June's monthly celebration of local Central Florida filmmaking, FilmSlam, took place this past Sunday afternoon and featured one its most diverse programs yet. A nice turnout came out to see a whopping eight different works, including a trailer for Reilly Tyne's BEYOND IMAGINATION, a doc short about THE 2008 PINTURA GRAFFITI CONFERENCE shot by Elizabeth Anne, and a music video for Raquel Martinez called "Heaven in my Heart" directed by David Bermejo.

But the big winner was Banks Helfrich's FLIPPANT, which took 1st Place with the audience votes and time permitting, will receive an automatic bye into December's Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase and a shot at next year's 2009 Florida Film Festival. Miguel A. Ramos' BODY FARM, another couple-lost-in-the-woods-end-up-in-a-bad-situation flick, took 2nd, while Daniel Watkins' TOASTED, a comedy about a young man and the house trying to kill him, walked away with 3rd. Congratulations to all the filmmakers, and be sure to tell your friends about FilmSlam # 7 on July 13.

--Matthew

Go, Banks*!

*Fellow 2008 United Arts of Central Florida Professional Development Grant Recipient