The Gold Plaque for Best Student Short is awarded to "Skunk" (USA). Demonstrating instincts similar to early David Gordon Green or Debra Granik, "Skunk" masterfully teases the audience with the promise of a lazy summer day and the nightmare that other teens induce upon each other. The young actors' nuanced performances wonderfully illustrate youthful humiliations via the conflicts of puberty-the bravado of boys who can't yet control their bodies, and the retribution of a girl not interested in taking things lightly. Director: Annie Silverstein.
