“Ana’s Playground”

Type: Short Film

Production Company: StoryForge

Director: Eric D. Howell

Producers: Jillian Nodland & Marsha Trainer

Winner of 30+ International Film Festivals including top honors at 4 qualifying festivals of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and was short listed for an Academy Award Nomination.

Ana’s Playground is a short film about a rag-tag group of children in an unidentified, war-torn country who are playing soccer while listening to a professional match. When their ball flies out of reach, our hero Ana is unexpectedly forced into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a sniper. As the contest on the radio heats up, Ana, her friends, and the sniper all listen intently to the broadcast. In a fleeting moment, Ana forges a connection with her enemy – a mutual respect born in the recognition of worthy adversaries. However, the shared moment passes and the no man’s land swallows them up once again, with soccer, and sport in general, representing what’s left of their receding youth. The story focuses on the moment a child is forced to choose between ideology and humanity, and how the world often responds to that choice.

Ana’s Playground avoids political or regional stereotypes. Its focus is on the effects of violence on children, rather than on the political or racial differences of a particular conflict.

Awards

TOP 10 Selection - Oscar Award - Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science 

WINNER - Special Jury Award – Forli (Italy) Int’l FIlm Fest.

WINNER - Best Short Film – Tacoma FIlm Fest.

WINNER - Best Int’l Short Film – Salem FIlm Fest.

WINNER - Grand Prize – USA Film Fest. (Academy Sanctioned)

WINNER - Honorable Mention for Short Film – Atlanta Int’l Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Narrative Short Film – Newport Beach Int’l Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Foreign Short Film – Rome Independent Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Short Film – Cleveland Int’l Film Fest. (Academy Sanctioned)

WINNER - Best Short Film – Tiburon Film Fest.

WINNER - Audience Choice Award – Sedona Film Fest.

WINNER - Int’l Spirit Award – Sedona Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Live Action Short Film – Santa Barbara Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Int’l Short Film – Foyle Film Fest. (Academy Sanctioned)

WINNER - Best Short Film – Norwich Int’l Film Fest.

WINNER - Best of the Fest – Norwich Int’l Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Dramatic Short Film – New Hampshire Film Fest.

WINNER - Best Short FIlm - Cenflo Film Fest.

WINNER - Best of the Fest - Snake Alley Festival of Film

NOMINATED - Best Short Film under thirty minutes – Milan Intl. Film Fest.