We are excited to announce the finalists in the sixth and final group of categories of 2015 Association for Mormon Letters awards, Film. We previously announced Creative Non-Fiction and Religious Non-Fiction, Novel, Short Fiction Collection, and Short Fiction, Young Adult and Middle Grade Novel, Lyrics, Picture Book, and Poetry and Drama, Comics, and Criticism. We will soon announce two special lifetime achievement awards. The final awards will be announced and presented at the AML Conference on March 4 at BYU Hawaii.
Film
Christmas Eve – Directed by Mitch Davis; Written by Mitch Davis, Tyler McKellar; Produced by Mitch Davis, Shawn King, Larry King, Ken Bretschneider
Freetown – Directed by Garrett Batty; Written by Garrett Batty and Melissa Leilani Larson; Produced by Adam Abel and Garrett Batty
Just Let Go – Directed by Christopher S. Clark & Patrick Henry Parker; Screenplay by Vance Mellen; Written by Christopher S. Clark, Patrick Henry Parker; based on the book by Chris Stuart Williams; Produced by Dan LaPray
Once I Was a Beehive – Directed by Maclain Nelson; Written by Maclain Nelson; Produced by Maclain Nelson and Jake Van Wagoner
Peace Officer – Directed by Brad Barber & Scott Christopherson; Written by Brad Barber, Scott Christopherson, David Lawrence and Renny McCauley; Produced by Brad Barber, Scott Christopherson and David Lawrence
About the Awards
The AML Awards have been presented annually since 1977. You can see the list of past awards here. Besides the main categories, there are also the Smith–Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
I am the Awards Committee chair this year, which means I picked the judges, a mixture of authors, scholars, and reviewers, who at least during the judging process remain anonymous. The judges and I worked together to come up with long lists of potential finalists, but I am not involved in any of the decisions on finalists and winners. Works “by, for, or about Mormons” were considered. Authors/creators who are non-Mormon or ex-Mormon are considered if their works deal with Mormonism. Many of the judges created their own panel of assistant judges who shifted through the many applicable works. Then the judges and their panels chose the finalists. Those same judges/panels will pick the final awards this month.
There was previously an established AML practice that an author/creator could not be awarded in the same category two years in a row. That practice was discontinued this year.
Congratulations to all of the finalists!