Award of Excellence – “Kill the Light” (USA)

Title: Kill the Light
Runtime: 22 min
Country: USA
Director: Mark Schimmel
Placement: Award of Excellence
Competition: March 31, 2018

Synopsis: After the loss of his wife, Ray Brinley spends his days on the road scooping up road kill in Door County, IL. One afternoon he stumbles upon a woman, Cheryl, left for dead. Ray, who is accustomed to picking up ‘the occasional dog or a deer, but never a person’, invites Cheryl into his modest home in an attempt to help. Together, Cheryl and Ray begin to unravel the mystery of her haunting past. After an intense encounter with the county sheriff and a series of revealing flashbacks, Cheryl realizes that she needs to take matters into her own hands and has only one chance to kill the light to make things right. 

The cast is lead by Coburn Goss (Man of Steel and Superman vs. Batman). Directed by Mark Schimmel, the stunning cinematography was shot by William R. Nielsen (Chicago Fire, Sirens, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll). The script was written Lee H. Ross (Downloading Nancy, Benjamin Troubles) with music by, Angelo Panetta (Creedmoria, Mad Town).