Sunday, May 07, 2023

The 14th Annual LA WEBFEST 2023 - Award Ceremony

 

14th Annual LA WEBFEST 2023 Award Show group photo


The LA WEBFEST completed its 14th annual event, which took place at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles on May 4-5, 2023. 


This year's festival showcased some of the best long-form series, short-form web series, short films, pilots, and podcasts from around the world.


One of the exciting new features of this year's festival was the inclusion of long-form series from major players such as ABC, Netflix, Apple TV, and LionsGate+. 


For the first time, the LA WEBFEST honored the creators, directors, writers, actresses, and actors behind these popular shows. Some of the nominees included Jason Momoa for his role in "See," Paula Patton for "Somewhere Between," and Randy Huggins for creating "BMF," a popular crime drama produced by Curtis 50 Cent” Jackson. 


The Best Actor award winner was Devon Sawa for "Somewhere Between," and the Best Actress award winner was Seol-Hyun Kim, a South Korean singer and actress for the long-form series "Summer Strike," produced by South Korea's KT Studiogenie.



Festival Director Young Man Kang & Actor Michael Pare



The festival also had notable winners like actor Michael Pare, known for his roles in '80s hits like "Eddie and the Cruisers" and "Street of Fire," who won the Best Actor award for his role in the short film "The Curse of Stone Hill." 

The Best Web Series of all genres for short form award winner was "Hammersmith," and the Best Long-Form Series was “BMF."


BMF Producers Team & Young Man Kang


The LA WEBFEST has a long history of discovering new talent and fostering creativity in the web series format. Issa Rae, star and creator of "Insecure," originally screened her show "Awkward Black Girl" at the festival, and her co-star Yvonne Orgi was discovered by LA WEBFEST founder Michael Ajakwe, Jr.


Ajakwe founded the LA WEBFEST in 2009, making it the first international festival dedicated specifically to web series. Since then, the festival has grown and inspired the creation of webfests all over the world, with more than 50 webfests forming a worldwide network.


Tragically, Ajakwe passed away in 2018, but his legacy lives on through the festival and its new director, Young Man Kang. Honorary President Jean-Michel Albert, founder of the Marseille Webfest in France, remarked that "with the rapid growth of YouTube, OTT platforms, and social media, web series festivals are constantly growing in number."

Overall, the LA WEBFEST was a celebration of creativity and innovation in the web series format, honoring established talent and discovering new voices from around the world.



BMF Team & Young Man Kang




Saturday, May 06, 2023

14th Annual LA WEBFEST 2023 Award Winners


 


14th Annual LA WEBFEST 2023 Award Winners

1

Michael Ajakwe Jr. Achievement Award 

Gettin' Down - Season 3

2

Best Actor - Short

Michael Pare - The Curse of Stone Hill

3

Best Actress - Short

Madison Ekstrand - The Curse of Stone Hill

4

Best Short

Halo: The Rebellion

5

Best Comedy Podcast

Starship Q Star

6

Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy Podcast 

Sidequesting

7

Best Drama Podcast 

Night Faces

8

Best Thriller Podcast 

Savage Waking: Obliteration

9

Best Sound Design Podcast 

Savage Waking: Obliteration

10

Best Writing Podcast

The Rapscallion Agency Podcast

11

Best Director Podcast

Starship Q Star

12

Best Actual Play Podcast 

Rift Walkers

13

Best Game Master Podcast

Party of One

14

Best Special / Visual Effect 

Bogan Moths

15

Best Music

Medea

16

Best Editing

Lost the Lead

17

Best Production Design

Hey, I’m The Doorguy!

18

Best Screenplay 

City Folx

19

Best Cinematography 

A week for Amelia

20

Best Ensemble Cast

Double Blind

21

Best Supporting Actor

The Maine Way - David Bush

22

Best Supporting Actress

Lady Ada's Secret Society - Terri Hawkes

23

Best Pilot

Flattening The Curve

24

Best Documentary

The Tall Bike Joust

25

Best Reality / Trailer / Vertical 

Hee Jung Ko Says Hanbok

26

Best Animation

Tech Witch

27

Best Suspense / Thriller / Mystery

Spies Never Retire

28

Best Action / Sci-Fi / Fantasy 

The Hunted: NYCSS

29

Best Sketch Comedy

Combat Nuns "All Or Nothing"

30

Best Comedy

Steep Town

31

Best Dramedy 

Rideshare

32

Best Drama

In The Nick Of The Time

33

Best Director 

Absolved S2 E1 - Kevin Hejna

34

Best Creator / Director / Writer - Long Form Series

Randy Huggins (Creator of BMF) 

35

Best Actor - Long Form Series

Devon Sawa (Somewhere Between)

36

Best Actress - Long Form Series

Seol-Hyun Kim (Summer Strike)

37

Best Series- Long Form Series

BMF

38

Best Actor

Lost in Moldova - Kenny Grimble Jr.

