FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact for Denver Film:
Marty Schechter: marty@schechterpr.com, 303-882-4585
Click here for access to: Denver Film Festival 47 Award Honoree Photographs
DENVER – Nov. 11, 2024 – The Denver Film Festival today announced the recipients of its annual Audience Awards and Festival Juried Awards following the conclusion of its 47th annual event held Nov. 1-10.
“This year’s Denver Film Festival brought us fantastic films, phenomenal guests, and unforgettable experiences,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. “The films recognized this year tell strong stories through powerful perspectives, providing viewers with the chance to see themselves on the screen while also seeing something completely new. We are honored to recognize so many voices, both new and familiar, and to bring those stories to audiences right here in Denver.”
Audience Awards
The following films were recognized as the People’s Choice Award winners for the 47th Denver Film Festival by a tally of ballots cast by screening attendees.
Narrative Feature: Bob Trevino Likes It
Director: Tracie Laymon
Country: United States
Documentary Feature: Champions of the Golden Valley
Director: Ben Sturgulewski
Country: United States
Short Film: Jellyfish and Lobster
Director: Yasmin Afifi
Country: United Kingdom
Juried Awards
Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film
The Krzysztof Kieslowski Award is the Festival’s longest-running juried award and is awarded for best feature film.
Best Feature Film: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Country: Iran, Germany, France
Best Feature Film Jury Statement:
“A portrait of a family disintegrating, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is both compelling, enraging, and an act of great courage by director Mohammad Rasoulof. Combining deeply felt performances with real footage of contemporary protests in Iran, the winner of the Krzysztof Kieślowski award is a stunning look at resilience in the face of overwhelming political and personal turmoil.”
Special Mention Feature Film: All We Imagine as Light
Director: Payal Kapadia
Country: France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Special Mention Feature Jury Statement
“Desire, love, religion, class, gender, and social structures all come under director Payal Kapadia’s close and sensitive gaze. The ensemble’s tender and unadorned performances also deserve Special Mention.”
Jurors:
Daniel D’Addario, Chief Correspondent, Variety
Briana Rodriguez, Editor-in-Chief, Backstage Magazine
Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary
Al Maysles was a long-time supporter and contributor to the Denver Film Festival. The annual award for Best Documentary is presented in his name.
Best Documentary: Mistress Dispeller
Director: Elizabeth Lo
Country: China, United States
Best Documentary Jury Statement:
“We the jury have chosen to give the Maysles Brothers’ Award for documentary to the film Mistress Dispeller for its insight into a fascinating subculture, and emphasis on the importance of community.”
Jurors:
Marcus Jones, Awards Editor, IndieWire
Amy Schneider, Writer, Public Speaker, “Jeopardy” Tournament of Champions Winner
Abbey White, Associate Editor, The Hollywood Reporter
American Independent Award
American Independent Award Winner: Color Book
Director: David Fortune
Country: United States
American Independent Award Jury Statement:
“All of these films are beautiful, personal and truly impressive feats of production. We are so grateful that you’ve put this work out into the collective conscious. But for its gorgeous direction, stellar cinematography, out of this world performances, and a narrative that is beautifully crafted and full of heart, the jury awards the 2024 American Independent Award to Color Book.”
Jurors:
Joanna Calo, Showrunner, The Bear
Taylor John Smith, Actor, Where the Crawdads Sing
Carl Ogawa, Producer, Berlanti Productions
Short Film Awards
Grand Jury Award: Tennis, Oranges
Director: Sean Pecknold
Country: United States
Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film Jury Statement:
“Sean Pecknold has created an inventive and enormously brave look at the universality of loneliness. In this imaginative stop animation, we experience the lack of purpose in life from a vacuum cleaner robot’s point of view who meets an old rabbit. Lonely and dreaming of his younger days, the rabbit with the help of the robot, rediscovers his body, and dances for a last time. Deeply poignant, this story helps us to discover what is unknown about our existence, and most importantly, to realize that connecting to someone is what makes life worth living. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short goes to Tennis, Oranges.”
Best Student Live Action Short: Bye Bye, Bowser
Director: Jasmin Baumgartner
Country: Austria
Best Student Live Action Short Jury Statement:
“For its endearing ambition and vivid portrait of this generation’s youth, the jury awards Bye Bye, Bowser as the Live Action Student Short Winner.”
Marilyn Marsh Saint-Veltri Award for Best Student Animation Short: Humanity
Director: Tereza Kovandová
Country: Czech Republic
Marilyn Marsh Saint-Veltri Award for Best Student Animation Short Jury Statement:
“For its delightful search for the irreverent and its darkly humorous depiction of what can make anyone go over the edge, the jury would like to recognize Humanity as the winner of the Student Animated Shorts category.”
Special Mention for Directing: Sauna Day
Director: Anna Hints, Tushar Prakash
Country: Estonia
Special Mention Jury Statement:
“For its refreshing portrayal of male intimacy the jury would like to give a directing special mention to Sauna Day.”
Special Mention for Promising New Filmmaker: Crow Man
Director: Yohann Abdelnour
Country: Lebanon
Special Mention for Achievement in Acting: Jellyfish and Lobster
Director: Yasmin Afifi
Country: United Kingdom
Special Mention for Boldness of Vision: Make Me a Pizza
Director: Talia Shea Levin
Country: United States
Special Mention Jury Statement:
“For its originality, audacity and truly no holds barred approach to outrageous subject matter, the special mention for Boldness of Vision goes to Make Me A Pizza.”
