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.
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.
