IMAGE Reports Successful Festival IMAGE Reports Successful Festival Atlanta Film & Video Festival screened 190 works in six venues, hosted 57 visiting artists, and drew over 7,300 patrons. At the closing night ceremony at the Carter Center, Festival Coordinator Gabriel Wardell announced the winner of the Audience Prize. Audience ballots were distributed at each screening, then collected and tallied throughout the week. Predictably, local entries scored well in the audience balloting; "Alma" and "The Band" were both contenders. However, the prize was awarded to Darryl Lemont Wharton's "Detention," an after school morality tale set in the Baltimore inner city.

IMAGE's Education Coordinator, Genevieve McGillicuddy, then announced the coveted Southeastern prize, a package of production goods and services valued at over $50,000 in goods and services from Atlanta based production companies. The prize includes a $20,000 package of lighting equipment from Feature Systems, $15,000 in lighting, grip, and camera rental from Production Consultants & Equipment (PC&E), two days use of Crawford Studio Two, four days of free makeup service from Image Crafters, two days of Special effects from Bob Shelley FX, and two days of post at Todd-AO/Editworks. The prize was awarded to Nick Searcy for his directorial debut "Paradise Falls."