Our stunning 11 1/2″ 24K custom gold statuette is manufactured by R.S. Owens, the same company that manufactures the Oscar. The winner of our Best Short Film category will receive this award at no cost to them, while winners in other categories will be given the option to acquire it. Additional awards and prizes may be Read More ...
Title: American Nightmare
Runtime: 7 min
Country: USA
Director: Jesus Nebot
Placement: Award of Excellence
Competition: December, 2018
Synopsis: A traffic stop due to speeding takes a turn for the worse landing a mother and her 5 year old daughter in jail.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
JN: The zero tolerance policy that caused the separation of 2,713 migrant children from their asylum-seeking parents and the unfair criminalization of undocumented immigrants and refugees by our current Trump administration.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
JN: We shot it in one day 3 weeks after I had the idea.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
JN: Secure a professional crew with a very limited budget. I told them the film format was short but its ambitions were enormous and well worth it. We have since then won 5 film festivals and the film has been viewed by more than 1,100,000 people.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
JN: Dealing with permits and traffic during the day of the shoot.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
JN: Be aware that getting the film shot is only the first step. You will need time, budget and passion to finish the film and make sure it goes to places.
