12th Annual LAWineFest returns June 17-18 with a new location

Photos by Karen Ostlund
12th Annual LAWineFest returns with a new location downtown/arts district area called THE ROW in Downtown LA, 777 S. Alameda St, LA 90021 for two epic days.
The event will be held on Market Row, a pretty outdoor lane partially shaded by revitalized 90-year-old warehouses.
A frequent Uber/Lyft drop-off site, and there is also a convenient on-site pay parking garage.
It's the yearly festival of fine wine, artisan beer, gourmet foods fun. Saturday – June 17, 2017, 2-6pm  •  Sunday – June 18, 2017, 1-5pm

LA WineFest in Hollywood 2016

“Signature Celebration of all Things Wine” have attracted more than 5,000 enthusiasts over the years.

 Participants will  be able to get close and personal with a wide variety of reasonably-priced artisan boutiques, gourmet foods, wine-related accessories and local lifestyle “must have” products. Sponsors are ROW DTLA, LA Magazine, La Brea Bakery, Icelandic Glacial water, Peerless Coffee, Pasquini and King Barrell will be on site, sharing their delicious products with all attendees.
The Sunshine Kids will return as charity partner 2017.

GENERAL ADMISSION includes entry to the Fest, a commemorative glass to keep, unlimited* wine and craft brew tastings, water, coffee, and the overall Fest experience.
       •  ALL ACCESS provides all that GA does, PLUS tasting wines from approximately a dozen gem Boutique Wineries, which are defined as producing less than 2,000 cases of wine each year.

Tickets are limited to a maximum of 400 people per day for this one-of-a-kind tasting.
 Exhibitor products will be available for sale, as well as cuisine from some of the best food trucks in LA. facebook.com/LAWINEFEST
                                                   

Dr. Joel M. Fisher at voting booth 2016

              
                                      
The LAWineFest, in its 12th successful year, was founded in 2005 by renowned wine personality Dr. Joel M. Fisher. He has written for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California, for the Beverly Hills Courier, and since 2010 for the Underground Wine Letter. From 2007-2009 he taught at Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. Prior to that, he was the wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California
This popular event blazed a trail in LA to bring wine and people together in a fun, inviting and accessible way. LAWINEFEST is known to deliver a sun-kissed event that balances fun, exploration and education.

Will and The Wont's performed 2016 LA WineFest

Wineries LA WineFest 2017:
3 Badge Beverage (Leese-Fitch Wines)
A Stone’s Throw Winery* (Sun. only)
Allied Importers (Dalton Winery, Sun. only)
Ascension Cellars*
Bekseju USA, Inc (Kooksoondang)
Blackjack Ranch Vineyards & Winery (Sat. only)
Cloak & Dagger Wines*
Contara Cellars*
Cowboy Canyon Winery* (Sun. only)
Giracci Vineyards & Farms* (Sun. only)
Graffiti Wine
Herzog Wine Cellars (Sun. only)
Holman Cellars*
Josh Cellars & Eppa Sangria
King Frosch Wine
Los Angeles International Wine Competition
Oak Ridge Winery
Old Word Vines
PB Importers (Takler Wine Estate & Twikel Wine Estate, Hungary)
Peachy Canyon Winery, Paso Robles
Powell Mountain Cellars* (Sun. only)
PRP Wine International
Quigley Fine Wines (Italian, French & Spanish)
Rebel Coast Winery
San Antonio Winery
Sleeping Indian Vineyard*
Slyd Wines*
Sunstone Vineyards & Winery
Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery*
Temecula Valley Winegrowers Assoc.
The Wine Caterers
Vinemark Cellars*
Wedell Cellars*
Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards
Yarden Wines (Yarden, Gilgal, Hermon, Galil labels, Israel)
* Boutique Wineries

Beers & Ciders

ABK Beer
Baja Brewing Company
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
Coronado Brewing Co.
High Water Brewing
Iron Triangle Brewing
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Lincoln Beer Company
Peroni
Reel Brewery
San Fernando Brewing Company
Saint Archer Brewing Company

Use promo code THANKYOU which will provide a general admission ticket for only $49 each, or an All Access Pass for only $70 each. (Limit two per purchaser. ID over 21 will be checked at the gate.)

