Click each year for a description of that year’s winners.

2002-2009 FESTIVALS

2002 Winners

Best Computer Animated Short: Killer Bean 2: The Party (Jeffrey Low)
Best Diversity Dramatic Feature: Doe Boy (Randy Redroad)
Best Foreign Film (France): Locked-in Syndrome (Emmanuel Causse and Eric Martin)
Best Comedy Feature: Boondoggle (Scott Reeder)
Best Sci-Fi Short: 01001
Special Judge's Award: Life as a Sheep (Rick Falzone)
Best Documentary Short: Trunk Boy (Sean McElroy)
Best Dramatic Feature: Charming Billy (Bill Pace)
Best Claymation Short: Wet Appetite (Michael Randoll)
Best Comedy Short: Of Bass and Men (Matt Brookens)

2002 Winning Film Descriptions (PDF file)

3rd Route 66 Film Festival 2004
2004 Winners
The first ever Lincoln Presidential Library Award: Roni Vs. Lincoln (Matt and Greg Brookens)
Best Documentary: People Say I'm Crazy (John Cadigan, Ira Wohl, and Katie Cadigan)
Best Silent Film: The Scapegoat (Darren Ng)
Best Animated Film: Flyaway (Danny L. Oakley)
People's Choice Winner: Sally's Dream House (Julia Radochia)
Best Comedy: Blackneck (Chris Seals)
2004 Filmmakers' Bios (PDF file)

4th Route 66 Film Festival 2005
2005 Winners
The Lincoln Presidential Library Award: Lincolnland Riots (Brent Barrow)
Best of Fest: Day of the Grackle (Michael Berry and Rod Weber)
Best Animated Film: Joyride (John Cernak)
Best Student Film: Spiral (Ex'pression College for Digital Art)
Audience Choice Drama Winner: Third Eye (Aaron Sheehan)
Best Drama: The Empty Building (Giovanni Sanserviero)
Best Comedy: Cleveland in My Dreams (Mark Sullivan)
Best Foreign Film: Amsterdam via Amsterdam (Rogier van Eck and Rob Rombout)
Audience Choice Documentary Winner: The Malt Shop in the Sky (Vince William)
2005 Filmmakers' Bios and Schedule (PDF file)

5th Route 66 Film Festival 2006
The 5th Annual Route 66 Film Festival was held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth Street, Springfield, Illinois. More than 20 filmmakers from Illinois and throughout the country attended.
2006 Winners
Audience Favorite Documentary: For Glory and Gashes (Brandon Clayton)
Audience Favorite Comedy: We're the Government--and You're Not (David McElroy)
Audience Favorite Drama: Call Me Sugar Plum (Tyrone HuFF)
Best Thriller: Under My Skin (Vito Lapiccola)
Best Feature: Troubadours (Tom Snyder, Adam Galassi, and Tom Galassi)
Best Debut Film: John Doe and the Anti (Jeremy Rush)
Best Documentary: Drawings of War: The Testimony of the Children of Uganda (Daniel Garcia)
Best Student Film: Elegy of Falling Snow (Travis Stoll)
Best Comedy: Raven Gets a Life (Devi Snively)
Best of Fest: Cigar at the Beach (Stephen Keep Mills)
2006 Filmmakers' Bios and Schedule (PDF file)

6th Route 66 Film Festival 2007
The 6th Annual Route 66 Film Festival was held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois on September 15-16, 2007. Twenty-four filmmakers attended, some accompanied by cast and crew.
Winner, Audience Favorite Comedy: I Just Want to Eat My Sandwich (Julia Radochia)
Winner, Audience Favorite Drama: Letting Go (Dan Masucci)
Ten award winners chosen by the committee were:
Best Documentary: Whistle While You Work (Ryan Claypool and Austin Smythe)
Best Feature Film: Barrymore's Dream (Robert Alaniz)
Best Student Film: The Last Stain (Jamal Easely)
Best Science Fiction Film: P.U.R.E. (Dusty Mancinelli)
Best Drama: Twilight of Youth (Jerald Fine)
Best Comedy: Six Degrees of Stardom (or How Ronald Reagan Remembers the Life of Brandon Clayton) (Brandon Clayton)
Best Sequel: Son of Roni (Greg Brookens)
Best Film Noir: The Eyes Have It (Steven Addair)
Best of Fest: Jell-Ohh Lady (John Mossman)
2007 Filmmakers' Bios (PDF file)

7th Route 66 Film Festival 2008

The 7th Annual Route 66 Film Festival was held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois on September 20-21, 2008. Twenty-eight filmmakers several cast and crew members attended.
Audience Favorite Winners were:
Comedy: He's My Dad (Mark and Heath Menscher)
Drama: Crazy Old Woman (Zhou "Joe" Fang and H. Scott Hughes)
Debut Film: The Purrfect Girl (Emily W. and Erik Chubb)

Thirteen award winners chosen by the committee were:
Best Documentary: Stars and Their Guitars (Kent Hagen)
Best Film Noir: Yesterday Was a Lie (James Kerwin and Chase Masterson)
Best Comedy Feature: The Art of Pain (Matt Brookens)
Best Debut Feature: Left/Right (Matthew and Todd Wolfe)
Best Experimental Film: Magritte Moment (Ian Fischer)
Best Suspense Film: The Last Round (Dan and Joe Masucci)
Best Foreign Feature: Minotauro (Alejandro Cano)
Best Animation: 24 Frames (Brad Pattullo)
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Award: The Transient (Chris Lukeman)
Best Historical Film: Berlin (Norm Sanders)
Best Foreign Short: Boot Polish (Aneel Ahmad)
Best Drama Short: The Vaudevillian (Bryan Nest)
Best Comedy Short: First Bass (Jonah Ansell and Phil Hodges)
Route 66 Film Festival Schedule 2008 (PDF file)

8th Route 66 Film Festival 2009

The 8th Annual Route 66 Film Festival was held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois on September 19-20, 2009.
Audience Choice Award Winners for short films were:
Debut Film: Sinnerman (Travis Pittman and Kelly Daniela Norris)
Comedy: True Beauty This Night (Peter Besson)
Drama (tie): Dixon's Girl (Fernando Rivero and Oscar Piloto) and The Dying Western (Michael Kortlander)

Thirteen award winners chosen by the judges were:
Best Experimental Film: Cantata in C Major (Ronnie Cramer)
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Award: Scarecrow (Patrick Knipe)
Best Documentary: Vietnam Long Time Coming (Jerry Blumenthal, Peter Gilbert, Gordon Quinn)
Best Debut Feature: Mysterious Ways (John Denn)
Best Comedy Feature: My Name Is Jerry (Morgan Mead, David Hamilton, Zach Baliva)
Best Foreign Film: Euforia (Alfonso Corona)
Best Animation: The Incident at Tower 37 (Chris Perry)
Best Debut Short: The Caretaker (Darryl Kinson)
Best Thriller: Crook (Daric Gates)
Best Drama Short: Williams Christening (Josh Hume and Danny Vecchione)
Best Comedy Short: Dream the Life (Rebecca Rocheford Davies)
Best Western: Al' s Beef (Dennis Hauck)
Best of Fest: Gone Fishing (Chris Jones)
Route 66 2009 Film Festival Schedule (PDF file)