Hobnobben 2022 Award Finalists Selected
The Hobnobben 2022 award finalists have been selected. Jury members met on Sunday, September 25 to choose winners in each of the following categories:
Narrative Feature
Unscripted Feature
Animated Short
Unscripted Short
Fiction Short
Student Work: High School and Undergraduate
First-Time Filmmaker and Advanced Student
Indiana Reels
WTFw: What the Fort Wayne?!
Winners in each category will be revealed at the Hobnobben Awards Ceremony at 7 p.m, Friday, October 15, at Cinema Center, 437 E. Berry St, Fort Wayne. The ceremony will feature an Opening Reception with light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar in the Spectator Lounge at Cinema Center. Once the winners have been announced, guests are invited to the Main Theater to watch a finalist feature film, Sweet Disaster, a charming German rom-com about a middle-aged woman who finds herself pregnant and abandoned by the father of the child. The film includes an amusing cameo by “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff, and there will be a taped Q&A with director Laura Lehmus after the film.
All Hobnobben films were also eligible for the second annual Jen Lynn Award. This award honors films with LGBTQIA+ representation and is named for two Hobnobben supporters. This year’s jury selected a record number of 15 finalists in this category, highlighting the tremendous skill and craft around LGBTQIA+ storytelling across the world.
The Finalists.
Two terminally ill women from Myanmar meet in a hospital and find comfort, and love, together.
Although Daniel de la Rosa comes from a family of baseball prestige, he has never appreciated the sport. But on the day of his Uncle's ascendance into the Hall of Fame as the first Dominican player in the league, Daniel is forced to embark on a journey through time that sees him (with the help of new friends) restore his family’s legacy and rewrite baseball history.
Frida unexpectedly falls pregnant and Felix, the father of her child, breaks up with her to re-unite with his ex. Although some serious health problems caused by the late pregnancy force Frida to rest, she still tries to get Felix back, using methods which are absurd, exaggerated and sometimes hilarious.
Once a couple, two 30-somethings meet again years later. They spend the night and reflect on their past and present.
Six trans women from the Emberá Chami community in Colombia embrace their artistic and spiritual identites.
The documentary Natives (Eu Nativo) shows aspects of the indigenous lives in the north and northeast of Brazil. It is a sensitive reflection on native individuals, who rarely have the opportunity to talk about their emotions and sadness.
Compelling stories of the joy, pain, and complexity of what it means to be a Black father in America.
What if the economy failed? The remaining inhabitants of the Japanese island of Ikeshima show us what it might be like.
An animated short about asexuality that explores the experience of feeling different, as well as the isolation, confusion, self-loathing (and also self-love and joy) that difference can create.
In a world of pairs, Lenny, the left sneaker, discovers individuality in a world where individuality doesn't exist.
Amid a whirlwind electoral campaign in America's heartland, a political novice navigates the contours of newfound love. Sponsored by: Harriet Miller & Monica Wehrle
Years after Emily is born with Down syndrome, her father develops a talk to help educate first responders.
People of color set out to undo mass incarceration by changing the probation system, equipped only with cameras.
A woman from Bangkok feels alienated by the comparatively soporific pace of San Francisco until a bike restored from a dumpster changes everything.
Black women in the U.S. are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than White women. This documentary highlights both the challenging and positive experiences.
Abir and her friend Nur have plans to finally go to the beach to fulfill their dream of swimming together in the sea.
The past of Lina, a Syrian refugee girl, is full of monsters. She will have to face them if she wants to look to the future.
A novitiate nun discovers a West African man who claims to have swum across the Atlantic Ocean to America.
On the school bus, Kenza challenges her naive, romantic little brother to profess his love to the girl he loves.
Every night, The Censor and his team moderate Yoko's dreams. Tonight nothing happens, as planned.
At a family gathering, an older woman confronts an awkward young man she doesn't recognize. To reveal his identity, she forces him to use a haunted typewriter that will only type the truth.
An autistic Palestinian man is mistaken for a terrorist when he tries to help a little girl on the beach at the Dead Sea.
Khadiga, a young mother of 16, lives alone with her baby after her husband leaves to work in a remote city. On an ordinary day, she makes her way through the hustle of Cairo streets while dealing with postpartum depression.
Abandoned by her husband and clinging to the past, Susana finds the desire to live again from an unlikely acquaintance.
When the Mayor of Booneville turns up dead, Detective Humphrey Trowell uncovers a thick web of lies.
After taking control of her ship from her AI companion, a space captain must make repairs before it's too late.
Former high school basketball star, Kojak Fuller, uses his life's tragedies to help the youth in his community flourish.
As swimmer Lizzi Smith competes in the Paralympics, she must learn to overcome her mental battles before she can rise in the rankings.
A film about a boy whose portrait comes to life and leads him to see life through a more colorful eye. Sponsored by: Christi Hille & Nick Ferran
A pair of lovers, one of whom is a humanoid, go to a robot repair shop to have their relationship mended.