39

Best Actress

Hot Angry Mom - Mel House

40

Best Web Series of All Genres 

Hammersmith















Saturday, April 29, 2023

14th Annual LA WEBFEST 2023 - Time Schedule

DAY 1 - May 4, Thursday - Time Schedule


24 clichés par seconde

Screening Block 1

10:00 ~ 10:45 : Screening

58 Seconds:


10:45 ~ 11:00 : Creators Q&A

A Parent’s Worst Nightmare


11:00 ~ 11:10 : Break 

A Pony Tale



A Working Man



A week for Amelia



About people and about war



AbSOLVED S2 E1



ABULIVIA



Ant Man - Leaked Footage



Another Bad Side Quest



Blood



BMF (Long Form Series)



Bogan Moths - Ep1



Cat Food



Certifiable Series



Chaika



Chateau Laurier -Season 2



Checkpoint (Spaces in Between: Episode 2)



Childish Deano



City Folx



Civitanum 7



Combat Nuns "All Or Nothing"



Complacent Charlie Season 4



Destinies



Do Over



DOUBLE BLIND



Echoes (In) Between



ENCLAVE : The Four of Neuville



End of the Cornfield



Eyes



Fire






Five Legged and Blind

Screening Block 2

11:10 ~ 11:40 : Screening

Flattening The Curve


11:40 ~ 12:00 : Creators Q&A

Forgotten Masters - Season 2


12:00 ~ 1:00 PM : Lunch Time

FORGOTTEN SONG



Frozen Ground



Geomapping Love Episode 4



Gettin' DOWN - Season 3



Goblets and Gays



Good Grief Hotline



Grey Nomads 2



Growing Up Guide Pup



Halo: The Rebellion



HAMMERSMITH



Hee Jung Ko Says Hanbok



Heavy Head



Helmet



Herrings



Hey, I’m The Doorguy!



HOLDING - Episode 1: Call Time



Hollywood Jay's Fishing Adventures



HOT ANGRY MOM



I Am The Warrior



Illuminagents 



In The Nick Of The Time



IN VINO VERITAS



Inappropriate Jokes Well Told



Incoming: The Wives



Insignificant



Interracial Couple In A Cheerios Ad



It's a Wonderful Law & Order Life SV



Key Lewis; Half Black, Half White, Looks MEXICAN!



Kith & Kin







Lady Ada's Secret Society

Screening Block 3

1:10 ~ 1:35 PM : Screening

Lost in Moldova


1:35 ~ 1:50 PM : Creators Q&A

Lost the Lead


1:50 ~ 2:00 PM : Break

Love Like Summer Rain



Love Tips to Myself



Lucid



Luna, The Witch: Season 2



Mães & Filha - O Pedido de Natal



Marcellus Hall an Artist in New York City



Medea



Mid-to-Late



My Flatmate (very very very season 7)



My Special Guest



Nazi Hollywood



New Recruit (Long Form Series) 



Night Faces



Oh Youngsim (Long Form Series) 



Once Upon a Wasteland



Ore



OUT OF ROUTINE



Party of One



PROJECT M (A Bishonnen' spinoff)



Pyramid Game



Queen of the Playground



Quest Friends!



Recife's Greatest Love Story








Rideshare

Screening Block 4

2:00 ~ 2:35 PM : Screening

Rift Walkers


2:35 ~ 2:50 PM : Creators Q&A

Roar to Heaven


2:50 ~ 3:00 PM : Break

ROOMMATES



Savage Waking: Obliteration



See (Long Form Series) 



Seeing clearly



Sidequesting



Sketches



Sojeong's World



Somewhere Between (Long Form Series)



Space Rats : Episode1



Spies Never Retire



Starship Q Star



Steep Town



Still Rolling Papers



Subsister: A Real Podcast



Summer Strike (Long Form Series)



Sword of Symphonies



Tales from Three Corners



Tales Yet Told



Talk Tale



Tech Witch



The Curse of Stone Hill



The Fast Family: Cruze to the Coastline Car Collective



The Ghost Detective



The Hunted: NYCSS









Panel 



Topic:                                                             “Creating content in today's ever-changing digital universe"


Moderator: Rich Halke           ——————————     Panelist:                    Andrew Cochrane            Neem Basha                    Ned Donovan               

3:00 ~ 4:00 PM : Panel                        4:00 ~ 4:30 PM : Break






The Last Cookie

Screening Block 5

4:30 ~ 5:10 PM : Screening

The Lowest Deep


5:10 ~ 5:30 PM : Creators Q&A

The Madness of Chartrulean


5:30 ~ 6:00 PM : Break / End

The MAINE Way


7:00 PM ~ Networking - 

The Monster's Club


Atrium

The Occult Adventures of Norman P


1816 N Vermont Ave, 

The Rapscallion Agency 


LA, CA 90027

The Secret of St Kilda



The Spectral Silhouette Radio Show



The Supers, the Stoners and the Big Bad



The swiss traveller S01E01



The Tall Bike Joust



The Thief



The Tryout



The Tokens Season 2



The Unseen World



Tobias and Syd



Top of the Round



Topline



True Dating Stories - Season 3



TUTOPIQUE #SLOGAN



Twisted Mind



Two Blue Lines



TWO CHAIRS



Two Flat Earthers Kidnap a Freemaso



Vampire: The Masquerade Port Sag



W. CHAPTER II



Wayne Williams



We're going to Hollywood



Where the Stars Fell



Witching hour



You Don’t Even Look Italian








DAY 2 - May 5, Friday - Time Schedule



Arrival

All Creators

4:00 ~ 4:30 PM : Arrival

Press Photo Shoot & Video Interview

All Creators

4:30 ~ 6:00 PM : Red Carpet

*Group Photo Shoot

All Creators

6:00 ~ 6:05 PM : Photowall

Reception

All Creators

5:00 ~ 7:00 PM : Food & Drink

Award Gala

All Creators

7:00 ~ 8:30 PM : Awards 

Network Party

All Creators

9:30 PM ~                            Networking Event                   
Atrium                                           
1816 N Vermont Ave,                     
Los Angeles, CA 90027





LAST YEAR 2022 LA WEBFEST - Red Carpet Press Photos