BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM GROUNDED MATT MCCORMICK, PORTLAND, OR “Matt McCormick's work always moves me profoundly. There's something magic about the way that he uses images and sound to evoke very poignant feelings.”— Sam Green BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM SELECTIVE SERVICE BILL DANIEL, PORTLAND, OR “This is a fascinating and brilliantly-made film-about-a-film. Its timeliness is uncanny.”—SG BEST NARRATIVE FILM MARIE TYRELL PAT “FLICK” HARRISON, VANCOUVER, BC “This film really knocked me out; it's a great story, and the style is appropriately rad.”—SG BEST ANIMATED FILM MAGDA CHELWHITE PORTLAND, OR “At a time when so much animation is computer-generated and all looks the same, this wonderfully-crafted film really stood out.”— SG

“It was a very big honor to judge this year's Northwest Film and Video Festival. I was extremely impressed by the work submitted. There's obviously a thriving independent film scene in the Northwest—especially in terms of experimental work. Going through the mountain of short film submissions and putting together a program, however was challenging—a painful reminder of how subjective any judging process really is. It’s important for me to point out that the pieces included here are not necessarily better than those that weren’t. Quality given, in the end you go with what resonates on a personal level. That being said, I hope that they resonate with you too, and that you come away with a sense of pride and regard—as I did. Now, more than ever, the kind of independent artistic expression on view here is of vital importance.”

Sam Green received his master's degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied with acclaimed filmmaker Marlon Riggs. His documentary film THE RAINBOW MAN/JOHN 3:16 premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival and screened at festivals worldwide, winning the Grand Prize at the USA Film Festival in Dallas and Best Documentary awards at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the New York and Chicago Underground Film Festivals. His next film, PIE FIGHT 69 (co-directed with Christian Bruno) premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, where it won an honorable mention in the shorts category, and won first prize at the Black Maria Film Festival. His latest work, the feature film THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND (2002), which he co-directed with Bill Spiegel, was nominated for an Academy Award. Green is currently on the film faculty at San Francisco University.