2025 Nevermore Jury Award Winners&nbsp;Best Short - US/Canada Sundowning (US)&nbsp;Best Short - International &amp; Best Director - Short&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Companions (Spain)José María Flores (The Companions, Spain)&nbsp;Best Short - Long-Form NarrativeDog People (US)&nbsp;Best Short - Animated Les Bêtes (US)&nbsp;Best Performance in a Leading Role Rochée Jeffrey (The Flacalta Effect, US)&nbsp;Best Performance in a Supporting Role Ren Hanami (Lola, US)Pepe Jordana (Predator, Spain)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

SUNDOWNING(US, 2024, 15 min)A horror-with-a-heart short film following three members of an assisted living community – Shu-Hua, a stubborn, sharp-eyed new resident already trying to find her way out of this dump; Zach, a well-meaning but inexperienced young night nurse; and Gerry, a long-time old-timer facing down nightfall and the monsters it contains, armed with only a straw and a handful of peas. Director Biography -&nbsp;Faith Liu<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/500/112/original/08cc616791-headshot.jpg?1693857984" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/500/112/thumb/08cc616791-headshot.jpg?1693857984" width="131" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>FAITH LIU is a writer and director based in Los Angeles. Homeschooled K-12 in Morganville, NJ, Faith's initial creative instincts led in a variety of directions: creating a documentary short on the shared experiences of Sudanese refugees and Polish expats; producing and directing a full-length production of Mozart's The Magic Flute set during the Cold War; and publishing in multiple academic journals on the subjects of J.R.R. Tolkien and Southern Gothic fiction. Ultimately, however, Faith honed in on filmmaking - she received her MFA in Screenwriting from USC as an Annenberg Graduate Fellow and the school’s inaugural T.C. Wang scholar, and became a member of both the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and Christina Hodson and Margot Robbie's Lucky Exports Pitch Program. She has worked on shows like HBO Max's WARRIOR and AMC's BETTER CALL SAUL; been hired to write for Blumhouse, FilmNation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Disney/Pixar; and enjoys loner characters finding community in unlikely places. She is repped by Verve and Redefine Entertainment.

SUNDOWNING

THE COMPANIONS (“La Compania”)(Spain, 2024, 13 min)A young couple walks down the street, they have left the children at home and are going out to dinner. A crowd gathers around something.In Spanish with English subtitles Director Biography -&nbsp;José María Flores<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/569/424/original/603c077205-headshot.jpg?1701368748" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/569/424/thumb/603c077205-headshot.jpg?1701368748" width="178" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>José María thrives alongside renowned figures in the film and creative industry. His work, "La Fièvre," gathers numerous national and international accolades, earning him a spot among Forbes' 2022 list of the 50 most talented Spaniards globally, alongside luminaries like Almodóvar and Trueba. His direction captivates not just for the narrative but for its ability to touch the subconscious. Flores has proven to be part of the new generation of creators making Spanish cinema more visible internationally.

THE COMPANIONS (“La Compania”)

DOG PEOPLE(US, 2024, 20 min)Two unsuspecting men show up at a sweet old lady’s door pretending to offer their services for free, but as strange events occur, and bizarre discoveries are made they quickly learn it might be her who is pulling a fast one on them. Genre vet Dee Wallace (E.T., Cujo) co-stars in this genre-bending horror-comedy aims to examine just how far people are willing to go to protect those they love most. Their dogs, of course. Director Biography -&nbsp;Bradley Stryker<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/574/007/original/3941953745-headshot.jpg?1701899884" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/574/007/thumb/3941953745-headshot.jpg?1701899884" width="170" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Bradley Stryker's feature film debut, LAND OF SMILES, took the international film festival circuit by storm on its way to becoming a 35x Award-Winning film. The film, his screenplay, and his direction received acclaim, including the London Film Awards, the American Film Awards, Los Angeles Film Review, and the Toronto Independent Film Awards. His brand of storytelling has been said to be, "Emotionally raw" and "Unnervingly honest, subtle, and terrifying."Bradley recently completed his sophomore feature film as a writer/director. SHELTERING SEASON (thriller), which was filmed in Vancouver, BC, and was distributed theatrically by the prestigious Vertical Entertainment in the US/UK. He also recently wrapped his third feature, MOMMA BIRD (horror/thriller), filmed in Louisiana, which is actively in post-production now.

