Entertainment : Newhall Residents, Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Award Winners

Sixty-two films were screened at the 2025 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, April 4-6, 2025 at the Collins Road Theatres, 1462 Twixt Town Road, Marion, Iowa. Awards were handed out at the Saturday night Eddy Awards Ceremony, presented by Farmers State Bank, as well as following the Student Cinema Sunday screenings.

Professional Narrative Feature
Gold - 5683, by Brittany Benedict, Kevin Shepherd and Michael Huntington (Newhall, Iowa)
Silver - Remote, by Matthew Tribble and Marc Bauer (Cedar Rapids, Des Moines)  

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Eddy Award Winners   

Student Freestyle
Gold - EDM is Plastic?, by Than San, Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa)
Silver - Unwritten, by Hunter Jones, Loras College

Student Narrative Short Form Film
Gold - Brothers: A Civil War Story, by Casey Schaffer, Matthew Donley and Zachary Gutherman, De Sales University (Waterloo, Iowa and Westminster Colorado)
Silver - Eighteen Years, by Libby Perry and Emily Surma, Loras College

Student Documentary
Gold - I went on the adventure of my dreams by Jack McCarthy, North Scott High School (Eldridge, Iowa)
Silver - Jayden Upton: Give it Your All!, by Dylan Ervin, Kevin Franks and Nolan Swartz, Loras College

Student Narrative Long-Form Film
Gold - 50mm, by Dillon Jacobson, University of Iowa (Iowa City)
Silver - Exaltation, by Will Schwartz, University of Iowa

Hobbyist Short Form
Gold - Inheritance, by Allanah Swenka and Benjamin Schmidt (Coralville)
Silver - Chase, by Lilah Pearl Skaar, Anthony Syracuse, Jme Lee and James Brown (Denver, Iowa)

Hobbyist Documentary
Gold - Good Tough Kid, by Michael James McDonald, Seth Stoltenow and Joshua Cole (Wyoming, Michigan)
Silver - Tinker by Ryan Adams (Independence, Iowa)

Hobbyist Feature
Gold - The Gates, by Tiffany A. Ketcham and Cody McKinney (Newton, Iowa)
Silver - Bits & Pieces, by Bauston Van Sickle and Wayne D. Barrett (Newton)

Professional Freestyle
Gold - Hunky Dory, by Steven Vander Meer and Béla Fleck (Arcata, California)
Silver - Blink Once, by Jim Haverkamp and Karin Gottshall (Durham, North Carolina)

Professional Narrative Short Form
Gold - Stronghold, by Meghann Artes, Anna Maria Hozian and Joe Lyons (Chicago, Illinois)
Silver - Lost Woods, by Ben Hagerty, Shawn Stadburg, Pokey Spears and Matthew Welch (Cedar Falls, Iowa)

Professional Documentary
Gold - From Iowa and Back: The Vietnam Era, by Jeremy Glazier, Gerard Estella and Megan Turner (Cedar Rapids)
Silver - The Negro Artist, by Nik Heftman, Douglas Burns and Ann Wilson (Los Angeles)

Collins Road Theatres $1000 Scholarship
Than San, Loras College, for EDM is Plastic? and Loyal Wheels

Iowa Connection Eddy Award
5683, by Brittany Benedict, Kevin Shepherd and Michael Huntington

Audience Choice Eddy Award
My Heart Remembers, by Melinda Myers, Melissa Lawrence, Stephen Folker and Brian Lawrence (Lisbon, Marion, Cedar Rapids, Davenport)  

Student Audience Choice Eddy Award
Petrichor, by Grace Potratz, University of Iowa

All Official Selections have an Iowa Connection, which could include: A crew or cast member who lived, worked, or went to school in Iowa; a film that was produced, at least in part, in Iowa; or a story featuring an Iowa subject or Iowan (present or former, real or fictional). Each film will screen twice over the weekend, and compete for Gold and Silver Eddy, Audience Choice, and Iowa Connection awards, at the Eddy Awards Ceremony, presented by Farmers State Bank, following Saturday night's screenings. 

In addition to Collins Road Theatres and Farmers State Bank, CRIFF is supported by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation CRST International Donor-Advised Fund, Twin Engines Global, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Wired Production Group, and ImOn Communications, as well as several in-kid donors.      

ABOUT THE CEDAR RAPIDS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL

The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival's mission is to encourage independent filmmakers with Iowa ties to continue improving their craft, to provide a place to specifically showcase their films, present a unique cultural event to the community, and to offer networking opportunities for the purpose of building connections between Iowa-connected filmmakers everywhere. More information is available at crifm.org.