First Person Account: California Film Awards in San Diego

The California Film Awards in San Diego, which took place at the beautiful Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego on Jan. 22, 2011, was an incredible experience. Once again the best of the best in Independent Film came out and wowed the audience with their talents. I enjoyed the Diamond Award winner "Watermelon" which was directed by Brad Mays. Here is a first-person account of the night's events, some of the other notable winners, and a little about my favorite Diamond Award winner of the year.

The atmosphere of the night had a buzz of excitement to it. This California Film Awards in San Diego ceremony is one of the highlights of the year for Indie filmmakers. This is where the big studio meets the Independent group. There is nothing more thrilling in the step up the ladder to Hollywood than this event for any director. Brad Mays was the Diamond Award winner for the night and is expected to become a notable in the future. I look forward to more of his work after seeing this heartwarming insight into one man's outlook on his life after receiving his deceased father's "eye-sore". Produced by Light Song films, this movie was a welcome surprise to the list of winners.

The other winner that caught my eye was "Unaware" which lend a nod to the paranormal crowd. The film is an entertaining creepy look at the government and the way that U.F.O. sightings are handled. It nods to movies such as "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity 2". This was a eye catcher for me. They won the award for Best Narrative.

One of the unexpected surprises of the night for me was the fact that each film that is considered is allowed to have three years prior release. Since this was my first year to attend I knew very little about the process. I was truly thrilled to be a part of the night's events and am excited to attend each event in the future. The California Film Awards in San Diego was a night of Indie movie firsts for me. The award winners must be thrilled to have taken one step further at their movies' recognition. any fan of the movie industry would surely enjoy attending this nod to the new Indie films.