By Summer Kiswani, Phoenix staff writer
The sixth annual Chicago Southland International Film Festival (CSIFF) concluded its three-day event with a VIP Awards Reception on Saturday evening, April 6, where the short film “The Pencil” was named Best of the Fest.
The award ceremony took place in the E lounge with refreshments and an open bar. The filmmakers, festival team members, and all other attendees gathered together to celebrate all of the wonderful films. Winners the the 12 award categories were:
- Best High School Film- Overcast by Aleksandar Mindov
- Best College Film- One for My Baby by Shiloh Tumo Washington
- Best Professional Film- LYUBIMA by Maya Vitkova-Kosev
- Best International Film- Blood Snow by Hossein Alijannezhad
- Best Drama Film- Between the Silence by Mina Patel
- Best Comedy Film- Raising Hell by Michelle Bult
- Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror Film- Incarnation by Bernard Winter
- Best Documentary Film- NO ENTRY by Philippe Vanasse-Paquet and Dimitri Lavallée
- Best Animated Film- Lights by Jitka Nemikinsová
- First Feature Film- Provo by Emma Thatcher
- Second Feature Film- Bike Vessel by Eric D. Seals
- Best of the Fest- The Pencil by Thomas Schultz and Madina Baimakhanova
Congratulations to all of the winners of CSIFF 2024!