For updates go to www.lawinefest.com

West Hollywood's LA PRIDE Festival Announced Performers & Grand Marshal

                          LA PRIDE FESTIVAL IN WEST HOLLYWOOD ANNOUNCED

OFFICIAL 2017 TALENT LINEUP & GRAND MARSHAL

Largest Ticketed LGBTQ+ Festival in the U.S. Returns to West Hollywood June 10^th – 11^th 

By Karen Ostlund

Main stage audience 2016, renamed the Park Stage Presented by Blue Shield for June 10-11 2017 (MOCA Museum and Pacific Design Center in background)

 West Hollywood, CA – The LA Pride Festival returns to West Hollywood park for two days of live entertainment and community programming on June 10^th and 11^th.  This year’s Main stage, renamed the Park Stage Presented by Blue Shield, will feature a collection of Pop artists including established and emerging talent.  Park Stage’s eclectic lineup will feature Weekend Headliners, Chromeo and Brandy.

Duo CHROMEO headline LAPride 2017 June 10

On Saturday, June 10th CHROMEO will thrill the LA Pride crowds with their electro-funk beats. Members Dave 1 and P-Thugg began creating music together in 2002 and have since released 4 albums. The duo is known for a unique mix of guitar, synth, and vocals to create their signature sound. The following night Brandy takes the stage as the evening’s headliner. The award-winning singer, songwriter, recording artist, and actress will bring her R&;B hits from the past and present to LA Pride.
Also performing on LA Pride’s Park Stage presented by Blue Shield of California is a distinct collection of artists from openly queer performers to ones who openly celebrate our community, the Park Stage weekend lineup includes:  Young M.A, Erika Jayne, Brooke Candy, Kat Dahlia, Aaron Carter, ILOVEMAKONNEN, Spencer Ludwig, Starley, Tish Hyman, Leon Else, Connell Cruise, and Jesse Møntana.

“This is our 8^th year producing LA Pride’s celebration, and I have to say that this is one of my favorite lineups of talent for the festival,” said Jeff Consoletti of JJLA. “This lineup is edgy, yet balanced with established hit-makers and, much like the community itself, is very progressive.  I think people will love how this year’s lineup will make for a fun weekend-long celebration of our community.”

Brandy Norwood headliner LAPride Main stage June 11

Latin, Hip Hop, and R&B lineups will also be announced in the coming days.
A week-long celebration, LA Pride will host both free and ticketed events beginning on Monday, June 5^th and continuing through Sunday, June 11^th.  Key events include the annual LA Dodgers LGBT Night (in partnership with LA Pride) and other community events (to be announced soon) that will lead into the two-day Festival on Saturday and the #ResistMarch on Sunday.

This year, the annual Parade is on hiatus as the organization transforms the experience into a Human Right’s March and Rally on Sunday June 11^th at 8AM at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland, marking the very intersection where Christopher Street West, the organization overseeing LA Pride, began over 47 years ago.  The march is open to the public and will progress through LA’s streets until reaching West Hollywood Park on San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards.

Aaron Carter will perform at LA Pride’s Park Stage

 LA Pride Festival Tickets
General Admission Weekend Pass: $35
Single Day Tickets – General Admission $25
Single Day Tickets for Veterans, Active Military, Seniors 65+, and Children 12 & Under with proper form of ID: $15 available at the box office day of.
www.lapride.org

#LAPride
Facebook.com/LAPride
Twitter: @LAPride
Instagram: @LAPride

For decades, the greater Los Angeles community has strived for equality only made possible through the endless efforts of activists like this year’s Grand Marshal, Alexei Romanoff.

