Gala Awards 2019 + Winners

And just like that our fifth year of TweetFest is over. And with it we leave the glitz and glam and screenings for another year.

As always we were thrilled to be able to return to Hackney Picturehouse and the Hen and Chickens Theatre for our three jam-packed days and nights celebrating short film filmmaking. We were delighted to showcase 53 short films this year. And below we share the winners from our gala.

You can also see the full lineup of short that were screened for the festival here.

And a warm congratulations goes to….

Best Short Film

The Plunge

Dir: Simon Ryninks

Stars – Omar Khan and Lydia Wilson

After a night of passion Emily tells Jay that she’d like to use a strap-on. Scared of losing a girl he has a connection with, Jay reluctantly agrees.

Best Cinematography

Rain Catcher

Dir: Michele Fiascaris

Stars – Dudley O’Shaughnessy and Joanne Hartley

Rain Catcher is a neo-noir about a young photographer haunted by a mysterious man appearing in his pictures.

Best F-Rated Short Film

Dir: Giulia Gandini

Stars – Clara Read, Trevor Murphy and Ilarian Bushi

A 12-year-old girl has her first period in class. Her skirt is stained red. She is up next to present her final paper in front of all her peers. Will she find a way out of the ‘uncomfortable’ situation?

Special Mention in the F-Rated Category

Bad Mother

Dir: Marnie Baxter and Nicola Stuart-Hill

Stars – Marnie Baxter and Nicola Stuart-Hill (also winner of Best Actress)

Based on the true story of a mother at the end of her tether who finds understanding and solace from a stranger on the beach. But is she right to trust this woman, another mother, with the care of her children?

Best International Short Film

Killing Christmas

Dir: Trudy Bellinger

Stars – Pippa Hinchley and Max Lichtig

Deciding to opt out of the season of goodwill altogether, Holly abandons her family and all the forced merriment on Christmas Eve and instead gets a strange encounter with a security guard and a cosmic festive gift.

Audience Award

Who’s The Daddy?

Dir: Mary-Sue Masson

Stars – Kellie Shirley and Olivia Lee

Who’s the Daddy? Is a character driven comedy-drama about the ups and down of motherhood. Rachel has a rude introduction to Emma while in play-ground purgatory. Things soon get much more interesting. It turns out these two mums have far more in common than either of them could have possibly imagined…