Murtada, Jason and I have all been attending Tribeca screenings (more reviews to come) but as per usual the winners mostly somehow escaped us. But here they are.
U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION
The jury members were: Lucy Alibar, Jonathan Ames, Cory Hardrict, Dana Harris, and Jenny Lumet.
Wendell Pierce as a troubled Louisiana preacher in "Burning Cane"
Feature: Burning Cane, directed by Phillip Youmans. which the jury calls "searingly original". Director Phillip Youman is just 19 years old and started making this movie two years ago in high school (!!!!!!!!) and also makes history as the first black man to win Tribeca!
Actress: Haley Bennett in Swallow who the jury calls "sensitive and engaging" (Special mention: Geetanjali Thapa in Stray Dolls). Our review here.
Actor: – Wendell Pierce in Burning Cane...
Cinematography: Phillip Youmans for Burning Cane which was "bold" and "swung for the fences" (Special Jury mention: Todd Banhazl for Blow the Man Down)
Screenplay: Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy for Blow the Man Down. (Special mention: Ani Simon-Kennedy for The Short History of the Long Road.)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
Ji-hu Park plays an eighth-grader in "House of Hummingbird"
The jurors members were: Gbenga Akinnagbe, Angela Bassett, Baltasar Kormákur, Rebecca Miller, and Steve Zaillian.
International Feature – House of Hummingbird, directed and written by Bora Kim (South Korea)
Actress: Ji-hu Park in House of Hummingbird a performance the jury describes as having "enormous range and complexity"
Actor: Ali Atay in Noah Land who the jury calls "emotionally powerful and truthful".
Cinematography: Kang Gook-hyun for House of Hummingbird
Screenplay: Noah Land written by Cenk Ertürk (Germany/Turkey/USA)
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
Scheme Birds
The jury members were: Drake Doremus, Robert Greene, Julie Goldman, Andrew LaVallee, and Cheryl McDonough.
Documentary: Scheme Birds directed and written by Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin (Scotland/Sweden) which the jury describes as a "poetic haunting depiction of characters living on the edge." The film takes place in a Scottish town where there's been nothing to do since Margaret Thatcher closed the local steelworks in the 1980s.
Cinematography: Yang Sun, Shuang Liang for Our Time Machine (China) for its "insightful visual style that captures loss and uses both intimate and grand spaces to maximum effect."
Editing: Jennifer Tiexiera for 17 Blocks (USA). (Special jury mention: Rewind)
BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
Gasoline Thieves
The jury members were: Stephen Kay, Bill Keith, Justin Long, Piper Perabo, and Mélita Toscan du Plantier.
New Director: Edgar Nito for The Gasoline Thieves (Mexico /Spain/UK/USA). The jury describes his work like so “A coming of age story, social commentary, and at some points a revenge tale, this new director juggles each genre with equal sensitivity and truth."
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
The jury members were: David Cross, Orlando von Einsiedel, and Kathrine Narducci.
Albert Maysles New Director Award: Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin for Scheme Birds (Scotland, Sweden) directed by Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin.
THE NORA EPHRON AWARD
"Initials S.G." stars Diego Peretti and Julianne Nicholson
The jurors for the 2019 Nora Ephron Award, presented by CHANEL, were Debra Messing, Chloë Sevigny, and DeWanda Wise.
The Nora Ephron Award – Rania Attieh for Initials S.G. (Argentina / Lebanon/ USA) which the jury describes as "thrilling, distinct, and fully immersive."
SHORT FILM COMPETITION:
The jury members were: Maureen Dowd, Topher Grace, Rosalind Lichter, Hamish Linklater, Lily Rabe, Phoebe Robinson, and Jeff Scher.
Narrative Short: Maja by Marijana Jankovic (Denmark) which the jury describes as "a deftly told story of a misunderstood young immigrant girl on her first day at a new school.” (Special Mention: The Dishwasher by Nick Hartanto & Sam Roden)
Animated Short: My Mother's Eyes by Jenny Wright (UK)
SHORT DOCUMENTARY AND STUDENT VISIONARY COMPETITION
The jury members were: Dr. Kevin Cahill, David Krumholtz, Kathy Najimy, Sheila Nevins, Agunda Okeyo, Aaron Rodgers, and Buster Scher.
Documentary Short: Learning To Skateboard In a Warzone (If You're A Girl) by Carol Dysinger (UK) which the jury calls a “revelatory tale of how skateboarding can fuel the future of dignified resistance to gender oppression in war torn Afghanistan.” (Special Jury Mention: St. Louis Superman)
Student Visionary Award: Jebel Banat by Sharine Atif (Egypt) a "searing portrait of life in the Egyptian countryside" (Special Jury mention: Pearl)
STORYSCAPES AWARD
This award recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology. The jury members were Lisa Osborne, Paul Smalera, and Adaora Udoji.
Storyscapes Award: The Key by Celine Tricart (USA / Iraq) which the jury describes as "the full package. Emotionally resonant, the winner demonstrates a seamless fusion of technology and narrative. The experience combines a real actor with fantastical, immersive visuals and achieves a rarity in VR storytelling.”
TRIBECA X AWARD
This award ecognizes excellence in storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment. The jury members were Nabil Elderkin, Kim Gehrig, Jason Kreher, Kinjil Mathur, Patrick Milling-Smith, and John Osborn.
Feature Almost Human directd by Jeppe Røndefor The Carlsberg Foundation.
Short The Face of Distracted Driving Directed by Errol Morris for BBDO New York.
Episodic History of Memory directed by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason for HP.
VR The 100% by Stand Up to Cancer, HP and Intel. Directed by Hernan Barangan for Springbok Entertainment.