Alexei Romanoff, Grand Marshal 2017

 

 In 1967, 50 years ago LGBTQ+ activists assembled in front of Silverlake’s Black Cat tavern to protest numerous incidents of police targeting local gay bars, where use of excessive force was a common occurrence, all hidden under the guise of upholding laws on “public lewdness.”
An obvious infringement of human rights, the community had never stood up publicly against these injustices until concerned members of the community like Alexei Romanoff stepped up, organized and protested. Preceding the Stonewall Rebellion by two and a half years, hundreds came together and took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest as a community. What happened next was a series of protests which helped to propel the issue of gay rights in the United States.
He was born in the Ukraine, Romanoff immigrated to the United States during War World II, moving to Los Angeles in 1958 where he became an active member of the city’s activist and leather communities. As his level of engagement increased, so did his arrest record for ‘civil disobedience’ in organizing protests against unfair police raids. Romanoff has founded several LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Santa Monica Bay Coalition for Human Rights and the Avatar Club of Los Angeles. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Romanoff also fought long and hard for the funding of research and assistance programs as well as the rights of AIDS victims.  
“I have spent a majority of my life fighting for equality and standing up for the unalienable rights of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Romanoff, who will also be very active in this year’s #ResistMarch. “I have marched alongside the community in solidarity ever since the first LA Pride Parade 47 years ago, and will do so as long as I live.“  
Romanoff will be featured, along with many other local LGBTQ+ activists, in LA Pride’s 2017 ‘OWN YOUR PRIDE’ marketing campaign, launching today. “This year’s LA Pride experience will be different from what we’ve seen over the past few years,” said Chris Classen, CSW Board President. “So, our campaign needed to be different, too. We are committed to honoring our community’s rich history of activism by encouraging everyone to own their pride this year. Our choice for the 2017 LA Pride Grand Marshal was easy. Alexei is a renowned activist, a champion of human rights, a long-time LA Pride supporter, and our friend. He represents the very best of what our community stands for as well as what it can be.”
Visit the ‘OWN YOUR PRIDE’ homepage to see the campaign video along with video vignettes of all those who participated in the campaign. ‘OWN YOUR PRIDE’ shines a spotlight on the people who are making a difference in the LGBTQ+ community every day. Share how you plan to ‘OWN YOUR PRIDE’ this year by using #OwnYourPride on social media.
While 2017 marks the organization’s 47th anniversary, it also marks a pride season of change.   This year, Christopher Street West celebrates the right to demonstrate with #ResistMarch, an all-inclusive march that will take place on June 11th. The march begins at Hollywood & Highland and will work its way through the city, ending at West Hollywood Park where participants can continue celebrating at the LA Pride Festival.
For more information on #ResistMarch, visit resistmarch.org

Celebrity Connected Spring Launches to Celebrate MTV Movie Awards

By Karen Ostlund

Randy Jackson SurvivorApparel.com

The Celebrity Connected MTV Movie Awards Gifting Lounge 2017 was located at The W Hollywood Hotel,May 6 - one day prior to the MTV Movie Awards 2017 ( Shrine Auditorium May 7) - The Lounge focused on companies with new ideas in food and beverage innovations, skincare and apparel.

 May 6th, 2017,one day before the MTV Movie Awards  show, invited celebrities visited the lounge. They were each provided with their own personal guide to escort them from booth to booth.  
As each celebrity comes by, they are given gifts to try, and clients can take photos/videos with them for endorsement purposes of a new products. 
Media is also invited to provide more exposure.

Left, handcrafted jewelry designer Brooke Michaels at Littleblueberryy.com

Founder Donovan Thomas' Caps by www.facebook.com/BongjourBrands

Osereeswimwear.com 
Italian swimwear from Milan, Italy. A beachwear line designed for the woman who choose the understatement and elegance of simplicity. Oséree was born from the need to go back to the Italian quality origins, designed and built whilst taking care of every detail, a sophisticated swimwear design with three lines: basic, lumiere and travaille.

