma, Loras College
Silver – Life in Color, by Kendra Gauge Hefner, Harvard Extension School

Student Narrative Long-Form Film
Gold – This Is He, by Leah Rebekah Bennett and Blake Bodlak, Wayne State University

ProAm Freestyle
Gold – Outlaws: A Poem, by Jason Cox, Whitney Montgomery, Tiffany Iskander and Gregg Voegtlin
Silver – Romantics & Rebels, by Braxten Jones

ProAm Short Form
Gold – Jamiroquai Has No Friends, by Kazek Israni-Winger and Abby Bjorholm
Silver – Tillie, by D Andrew Hartfield, Noelle P. Wilson and Tillie Hartfield

ProAm Documentary
Gold – A Century of Citizenship, by Gabriel Fink, Ashton Nanke and Spare Card Media
Silver – Tama Flint: A Meskawi Tradition, by Oogie Push and the Meskwaki People

ProAm Feature
Gold – Crimson Archer a GI JOE fan film, by Pierre Doanetto, Eric Bench, John Doanetto and Chris Hansen
Silver – The Salvages, by Carrsan T. Morrissey

Professional Freestyle
Gold – Never Lose, by Josh Booth and Tyrone Thomas
Silver – Martian Encounter, by Paul Heuneman, Right Purdy Animation

Professional Narrative Short Form
Gold – Drawn, by Ty Clancey
Silver – We Joined a Cult, by Chris McInroy

Professional Documentary
Gold – Arcades & Love Songs – the Ballad of Walter Day, by Ed Cunningham
Silver – Shift: The Ragbrai Documentary, by Kelsey Kremer and Courtney Crowder

Professional Narrative Feature
Gold – Friendly Faces, by Keaton Fuller, Landon Sheetz, Joey Loboda, Spencer Michael Smith, Marissa Vonn, Bruce James Bales, Matthew Tribble, Ron Reynolds, Phillip Platz, Marc Bauer and Ricardo Rangel
Silver – Knee High, by Marissa Vonn, Bruce James Bales, Michael Ridley, Dakota Carpenter and Kalena Clarkson

Collins Road Theatres $1000 Scholarship
Lightsaber Battle, by Palmer George LeVake, Cedar Rapids Washington HS

Iowa Connection Eddy Award
Shift: The Ragbrai Documentary, by Kelsey Kremer and Courtney Crowder

Audience Choice Eddy Award
The Kid’s Table, by Beth Hinde and Stephen Folker

Student Audience Choice Eddy Award
S’mores, by Matthew Chezum, Augustana College

THE EDDY AWARDS are named after Thomas Alva Edison who, among his many other pursuits, was a pioneer in motion picture technology. The term eddy is also defined as “a current moving contrary to the direction of the main current,” which is a suitable description for independent filmmakers, who often go against the current trends in mainstream cinema.

The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival's mission is to encourage independent filmmakers with Iowa ties to continue improving their craft, to provide a place to specifically showcase their films, present a unique cultural event to the community, and to offer networking opportunities for the purpose of building connections between Iowa-connected filmmakers everywhere.

In addition to Collins Road Theatres and Farmers State Bank, CRIFF is supported by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, ProduceIowa, Wired Production Group, ImOn Communications, Sweetopia Emporium, Uptown Coffee Co., Adobe Express and R&D Events.

For more information, visit crifm.org. Information can also be found on the festival's Facebook page and other social media platforms. Email CRIFF at info@crifm.org.