DOG PEOPLE

LES BETES(US, 2024, 12 min)A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich. Director Biography -&nbsp;Michael Granberry<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/287/827/original/b38d373ab4-headshot.jpg?1706988384" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/287/827/thumb/b38d373ab4-headshot.jpg?1706988384" width="118" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Michael Granberry is a 3-time Emmy award-winning director and stop-motion animator whose work can be seen in such films as the Oscar-winning "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio", Henry Selick's "Wendell &amp; Wild", Charlie Kaufman's Oscar-nominated "Anomalisa", "Tales of Halloween", "Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" and numerous other feature films, documentaries, TV shows, web series and music videos. His independent work, which he describes as "queer, garage-punk stop-motion slam poetry" uses recycled and repurposed materials to create strikingly unique visual stories. In addition to filmmaking, Michael enjoys giving stop-motion and puppetry-related lectures and workshops, and being an advocate for women, minorities and fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community within the animation industry.

LES BETES

THE FLACALTA EFFECT(US, 2024, 8 min)After a drug with anti-aging properties has apocalyptic consequences, two Black sisters fight for their lives—and looks—in this satirical take on toxic beauty culture. Director Biography -&nbsp;Rochée Jeffrey<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/499/939/original/938420e393-headshot.jpg?1693848658" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/499/939/thumb/938420e393-headshot.jpg?1693848658" width="140" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Rochée Jeffrey is a multi-hyphenate who’s been winning awards for screenwriting and directing since she was a student at Howard University. Once she discovered her superpower for using comedy to make people laugh, think and connect, she never looked back! Rochée is a graduate of the 2022 WGA Showrunner Training Program. As a TV writer, her credits include Golden Globe-nominated comedy series SMILF (Showtime), WOKE (Hulu), and Co-EP of grown-ish (Freeform). On the film side, she has had projects screen at several festivals around the world, including Austin Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest and the American Black Film Festival. Her feature, NOT YOUR AVERAGE QUEEN, was selected for the 2021 WIF/Sundance Financing Intensive and is executive produced by feminist icon, Roxane Gay, Christine Vachon and Valerie Steinberg. As a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, she wrote the Oscar-qualifying short film Suitable, which premiered on HBO. A skilled storyteller across platforms, she also co-created, co-wrote, and directed NAACP Image Award-winning narrative podcast series YES WE CANNABIS for Audible (starring Sam Richardson, Method Man and Richard Kind).

THE FLACALTA EFFECT

PREDATOR (“Depredador”)(Spain, 2024, 8 min)Two friends are traveling through a lonely place when their car suffers a tragic breakdown.In Spanish with English subtitles Director Biography -&nbsp;Javier Fesser<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/883/683/original/08de67518e-headshot.jpg?1726311806" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/883/683/thumb/08de67518e-headshot.jpg?1726311806" width="123" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a> A prestigious director and screenwriter, Javier Fesser has won six Goya awards and has signed such outstanding films as "El milagro de P. Tinto", "Camino" and two adpatations of "Mortadelo y Filemón", "Campeones", the most successful Spanish production of 2018, "Historias Lamentables" in 2020, and "Campeonex" in 2023.

PREDATOR (“Depredador”)

LOLA(US, 2024, 11 min)A thirteen-year-old science prodigy journeys into her grandma's deteriorating mind to save one precious memory they have together. Director Biography -&nbsp;Grace Hanna<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/546/633/original/17d519562f-headshot.jpg?1698628354" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/546/633/thumb/17d519562f-headshot.jpg?1698628354" width="130" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Grace Hanna is a Filipino-American filmmaker obsessed with heartfelt genre stories. Originally from New Jersey, they earned their BFA in Film &amp; TV and Art &amp; Public Policy from NYU Tisch, and recently graduated with their MFA in Directing from AFI, receiving the Alan J. Pakula and Henry Hathaway awards. Grace has been a director’s assistant and shadowed on Aquarius (NBC) and Chance (Hulu) and their work has been shortlisted for competitions at Sundance Sloan, Disney, and Sony. They are in post-production on their next film, “Halcyon Days,” sponsored by Film Independent’s Artist Development Program.

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