Maverick Movie Awards Announces Winners & Nominees

The Maverick Movie Awards, the original not-a-festival competition, presents its international lineup of movies about imposters, chickens, zombies, memory distrust syndrome, and everything in-between.

The 2012 MMA continues to put "credibility and intrigue back into the word 'maverick'" with a slate of 42 award winners and dozens more nominees in 21 craft-specific categorieS. Boasting the world's most groundbreaking entertainment from filmmakers as notable as Pierre Coffin ("Brad & Gary") and Vilmos Zsigmond ("Summer Children"), these well-known mavericks share the bill with the best underground and indie names-to-watch, among them Jamie Heinrich ("Happily Never After") and Mike Cuenca ("Non Compos Mentis").

"It's a level playing field at the MMA," says Director, Michael Kenneth. "A standard we defined awhile back is, 'If you want to beat Philip Glass, write a better score than Philip Glass.' He won Best Score that year but what this proves is that when our committees award an up-and-comer, they've definitely earned it. And unlike so many recent film festival debacles, this also proves that we refuse to penalize anyone for being an established talent. It's all about the movies and the people who make them, never politics or favoritism."

"The Imposter" (Dimitri Doganis) took Year 9's Best Picture Maverick Award in Features and "Tumbleweed!" (The Varava Brothers) won in Shorts. Tomasz Thomson ("Snowman's Land") won Best Director in Features and Micah Magee ("Coming Home") won in Shorts. Best Actor went to Jurgen Rissmann for "Snowman's Land" in Features and Dylan Smith for "Hangnail" in Shorts. Best Actress went to LeeAnn Dearing for "Lighthouse Lane" in Features and Swantje Maue for "Blaue Stunde" in Shorts. The full list of 2012 winners and nominees will remain posted at the MMA's Award Winners link for the life of this innovative awards organization.

About the Maverick Movie Awards:

The Maverick Movie Awards was founded by moviemakers who have been through the glorious highs and crushing lows of the international film festival circuit; from these shared experiences came the calling to create a real alternative to the nepotism, politics, and commercialism that defines far too many festivals and competitions. By championing great movies, regardless of origin, genre, or budget, the MMA's goal is to give all moviemakers a level playing field.