St. Paul, MN – In a ceremony at the History Center in St. Paul Sunday, Sept. 27, filmmakers Joshua Bell, a native of Minneapolis, and John Cromwell were named winners of the Best Film award in the Minnesota Historical Society’s “1968 Film Competition.”

The competition is the official kick-off of the Society’s “1968 Project,” developed in partnership with the Atlanta History Center, the Chicago History Museum and the Oakland Museum of California. The project, an in-depth look at a turbulent era in American history focusing on a single pivotal year, also will include a traveling exhibition and web site. A vintage VW bus in the History Center lobby greeted festival visitors as they arrived for the ceremony.

The top award-winning film, “A .45 at 50th,” chronicles the true-life experience of John Cromwell’s father, noted actor and activist James Cromwell, and his experiences with Elbert “Big Man” Howard, a founding member of the Black Panther Party. The elder Cromwell narrates the 10-minute film and his son, who lives and works in Minneapolis, portrays his father in dramatic interludes.

“This festival has turned out to be a great way to open our doors to the creative potential of the national filmmaking community,” says History Center director Dan Spock. “We’ve gotten a tremendous range of submissions from hard-hitting to whimsical, historical to topical, simply by going straight to the filmmakers for their fresh take. The result is a multi-dimensional storytelling approach that will add much to ‘The 1968 Project.’”

The top five award winners received cash prizes ranging from $5,000-$1,000. Awards also were given in the following categories:

Emerging Filmmaker Award: Jan Selby, St. Paul, “A Circle and Three Lines.” A look at the history and meaning of the peace symbol that is recognized world-wide.

Revelation Award: Vaughn Juares and Bridget McGrath, Edina, “LIE.” A dramatic look at Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s fateful encounter with Charles Manson.

Eyewitness Award: Bill Bonde, Kenyon, Minn., “Taking Over the Ivory Tower.” The story of the Morrill Hall takeover that led to the formation of the African American Studies department at the University of Minnesota.

Generations Special Focus Award: Deacon Warner and the IFP Youth Group, St. Paul, “War, Peace and Protest: Then & Now.” Veterans talk with a group of young filmmakers about their experiences in Vietnam and their perspectives on today’s conflicts.

Honorable mention went to Aleshia Mueller, Minneapolis, for “Another Direction,” which follows the shifting political views of a Minnesotan living in Kenya; and Rich Cornell, St. Paul, and Steve Date, Minneapolis, for “Reluctant Dissent: Dr. James P. Shannon Story,” a look at the life of the former Catholic bishop who became a renowned author and religious leader, college president, and president of both the Minneapolis and General Mills Foundations.

The “1968 Film Competition” is presented by Comcast. For more information about “The 1968 Film Competition and Project,” visit www.the1968project.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing.