Prize Fest, a celebration of Film, Food, Music, Fashion and Comedy, announced its winners from Weekend 2 (Film, Food & Comedy) at a live-broadcasted awards show watched throughout the country and the world. The festival, now in its tenth year, showcased the work of independent filmmakers, fashion designers, musicians, chefs and comedians during a festival for the first time spanning two weekends in downtown Shreveport, LA. Attendees were treated to a return to theaters and venues and proof of vaccination or negative Covid test was required for all artists, staff, volunteers and the audience.
“I’m not sure I could’ve asked for a more epic 10th anniversary for Prize Fest” said Gregory Kallenberg, Executive Director and Founder of the Louisiana Film Prize and Prize Foundation. “We expanded our dates and brought our festival back into the streets, and the best part was that our audience showed up and were loud and proud to be back.”
Louisiana Film Prize
The 2021 Louisiana Film Prize grand prize winner and recipient of the $25,000 grand prize (the world’s largest cash prize for a narrative short film) is “Shreveport Son,” directed by Mark D. Bonner.
The winning film was chosen from the Top 20 short film finalists, all of which were filmed in the state of Louisiana, and determined by a unique 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 “Shreveport Son” in the Top 5 this year were: Jency Hogan’s “Bamboo House,” Melissa Goslin Moore’s “MOMentro,” Jacob McSharma’s “Nana Ki Dum,” and Michael Reece Roark’s “Pictures of the Sky.”
Bonner also won this year’s Best Actor for his performance in “Sheveport Son,” and Anamé Rose Walt won Best Actress for her performance in “Moonlight Dancer.”
The Film Prize Foundation also announced the recipients for its Founder’s Circle Grants. Founder’s Circle is a $3,000 filmmaking grant that allows filmmakers to come back and make a film for Louisiana Film Prize 2022. The recipients of this award were Mark Bonner (“Shreveport Son”), Jency Hogan (“Bamboo House”), Jacob McSharma (“Nana Ki Dum”), Josh Munds (“Stakeout”), and Danny Zanelotti (“We Got Your Six”).
Food Prize
Food Prize 2021 featured a new spin on its premier Come and Get It event. Seven local chefs were paired up with nationally recognized celebrity chefs across the country to collaborate to create a dish and then serve incredible tastings to attendees. These celebrity chefs, like Chopped winner Chef Tristen Epps, came from all over the country to be a part of this celebration of the culinary arts. The attendees voted on their favorite dish, crowning local chef Tootie Morrison (Abby Singer’s Bistro/Earnestly Tootie’s) and celebrity chef Regina Charboneau (Natchez, MS) the Golden Fork champions. The attendees also voted on the first ever Golden Shaker champion crowning local mixologist and bartender, Haley Horne of Bear’s, the winner.
Comedy Prize
In its inaugural year, the Comedy Prize hosted 5 hopeful national touring comedians who each performed 7 to 10 minute sets in front of a live audience. Trey Mack of Birmingham, AL was crowned Comedy Prize’s first champion.
Louisiana Music Prize
Louisiana Music Prize 2021, the GRAMMY-affiliated competition for rising musicians, saw 10 musical acts from across the country compete for the $10,000 grand prize. The grand prize winner, Ponderosa Grove out of Prescott, AZ, was chosen by a jury of nationally recognized music industry professionals. The competition also featured a People’s Choice Award which was won by Shreveport-based band Bond+Plus. This year’s Louisiana Music Prize also featured its first ever Music Prize Conference, MPCon, meant to offer artistic and career building mentorship to up and coming musicians.
Fashion Prize
In its third year, the Louisiana Fashion Prize hosted a live runway presentation of 6 designers’ collections at Sci-Port Discovery Center. Jessica Hall was named the judges’ grand prize winner. To learn more about the Louisiana Film Prize and Prize Fest or to watch the Louisiana Film Prize awards ceremony, please visit www.prizefest.com.
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The Prize Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012. Our mission is to promote economic growth, workforce development, youth job training, creative class entrepreneurial buildout and increased tourism through education, entrepreneurship, conferences, contests and festivals in Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana. The Prize Foundation operates six major initiatives year-round: Louisiana Film Prize, Film Prize Junior, Startup Prize, Food Prize, Music Prize, and Fashion Prize. Each Prize has a qualification process, engagement with economic and cultural resources, and an educational component.
The Louisiana Film Prize invites filmmakers from across the country to make a short film between five and fifteen minutes long to compete for the largest cash prize for a short narrative film offered in the world. The chief requirement is that the films must be shot in Louisiana. The top twenty films that have been submitted are then screened for audiences and judges in October and a winner is chosen based on the voting from those two factions.
Prize Fest Returns: Bigger, Badder, Longer- Published July 20, 2021
Pull out the confetti cannon, it’s almost time for PrizeFest!
Big news on PrizeFest, the area’s gathering of all things fashion, film, food and music. The fest is going to be in person in 2021, is expanding to two weekends and will officially include comedy in its lineup of fun.
Weekend ONE- Friday- Saturday, Sept. 24-25!
FASHION PRIZE- Fri., Sept. 24- Sci-Port Discovery Center
Friday, Sept.24 – The fabulous FASHION PRIZE will strut the catwalk at Sci-Port Discovery Center. This will be a limited ticket event. Only roughly 120 general admission seats will be available and a handful of up-close, front row VIP tickets. Tickets for Fashion Prize are available now and if you are even thinking of going, get a ticket asap.
MUSIC PRIZE- Fri. & Sat., Sept 24-25, The Garage, 212 Market St.
On Friday PrizeFest will host a Music Prize Conference (MP Con) at the Municipal Auditorium for participants in the Music Prize and other area musicians.
The public will get involved on Friday and Saturday for the Music Prize events, both at The Garage, 212 Market St. Ten musical acts announced in August will perform over the two nights. As with all of the fests, the audience plays a big role in choosing the winner, who will receive $10,000. Tickets are available now.
Take a break, take a breath, it’s on to Weekend 2: Sept. 30- Oct. 2!
FILM PRIZE- Thurs. Sept. 30- Sat. Oct. 2, Various Locations
Film Prize rolls in on weekend 2 at various venues around downtown Shreveport, including, but not limited to: Central ARTstation, Robinson Film Center, Studio 616 (Texas St.) and a brand new BIG TOP tented venue with a giant LED screen and surround sound, which will be located in the middle of Texas Street.
Because there is the breathing room with two weekends, Film Prize will host an Opening Night Party featuring the public, film casts and filmmakers on Thursday night, Sept. 30. Films will show on screens at various venues on Thursday through Saturday. Three important things to note:
- The Top Twenty films will be announced on August 12.
- The winner gets $25,000, the largest cash prize for a short film given anywhere.
- Film Prize will also be available to watch online if you are uncomfortable or unable to be around crowds.
FOOD PRIZE- Fri. & Sat. Oct. 1-2, The Garage, 212 Market St.
The popular ‘Come and Get It’ meal will be moved to Friday night, and this year, a cast of celebrity chefs will team up with the local chefs who will be announced next week.
On Saturday, the celebrity chefs will present a Lunch Sampler for ticket holders. Both of these events will be held at The Garage, 212 Market Street, and tickets are limited.
COMEDY PRIZE- Sat., Oct. 2, Location TBA
New to the Prize family in 2021 is the official Comedy Prize! There was a popular comedy showcase in 2019, but this will be the first year of inclusion in judging/awards. Five comedians will do a standup routine in front of a live audience as they are being judged by national talent scouts. The winner receives $1000. Registration is still open for Comedians!
Did we mention that tickets are available and some (Food, Fashion) will be very limited? Do not wait. Any and all of these will be an experience to remember!
VIVA LA PRIZE!
July 13, 2021
Some big news from Downtown’s Prize Fest family!
Crew working on How Do I Tell You This downtown.
Crew working on Pictures of the Sky downtown.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana Prize Foundation is celebrating a huge win for film-making statewide. The foundation has been awarded a $203,050 grant from Louisiana’s new Entertainment Development Fund to expand the annual Louisiana Film Prize and develop a film training program in Louisiana high schools.
“The Prize Foundation has been a creative force in Northwest Louisiana for several years now,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “The Louisiana Film Prize is nationally recognized for celebrating our state’s innovative feature and documentary filmmakers. The development of Film Prize Junior in Louisiana schools is an exciting addition to this worthy endeavor. We look forward to the advances the Prize Foundation will make with this award from our new Entertainment Development Fund.”
The grant will support both the nationally recognized Louisiana Film Prize and its student offshoot, Film Prize Junior. The goal of both programs is to develop a sustainable, indigenous filmmaking community in the state while simultaneously stimulating economic development in Louisiana’s Northwest Region. The Entertainment Development Fund, administered by Louisiana Economic Development, was launched earlier this year.
“This grant is a benchmark moment for the Louisiana Film Prize and Film Prize Junior,” said Executive Director Gregory Kallenberg of the Prize Foundation. “This is a validation of our decade committed to energizing the creative economy in our beloved state, and these funds will further help women, men and students create films and bolster the Prize Foundation’s dream of building an indigenous filmmaking community across Louisiana.”
The grant will be used to provide hand-on training, resources and mentorship opportunities with industry professionals as well as a strong curriculum to provide developing directors and producers the skills needed to manage and organize cast and crew teams. In addition, the grant will fund scholarships for student and professional filmmakers.
