The 2025 Louisiana Film Prize provided two firsts for writer and director Michael Cusumano.
His comedic short film entry called Last Minute, wowed the voting public and judges alike to win Cusumano $50,000 as 2025’s top film.
In another first, his film now heads to Fort Worth and a chance to be placed into Academy Award consideration.
Cusumano’s film was about a universal parental nightmare — a child waiting until the night before to ask for help on a multipart homework assignment.
The project could only be accomplished by the child’s mom calling friends and friends-of-friends for help in the days before the Internet. Ultimately, bits and pieces were gathered to finish the school project.
Michael Cusumano, writer and director of Last Minute, the 2025 Film Prize winner, on stage during the celebration.
“I realized I was writing a story about sacrificing community on the altar of technology,” Cusumano told the crowded room of cheering filmmakers and supporters.
He said the support of local filmmakers and the community is worth noting.
“The reason that this film amounted to something instead of nothing is because at every stage of the process was an outpouring of enthusiasm and generosity and talent that quite overwhelmed me, and because I knew at the end of the process, there was this festival where I knew filmmakers were treated with respect and films were watched with love and with care and in movie theaters the way the good Lord intended.”
PrizeFest founder Gregory Kallenberg says the quality of filmmaking continues to improve and the local community continues to be noticed because of it.
The 2025 Film Prize filmmakers on stage.
“When you look at film prize — we’ve had right now with these filmmakers, one of our greatest geographic reaches, we also have our highest level of talent. And you know, we have a group that has joined together in one of the most special, strongest independent filmmaking communities in the country. You can Google me, it’s there.”
Not only locally-produced films are being noticed, he said.
The bands participating in Music Prize will tour, the comedians from Comedy Prize will now be on the Jimmy Fallon show, the filmmakers will make more movies, and lives, he says, will be changed.
“They are now going from Shreveport, Louisiana, out into the country, talking about Shreveport’s creative economy because of PrizeFest.”
He says the Film Prize judges which are brought in from all over the country are also telling him that northwest Louisiana born-and-bred filmmakers are now a force to be reckoned with.
Melissa Goslin receiving her $15,000 award to make a mini-documentary on the LSUS Pilots’ perfect 59-0 season.
One of those is Shreveport native Melissa Goslin. She was the editor and producer of the grand prize winning Last Minute.
That was not the only win for Goslin, who was also presented a $15,000 check to produce a mini-documentary on the national champion LSUS Pilots baseball team’s perfect 59-0 championship season.
She says she can’t wait to dig into the LSUS story.
“I think beyond underdog, because when people think of sports and LSU, they go immediately to Baton Rouge. So I am so excited to change that mindset. I’m just excited to get people here screaming, like, ‘Go Pilots’, too!”
The 2025 Film Prize nominated actors and actresses.
Other 2025 Film Prize Winners were:
Top Five Short Film Winners
Girl Dad, written by Ty Hudson and directed by Rachael Hudson
Last Minute, written and directed by Michael Cusumano
M.R.I. (or, Michael Returns Indefinitely), written and directed by John F. Beach
The Old Man at the Bar, written and directed by Alexander Jeffery
Rug Pull, written by Carlos Jimenez, Brandon Campbell and Therese Adelina and directed by Carlos Jimenez
Best Actress
Abby Tozer– The Old Man at the Bar
Ty Hudson is named the Best Actor for Girl Dad at the 2025 Louisiana Film Prize.
Best Actor
Ty Hudson– Girl Dad
Founder’s Circle Winners
These filmmakers are given a $3,000 grant to help defray the costs of 2026 Film Prize movie.
Mentality, written and directed by McKenzie Bell
On the Seventh Day, written and directed by Kai Tan
Ramon Makes a Movie, written and directed by Haley Kirton
Strand, directed by Austin Gorski and written by Gabriel Rosales
The Vivid World of David Thursby, written and directed by Devin Johns
Other PrizeFest winners
2025 Comedy Prize- Peter Revello
2025 Music Prize- Cure for Paranoia
The 2025 Food Prize finale, the Battle for the Golden Fork had to be delayed because of bad weather. It will be rescheduled.
The three finalists are Jasmine Cherry of The Noble Savage Shreveport, Dylan Teekell of The Library on Fern, and Chelsea Girard of Heron/ Mae & Co.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.shreveportbossieradvocate.com ’