Custom painted summer glass creations by CyndieWade.com

UFrost.com
 Founded in June 2016, "Ether Innovations" was a small and dynamic start-up organization and family business.  The two cousin founders, Julien Michalk and Claude-Marie Blanchard, worked together over a year to make the impossible possible:  freeze alcohol up to 40% in less than two minutes without any chemical transformation nor additives.

 FYMhotsause.com Creator Dane Wilcox, (For Fry Your Mount) FYM Sauce features five types of fresh peppers, carrots for sweetness, and citrus, garlic, and onion for flavor in every bottle.

Simojuice.com
 A Florida cold pressed juice method to deliver nutrient dense beverages. The cold pressed process differs from other juicing methods, as it combines traditional methods of squeezing and crushing with modern technology to yield juice more efficiently and without damaging the nutrients.
Ingredients in SIMO juices include nuts as almonds, seeds as chia seeds, and roots as ginseng.

Huglifeicecream.com 
Southern California's first all plant-based creamery. Anti-Dairy Ice Cream N' Stuff.

Divastuff.com
 Diva Stuff is a Florida based growing brand with dozens of products from make-up to soap bars

DjangoMoccasins.com Django Leather Art and Crafts was established in Boracay in 1993 by Antonio 'Django' Valmores, a musician from the north of Mindanao.  With a passion for handcrafted leather, Django put together unique stylish bags from recycled leather materials.  Django is best known for his Filipino moccasins, but he has expanded to briefcases, travel bags and bike helmets.

Stitchandstone.ca  The new clothing store from Canada gifted their bamboo tank tops and presented a summer collection of sandals and wooden bracelets and jewelry of gemstones and crystals. Stitch and Stone focus on Bohemian Inspired Clothing, unique styles and unique gifts.

Enjoypress.com PRESS is the new 4% clear alcoholic seltzer in

Pomegranate Ginger

Blackberry Hibiscus

 Grapefruit Cardamom  and Lime Lemongrass

Sweetopiachocolates.com  Sweetopia is a handmade artisan chocolate shop located inside Newbo City Market in Iowa, which offer a wide variety of chocolate treats, everything from Tipsy Cherries to Chocolate covered Bacon. 100% Premium Belgium handmade chocolate. Favorite flavors MTV Movie Awards weekend were: Key Lime Creme, Citrus Curry Creme, Pistachio Almond Creme, Peanut Butter Caramel Truffle and Blood Orange Truffle.

www.getjevo.com JEVO is the first automatic gelatin shot maker. Think Keurig coffee machine, but for jello shots. Jeff Jetton and Tyler Williams founded Food and Beverage Innovations to provide solutions to the food and beverage industry that eliminate the manual process of making gelatin through innovation in product, process
 and technology. Jevo reduces the 4 to 5 hour process of making gelatin to about 10 minutes, resulting in 20 great tasting gelatin cups or gelatin shots in various flavors and alcohol.

Other sponsors included: speakeasy710.com, questnutrition.com, mister-e-liquid.com, justins.com, hempkitchen.com, harmlessharvest.com, elyptol.com, Ashwell.co and aitaikuji.com

Beverly Hills' Greystone Concours d'Elegance Winners 2017

Photos by Karen Ostlund   (Updated with photos and complete list of winners)

Beverly Hills, California – Last Sunday, May 7th, the 8th Annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance in Beverly Hills gathered record attendance despite threatening weather reports of rain.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, except for sprinkles of rain the last hour, at the enchanted estate where a full complement of 125 vintage automobiles were on display in this year's Concours field.

Best of Show Concours d’Elegance went to Stan Lucas for his 1929 Lincoln Aero-Phaeton; and
Best of Show Concours de Sport was awarded to A&A Premier Classics for their 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial.

Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse selected the 1935 Adler Trumpf, Junior Sports Roadster

The Concours honored Ferrari’s 70th anniversary and Lincoln’s 100th anniversary. Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse selected the 1935 Adler Trumpf, Junior Sports Roadster. 

“I was drawn to the classic style, yet sporty feel of the Adler,” said Mayor Lili Bosse. “It felt chic and elegant and I was thrilled to learn it is owned by a woman.”

Eugene Garcin’s 1934 Cotton was named Best Vintage Motorcycle.

“The Greystone Mansion Concours is unlike most any other automotive events because it offers something for everyone. Each year the show highlights a variety of remarkable cars that are rarely seen by the public and features a completely new field of entries annually,” commented Concours Director Cindy Brynan. “This is the 8th year of the event and was easily our most successful ever. We had the honor of receiving the most applications we have ever had for potential exhibitors. We ultimately showcased 125 world class cars and 10 motorcycles. We thank our attendees and gracious sponsors for all of their support.”

Greystone Concours BBQ in garden

 Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance Signature Awards are designed by local artist Richard Pietruska, whose sculptured awards capture the essence of speed and movement of exotic automobiles of the past as well as the present.

The Pietruska awards were given in two Best of Show categories and 15 Best of Class categories which included Cadillac, Classics, Corvette, Ferrari, Grand Touring, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Porsche Speedster, Post-War American, Post-War British, Post-War Sports, Rolls-Royce and Special Interest.

Nine Special Automobile Awards and three Motorcycle Awards were presented as well. Entries are assessed per the "French" method of judging which emphasizes the overall impression of the given vehicle, taking into account such factors as originality, authenticity, design, styling, and elegance.

In addition to the Best of Show awards, other Concours winners included Jaime Gesundheit’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvette, which received the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) Preservation Award and Petersen Automotive Museum’s 1948 Lincoln Continental received the National Automotive Heritage Award.

Greystone Concours Lower deck, McLaren 2017

Guests of this premier Southern California concours event also enjoyed gourmet food, libations from Tito’s, Stella Artois and Asombroso Fine Tequila and desserts by The Peninsula Hotel. Guests also enjoyed an expert-led lecture, “Passion of the Collector” with Peyman Salehi, Senior Vice President of Private Client Services at City National Bank, and David Gooding, President of Gooding & Company, one of the world’s foremost automotive auction companies.

British Wheeler Dealer television personalities Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead presented lectures on “The Changing Collector Car Market” and “Where to Buy Best Cars.” Real estate expert Jeff Hyland presented “The Legendary Estate of Beverly Hills,” and author, historian Steven Price, presented “Trousdale Estates: Midcentury to Modern in Beverly Hills.” Unique access to the interior of Greystone Mansion provided guests with a glimpse of rarely-seen rooms and the mansion’s first floor became a shopper’s delight, with a new automotive artist display upstairs.

The Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance was hosted by ABC7 television personality Dave Kunz and television host and automotive journalist, Donald Osborne. The event is an annual fundraiser for the Friends of Greystone, a non-profit organization whose mission is the ongoing preservation and restoration of the estate, which is one of a handful of nationally registered historic landmarks in Southern California.

1915 Ford/ Bill Harris

The event's Founding Sponsors are Friends of Greystone and Gooding & Company. Silver Sponsors: Asombrosa Tequila, Auto Gallery, Bentley Beverly Hills/Aston Martin Beverly Hills (O'Gara Coach), Bouchon, BRM Watches, Chubb Insurance, City National Bank, KARMA Automotive, Meguiars, Montage Beverly Hills, Sotheby's International Realty, Stella Artois (Annheuser Busch), Tito's Handmade Vodka; Bronze Sponsors: Beverly Coachcraft, Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, Burke Williams, Ferrari Beverly Hills, Ferrari Financial, Harry's Auto Collision Center, HVA, Lexus Motors, Longshot Coffee, Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, TESLA Motors, Wheeler Dealers; Media Sponsors: Classic Car Seen, Highline Autos, LA Confidential, Sports Car Market, Vintage Motorsport, Vintage Roadcar, KABC 7.
The 9th annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for Sunday, May 6, 2018 and occurs annually on the first Sunday of May. www.greystoneconcours.org

Best of Show Concours de Sport was awarded to A&A Premier Classics for their 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial.

