Audi Someone to Watch Award: Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson

While studying cinematography at Rome’s Cinecitta Studios, Mark Jackson decided to shirk his classes and abandon the Eternal City. “I kind of learned what I wanted to learn,” says the Seattle native, who eventually found his way to Washington’s remote Whidbey Island, where he helmed his debut feature “Without.”

Riffing on horror and suspense conventions, Jackson tracks a young woman’s psychological unraveling while caring for an elderly man confined to a cabin in the woods. The self-financed film continues to travel the fest circuit, landing a special jury prize at Slamdance and director honors at Thessaloniki.

Jackson will return to Italy in the fall to start production on a script co-written with novelist Mary Gaitskill about a war photographer who befriends a Tunisian woman detained on immigration charges. “The first film focused on gender and this one does as well. It talks about access to reproductive health services in rural Sicily,” he says.

RUNNERS-UP

Nicholas Ozeki
“Mamitas”
Originally produced as a short, Ozeki’s debut feature “Mamitas” was shot in Echo Park and premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Pic is a romantic coming-of-ager about a suave East L.A. teen who finds his way after a chance meeting with an unlikely female pursuit.

Simon Arthur
“Silver Tongues”
Deception and cruelty are the marks of Arthur’s “Silver Tongues,” an episodic character study about a sadistic couple who travel from town to town, ruining lives for no reason other than their own selfish satisfaction. Pic took the aud award at Slamdance.