Photos courtesy of Magnetmafia.com

GIJOEFILMFESTIVAL.COM announces the winners of the 1st GI JOE STOP MOTION FILM FESTIVAL.

The winning films were selected from nearly 50 submissions created by Action Figure enthusiasts from around the world, who responded to the opportunity to help promote stop-motion through short film. The 2007 festival and today's announcement of the winners wrap up the initial launch of the GI JOE STOP MOTION FILM FESTIVAL, which will continue throughout next year for another edition. The winning submissions are:

Best Stop-Motion Film using 12" Action Figures: WAR AMERICAN STYLE by Paul Hanley and Kieran Healy (Austin, TX - USA)

Best Stop-Motion Film using 3 3/4 Action Figures: COVERT OPERATIVES by Jeff Gurwood and Anthony Carbone (Burbank, CA - USA)

The skills displayed by the participants in the following categories are also worth mentioning. We salute their spirit and innovation:

Best Action Scene: TERMINATOR 2 by Jakub Kuczynski (Vancouver, BC - CANADA)

Best Drama: RACE OF EVIL by Nick Hsu (Taipei, TAIWAN)

Best Vintage Film: THE ADVENTURES OF GI JOE by Mark L. Johnson (Lincoln Park, NJ - USA)

Best Documentary: DE WERELD VAN AKTIEFIGUREN by Harry Hendriks (Kampen, AL - NETHERLANDS)

Best Gory Film: BLOODY REVENGE by Tom Walker (London - ENGLAND)

Best Comedy: DICK CHENEY GOES HUNTING by Jack Bannon - TeamSafari.com (Lake Mills, WI - USA)

Best Photography: GI JOES by Nicholas Deegear (San Antonio, TX - USA)

Audience Award: WAR AMERICAN STYLE by Paul Hanley and Kieran Healy (Austin, TX - USA). Honorable mentions to DICK CHENEY GOES HUNTING by Jack Bannon (2nd Place), COVERT OPERATIVES by Jeff Gurwood and Anthony Carbone (3rd Place) A WORLD'S DESIRE by Adam Odell and Eddie Sandoval (4th Place) and GI JOE TAKES A BEATING by David Stebbenne (5th Place).

The 1st GI Joe Stop-Motion Film Festival lit up the Bug Theatre stage for a sold-out night of pure entertainment. Yes, we packed the house and then some more: over 200 people attended the festival last night. Thank you all for coming. Tomorrow we'll announce the winners here at the website.

ONLINE TICKET SALES NOW CLOSED. Tickets will only be sold at the Bug Theatre's box-office starting at 7:00PM (Oct. 9th). PRICE: $12.00. If you already purchased your tickets online or at St. Mark's Coffee House, come directly to the box-office. We will also have your name in the "will call" list.

We are very excited to see you tonight!
(for directions, please read post below)

The 1st GI JOE STOP MOTION FILM FESTIVAL will happen this Thursday, September 20th at 8:00PM. Doors will open at 7:30PM. The Bug Theatre is located at 3654 Navajo Street, just north of downtown Denver. The theater is on the same block as Patsy's Restaurant, Pirate: A Contemporary Art Oasis, the Edge Gallery and Zip 37.

Directions:
Take I-25 to the Park Ave. West/38th Ave. exit. Go west on 38th Ave. to Navajo, and south one block to 37th and Navajo. OR Drive northwest on either 15th or 20th Street from downtown Denver across I-25 to Central Street, northeast to Navajo Street four blocks.

Bug Theatre Map or Directions through Map Quest

After the movies, don't forget to join us at the Highland Tavern (3400 Navajo St. Denver , CO 80211 - 303.433.1990) for the GI JOE FEST AFTER-PARTY! $3 pints of SPATEN Pilsner and $3 well Gin Cocktails. DJ John Patsynski will be spinning Old school Rock'n'Roll and lots of funky beats.

Two things I'd like to address to people attending the festival:

1. AGE LIMIT - The Festival is rated "PG-13". (Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13). A few of the films we are showing contain violence, nudity (of dolls) and mildly foul language. Please be advised.

2. TICKET PRICES - We'll accept credit cards for online ticket sales only. Ticket Price: $9 in advance (online), $10 at the door. The online ticket sales feature will be available till 2:30PM, Sept. 20th 2007; please be advised that 1/3 of the seats are already sold. If you have a large group, please contact us for discount prices. Obviously, admission is free for all filmmakers.

Judging all the films participating in the 1st GI JOE Stop-Motion Film Festival was not an easy task. Over 25 films made it to the final line-up and with so many different themes and styles it was hard to pick the actual winners. Thanks to the judges' participation, the pre-screening party was a success. The Awards will be announced on the weekend after the Festival public screening here at the website.