Land of College Prophets, the comedy-fantasy from the Connecticut-based Hale Manor Productions, won top honors at the 2005 B-Movie Film Festival. “Land of College Prophets” won five awards, including Best Picture, at the B-Movie Film Festival, a celebration of low-budget/high-imagination cinema held at the newly-restored Palace Theater in Syracuse, New York.
“Land of College Prophets” is a tale of a warriors’ guild which bands together to fight the disruptions created by the accidental activation of a toxic wishing well. In addition to winning Best Picture, the film also scored Best Director honors for Thomas Edward Seymour, Mike Aransky and Phil Guerette. Thomas Edward Seymour was named Best Actor for his role as the college brawler whose malcontent behavior triggered the film’s chaotic events. “Land of College Prophets” was also cited for Best Cinematography and Best Make-up Effects.
Graveyard Alive tied “Land of College Prophets” in the Best Director category, with the award going to Elza Kephart’s helming of the off-beat horror-comedy. The film was also cited for Best Editing.
The Syracuse-based production “And I Lived’ was honored in two categories: Josue Rivera was named Best Supporting Actor and Matt Tyson and Gary Judge won for Best Music Score.
Newcomer Maggie Ross was named Best Actress for her performance in “Rock and Roll Eulogy” while veteran B-Movie icon “Debbie Rochon” won the Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance in Screech of the Decapitated.
Phil Hall, contributing editor for Film Threat and author of “The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies,” received a Special Achievement Award for his work in supporting independent and underground cinema as a journalist and a publicist.
Best Movie ^ “Land of College Prophets ”
Director – TIE ^ Elza Kephart, “Graveyard Alive” ^ Thomas Edward Seymour, Mike Aransky and Phil Guerette, “Land of College Prophets”
Screenplay ^ Michael Legge, “Democrazy”
Lead Actor ^ Thomas Edward Seymour, “Land of College Prophets”
Lead Actress ^ Maggie Ross, “Rock and Roll Eulogy”
Supporting Actor ^ Josue Rivera, “And I Lived”
Supporting Actress ^ Debbie Rochon, “Screech of the Decapitated”
Musical Score ^ Matt Tyson and Gary Judge, “And I Lived”
Cinematography ^ Mike Aransky and Thomas Edward Seymour, “Land of College Prophets”
Digital Effects ^ Lightborne, “Three Barbecues”
Make-Up Effects ^ Chris Corbino and Thomas Edward Seymour, “Land of College Prophets”
Set Design ^ Laura Robinson, “Three Barbecues”
Editing ^ Stephanie Olivier, “Graveyard Alive”
Short Film ^ “Ends of The Alphabet”
Special Achievement Award ^ Phil Hall, contributing editor for Film Threat and author of “The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies” (MWP Books), for tirelessly promoting and educating the world on B-Movies in his career as a film journalist and publicist.