A visual adaptation of poems about gender, sexual orientation, blackness and feminism through the eye of a gay director from the homophobic African country of Nigeria.
A short documentary about a transgender boy who took his own life after struggling with the bureaucracy surrounding hormone replacement therapy assignment.
Five people and a skunk are united by an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci about his tenure in the Trump White House.
Set in the Blue River watershed of Southern Indiana, this short film tells the story of a statewide effort to improve the environment for the two-foot long Eastern hellbender salamander and the water for us all.
In rural Southern Indiana, two men carry on the tradition of crafting hoop nets in the White and Wabash Rivers, despite the threat of invasive species, climate change, and other shifting dynamics.
After critical Prince Gnarly meets a scrappy fairy godmother, he is granted three wishes. Why do they always end badly?
Being eaten is the lifelong dream of Zucchini. But when he's left to rot, he learns a surprising lesson about life.
In quarantine, after a complicated game of husband and wife, the man disguises himself as the woman and begins the experience of living like her.
Two terminally ill women from Myanmar meet in a hospital and find comfort, and love, together.
Six trans women from the Emberá Chami community in Colombia embrace their artistic and spiritual identites.
Amid a whirlwind electoral campaign in America's heartland, a political novice navigates the contours of newfound love. Sponsored by: Harriet Miller & Monica Wehrle
An animated short about asexuality that explores the experience of feeling different, as well as the isolation, confusion, self-loathing (and also self-love and joy) that difference can create.
Jamie is a young woman struggling to find her place in the world. When she inadvertently makes contact with an astronaut on her ham radio, everything changes. Sponsored by: Lynn Serstad and Jennifer Fray
A unique collection of vintage photos of men in love from the 1850s to the 1950s, when male partnerships were often illegal. Sponsored by: Thom Johnston and Robert Gould
A pair of lovers, one of whom is a humanoid, go to a robot repair shop to have their relationship mended.
After a few decades of separation, a transwoman, Marie, has to introduce herself to her father once again.
A visual adaptation of poems about gender, sexual orientation, blackness and feminism through the eye of a gay director from the homophobic African country of Nigeria.
Filled with doubt over the judgments of those closest to him, the protagonist must work against the clock to achieve his goal, knowing that one’s true identity is what matters most.
A queer activist renounces their sexuality and embraces a new faith in the turbulent ocean of Indian politics.
A short documentary about a transgender boy who took his own life after struggling with the bureaucracy surrounding hormone replacement therapy assignment.
Meet the Jurors.
Dr. Danee Pye
As a rhetorical scholar, Chicana, writer and film lover, Danee believes that stories matter. She brings this perspective to her role as a juror as well as the following experiences.
Originally from Southern California, Dr. Pye splits her time between the West Coast and Indiana, and everywhere in between. She has a PhD in Communication, which she now uses to teach Rhetoric and Civic Culture at Temple University, and Leadership courses at Carolina University. She also works with a team at Common People United to consult on a variety of digital communication projects for mission-driven organizations doing work that matters.
Miranda Smith
Miranda Smith is a 1st AC (Assistant Camera) at Punch Films in Fort Wayne and a second-time juror for Hobnobben. She has a hard time naming her favorite film, but she loves dramedies, road trip movies and anything dark and weird. Some of her new favorite creators include Issa Rae, Michaela Cole and cinematographer Ava Berkofsky.
Emmanuel Ortiz
Emmanuel Ortiz is a Latino community organizer, writer, soccer junkie, cinephile and doggie dad.
Born and raised in Fort Wayne, he spent most of his adult life in Minneapolis, MN. There, he co-founded The Secret Society of Nerds of Color Film Fanatics: Flagship Minneapolis Chapter (SSNOCFF) — a group of film-loving nerds of color who get together to watch and discuss films. He was working on a Futbol Film Fest (a film festival focusing on soccer-themed films) in Minneapolis but never brought it to fruition before he moved back to Fort Wayne in 2019. Since moving back, he has started a Summit City chapter of the SSNOCFF and continues to plot a Futbol Film Fest.
Day passes, general admission tickets, and even virtual tickets (for online viewing) can be purchased here. Single-day passes are $30 each, except for Opening Night (Thursday, October 13) which is only $15. A 4-day pass is $60, and an All-Access VIP Pass is $150. General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. The Awards Ceremony ticket is $10 for general admission and $5 for students. All festival films will be shown at Cinema Center, 437 E. Berry St.
The Hobnobben Film Festival, now in its seventh year, showcases diverse stories and voices that are typically excluded from the mainstream film industry, offering a one-of-a-kind festival that invites participants to see themselves on screen — and be seen by others. The festival is supported by local sponsors and community members and is an annual fundraiser for Fort Wayne Cinema Center, a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1976.
