The NYC Web Fest (NYCWF) is back in the Big Apple, after four years, as they celebrate their Tenth Anniversary and reveal the eagerly awaited award nominees. This year’s event marks a significant milestone for the festival, which has returned to New York City for the first time since 2019 after being held virtually in 2020 and 2021, 10 years after first debuting in 2013. Last year, NYCWF celebrated its return to an in-person gathering in Miami Beach, and now, they are back in the city that never sleeps.
Leading the pack of the award nominees is “Sky Tower” hailing from Fitzroy, VIC, Australia, with a remarkable nine nominations, setting the bar high for the competition. Close on its heels is “Movers” from Moscow, Russia, securing eight nominations, while Canadian “Wipe me away” and “Chateau Laurier”, both from the Great White North, Montréal QC and Toronto, ON, respectively, follow closely with six nominations each.
Following the front-runners, a group of outstanding web series and short films has been recognised with five nominations each. These include “Summer Camp” (Montréal QC, Canada), “Second Team” (Los Angeles CA, USA), “Benny and James” (Los Angeles CA, USA), “Monologue” (Collingwood VIC, Australia), “Legit Married” (Brooklyn NY, USA), “Les Mal-Aimants” (Québec QC, Canada), “The Powers That Be” (Brooklyn NY, USA), and “Revenge of the Black Best Friend” (Toronto ON, Canada). The diverse and impressive pool of nominees promises a thrilling celebration of creativity and storytelling at this year’s NYC Web Fest.
Lauren Atkins, the Founder of NYC Web Fest, expressed her excitement about this year’s event, saying, “The energy of this year is amazing! Not only are we finally heading home to New York City, but it’s our Tenth Anniversary, and so many filmmakers, both new and familiar to us, are coming in to celebrate.”
The excitement begins on the evening of Friday, November 10, 2023, as NYC Web Fest launches its festivities with a dazzling Opening Night Party, uniting both the creative minds behind the projects and the dedicated NYCWF team. Over the following weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, attendees can immerse themselves in a cinematic journey with screenings of 36 outstanding projects.
These screenings will not merely be passive viewing experiences but rather dynamic events featuring in-depth panel discussions with the filmmakers. Furthermore, a unique opportunity awaits with an exclusive workshop led by Jamie Monahan, Intimacy Coordinator and 2023 jury member.
One of the festival’s highlights is a fireside chat with Dan Perlman, another 2023 juror, who will discuss how his 2017 NYCWF nominated pilot episode, “Flatbush Misdemeanors”, transformed into a full-blown TV series on the Showtime Network. This insight into the journey from Web Fest nominee to network success is sure to inspire aspiring creators.
In keeping with tradition, the weekend’s culminating highlight is the eagerly anticipated Awards Ceremony, signifying the grand finale of the event. Notably, for this edition, the NYC Web Fest has the privilege of having CBS New York host, Donna Drake, gracing the red carpet to engage in insightful conversations with the filmmakers.
Lauren Atkins expressed her delight at having Donna Drake back, saying, “Donna was on the carpet at our Fifth Anniversary, and I am delighted to have her back for our Tenth. The Donna Drake Show is seen on televisions across the country and streamed around the world to millions of people, and it is an honor to have her cover the NYC Web Fest.”
The NYC Web Fest promises an exciting weekend filled with celebrations, discussions, and recognition of outstanding web content. The festival is scheduled to take place from November 10 – 12, 2023. For those interested in attending, tickets and more information can be found at nycwebfest.com.
Anticipate an extraordinary NYC Web Fest this year, where talent, creativity, and the enchantment of web series, pilot episodes, and short films converge in the heart of New York City.
