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Variety earned 14 first-place wins Sunday night at the 17th annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, including trophies for print journalist of the year, film critic, investigative reporting and news photo.

Chris Willman, chief music critic and senior writer, packed a punch with four wins including print journalist of the year. Tatiana Siegel, executive editor of film and media, won two top investigative categories. The ceremony was held at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

“We are so proud of the work produced across Variety every day. These big wins reinforce that we have the largest and strongest team of entertainment business journalists in the world,” said Cynthia Littleton and Ramin Setoodeh, co-Editors in Chief of Variety.

Here’s a rundown of Variety‘s wins:

Chris Willman’s singular voice and prolific output earned him the print journalist of the year honor. He was recognized for film criticism under 1,000 words.

Lambent Fuse is an independent drama made entirely in Minnesota by college students, pre-professionals and new professionals in the filmmaking field. An ambitious project that strives to shed a more realistic light on issues of mental illness, Lambent Fuse has a lot going on within it’s 99-minute running time. While I applaud and encourage such ambitious undertakings, the rule of thumb known as “less is more” is often a philosophy one does well to heed, which applies to filmmaking as easily as anything else. However, that should never keep a storyteller from offering the viewer a challenge.

The film revolves primarily around two characters, Freddie (Rhett Romsaas) and Allison (Heidi Fellner), a couple near their two-year anniversary. Lambent Fuse follows a similar structure as more recent films including Crash (2004) that feature multiple plots that converge across an indirect narrative structure. While this gives the film more to play with,...

Finally Matt Osterman's Ghost from the Machine (formerly Phasma Ex Machina) has made its way home, and we have all of the details you need to find out how and where you can see the spooky!

This new supernatural thriller from Screen Media Films is now available on iTunes/DVD/VOD. Make sure you check it out today! We hear it's pretty damned good!

Sasha Andreev, Matthew Feeney, Max Hauser, and Katrina Hawley star; check out the official artwork for the flick below.

For more information check out the Ghost from the Machine website, and dig on the Phasma Ex Machina/Ghost from the Machine Facebook page for some behind-the-scenes videos and more.

Synopsis

What would you do to bring someone back? How far would you go? Ghost from the Machine explores the grey area between life and death and how science may be the bridge between the two.

An alternate trailer has been released for the indie film Lambent Fuse. View it below, or check it out at LambentFuse.com

Synopsis: Lambent Fuse is a character-driven drama that illustrates human connection and choice. This complex narrative unfolds in a non-chronological time frame as the lives of these six main characters intertwine.

Freddie Goone (Rhett Romsaas) plunges into a detached world full of regret after recent and tragic events that trigger his slide into depression. Allison Swanson’s (Heidi Fellner) kleptomania undermines her ability to hold a job and maintain a relationship with an emotionally detached and swiftly sinking Freddie. Paul Dobbler (Eric Hanson), a mysterious chef, takes it upon himself to meddle in the life of a woman with whom he’s deeply infatuated. Phillip Richter (Matthew Feeney) seeks to overcome allegations that threaten his long sought promotion as police captain. Keith Malone (Nick Hansen) and Vincent Becker...

Lambent Fuse is an emerging Minnesotan independent film; it is a character-driven feature film that illustrates human connection and choice. The intention of this project is to produce an honest portrayal of the human condition by exposing and exploring mental illnesses, specifically depression, kleptomania, and obsession.

Synopsis: Lambent Fuse is a character-driven drama that illustrates human connection and choice. This complex narrative unfolds in a non-chronological time frame as the lives of these six main characters intertwine.

Freddie Goone (Rhett Romsaas) plunges into a detached world full of regret after recent and tragic events that trigger his slide into depression. Allison Swanson’s (Heidi Fellner) kleptomania undermines her ability to hold a job and maintain a relationship with an emotionally detached and swiftly sinking Freddie. Paul Dobbler (Eric Hanson), a mysterious chef, takes it upon himself to meddle in the life of a woman with whom he’s deeply infatuated.

Finally the scientific tale of losing a loved one and refusing to let them go has an official home to call its own, and with it has come a new title that rolls off of the tongue about as easily as the original one.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Screen Media has acquired the distro rights to Matt Osterman's Phasma Ex Machina and retitled it to Ghost from the Machine. The company will release the film on DVD and VOD in the second quarter of 2011.

It's directed by Matt Osterman and stars Sasha Andreev, Matthew Feeney, Max Hauser, and Katrina Hawley; check out the official one-sheet and trailer for the flick below.

For more information check out the official Ghost from the Machine website, and dig on the official Phasma Ex Machina/Ghost from the Machine Facebook page for some behind-the-scenes videos and more.

Synopsis

What would you do to bring someone back?...

Horror film Phasma Ex Machima has been picked up for DVD and VOD from Screen Media Films. Starring Sasha Andreev and Matthew Feeney and written and directed by Matt Osterman, the film follows a young man named Cody, who is tasked with raising his younger brother James after the death of their parents and plunges himself into the murky science of the supernatural. Ignoring his responsibilities as a caretaker, Cody invents a machine he intends to be a conduit to the other side. In his pursuit to build the device he befriends an electrical engineer who has his own tale of love and loss. The film has been retitled to Ghost from the Machine for its U.S. release - an exact date should be announced soon. For the official site, visit this link . Phasma Ex Machina Trailer...

The death of a loved one is never easy to deal with. In fact some would go to any lengths necessary to have their dearly departed back with them. The only trouble is raising the dead never leads to anything good, and in the new flick Phasma Ex Machina the results can be deadly.

Directed by Matt Osterman and starring Sasha Andreev, Matthew Feeney, Max Hauser, and Katrina Hawley, check out the official one-sheet and trailer for the flick below.

For more information check out the official Phasma Ex Machina website, and dig on the official Phasma Ex Machina Facebook page for some behind-the-scenes videos and more.

Synopsis

"What would you do to bring someone back? How far would you go? Phasma Ex Machina explores the grey area between life and death and how science may be the bridge between the two. A young man named Cody, tasked with raising his younger brother,...

Phasma Ex Machina PosterThe ghost story Phasma Ex Machina will also play at this year's 2010 Another Hole in the Head Film Festival. The feature's title roughly translates to Ghost Machine and Phasma Ex Machina involves bringing back the spirits of loved ones already deceased using electrical waves. However, one amateur scientist brings back some people who were better off dead. Have a watch of the trailer for the film inside and prepare for Phasma's appearance at the festival beginning July 24th. All the details are below.

The synopsis for Phasma Ex Machina here:

"Two guys are living alone in their house after both parents tragically die in a car accident. The older brother has custody of his younger brother and is doing his best to see that he makes it to school on time.

While his brother is at school the elder sibling puts his mechanical and electrical abilities to...