🌟 Valley Place Arts Collaborative announces the winners of the first Anacostia Shorts Film Festival [SP]

The winners, l to r. Lawrence Green, Stephen Lyons II, Michelle Dionne Wardlaw.

Valley Place Arts Collaborative, a producing and presenting non-profit project supporting Ward 7 and Ward 8 artists and creative projects, is pleased to announce the winners of the first Anacostia Shorts Film Festival.

In partnership with Open Road Arts Film Festival and Lisa Hodsoll, Valley Place Arts Collaborative hosted “Anacostia Shorts,” a special category and contest for Anacostia filmmakers and/or stories rooted in this historic DC community.

There was a three-day event to honor the filmmakers where the top 10 entrants were screened live on May 6 and 7 and via YouTube on May 8, when the honorable mentions were also screened. The live events took place at Historic Anacostia’s Honfleur Gallery.

The top three winners of the Anacostia Shorts Festival, which carried cash prizes, were:

First Place, Prize of $2000
Whitefish, Stephen Lyons II
Stephen Lyons II is a DMV-based multidisciplinary artist working as a dancer, actor, choreographer, writer, and director for the stage and screen. His artistic journey began with hip-hop dance at Aberdeen Dance Company, and he has since worked with Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company, Culture Shock DC, and Extreme Lengths Productions.

Synopsis: A young black man struggles with identity and morality when he decides to catfish his ex-boyfriend.

Second Place, Prize of $1,000
Trashman, Lawrence Green
Lawrence Green, filmmaker, photographer, and DJ, is a native of Washington, D.C. He graduated from Temple University’s Film and Media Arts and African American Studies programs. After graduating from Temple University, he held video production, television programming, and communication positions at various companies, including the Service Employee International Union, Public Broadcasting Service, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Synopsis: As Lawrence Green’s neighborhood and forestry in Washington, D.C. becomes saddled with litter, illegal dumping, and trash, he must explore what’s being done to tackle this issue as he contemplates moving his family out of the city.

Third Place, Prize $500.00
Bellator: A Southeast DC Story, Michelle Dionne Wardlaw
Michelle is a first-time film director/writer/producer with a preference for action and animation films. She is a News Writer for WTTG/FOX5 in Washington, DC. She aims to develop television programming for streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Paramount Plus.

Synopsis: After emerging from the pandemic lockdown, an unemployed DC man attempts a return to the gym to escape his video game obsession, but along the way, he struggles to stay focused.

The producers:
Lisa Hodsoll Co-Producer
Lisa Hodsoll started An Open Road Film Festival, now in its second year and in partnership with The Valley Place Arts Collaborative. She is an actress (among other creative hats) who most recently appeared in the D.C. production of My Brief but Calamitous Affair with the Minister of Culture & Censorship with Voices Festival Productions. Other theater credits include NEW YORK: Laura Bush Killed A Guy (The Klunch) —D.C. run, Helen Hayes nomination for Best Lead Actress. LOCAL: The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Theater Alliance) Helen Hayes Nomination Best Supporting Actress,Edgar and Annabelle (Studio Theatre), and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide ... (Theater J). OTHER: A Fool’s Paradise (Valiant Flea) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Medea’s Got Some Issues in Chicago (Chicago Theater Sweatshop) and D.C. (No Rules Theatre). TV/FILM: recent appearance on Chicago Med and will soon be seen in Apple TV + production of Lady in the Lake. She is the founder of the not-for-profit arts organization Open Road https://theopenroadarts.com/ and is currently working on the post-production edit for the film Flight of the Crows.

For more information, please contact:anopenroadfilmfestival@gmail.com

Adele Robey, Co-Producer
A resident of Historic Anacostia, Adele is a founder of Theater Alliance, which was formed when she was on the board at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. In 2001 she and her late husband bought a property at 1365 H Street NE, Washington, DC, turning it into a small independent black box theater. This theater, The H Street Playhouse, proved to be one of the catalysts for the explosive growth that continues to happen on this corridor. She has always been intimately involved in local economic development, first as a member of the H Street Merchants Association and then as a board member of the H Street Main Street organization. She has also been a member of CHAMPS, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, and is a recipient of the Capitol Hill Community Achievement Award. She currently serves on the board of the Anacostia Business Improvement District.

In 2012 she founded a non-profit, The DC Theater Arts Collaborative, whose major project is the Anacostia Playhouse which opened its doors in August 2013. The Anacostia Playhouse serves as a neighborhood hub for the performing arts drawing participants and audiences from both sides of the Anacostia River. As such, it plays an integral role in the economic revitalization of Historic Anacostia and Ward 8. In recognition of the founding of the Playhouse, she and her daughter were awarded the Washington Post Innovative Leadership Award as part of the Helen Hayes Awards. Her role at the Playhouse came to a close in January 2022, and she now concentrates on Valley Place Arts Collaborative, Inc., creating arts programs and opportunities for East of the River artists and the community at large.

As a freelance graphic artist (and part-time actor), she co-founded the successful Voice of the Hill newspaper and served in the Capitol Hill public schools, fashioning after-school programs. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she is the recipient of that school’s Alumni Award of Merit.

For more information, please contact: Adele Robey at valleyplacearts@gmail.com