                                  

Best of Show Concours d’Elegance went to Stan Lucas for his 1929 Lincoln Aero-Phaeton

                                     
                                       

1919 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost/ David S. Morrison

                                 

1954 Buick/ Roland Scott

                                 

1970 Triumph Bonneville/ Sonny Nutter

                                   
     

1904 Peugeot Type D Racer / Serge Bueno

      
Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance 2017 Final Awards:
Best of Show – Concours d’Elegance – Stan Lucas – 1929 Lincoln Aero-Phaeton
Best of Show Concours de Sport – A&A Premier Classics, LLC – 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial
Best of Class:
Cadillac – Brian and Pamela Hermansader – 1940 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe
Classics – Gerhard and Adrienne Schnuerer – 1911 Mercedes-Benz SO HP Victoria
Corvette – Mike Vietro – 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Ferrari – Bruce Meyer – 1957 Ferrari 625/250 TRC
Grand Touring – Jim Gianopulos – 1960 Maserati Vignale
Jaguar – Lee Wilson & Rory Murphy – 1963 Jaguar E-Type
Lincoln – Chris Kidd, 1925 Lincoln Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton
Mercedes-Benz – R. Lee Brown -1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
Porsche – William Tripodi – 1962 Porsche 356
Porsche Speedster – Will Sanchez – 1958 Porsche Speedster 356A
Post-War American – Ron Berglund – 1965 Pontiac Catalina
Post-War British – Michael Hattem – 1955 Morgan 4 Passenger Drophead Coupe
Post-War Sports – Jerry Rosenstock – 1956 AC Ace Bristol
Rolls-Royce – Ron and Sandy Hansen – 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Special Interest – Stanley Gold 1962 Sabra Sport
Special Awards:
Director’s Choice – William Heinecke – 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast
Friends of Greystone Outstanding Restoration – Roland Scott – 1954 Buick Skylark
Mayor’s Choice – Alexandra Geremia – 1935 Adler Trumpf Junior Sports Roadster
People’s Choice – Peter and Merle Mullin – 1963 Citroen Dandy
Spirit of Greystone – Thomas and Robert Russell – 1926 Lincoln 149-A
SPONSOR AWARDS
BRM Award – Ian Wayne – 1961 Aston Martin DB4
Corvette Mike Award – Buddy Pepp – 1962 Chevrolet Corvette
HVA/FIVA Award – Jaime Gesundheit – 1964 Chevrolet Corvette
Meguilars Outstanding Paint – Kip Cyprus – 1957 Pontiac Bonneville
National Automotive Heritage Award – Petersen Automotive Museum – 1948 Lincoln Continental
Motorcycles – Best of Show
Best Vintage Motorcycle, Eugene Garcin, 1934 Cotton
Best Customer Motorcycle, Adam Gaspic, 1974 Harley
Best Preservation Motorcycle, Serge Bueno, 1904 Peugeot
Vinnie Mandzak Motorcycle Award, Sonny Nutter, 1970 Triumph

LA's Colcoa - French Film Festival Announced Winners 2017

MR. & MRS. ADELMAN WON THE AUDIENCE AWARD AT THE COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL, 

9 DAYS OF FRENCH FILM PREMIERED AT DGA IN WEST HOLLYWOOD, APRIL 24-MAY 2nd

A WOMAN’S LIFE TOOK THE CRITICS AWARD 

CALL MY AGENT - SEASON 2 AWARDED BEST TV SERIES BY THE AUDIENCE &

BEAUTIFUL LOSER (BEST TV SERIES BY THE JURY)

