Emmy Nominated Director, Becky Smith's Romantic Comedy "16 to Life" Big Winner at MethodFest

April 7, 2009 - PRLog -- Press Contact: admin@16tolifethemovie.org
http://www.16tolifethemovie.org

Emmy nominated director Becky Smith's indie romantic comedy "16 to Life"  swept  five nominations and came up a big winner at Method Fest.  "16 to Life" was nominated for five awards and took home two awards - winning the Christie Digital Audience Award for Best Picture and the LA.com Best Supporting Actress Award for veteran screen actor Theresa Russell ("The Black Widow", "Spider-Man 3").

"16 to Life" tied for most nominations at MethodFest 09:
>  Winner - Best Picture  (Audience Award)
>  Winner - Best Supporting Actress (Theresa Russell)
>  Nominated for Best Comedic Performance (Hallee Hirsh)
>  Nominated for Break Out Performance (Jaime Gomez)
>  Nominated for Best Ensemble Cast
Writer/director Becky Smith received a $5,000 award from Christie Post
and software from Final Draft.

"We are thrilled to be recognized by the audience and the judges. and the post production money from Christie Post was a shock and a delight!" says writer/director Becky Smith. Smith added,  "I made an exciting discovery after the screening.  I had joked in introducing the film that it was a 'chick flick', but a number of men came up to me at the party afterwards and said that they really enjoyed the film and it wasn't a chick flick at all.' "

Festival director Don Franken says, "It wasn't surprising, judging the excitement from the audience emerging from the screening, that  "16 to Life" won the Best Film Audience Award.  "16 to Life" was highly popular and I feel confident the film is on it's way to distribution after it's success at MethodFest."

Smith compiled a team of outstanding actors and says MethodFest '09 (the first film festival to celebrate the actor's craft) was the perfect venue for the Premiere.

On the night the nominations were announced, "16 to Life" star Hallee Hirsh, nominated at MethodFest for Best Comedic Performance for the role of Kate, a sexually frustrated 16-year-old, received major exposure (over 17 million viewers) on the finale Episode of ER - where she reprised her role of Rachel Green.   Actor Jaime Gomez (Gabriela, Nash Bridges, and upcoming Sleeping With Lions) was also nominated at MethodFest for Best Breakout Performance.

 "16 to Life" is a Capraesque, romantic comedy of small town misfits. Kate, a rural American teen, is turning 16 and has never been kissed. Kate is obsessed with books on eclectic subjects, currently the Cultural Revolution in China.  Kate's angst about sexual inexperience and guilt will drive a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays.  Before the clock strikes midnight, Kate and her best friend Darby will discover more about love than most 16 year-olds can imagine.  And Kate will learn what a 16-year old American girl has in common with a 16-year-old Chinese girl half a world, and a cultural revolution away.  Trailer and website:   http://www.16tolifethemovie.org

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About Becky Smith and Waterdog Films - Waterdog Films is the production moniker of Emmy nominated writer/director Becky Smith. Smith was nominated in 2004 for an Emmy in directing (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), the same year the show won an Emmy, and has directed numerous series and pilots for networks including MTV, MTV2, NBC, Fox, Disney Channel, PBS, Fuse and ABC Family. Her documentary onTitle IX, “In the Game,” received numerous awards, including Best Television Documentary of the Year from Women in Radio and Television.

Smith is a Professor in the UCLA School of Theatre, Film & Digital Media. She received her Masters degree in film from Stanford University.. She is an alumna of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women.