‘Single Residence Occupancy’ Wins Imagine Entertainment, Adobe and the Film Zone’s From Minutes to Movies ShortFest (EXCLUSIVE)

“Single Residence Occupancy,” a creative short from creators Omer Ben Shachar and Belinda Huijuan Tang, has been named the first-place winner of the From Minutes to Movies ShortFest competition.

The social-first short film festival from Imagine Entertainment, Adobe and The Film Zone received almost 4,000 submissions and encouraged filmmakers and creators looking to cross over into longer formats to reach new audiences.

“Single Residence Occupancy” is about a Chinese immigrant living in cramped confines with her family when her application for better housing is denied, leaving her to grapple with how to share the news with her children. Imagine Entertainment will mentor creators Shachar and Tang on how to develop this short-form concept into a series or feature for distribution. As the first-place winners, they will be awarded with a cash prize of $7,500.

“As proven by the amazing entries into the inaugural From Minutes to Movies Shortfest, the next generation of filmmakers on social media are immensely gifted storytellers, and Imagine is excited for the opportunity to help our first place winners Sachar and Tang develop their work further,” said Imagine Brands’ IP & partnerships president Marc Gilbar. “We’re very grateful to our partners Adobe and The Film Zone for helping us to inspire and provide opportunity to so many young creatives through this social-first festival.”

Second place film “Lola” (directed and written by Grace Hanna) depicts a 13-year-old science prodigy as she journeys into her grandma’s deteriorating mind to save one precious memory they have together, while third place winner “Fishers of Men” (directed by Chris Capel) follows a young Mormon missionary at the start of his two years of service. Hanna and Capel will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, with all top three finalists receiving mentorship opportunities.

To further spotlight their success, Schachar, Hanna and Capel will participate in a panel discussion at Adobe MAX, Adobe’s creativity conference in Miami Beach from Oct. 14-16. All finalist submissions used Adobe applications including Premiere Pro, Photoshop and After Effects to bring their ambitious projects to life.

“The exceptional talent, creativity, and original storytelling captured in these winning submissions reflect the very essence of what this competition is all about: pushing the boundaries of filmmaking in innovative and imaginative ways,” said Adobe chief brand officer Heather Freeland. “At Adobe, we’re committed to empowering creators like Omer Ben Shachar and Belinda Huijuan Tang with products that can help bring their artistic visions to life, and we are proud to support a new generation of filmmakers in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and The Film Zone. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for these filmmakers and their stories.”

Submissions for the festival took place between July 9 and Aug. 25. The top 10 entries were shared with the @TheFilmZone, @ImagineEntertainment and @Adobe communities on Instagram, where the remaining seven finalists competed for the fan-voted Audience Award. The top three and Audience Award winners will receive a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud for one year.

“‘Single Residence Occupancy,’ ‘Lola,’ and ‘Fishers of Men’ are incredible projects, and we’re excited for the next generation of creatives and filmmakers” said The Film Zone founder Christian Dwarica. “Elevating up-and-coming creators is integral to the artform, so being a part of this program with Imagine Entertainment and Adobe is both an honor and a privilege.”