Prize Fest, the award-winning celebration of Film, Food, Music and Comedy,
announced its winners from a live-broadcasted awards show watched throughout the country
and the world. The festival, now in its thirteenth year, showcased the work of independent
filmmakers, musicians, chefs and comedians during a festival spanning October 16-20 across
multiple venues in downtown Shreveport, LA and a satellite theater at Bossier Parish
Community College.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like this year’s Prize Fest,” said Gregory
Kallenberg, Executive Director and Founder of the Louisiana Film Prize and Prize Foundation.
“Aside from the size of the crowds, we’ve never seen a wider array of people traveling to our
one-of-a-kind festival shining a light on creativity. It was pretty awesome to behold.”
Louisiana Film Prize
The 2024 Louisiana Film Prize grand prize winner and recipient of the $50,000 grand prize is
“Sex Date,” directed by Michael Nicholas. The film tells the story of a married couple who
attempts to rekindle their romance by scheduling a time for intimacy. This year’s competition
boasted the largest number of female filmmakers and the largest number of filmmakers of color
in the Top 20.
“We have never seen larger crowds more excited about the films at Film Prize 2025,” said
Kallenberg. “The diversity of voices and subject matter definitely made this the strongest crop of
films and filmmakers we have ever seen.”
The winning film was chosen from the selection of the festival’s Top 20 short film finalists, all of
which were filmed in the state of Louisiana. In order to vote, attendees and judges must watch
all 20 films. Then the winner is determined by a unique 50/50 combination of votes from online
and in-person attendees and a panel of industry judges from across the country.
The other short films that joined “Sex Date” in the Top 5 this year included “Most Likely to
Succeed” (Directed by Ty Hudson), “Napoleonic Code” (Directed by Michael Cusumano), “Three
Sessions” (Directed by Erica Michelle Singleton) and “Toots” (Directed by Chris Alan Evans). All
Top 5 filmmakers receive a $1000 reimbursable grant to offset the cost of fees and travel to
screen their short film at other festivals.
Best Performance was awarded to Moriah Hicks for her role as Debra, a therapist who helps a
married couple discover the power of conversation through separate counseling sessions in the
short film, “Three Sessions.”
The Prize Foundation also announced the recipients for its Founder’s Circle Grants. The
Founder’s Circle recipients are determined by the Film Prize Mentor Judges and provide
winners with a $3,000 reimbursable filmmaking grant that filmmakers can apply towards coming
back and making a film for Louisiana Film Prize 2025. The recipients of this award for 2024 were
Eve Crusto (“Blood and Milk”), Melissa Goslin (“Connected”), Stevie Cavalier (“Miniature Life”),
Ty Hudson (“Most Likely to Succeed”), Kat Durel (“Plaid Skirts”), Erica Michelle Singleton
(“Three Sessions”), and Chris Alan Evans (“Toots”).
Food Prize
Food Prize 2024 kicked off Prize Fest weekend with the premier Come and Get It event. Six
local Golden Fork chef finalists were paired up with six celebrity chefs from across the country.
The local chef and celebrity chefs collaborated to create a unique tasting for the Food Prize
Judges and the attendees. Five local mixologists also poured unique handcrafted cocktails to
win over attendee votes. Judges and attendees voted on the three Golden Fork chefs who
would move on to the Battle for the Golden Fork, a live Chopped-style mystery basket cookoff
that took place on Saturday afternoon. The three finalist chefs were Stu Dyson (Magnolia Pit),
Melvin Nelson (Melvin Nelson Chef Services) and Allison Ward (Fat Calf Brasserie).
At the Battle, after being judged by Tim Carman, food writer from the Washington Post and
Tiana Kennell, restaurant critic from the Ashville Reporter, Chef Melvin Nelson was crowned the
Golden Fork Champion, walking away with $5000, bragging rights, and the coveted Golden Fork
Trophy. Attendees of Come and Get It chose the Golden Shaker champion, voting local
mixologist, Ria Townsend (Bear’s on Fairfield) the winner for her Pepper Pear Twist, featuring
brown butter-washed gin, thyme, ginger and poached pears.
Comedy Prize
In its fourth year, the Comedy Prize expanded to host ten nationally recognized, touring
comedians who each performed 10 minute sets in front of a live sold out audience and industry
heavyweights like Charlie Sotelo (SXSW Comedy), Micheal Cox (Comedy booker for the Tonight
Show), Bart Coleman (head of comedy for Live Nation’s Veeps), Elizabeth Furiati (Comedy
Cellar in New York) and Emilie Laford (Comedy Store in Los Angeles). The comedian finalists
included Cameron Peloso, Dylan Carlino, Jasmyn Carter, Jay Washington, Kristen Toomey,
Macey Isaacs, Matt Koff, Grace Johnson, Mike Feeney and Opey Olagbaju.
Washington DC-based Nigerian American stand up comedian and writer, Opey Olagbaju, was
crowned Comedy Prize’s grand champion for 2024 and walked away with the $2,500 grand
prize money as well as connections with some of comedy’s top bookers and influencers.
Music Prize
Music Prize 2024 saw 10 musical acts from across the country compete for the $10,000 grand
prize. The grand prize winner Mia Borders out of New Orleans, was chosen by a jury of
nationally recognized music industry professionals. Second place went to Big Wy’s Brass Band
(Austin, TX) and third place went to SUNKiSSED (Lafayette, LA). The competition also featured
a People’s Choice Award which resulted in a tie between HAG and Rachard + Ouro Boar.
This year’s Music Prize also saw the return of MPCon (Music Prize Conference), created to offer
artistic and career building mentorship to up and coming musicians. The nationally unique
boutique music conference connects the competing musicians with music industry professionals
from around the country.
To learn more about the Louisiana Film Prize and Prize Fest or to watch the Louisiana Film
Prize awards ceremony, visit www.prizefest.com.
Photo credit: Emily Hamann and Jeremy Hernandez
