Austin's SXSW extravaganza (it's not just films there but music and comedy festivals simultaneously) and San Luis Obispo's 25th anniversary film festivals are both a wrap. And with festival wraps come jury and audience prizes! While each year's mainstream gold rush culminating in the Oscars sometimes get snarky reactions in terms of all the back-patting of already über successful people, festival prizes are different. They can be career-making or at least significantly augmenting moments for indie filmmakers, who don't have the benefit of millions in P&A budgets or A list careers to bolster public interest. Awards are often the way artists can begin to forge a creative career. So keep an eye out on these titles and people in case they work their way around to you.
Saint Frances
NARRATIVE, AUDIENCE AWARDS
• Main Slate: Saint Frances (Alex Thompson) This dramedy is about a young woman who takes a job as a nanny shortly after having an abortion.
• "Headliners": Longshot (Jonathan Levine) New comedy starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen
• "Spotlight": The Peanut Butter Falcon (Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz) <-- Abe reviewed this one for us. Shia Labeouf stars...
• "Visions": The Garden Left Behind (Flavio Alves) A trans drama about a young woman and her grandmother dealing with both the daughter's transition and with being undocument immigrants in NYC
• "Midnighters": Boyz In The Wood (Ninian Doff)
Alice
NARRATIVE, JURIED AWARDS
• Winner: Alice (Josephine Mackerras) This is a French Australian production about a woman who discovers her husband's obsessions with call girls has left them penniless.
• Best Ensemble: Yes, God, Yes (Karen Maine)
• Breakthrough Voice: Saint Frances (Alex Thompson)
DOCUMENTARY, AUDIENCE AWARDS
• Main Slate: For Sama (Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts) Following the life of a 20something female filmmaker in Syria documenting the violence all around her in Aleppo
• "Spotlight": Running With Beto (David Modigliano) Detailing Beto O'Rourke's Senate campaign in Texas. He has since announced his run for President in 2020. This is currently playing in NYC as well and will premiere on HBO this spring.
• "Global": Cachada: The Opportunity (Marlén Viñayo)
• "Festival Favourites": Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (Janice Engel) This award is for films that have already premiered at other festivals.
DOCUMENTARY, JURIED AWARDS
• Winner: For Sama (Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts)
• Empathy in Craft: Ernie & Joe (Jennifer McShane)
• Excellence in Storytelling: Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy (Elizabeth Carroll)
SHORT FILM, JURIED AWARDS
• Narrative Winner: Liberty (Faren Humes)
• Special Jury Recognition, Narrative: The Orphan (Carolina Markowicz)
• Documentary Winner: Exit 12 (Mohammad Gorjestani)
• Special Jury Recognition, Doc: All Inclusive (Corina Schwingruber Ilic
• Midnight Shorts Winner: Other Side of the Box (Caleb J Phillips )
• Animated Shorts Winner: Guaxuma (Nara Normande)
• Special Jury Recognition, Animated: Slug Life (Sophie Koto Gate)
• Music Video Winner: "Pa'Lante" Hurray for the Riff Raff (Kristian Mercado)
• Special Jury Recognition, Music Video: "Quarrel" Moses Sumney (Allie Avital and Moses Sumney)
• Texas Shorts Winner: I Am Mackenzie (Artemis Anastasiadou)
• Special Jury Recognition, Texas Shorts: A Line Birds Cannot See (Amy Bench)
• Texas High School Shorts Winner: Fifteen (Louisa Baldwin)
• Special Jury Recognition, Texas High School Shorts: Double Cross (Amiri Scrutchin)
MISCELLANIA, AUDIENCE AWARDS
• Episodic Premiere: Ramy (Showrunner: Bridget Bedard) A comedy series about a first generation Egyptian American created by Ramy Hassan who also stars
• Excellence in Title Design: Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse (Directors: Brian Mah, James Ramirez)
Hmmm. We're not sure why this blockbuster wide 2018 release was involved in the 2019 SXSW festival but there you go. We also nominated it for this exact prize here at the Film Bitch Awards.
MISCELLANIA, JURIED AWARDS
• Excellence in Title Design: Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse (Directors: Brian Mah, James Ramirez)
• Excellence in Title Design, Special Recognition: The Darkest Minds (Director: MIchelle Dougherty) - hey this made our finals for this category in the Film Bitch Awards, too.
• Episodic Premiere: Maggie (Director: Sasha Gordon)
• Special Jury Recognition, Episodic: Revenge Tour (Directors: Andrew Carter, Kahlil Maskati)
• Excellence in Poster Design: Daniel Isn't Real (Designer: Jock; Design Company: 4Twenty limited)
SXSW SPECIAL AWARDS
Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship: Victoria Chalk
Vimeo Staff Picks Award: Milton (Tim Wilkime)
ZEISS Cinematography Award: Amazonia Groove (Bruno Murtinho)
Louis Black "Lone Star" Award: The River and the Wall (Ben Masters)
SXSW Adam Yauch Hornblower Award: Tito (Grace Glowicki)
CherryPicks Female First Feature Award: Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
CherryPicks, Special Recognition: Days of the Whale (Catalina Arroyave Restrepo) This movie sounds cool. It's about two graffiti artists who defy a criminal gang by painting a mural over their threats on a wall.
VIRTUAL CINEMA JURY AWARDS
25 projects competed. The 2019 Virtual Cinema jury was composed of Eliza McNitt, Laura Mingail, and Lori Schwartz.
• 360° Video Narrative: Metro Veinte: Cita Ciega (Maria Belen Poncio) about a woman in a wheelchair going on a blind date - she hasn't told the date about the wheelchair
• Interactive: Runnin’ (Kiira Benzing)
• Storytelling: Gloomy Eyes (Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado)
• Use of Immersive Arts: Home After War (Gayatri Parameswaran)
• Special Jury Recognition: The Future of Experience (Jessica Brillhart)
I've never actually attended a Virtual Cinema event but they're beginning to have them at more festivals. I see the lines and I always think: no. Though perhaps they're very cool?
True to form -- I have no idea why this happens to me at festivals! -- I somehow missed nearly all the winners but I had a great experience so that's all that really counts. You never know what's actually going to win prizes.
Hawaii
GEORGE SIDNEY INDEPENDENT FILM CATEGORY (JURIED AWARDS)
• Feature-Length Documentary: Satan and Adam
• Feature-Length Narrative: Hawaii A Romanian/German dramedy about a man who inherits a piece of private property in Hawaii that he can't claim due to living in communist Romania
• Short Narrative [tie]: The Little Princess and Rani (more on this one tomorrow, it's a Pakistani trans drama)
• Short Documentary: Selling Lies
• Student Film: Dust Rising
CENTRAL COAST FILMMAKER CATEGORY (JURIED AWARDS)
• Feature-Length Documentary: Rodents of Unusual Size
• Short Narrative: The Dinner Guest (more on this one tomorrow)
• Short Documentary: Trial by Fire
• Student Film: Becoming Rich
• Animated Short Film: Reboot
• Feature Narrative Film: Misty Button
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Woman at War
• Documentary Feature: Unstoppable: Bethany Hamilton
• Narrative Feature: Woman at War You already know how much I love this one, Iceland's Oscar submission last season. Jodie Foster bought the rights for an American remake. It's currently in release in extremely limited release but a lot of regional festivals program this sort of film, the kind that get theatrical release but are unlikely to reach smaller towns
• Short Documentary: Band Geeks
• Narrative Short: The Interview
• Best in the Fest: Love & Bananas