The evening began with the presentation of the NILSSON AWARD, curated and presented by the award’s namesake and inaugural recipient, ROB NILSSON. The award acknowledges and celebrates bold, direct, honest and aesthetically challenging filmmaking that is often unrecognized by the mainstream independent film community. This year's Nilsson Award recipient is Armenian filmmaker Harutyun Khachatryan.

Next was the presentation of the VISION AWARD, given each year to an established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consistent filmmaking excellence provides artistic inspiration to emerging filmmakers all around the world.  Past recipients include MIke Figgis, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Allison Anders, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Werner Herzog, Mark and Michael Polish, Kevin Smith, and producer Ted Hope.

Known for the “Pusher” trilogy and the recently completed “Drive” (with Ryan Gosling) Refn’s been making films for 15 years and his work is only now receiving the attention it deserves in this country. His work bares the signature of a true visionary - difficult to categorize, but singularly arresting, his films are not for the feint of heart - beautiful, often brutal and beyond compare. Below is the trailer for his stunning biopic “Bronson” starring the amazing Tom Hardy and called “A Clockwork Orange for the 21st Century!” by Damien McSorley (Zoo).

And this is a trailer from his last completed film, “Valhalla Rising”, described as a a “...trippy nightmare of savage poetry burning slow across bleak and otherworldly landscapes."

This was all followed by a program of the best short films produced through Filmmakers Alliance in the previous year.

The program included the following films:

Wait For Me by Dylan O'Brien and Holly Murdoch O'Brien
Native Time by Sean Morris
Beyond Silence by Vidyut Latay
Gonah Kardam Directed by Gabriela Tollman and Produced by Babak Shokrian
Aliens Vs. Predator Directed by Stephen Reedy and Produced by Megan Powers
David and Goliath by George Zaver
Quetzal Directed by Marc Levy and Produced by Amanda Sweikow

The evening finished with a high-energy party on the rooftop of the Downtown Independent Theater catered by some of Los Angeles' best restaurants.

August 27th at 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Independent Theater

251 S. Main St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

VISIONFEST 2010 SPONSORS INCLUDE:

The award was presented by

RYAN GOSLING

2010 Vision Award Recipient

NICOLAS WINDING REFN