By Kelci Parks

The High Desert Shorts International Film Festival was held in Pahrump last weekend, attracting talent from far and wide. Local filmmakers networked, befriended and competed against one another as well as against some from as far away as Los Angeles, New York, and Australia.
Of the 189 short films that were submitted, 40 were chosen by discerning eyes. Organizers and judges commented on the ever-increasing quality of submissions, which poured in from all over the United States, as well as India, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“This thing has been in the works now for six years,” said Program Director Tony Mendoza, who is also a film director. “As we’ve grown, it’s been because of the audience participation, but also the quality of the filmmakers that are now coming and supporting and being part of this.”
The festival was a three-day event, beginning with an opening ceremony and movie showings on Friday, a brunch on Saturday morning followed by a full day of movies and a “dress to impress” awards ceremony on Sunday evening.
Several locals participated in the event, from volunteers to filmmakers. Loney Childress, a Pahrump resident, entered his film, “Don’t Call Me a Hero,” and is working on a sequel called “I Feel Like a Hero.” He also said he was inspired by attendee Allison Lane’s comedy, “WTFU,” and hopes to return to next year’s festival with a comedy of his own.
Under the guidance of Mendoza and his team, local youth participated in the making of a short documentary outlining issues important to them called “These Dreams.” The film was shown on Sunday before the awards were handed out. “Our festival wants to reach out to the young people and begin to foster and nurture and facilitate the future of what we’re doing here,” said Mendoza. Turning to the youth, he continued, “All of you were very transparent in what you shared. And for films to touch people they have to reach into the soul, and I think that’s what happened.”
Many hoped to see a premiere of Pitching Hope, a film about horseshoe pitching that was filmed locally and directed by Mendoza. However, it wasn’t quite ready for debut, so instead, a “making of” video was shown with fun behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. Actress and festival co-host, Joni Adahl, stars in the film.
Four categories were judged: comedy, drama, horror/sci-fi and animation. A people’s choice award was also handed out.
Perhaps the brightest star of the night was Los Angeles Director Dave Rock. His short film, “The Burying Beetle,” boasted stunning imagery, a captivating script and spectacular performances by recognizable faces, including John Michael Higgins and Freddy Rodriguez.
He spoke highly of his time in Pahrump. “Everyone’s been really good to me, and very warm,” he said. “When you make something like a short film, you don’t have box office receipts. You really don’t have any way of knowing whether you pulled it off or not, or if you did a good job, or if people liked it. So these festivals are really important to us. You know, we have our friends and family and they tell us if they like it, but you can’t really believe them,” he said with impeccable comedic timing. “At the end of the day getting recognition like this is really important. It means a lot.”
The award for comedy went to “The Violinist,” a dark comedy by Cesar Gamino that originally premiered on Oct. 3, 2009 at the Oriental Theatre in the director’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The short film is now touring the film festival circuit and being shown around the world.
“Sneeze Me Away,” an animated short by Ryan Grobins, of Australia, took home its category’s award. “I feel amazing,” said Grobins during a gracious videotaped acceptance speech. “It’s such a great honor.” The short has received numerous awards and recognitions.
A film called “The Red Princess Blues” took the horror/sci-fi category. Los Angeles-based award-winning writer and director Alex Ferrari based the short film on his feature-length screen play.
There to accept the people’s choice award in person was Wayne Bradford, who came all the way from Australia to be at the festival. His war film, “Futility,” won the category with a 65 percent vote.
During his acceptance speech, Bradford noted that the long trip had been well worthwhile. “This is a little gem out here in the high desert. It’s been a wonderful experience, and everybody has been so hospitable. I encourage you to keep supporting this festival because, we make films so that people can see them and this is an indication to us that they are well-appreciated and people get something out of them,” he said.
Helping to facilitate the event, the Pahrump Nugget has been donating their events center since the festival’s inception six years ago. This year, a motion picture company out of Las Vegas, imageWest.tv, donated more than $1,500 worth of equipment to the winners. Also, each category winner received a copy of Los Angeles Entertainment Lawyer Paul Battista’s book, “Independent Film Producing.”