Here’s how it works: The TikiKiti International Film Festival winners are chosen based on the following criteria: production quality; creativity & performance; and editing. Videos are rated on a scale from 0-10 with half points allowed.
We started with 15 judges who watched all 30 submissions and chose the Top-10. Then, six different judges rated the Top-10 to come up with the final five. Sometimes it was grueling, with lots of arguing and hand-waving. The Top-5 scores were all very close, with a tie for fifth. Only 1.09 points separated the #1 and the #5 scores. This year was tough! There were so many amazing videos.
Now we’d like to introduce the Barclay Award winner!
The #1 video and winner of the Barclay Award for the 2022 TikiKiti International Film Festival is from Okareo (Reo Oka) and his production to “Euryunome” by Sakanaction. Here we see various parts of Tokyo—Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Akihabara, and Tokyo Station — as our backdrop. Our tour guides are Reo Oka (behind the camera) and the captivating model at the center of this video. She is at first detached from her surroundings and then inseparable from them. Through some incredible editing, Reo Oka makes her the focal point of every exciting shot. Maybe it’s a tunnel lined with bicycles, a busy shopping district, the sun reflecting off buildings, or traffic; no matter what, we can’t take our eyes off her as she leads us through the flashing lights and abstract images of city life. Reo Oka loves his city and his craft. His skill is unmistakable. This is one reason why he was the winner. The other is his ability to mesmerize his audience and take us on a journey through his mind and his Japan.
“I am honored to receive this glorious award,” Reo Oka says. “I would like to thank all the models, staff, and viewers. I am very close to reaching my goal of 100,000 views, so I would be very happy if more people would continue to view my video. Thank you very much.”
It is our pleasure to recognize such a quality production.
At #2 is Arman Karkhanei from Iran, who produced this video to accompany "Goodbye" by Apparat. As Chandler wrote about this video, “Our memories of love often take on the consistency of a dream or hallucination. Iranian filmmaker Arman Karkhanei conveys the elusive, ineffable qualities of that particular feeling through precision art direction and utmost patience.” And it is this dream-like texture filled with color and abstraction that grabs our attention and never lets go.
Coming in at #3 is this submission from Alium Films & Max Diep —"Staples At The Desired Seams" by Preispolnen. Max loves horror films — and it shows here. The music is the perfect soundtrack for the hidden horrors that come to the surface in this video. The production quality is impeccable. And, with the quality CGI, the story is so puzzling and mystifying. Max keeps us immersed in his vision until the very end. He is truly part of the next generation of great Russian film artists.
At #4 is Fedor Prunkov’s video accompaniment to "Liquid Code" by Louis & Clark. He had the vision for the video before finding the right music. After meeting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Alex Varona, they discussed the idea. Varona is perfect for the part. His ability to move gracefully through this film adds to the mystery. We ask, “Who is this man?” that we later see,vvery satisfyingly, kick ass.
Nifail Rosli builds a classic acoustic blues video with Dope Lemon’s "Hey You.” Shot with a sepia look throughout, it feels as if it came right out of the era of Robert Johnson. And with some of the outdoor scenes we even expect to see the devil walk up. One thing seems obvious — these are not play-acting musicians. They know how to play their instruments and have likely played this song themselves. This is the only performance video in the top five because it was done with love. The comfort they feel shows in every shot. They are not acting “cool” — they are cool.
Christian Szczerba and Kif Kif Studios brought us is a spy thriller reminiscent of the movie Drive — Essenger's version of Nightcall by Kavinsky. Along the way we see two ambiguous characters (I always thought they were spies.) With some creative editing, we see two stories told simultaneously and what happens when they come together — as they most surely will.
These six videos helped make this an exceptional first for the TikiKiti International Film Festival. We had many other submissions, including three videos from Ricky Mouser with his video to Evanescence’s “My Immortal” standing out.
Craig Archambault from Depart From Me Artistry brought us Natti’s “Another Galaxy” and introduced us to a new trend in editing styles.
From COY Swede we got Closer, featuring J.O.Y. He is one of most talented producers making videos to his own music.
And we can’t forget Zaniah Sims with her amazing production of “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne. That was a crowd favorite. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
Take a look at what Joe McGarty did for zero dollars — “The Mind Electric” by Miracle Musical — and imagine what he would do with a real budget. A real creative talent.
Plus, the winner of the Fan Favorite award goes to Kevin Bodin with his video to "The Bones Of An Idol" by The New Pornographers.
All these incredible videos — with some of the best talent behind a camera lens today —have made our first film festival a brilliant experience. Thanks to all for your contributions.
Check out all the video submissions to the 2022 TikiKiti International Film Festival.