2023 NYC Web Fest Award Nominees
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting
- Saad Abas, André-Claude Boudreau, Christophe Chapados, Franz Benji, Charles Labrie, Norbert Denis-Blais, Rachel Accolas – Wipe me away
- Jordan Carroll – Love Undone
- Lee Stapleton – Sky Tower
- Miguel Ramirez, TJ Wong – STICKS
- Norbert Denis-Blais, Patrice Arsenault, Alexandre Boucher, Auguste Lapensée, Jérémy Scoulsky, Franz Benji – Summer Camp
Outstanding Achievement in Editing
- Hayley Karl – Good morning Cuomo
- Marina Zimina – Movers
- Cassie Carlyle – The Powers That Be
- Josef Cunningham and Jordan Pring (VFX) – Wispy
- Spider Chambers – Second Team
Outstanding Achievement in Sound
- François Del Fante, Mark L. Brock, Antoine Beauchamp, Jérôme Chénard, Samuel Fortin – Chaotic Symphony
- Brianna Todd – Chateau Laurier
- Alexey Sinitsyn, Andrey Umnikov – Superposition
- Georgy Lebedev – Movers
- Jay Scala – Rent Control
Outstanding Achievement in Music
- Shaquan Perkins (Music Supervisor) – Love Undone
- Caetano Veloso – Sky Tower
- Raphaël Léveillé – Les Mal-Aimants
- Sydney Alexandria, Jordyn Rene Randall, Ryan K Dunston – STICKS
- Maxime Fortin – Summer Camp
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
- Bart Cortright – Alpha/Beta
- Robert E. Arnold – Benny and James
- Kirill Holdin – Movers
- Arthur Cooper – Chateau Laurier
- Gregoire Auborg – Sky Tower
Outstanding Achievement in Writing
- Nick Melin, Ian Isaacs, Vidya Rajan, Nina Oyama, Deirdre Fidge – Monologue
- Brian Padian – Man of La Mansion
- Lisa Jill Anderson, Ahsan Ali, & Stephen Brown – Legit Married
- Luke Goodall and Marc Gallagher – The Followers
- Tom Little – Don’t overthink it
Best Original Concept
- Illuminagents – Herman Wang
- Movers – Alexander Ershov
- Unlicensed & Unstoppable – Jordan Smith
- Revenge of the Black Best Friend – Amanda Parris
- Superposition – Vadim Valiullin
Best Supporting Actress
- Samantha Jones – A Short tutorial
- Justine Clarke – With Grace, amazing Grace series 3
- Wonjung Kim – The Powers That Be
- Sarah-Maxine Rozefort – Wipe me away
- Ming-Zhu Hii – Wispy
Best Supporting Actor
- Ben Wood – With Grace, amazing Grace series 3
- Emmanuel Kabongo – Chateau Laurier
- Rishi Varma – The Powers That Be
- Jean-Nicolas Verreault – Wipe me away
- David Sitler – A Short Tutorial
Best Mystery/Suspense
- Illuminagents – Herman Wang, Herman Wang productions
- The Hunted: NYCSS – Kaitlyn Farley, Danielle Joy, Jared Kirby, Sophie Moshofsky, Fight The Good Fight Productions
- The Powers That Be – Ricky Kapoor, Rocco Gallimbeni
- Movers – Alexander Ershov, Olga Volodina, Elena Kotunova, Elena Afanasyeva, Akvilon media
- Superposition – Vadim Valiullin, Dmitry Tshcherbanov, Andrey Shishkanov, Denis Ryabtsev, Alexandra Tretyakova, Mikhail Kukushkin, Ivan Kurochkin, Dmitry Vlasov, Yasher Pictures
- Summer Camp – Marjorie Armstrong, Philippe-A. Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Mathieu Paiement, Babel films
Best Drama
- Chateau Laurier – James Stewart, Kent Staines, Emily Weedon, Geneva Film co.
- Love Undone – Joseph Goncalves, Sonya Joyner, James McGruder, Ron Artis Jr., jgproductions
- With Grace, amazing Grace series 3 – Julie Money, Georgina Connell Grace Truman, TruMoney Films
- Wipe me away – Eric Piccoli, Babel films
- Sky Tower – Roberto Nascimento, Rebels & Robots
Best Comedy
- Chaotic Symphony – Lysandre Ménard and Daphnée Côté-Hallé, Emilie Beaulieu, Sarah Châtelain, Echo Media
- Monologue – Nick Melin, Jim Wright, Elise Trenorden, Emma Roberts, Truce Films
- The Followers – Luke Goodall, Marc Gallagher, Jess Pearce, Goodall and Gallagher
- STICKS – Jordyn Rene Randall, Armando Ortiz, Sydney Alexandria, Ryan K Dunston, Visual Glass productions
- Don’t overthink It – Tom Little, Benjamin Sutton, Kevin Muyolo, Daddy’s Super Yacht productions
Dynamic Duo
- Phillip James Brannon/Calvin Leon Smith – Benny and James
- Lysandre Ménard/Daphnee Côté-Hallé – Chaotic Symphony
- Tom Little/Jain Edwards – Don’t overthink it
- Francia Raisa/Danielle Savre – Second Team
- Danil Steklov/Philip Ershov – Movers
Ensemble Cast
- Joe Dekkers-Reihana, Ben Porter, Uhyoung Choi, Deanna Chiang, Elizabeth Thomson, Josh Thomson, Roberto Nascimento – Sky Tower
- Lou Manthy, Ace Adom, Malik Henry, Dwayne Savid – STICKS
- Dounia Ouirzane, Zakary Méthot, Léo Nault, Iani Bédard, Phara Thibault, Kelly Depeault, Evelyne Laferrière – Summer Camp