PLESSIS’ GIRLS WON THE BEST TV MOVIE AWARD FROM THE AUDIENCE 

THE JURY AWARD FOR BEST TV MOVIE WENT TO MARION FOREVER 13

CHASSE ROYALE 

AWARDED BEST SHORT FILM BY JURY 

THANK YOU MISTER IMADA WINS BEST SHORT FILM FROM THE AUDIENCE 

NEW IN 2017, THE AMERICAN STUDENTS AWARD WENT TO POLINA AND THE WEB SERIES AWARD TO AMNESIA 

(West Hollywood,CA) The Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the DGA, MPA, WGAW, and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), announced May 3rd that Mr. & Mrs. Adelman, written by Nicolas Bedos and Dora Tillier, and directed by Nicolas Bedos, won the distinguished COLCOA Audience Award.

A Woman’s Life was awarded the COLCOA LAFCA Critics Award by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Jury at the 21 annual COLCOA French Film Festival. The film, co-written by Stéphane Brizé and Florence Vignon, and directed by Stéphane Brizé, will be released in the U.S. by Kino Lorber this month. A Woman’s Life also won the COLCOA Coming Soon Award, a prize given in association with KPCC 89.3, to a film presented with an attached U.S. distributor.

A Bag of Marbles, co-written and directed by Christian Duguay, won the Audience Special Prize while the Critics Special Prize went to Elementary, written and directed by Hélène Angel.

Little Gems received the Best Documentary Award, co-written and co-directed by Xavier de Lauzanne. The First Feature Award went to Tunisian-French co-production Hedi, written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia. Introduced this year,the American Students Award went to Polina, written by Valérie Müller-Preljocaj and directed by Angelin Preljocaj and Valérie Müller-Preljocaj. This award was voted on exclusively by a jury of nine students from high schools and colleges.

Special Mentions were given by the audience to Like Crazy, the Italian-French co-production presented at the festival in association with Strand Releasing, which will release the film this month in the U.S., and to A Kid, a drama co-written and directed by Philippe Lioret. Distrib Films U.S. will release the film soon after the festival.

Presented in association with TV France International and TITRA Films, the COLCOA Television competition has three TV Series winners: Call My Agent (Season 2) was chosen best TV series by the audience, one year after it won for Season 1.The COLCOA Television Competition Jury gavethe Best Series award to Beautiful Loser and a special prize to the StudioCanal series Midnight Sun. As for TV Drama, the audience favorite by a large majority was Plessis’ Girls, written and directed by Bénédicte Delmas, while the Jury chose Boulem Guerdjou’s drama Marion Forever 13 (Best TV series) and Arnaud Sélignac’s Box 27 (Jury Special Prize).

For the COLCOA Shorts Competitions, two films were awarded twice: Chasse Royale (Best Short Film given by the Jury and the Audience Special mention), and Thank You Mister Imada (Audience Award and Jury Special Mention). Special Prizes went to What Tears Us Apart? (Jury) and The Fisherman and the Businessman (Audience).

The COLCOA Web Series Competition was introduced at this year’s festival with six entries. The winner of this inaugural competition was the Studio+ series, Amnesia.

While 82 programs were presented at COLCOA this year, a total of 34 features and documentaries, 11 TV drama and TV series, 6 web series, and 19 short films competed for the 2017 COLCOA Awards. Films details:www.colcoa.org

COMPLETE 2017 COLCOA AWARDS

COLCOA CINEMA

- AUDIENCE :

COLCOA AWARD: Mr. and Mrs. Adelman (Monsieur et Madame Adelman - W/D by Nicolas Bedos)

SPECIAL PRIZE: A Bag of Marbles (Un sac de billes - W/D by Christian Duguay)

SPECIAL MENTIONS: Like Crazy (Folles de joie - W/D by Paolo Virzi) &

A Kid (Le fils de Jean - W/D by Philippe Lioret)

- JURY :

COLCOA AWARD: A Woman's Life (Une Vie - W/D by Stéphane Brizé)

