NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES 2014 FILM COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me, Club Sandwich, and
The Ballad of Shovels and Rope Take Home Top Prizes
Nashville, TN -- Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) 2014 announced the 45th Annual Competition Award winners, including Grand Jury Award Winners Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me, Club Sandwich, Before I Disappear, and BESA: The Promise, among other notable films. The Ballad of Shovels and Rope received this year’s Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature, along with other honors.
Gibson Music City/Music Films Award
Grand Jury Prize: Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me
Honorable Mention: The Ballad of Shovels and Rope
The Gibson Music City/Music Films Grand Jury Award went to Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me, for sharing such an, "intimate and honest portrayal of a music legend's battle with Alzheimer's, Glen Campbell… I'll Be Me captures a family's commitment to love and laugh through the adversity of a debilitating disease."
The Gibson Music Films/Music City Competition Jury presented two awards tonight that truly celebrate the culture and heritage of Nashville. Juror, Joe Pacheco, a New York City based Director and Producer, said, "This year's 'Music Films/Music City' competition presented an impressive slate of films."
The jury also awarded an Honorable Mention to Jace Freeman and Sean Clark for their film, The Ballad of Shovels and Rope that also won the Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature.
Bridgestone Narrative Competition Award Winners
Grand Jury Prize: Club Sandwich
Honorable Mention: Little Brother
Best Actor: Manolis Mavromatakis, The Enemy Within
Best Actress: Britt Robertson, Undiscovered Gyrl
The Bridgestone Narrative Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich, described as a, "...poignant and well paced coming of age film that is both sensitive and laugh out loud funny." by Bridgestone Narrative Grand juror, Brad Horvath, a Toronto producer.
The Bridgestone Narrative Grand Jury further expressed that the films insight into adolescence and separation anxiety made it a distinct pleasure to watch. Juror Meghan Wurtz of New York City based Film Movement, said, "We look forward to more films from this incredible director in the years to come."
Documentary Competition Award Winners
Grand Jury Prize: BESA: The Promise
Honorable Mention: Happy Valley
Special Jury Prize: Kidnapped for Christ
The Documentary Competition awarded the Grand Jury Prize to Rachel Goslins, the director of BESA: The Promise. "An inspiring work that sheds light on one of the darkest events in human history" said, Documentary Competition juror, Mark Rabinowitz, of Platform Media Group. "The film examines the power of a promise and uses an emotional and deeply personal story to reveal a cultural code and strength of integrity that is sorely needed in the world today…" added juror Allison Inman of Nashville's Belcourt Theatre.
The Honorable Mention award for the Documentary Competition went to Happy Valley, in which juror, Ben Hall of Nashville's WTVF said, "...was a meticulous piece of documentary journalism which expertly examines how even the most heinous of crimes...can affect people in disparate and surprising ways."
The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Kidnapped for Christ, which the Jury described as a "courageous investigative film, which sheds light on a little-known epidemic."
New Directors Narrative Competition Awards
Grand Jury Prize: Before I Disappear
Honorable Mention: 1982
Honorable Mention: Drunktown's Finest
Best Actor: Jeremiah Bitsui, Drunktown's Finest
Best Actress: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Medeas
The New Directors Narrative Competition awarded five awards tonight. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded based on the fundamental elements of filmmaking: storytelling, photography, character development, editing, and pacing, as well as surprises, twists and turns and originality, according to juror, Michael Chieffo, an actor and producer in Los Angeles.
Before I Disappear took home the Grand Jury Prize, which "held us in suspense and compelled us to wonder," said, Los Angeles based actress, Beth Grant.
Graveyard Shift Competition Awards
Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film: Wetlands
Honorable Mention for Feature Film: You and the Night
Best Actor: Eric Cantona, You and the Night
Best Actress: Carla Juri, Wetlands and Robin Wright, The Congress (Tie)
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film: The Voice Thief
Honorable Mention for Short Film: Kekasih
Special Jury Prize for Direction:
Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani - The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears
Special Jury Prize for Cinematography
Manuel Dacosse - The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears
The 2014 Graveyard Shift truly spanned the whole world both literally (the countries represented) and figuratively (the ideas encompassed). “The visions it presented were provocative, intriguing, horrifying, and beautiful, and spoke volumes as to the conceptual diversity of World Cinema and the limitless possibilities that a creative mind and an inspired crew can create,” remarked juror Jason Shawhan.
In addition to the Feature Film Award Winners, NaFF proudly announced additional awards for variety of eligible films tonight. Juror Amy Webb added, "Thank you to the Nashville Film Festival for exposing us to stories from so many countries and cultures. We hope this tradition continues."
Louise LeQuire Award for Best Screenplay
Bernard Attal, The Invisible Collection
Special Jury Prize for Art and Activism
Alive Inside: A Film About Memory and Music
Special Jury Prize for GLBT Filmmaking
The Case Against 8 - Ben Cotner & Ryan White
Special Jury Prize for Original Vision
Buzzard
Special Jury Prize for Cultural Significance
Love Me
Best Original Song in a Feature Film
“Davina” from I Believe in Unicorns - Sasha Gordon, Composer
Film Musicians Secondary Market Fund Best Music in a Feature Film
Undiscovered Gyrl
Best Feature Film by a Woman | Presented by WIFT
The Winding Stream
Best Short Directed by a Woman | Presented by WIFT
Helpless
NPT Human Spirit Award
The Starfish Throwers
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award
The Invisible Collection
Lipscomb Ecumenical Prize
Ida
Nashville Film Festival (NaFF), April 17 – 26, 2014, presented by Nissan North America, brings the world to Nashville in a 10-day celebration of film. NaFF celebrates the diversity of the human voice and vision by curating program segments to include Latino, Black, GLBT, and Jewish films. Founded in 1969 by Mary Jane Coleman, it is one of the oldest (45-years) film festivals in the U.S. As an Academy Award Qualifying Event, NaFF draws filmmakers and celebrity guests and the Festival annually garners notice from the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal online, MovieMaker Magazine, IndieWire, Variety, Billboard, New York and Script Magazine.
www.nashvillefilmfestival.org
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