- Charlee-Ann Paul, Malik Gervais-Aubourg, Sarah-Maxine Racist, Julie Perreault, Jean-Nicolas Verreault, Schelby Jean-Baptiste, Anglesh Major – Wipe me away
- Akil Jackson, Catfish Jean, Sally Brooks, Chester Lockhart, Melissa Greenspan, Alexander True – Second Team
Best Host/Solo Performance
- Reginald K. Butters – Man of La Mansion
- Marina di Marzo – Whala Whala: An Italian Dad Talk Show
- Jack Maxwell – Spirit Quest with Jack Maxwell
Special Guest Star
- Young Mazino – Drama High
- Sammy Hagar – Spirit Quest with Jack Maxwell
- Berto Colon – Alpha/Beta
- Andrea Lewis – Revenge of the Black Best Friend
- Dwain Murphy – Revenge of the Black Best Friend
Best Actress – Shorts
- Kerri Romeo – A Short Tutorial
- Leven Rambin – Alpha/Beta
- Lenka Olšanová – American Ghost Hunter in Prague
- Lisa Jill Anderson – Legit Married
- Dionne van den Berg – Q Train
Best Actor – Shorts
- Phillip James Brannon – Benny and James
- Ahsan Ali – Legit Married
- Carl Donnelly – Reformed
- Rick Younger – Rick Younger Presents The Rick Younger Show Starring Rick Younger as Rick Younger
- Jake Bernard Buckner – American Ghost Hunter in Prague
Best Actress – Series
- Kate Ross Leckie – Chateau Laurier
- Tiffany Montambault – Les Mal-Aimants
- Emily Taheny – Monologue
- Olunike Adeliyi – Revenge of the Black Best Friend
- CT Marie – Rent Control
Best Actor
- Jean-Alexandre Létourneau – Les Mal-Aimants
- Danil Steklov – Movers
- José de Abreu – Sky Tower
- Tom Little – Don’t overthink it
- Sanskar Agarwal – The Powers That Be
Best Foreign Language
- Movers – Alexander Ershov, Olga Volodina, Elena Kotunova, Elena Afanasyeva, Akvilon media
- Sky Tower – Roberto Nascimento, Rebels & Robots
- Chaotic Symphony – Lysandre Ménard and Daphnée Côté-Hallé, Écho Média, Emilie Beaulieu, Sarah Châtelain
- Summer Camp – Marjorie Armstrong, Philippe-A. Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Mathieu Paiement, Babel Films
- Wipe me away – Eric Piccoli Philippe-A. Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Mathieu Paiement, Babel Films
Best International
- Chateau Laurier – James Stewart, Kent Staines, Emily Weedon, Geneva Film co
- The Followers – Luke Goodall, Marc Gallagher, Goodall & Gallagher
- Revenge of the Black Best Friend – Amanda Parris, RBBF inc
- Monologue – Nick Melin, Truce Films
- With Grace, amazing Grace series 3 – Julie Money, Georgina Connell Grace Truman, TruMoney Films
Best Short Film
- Benny and James – Logan Vaughn, Ria Pavia, Laurie Bernhard, Mayon Denton, Robert E. Arnold
- Reformed – Michael Bateson-Hill, Aaron Kilkenny-Fletcher
- Second Team – Mayon Denton, Robert E. Arnold, Julia Armine & Ria Pavia
Best Pilot
- Unlicensed and Unstoppable – Jordan Smith, Tiara Starks
- Rick Younger Presents The Rick Younger Show Starring Rick Younger as Rick Younger – Neil Turitz, Rick Younger, Lalou Dammond, Joaquin Baca-Asay, Accidental Pictures
- Spirit Quest with Jack Maxwell – Jack Maxwell, Don Billings, Sean McKnight, Tracy Trost, Meredith Thomas
- Legit Married – Ahsan Ali, Lisa Jill Anderson, & Stephen Brown
- Drama High – Jessica W Chen, Sandra Chen, LIU Brooklyn TVWS
I love NY
- Good morning Cuomo – Hayley Karl, Karl’s bar
- Rent Control – CT Marie, Eric Doviak
- Rick Younger Presents The Rick Younger Show Starring Rick Younger as Rick Younger – Neil Turitz, Rick Younger, Lalou Dammond, Joaquin Baca-Asay, Accidental Pictures
- Q Train – Dionne van den Berg & Samantha Tran, Fountain Avenue Productions
- Legit Married – Ahsan Ali, Lisa Jill Anderson, & Stephen Brown
Best Director
- Misha Calvert, Leven Rambin – Alpha/Beta
- Logan Vaugh – Benny and James
- Zoé Tremblay-Bianco – Les Mal-Aimants
- Ria Pavia – Second Team
- Roberto Nascimento – Sky Tower
Best Web Series
- Les Mal-Aimants – Mélodie Bujold-Henri, Lou Bélanger, Marieme Ndiaye, Rafael Perez, Productions ST Laurent Web
- Rent Control – CT Marie, Eric Doviak
- Monologue – Nick Melin, Jim Wright, Elise Trenorden, Emma Roberts, Nick Melin, Truce Films
- Sky Tower – Roberto Nascimento, Rebels & Robots
- The Followers – Luke Goodall, Marc Gallagher, Goodall & Gallagher
For more information about check out the NYC Web Fest official website. You can check out the list of the 36 official selections of the NYCWF by clicking here. We are looking forward to the tenth NYC Web Fest on November 10, 2023, to November 12, 2023.