Special Mention for Social Impact: Dragfox
Director: Lisa Ott
Country: United Kingdom
Special Mention Jury Statement:
“For its sensitivity, accessibility, and timeliness, with a fantastic musical number to boot, the Special Mention for Social Impact goes to Dragfox.”
Special Mention for Generational Vision and Preservation of the Ecosystem: Drago
Director: Daniel Zvereff
Country: United States
Jurors:
Gabriela Ortega, Filmmaker, Huella
Jean-Louis Rodrigue, Acting Coach & Movement Director
Rachel Walker, Programmer, Palm Springs ShortFest
In-Person Award Winners and Honorees:
John Cassavetes Award
Patricia Clarkson, Actor, Lilly
Career Achievement Award
Joan Chen, Actor, Didi
Excellence in Acting Award
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Actor, Hard Truths
Ben Chaplin, Actor, September 5
5280 Award (Honoring exceptional cinematic work and film collaboration)
Saturday Night
Jason Reitman, Writer/Director
Gil Kenan, Writer
Eric Steelberg, Cinematographer
Gabriel LaBelle, Actor
Cory Michael Smith, Actor
CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, All That We Love & It’s Okay
Breakthrough Director Award
Nnamdi Asomugha, Director, The Knife
Excellence in Songwriting & Composing
Andrew Wyatt, Composer, The Last Showgirl
(unable to attend)
Rising Star Award
Ryan Destiny, Actor, The Fire Inside
Excellence in Directing Award
RaMell Ross, Director, Nickel Boys
Excellence in Writing Award
Virgil Williams, Writer, The Piano Lesson
Malcolm Washington, Writer, The Piano Lesson
Rare Pearl Award
Emilia Perez
Director: Jacques Audiard
Country: USA
Stan Brakhage Vision Award
Cecelia Condit
Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award
Cristiana Dell’Anna, Actor, Cabrini
Music on Film – Film on Music Documentary Grant Awards (MOFFOM)
Now in its eighth year, the MOFFOM Grant provides up to $20,000 annually in finishing funds for documentary productions specifically for music licensing, scoring, and composition.
2024 MOFFOM Grant Recipients
Los Lobos Native Sons
Description:
LOS LOBOS NATIVE SONS is the ultimate, authorized chronicle of the band Los Lobos. From their early life experiences in East Los Angeles through their rise as an unlikely team of cultural heroes, this feature documentary boasts unprecedented, exclusive access to the band and their personal archives.
MOFFOM Jury Statement:
We the MOFFOM Jury hereby award the $20,000 prize to Los Lobos Native Sons, a film about a cultural institution, the pride of East Los Angeles, and, most importantly, kick-ass
rock ‘n’ roll. Los Lobos, formed in 1973, are not only a pioneering force in the music world but also a deeply significant voice within Latinx culture. Their unique blend of Mexican folk, rock, and blues embodies the essence of the Chicano experience, bridging generations and communities through music that is both rooted in tradition and innovative in its expression. Over the decades, the band has become a symbol of cultural pride, breaking barriers and defying expectations while staying true to their East L.A. roots. Their contributions to Latinx representation in mainstream music, as well as their collaboration with artists like Linda Ronstadt and Tom Waits, underscore their lasting influence. We look forward to seeing the filmmakers bring this rich, multifaceted story to life.
Jurors:
Jonathan Palmer, Senior Vice President of Creative Sync, BMG Rights Management
Daniel Junge, Oscar and Emmy winning filmmaker
Steve Knopper, Editor at Large, Billboard
2024 Denver Film Festival Sponsors:
MARQUEE: Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, AOR, Jacquard Hotel, Liberty Global, Moye White, Pinemelon, Sheila K. O’Brien, University of Denver – Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, William LaBahn, and Xfinity
SPOTLIGHT: Butler Rents, Caz Matthews, Clayton Hotel & Members Club, Colorado Party Rentals, RNDC, Serendipity Catering, SeriesFest, and Wana Brands and Wana Brands Foundation
CAMEO: BAIRD The Palm Group, Crested Butte Film Festival, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Isarti Travel, Mary Watson, Susan Capitelli, Taloma Partners, Ratio Beerworks, United Airlines and Underwood
PARTNERS: Black Pride Colorado, Denver Arts & Venues, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry, Colorado Dragon Boat, Harmonic Media, Pearl Street Marketing, Ken’s Prints and Graphics, YellowDog, Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, The Color of Conversation, Sap Sua, Cherry Creek North, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and Denver Office of Storytelling
GOVERNMENT & FOUNDATIONS:Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Office of Film and Television, NEA Media Arts, SCFD, Canadian Consulate, Instituto Italiano di Cultura, and Consulto Generale of Italia Chicago
FILM: Ballard Spahr, CFVA,The Center for African American Health, Colorado Environmental Film Festival, Datura Home, GHP Investment Advisors Inc., Gloria Campbell and John Verwys, MSterious Miracles, SAGindie, Aer Lingus, and Visit Denver
MEDIA: Axios Denver, CBS Colorado, City Cast Denver, Colorado Public Radio, Denver Gazette, Westword, 5280 Magazine, Metromode Magazine, and KBCO
About Denver Film
Founded in 1978, Denver Film is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform lives through film, Denver Film provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences.
The permanent home of Denver Film, the Sie FilmCenter is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque, presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format. Denver Film’s one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training.
Media Contacts: Marty Schechter, marty@denverfilm.org
Jon Ewing, jon@denverfilm.org; Shea Martin, shea@denverfilm.org
