R.I. International Film Festival names 2014 award winners

THE RHODE ISLAND International Film Festival on Tuesday announced the winners of its 18th annual awards, which included its official Academy Award nominations for
THE RHODE ISLAND International Film Festival on Tuesday announced the winners of its 18th annual awards, which included its official Academy Award nominations for "Best Short Film" and "Best Documentary Short." / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

PROVIDENCE – The Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival on Tuesday announced the winners of its 18th annual festival awards, presented at an Aug. 10 ceremony held at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence.

The grand prize winners of the festival’s “Best Short Film” and “Best Documentary Short” awards become the festival’s official nominations for Academy Award consideration. The 2014 grand prize winners are “Jennah,” directed by Meryem Benm’Barek of Belgium for “Best Short Film” and “Scattered” by U.S. director Lindsay Lindenbaum for “Best Documentary Short.”

“Jennah” follows the story of a young woman facing a difficult transition to adulthood, the Rhode Island International Film Festival said in a release announcing the winners, while “Scattered” explores the role that photographs and home videos play in remembering the past.

The Rhode Island International Film Festival is among 19 film festivals worldwide accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an official qualifier in the short film and short documentary categories. To date, 33 films that premiered at the Rhode Island festival have gone on to receive Oscar nominations, and seven of those 33 won the Oscar.

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More than 250 feature-length, documentary and short films from 62 countries and 34 U.S. states were screened during the six-day festival hosted Aug. 5-10 in Providence, Newport, Bristol, Woonsocket and Jamestown, selected from a record entry base of more than 5,400 submissions.

“This year, thanks to Steven Feinberg, executive director of the R.I. Film & Television Office, and the city of Providence, we knocked the ball out of the park, raising the bar for future festivals,” said George T. Marshall, executive director of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. “We welcomed over 200 international filmmakers from across the globe who were able to experience true Rhode Island hospitality.”

In addition to naming the 2014 grand prize winners, the Rhode Island International Film Festival also presented its 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award to actor, folksinger, musician, composer and artist Theo Bikel, who helped create the Newport Folk Festival and has performed in a number of memorable roles both on screen and on stage.

Other awards presented to individual actors, screenwriters and industry professionals included:

  • Creative Vision Award: Carol Patton, publisher, Imagine Magazine
  • Roger Williams Independent Voice Award: Eric R. Bronner, Rhode Island musician/artist/educator
  • Grand Prize Screenplay Award: Jenna Sullivan & Quentin James of Marshfield, Mass., for “Growing Things”

This year’s winners of the Producer’s Circle Awards, presented to members of the community who have actively worked to support and promote the mission of Flickers, were Julibeth Andrews, Keith Brown, Letitia Carter, Laura Collela, Shawn Drywa, Nancy Nicholson, Desi Washington and Jessica Wong.

The complete list of 2014 festival award winners is as follows:

BEST SHORT FILM

  • Grand Prize: “Jennah” by Meryem Benm’Barek, Belgium (Official Academy Award Nomination)
  • First Prize: “Keys to Heaven” by Hamy Ramezan, Finland/Turkey

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

  • Grand Prize: “Scattered” by Lindsay Lindenbaum, U.S. (Official Academy Award Nomination)
  • First Prize (Tie): “Secret World of Foley” by Daniel Jewel, U.K.
  • First Prize (Tie): “Showfolk” by Ned McNeilage, U.S.

BEST FEATURE

  • Grand Prize: “M Cream” by Agneya Singh, India
  • First Prize (Tie): “Ben’s at Home” by Mars Horodyski, Canada
  • First Prize (Tie): “Desert Cathedral” by Travis Gutiérrez Senger, U.S.

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

  • Grand Prize: “Quebekoisie” by Melanie Carrier, Canada
  • First Prize: “Hotline” by Tony Shaff, U.S.

BEST COMEDY SHORT

  • Grand Prize: “Je suis une Actrice” by Benoit Lach, France
  • First Prize: “Future Hero” by Ramin Serry, U.S.

BEST ANIMATION

  • Grand Prize: “The Present” by Jacob Frey, Germany
  • First Prize (Tie): “Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story” by Mike Ambs, Paul Foyder, Regino Roy III, Whitfield Scheidegger and Greg Shewchuk, U.S.
  • First Prize (Tie): “Tea with the Dead” by Gary Gill, Ireland

BEST CHILDREN’S ANIMATION

  • Grand Prize: “COWS (Moosic Video)” by Sandra Boynton, U.S.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL

  • Grand Prize: “ReConception” by Joe Petrilla, U.S.
  • First Prize: “Load” by Niv Shpigel, Robert Moreno, Israel

BEST DIRECTOR

  • Grand Prize: “Hsu Ji Behind Screen” by Thomas Rio, France

DR. J. GERALD LAMOUREUX AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Presented to a filmmaker and artist who represents the spirit of cultural exchange between the United States and Canada.