SPECIAL PRIZE: Elementary (Primaire - W/D by Hélène Angel)

Other Prizes:

BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM: Hedi (Hedi, un vent de liberte - W/D by Mohamed Ben Attia)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Little Gems (Les Pépites - W/D by Xavier de Lausanne)

AMERICAN STUDENT AWARD (New in 2017): Polina (W/D by Angelin Preljocaj, Valérie Müller-Preljocaj)

COMING SOON AWARD: A Woman’s Life (Une Vie - W/D by Stéphane Brizé)

COLCOA TELEVISION

- AUDIENCE:

TV SERIES AWARD: Call My Agent (10 Pour Cent - written by Fanny Herrero, Benjamin Dupas, Sabrina B. Karine, Anaïs Carpita, directed by Laurent Tirard)

TV DRAMA AWARD: Plessis' Girls (Elles…Les Filles du Plessis - W/D by Bénédicte Delmas)

- JURY :

TV SERIES AWARD: Beautiful Loser (Irresponsable - co-written by Frédéric Rosset, directed by Stephen Cafiero)

TV SERIES SPECIAL PRIZE: Midnight Sun (Jour Polaire - written by Måns Mårlind, directed by Björn Stein, Måns Mårlind)

TV DRAMA AWARD: Marion Forever 13 (Marion 13 ans pour toujours - W/D by Boulem Guerdjou)

TV DRAMA SPECIAL PRIZE: Box 27 (W/D by Arnaud Sélignac)

COLCOA SHORTS

- AUDIENCE:

COLCOA AWARD: Thank You Mister Imada (Merci Monsieur Imada - W/D by Sylvain Chaumet)

SPECIAL PRIZE: The Fisherman and the Business Man (Le pecheur et l'homme d’affaires - W/D by Simon Francois)

SPECIAL MENTION: Chasse Royale (W/D by Romane Gueret, Lise Akoka)

- JURY:

COLCOA AWARD: Chasse Royale (W/D Romane Gueret, Lise Akoka)

SPECIAL PRIZE: What Tears Us Apart (Ce qui nous sépare - W/D by Wei Hu)

SPECIAL MENTION: Thank You Mister Imada (Merci Monsieur Imada - W/D by Sylvain Chaumet)

COLCOA WEB SERIES

COLCOA WEB SERIES AWARD (New in 2017): Amnesia (written by Jérôme Fansten, directed by: Patrick De Ranter and Jérôme Fansten)

COLCOA Awards are presented in association with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, TV5MONDE, AIR TAHITI NUI, TITRAFILM and KPCC-89.3 FM

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is funded by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music, and the Writers Guild of America, West, with the vital support of L’ARP (France’s Association of Authors, Directors and Producers), the CNC, the Los Angeles Film and TV Office of the French Embassy, TV France International and Unifrance.

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL was sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui, Dailymotion, TV5MONDE, Variety (Official Sponsors); Airstar, KPCC 89.3, Barnestormer, France Televisions, Los Angeles Times (Premier Sponsors); Barnes International Luxury Real Estate, Club Culinaire of Southern California, ELMA, Gaumont, Indiewire, LA Weekly, Sunset Marquis, TitraFilm (Major Sponsors); Alliance Française de Los Angeles, Champagne de L’Argentaine, Cinando, Laemmle Theatres, Les Macarons Duverger, Marché du Film, Miraval Provence, Office de Tourisme Epernay, Paul M. Young Fine Wines, Samsung, Vineyard Brand, (Platinum Sponsors); and ARIDZA BROSS, Bank Of the West, , La Chouquette, La Vieille Ferme, LILA, , Cinelife, France Amerique, Gitane Rapsodie, M.A.C. Domaine Nicolas Rossignol, Gayot, J.Lohr, Rosenthal The Malibu Estate, Stem Wine, Famille Perrin, Screening Now, Tammy’s Pop, and Tix, (Supporting Sponsors)