And the winners are ...

And for the moment they all waited for: “American Cousins” nabbed the

Best Feature film award and several other distinctions at the fifth

annual Newport Beach Film Festival awards celebration Friday night at

the Radisson Hotel in Newport Beach.

Aislin Walsh won best director of a drama for “Song For a Raggy

Boy.” Lance Gewer won Best Cinematography for “Beat The Drum” and

David Gleeson was awarded Best Screenplay for “Cowboys And Angels.”

More than 1,500 films were reviewed by the festival committee. The

350 films selected to run in the festival were in competition for

jury and audience awards. There were more than 30 countries

represented.

Additional awards will be listed on the festival’s website Monday.

The award winners represent the breadth of the festival this year,

said Gregg Schwenk, the executive director and CEO of the festival.

“This is very exciting year for the festival overall,” Schwenk

said. “You look at the growth and the number of films and the

participation by filmmakers, both independent and studio and it’s

been a real watershed year for the festival. And the awards I think

are a real clear indication of that.”