  • “Bernard Le Grand” by Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien, Canada

SOLDIERS AND SACRIFICE AWARD
Celebrating stories that commemorate America’s heroes.

  • Grand Prize: “Flying the Feathered Edge” by Kim Furst, U.S.
  • First Prize: “King High Remembers” by Michelle Opitz, Brandon Krajewski, U.S.

DIRECTORIAL DISCOVERY AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “August Heat” by Matthew James Thompson, U.S.
  • First Prize: “After Ella” by Marie-Emmanuelle Hartness, U.S.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Grand Prize: “Mein Letztes Konzert” by Selcuk Zvi Cara, Germany
  • First Prize: “Remembering the Fallen” by Julien Grincajgier, France

NEW ENGLAND DIRECTOR’S AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “Invisible” by Dionisio Traverso, U.S.

DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “Muted” by Rachel Goldberg, U.S.
  • First Prize (Tie): “TSCHÜSS PAPA” by Hendrik Maximilian Schmitt, Germany
  • First Prize (Tie): “Red Robin” by Michael Wechsler, U.S.

HEARTS, MINDS, SOULS AWARD
Celebrating films that reflect the Jewish experience.

  • Grand Prize: “Tikotin – A Life Devoted to Japanese Art” by Santje Kramer, various countries
  • First Prize: “Complicit” by Michael Ivan Schwartz, U.S.

ECHOES OF EARTH AWARD
Celebrating the resonant spirit of creativity through world music.

  • Grand Prize (Tie): “The Newport Effect” by Beverly Penninger and Alyson Young, U.S.
  • Grand Prize (Tie): “Journey 4 Artists” by Michele Noble, U.S.

BEST EDITING

  • Grand Prize: “Las Cieni” by Andrzej Cichocki, Poland
  • First Prize: “Toutes des Connes” by Francois Jaros, Canada

BEST SCREENPLAY

  • Grand Prize: “12th of Never” by Fadi Hindash, Netherlands
  • First Prize: “Fiddler’s Cross” by Michael McMahon, Ireland

RISING STAR AWARD

  • Grand Prize: Leoni Amandin (actress) for “Sandrine,” Switzerland

FLICKERS INTERNATIONAL VISION AWARD
Presented to entrants breaking down international cultural barriers through film.

  • Grand Prize: “The Algerian” by Giovanni Zelko, U.S.
  • First Prize: “50 Kisses” by Chris Jones, U.K.

“HELPING HAND” INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Given annually to films or filmmakers who inspire social change and community outreach and strive to better the world in which we live.

  • Grand Prize: “From the Sky” by Ian Ebright, U.S.
  • First Prize: “Under the Same Sun” by Sameh Zoabi, Palestinian territories

PROVIDENCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
Presented annually to a New England director whose work brings cinematic excellence to an international audience.

  • Grand Prize: “Haven Brothers: The Original Food Truck: Haven Brothers Legacy of the American Diner” by Jeff Toste, U.S.

ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (LGBTQ) SHORT

  • Grand Prize: “Le Retour” by Yohann Kouam, France
  • First Prize: “Taglia Corto!” by Filippo Demarchi, Switzerland

ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (LGBTQ) FEATURE

  • Grand Prize: “The Last Straight Man” by Mark Bessenger, U.S.
  • First Prize: “Out to Kill” by Rob Williams, U.S.

KIDSEYE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “Der Kreislauf” by Katrien Vermeire, Belgium
  • First Prize (Tie): “The Vow” by Lina Roessler, Canada
  • First Prize (Tie): “Go Fish” by Kristin Skye Sargent, Australia

GREEN PLANET AWARD
Celebrating the vision of man’s shared humanity and achieving sustainability on our planet.

  • Grand Prize: “Oil and Water” by Francine Strickwerda and Laurel Spellman Smith, U.S.
  • First Prize: “Silent River” by Jason Jaacks and Steve Fisher, Mexico

VORTEX SCI-FI & FANTASY AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “Another World” by Eitan Reuven, Israel
  • First Prize: “Dustland” by Jacob Lundgaard Andersen, U.S.

FILMMAKER OF THE FUTURE AWARD
Presented to a filmmaker whose vision excites audiences and judges alike about the potential to produce compelling and successful films in the future.

  • Grand Prize: “Le Devoir” by Justin Wu, Canada

BEST STUDENT FILM AWARD

  • Grand Prize: “Paper Kite” by Qinshu Zuo, China
  • First Prize: “The Whistler” by Peter Ferris Rosati, U.S.

YOUTH JURY AWARDS

  • Best Short Film: “The Landing” by Josh Tanner, Australia
  • Best LGBTQ Film: “KUMA HINA” by Joe Wilson, U.S.
  • Best Feature Film: “2 Temps, 3 Movements” by Christophe Cousin, Canada
  • Best Documentary Film: “Showfolk” by Ned McNeilage, U.S.

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