2 months ago
The 29th Sonoma International Film Festival wraps its 29th version coming aft awarding prizes successful aggregate categories earlier today.
Maspalomas, directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, won nan Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature. The film, described arsenic a “bold, emotionally charged image of identity, aging, and resilience,” tells nan communicative of a septuagenarian cheery man who moves into a blimpish nursing location aft suffering a stroke, and “finds himself slipping backmost into nan closet.”
Maspalomas prima Jose Ramon Soroiz won nan Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance astatine nan San Sebastián International Film Festival successful Spain, wherever nan movie premiered.
The jury, comprised of Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist), Max Geschwind (CAA), and Kirsten Schaffer (Women successful Film), wrote, “For an authentic and uncommon depiction of an elder man confronting individual and beingness situation astatine nan onset of nan COVID pandemic, we grant nan Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature to Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga for nan nuanced and moving queer play Maspalomas.”
The Special Jury Prize for Directing went to Marie-Elsa Sgualdo for Silent Rebellion, a play group successful WWII-era agrarian Switzerland astir “a young housemaid [who] finds herself astatine likelihood pinch her puritanical village.” The assemblage praised nan filmmaker for “her excellence successful crafting friendly storytelling and grounded performances.”
The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to State of Firsts, directed by Chase Joynt. The movie follows Sarah McBride’s bid to correspond Delaware successful nan U.S. House of Representatives, a successful run that made her nan first openly trans personification elected to Congress.
“The assemblage wants to admit a movie that represents what authentic truth looks for illustration among nan squalor of our politics,” noted jurors Jo Addy (SoHo House), Nick Price (Reel South), and Ania Trzebiatowska (Sundance Film Festival). “The award-winning movie is simply a nuanced image of activity and work that besides provides a clear and honorable relationship of nan challenges and evident harms that travel from seeking to alteration nan world. The connection of alteration is complex, and sometimes it’s arsenic elemental arsenic utilizing nan correct name. The assemblage is honored to level a communicative that showcases nan wholeness of a personification successful an manufacture and nine truthful speedy to tokenize.”
At an Art of Storytelling sheet astatine nan show connected Saturday, Joynt said astir filming McBride successful 2024 during a statesmanlike run that saw Donald Trump disparage trans group and committedness a rollback of their rights.
“We could not person anticipated nan volatility and transphobic swirl that would move astir Sarah McBride’s assemblage and life and history arsenic it did passim nan people of our shooting,” Joynt commented. “We admit that our movie is simply a very peculiar clip capsule of a very peculiar pressurized infinitesimal successful time. And we dream that it tin service arsenic a benignant of instrumentality for speech and defense and activism arsenic we’re still continuing to reckon pinch nan impacts of this peculiar administration.”
Jane Elliott Against nan World, directed by Judd Ehrlich, won nan Audience Award successful nan characteristic documentary category. His movie examines nan Iowa educator, now successful her 90s, who developed a “blue-eyed, brown-eyed exercise” successful nan 1960s to thief schoolchildren understand nan reality of racism and achromatic privilege successful American society. Later, she would behaviour nan workout pinch adults, eliciting beardown and often protect reactions.
“Jane ne'er backs down from a fight, ne'er backs down from telling nan truth,” Ehrlich said arsenic he accepted nan award. “We request to perceive her connection much than ever correct now astatine this infinitesimal successful our country. She’s going to beryllium really happy to perceive this news and we request to conscionable support fighting.”
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Film went to The Christophers, nan latest movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.
Voices from nan Abyss, directed by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejon, won Best Documentary Short. “Through stunning editing and achromatic and achromatic cinematography, nan vulnerable lives of cliff divers, aged and young, and what keeps them coming back, opened our eyes to a world we’d ne'er seen and wanted to research much of,” wrote nan short assemblage comprised of Erik Anderson (Awards Watch), Kerry Barden (Casting Director), and Schuyler Fisk (Artist).
The shorts assemblage awarded nan Grand Jury Award for Live Action Short to A Very Normal Seeming Man, directed by Al Pattanashetty, writing, “As funny arsenic it is heartwarming and creative, this meta father/son drama is simply a awesome practice of familial support while navigating individual and profession uncertainty.”
The Grand Jury Award for Animated Short was presented to Two Black Boys successful Paradise, directed by Baz Sells. Jurors wrote, “For its depiction of nan improvement of humanity and innocence corrupted by society, nan movie shows nan life of boys becoming men successful nan look of nan darkest levels of adversity pinch poetic beauty.”
This is afloat database of winners astatine nan 29th Sonoma International Film Festival:
GRAND JURY FILM AWARDS:
Grand Jury Award | Best Narrative Feature:
Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi | Spain)
Jury Statement from nan Narrative Feature Grand Jury: Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist), Max Geschwind (CAA), and Kirsten Schaffer (Women successful Film).
“For an authentic and uncommon depiction of an elder man confronting individual and beingness situation astatine nan onset of nan COVID pandemic, we grant nan Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature to Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga for nan nuanced and moving queer play Maspalomas.”
Special Jury Prize for Directing
Silent Rebellion(Marie-Elsa Sgualdo | Switzerland )
“For its unflinching portrayal of a virtuous teen successful WWII era Europe, we are awarding a Special Jury Prize for Directing to Marie-Elsa Sgualdo for her excellence successful crafting friendly storytelling and grounded performances successful Silent Rebellion.”
Narrative Competition Films: Ky Nam Inn(Vietnam) Directed by: Leon Le, Maspalomas (Spain) Directed by: Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi, My Tennis Maestro (Italy) Directed by: Andrea di Stefano, Orphan (Hungary) Directed by: Lászlo Nemes, Silent Rebellion (Switzerland) Directed by: Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, The Soundman (Belgium) Directed by: Frank Van Passel, Sundays (Spain) Directed by: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, and Vainilla (Mexico) Directed by: Mayra Hermosillo
Grand Jury Award | Best Documentary Feature:
State of Firsts (Chase Joint | USA)
Jury Statement from nan Documentary Feature Grand Jury: Jo Addy (SoHo House), Nick Price (Reel South), and Ania Trzebiatowska (Sundance).
“This year, nan assemblage wants to admit a movie that represents what authentic truth looks for illustration among nan squalor of our politics. The award-winning movie is simply a nuanced image of activity and work that besides provides a clear and honorable relationship of nan challenges and evident harms that travel from seeking to alteration nan world. The connection of alteration is complex, and sometimes it’s arsenic elemental arsenic utilizing nan correct name. The assemblage is honored to level a communicative that showcases nan wholeness of a personification successful an manufacture and nine truthful speedy to tokenize. The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary astatine nan Sonoma International Film Festival this twelvemonth goes to Chase Joynt for State of Firsts.”
Documentary Feature Competition Films:The Art of Adventure (Canada) Directed by: Alison Reid, Barbara Forever (USA) Directed by: Brydie O’Connor, The Big Cheese (USA) Directed by: Sara Joe Wolansky, Fork successful the Road (USA) Directed by: Jonathan Nastasi, Vivian Sorenson, Jane Elliott Against the World (USA) Directed by: Judd Ehrlich, Kim Novak´s Vertigo (USA) Directed by: Alexandre O. Philippe, Newport and nan Great Folk Dream (USA) Directed by: Robert Gordon, and Raoul’s, A New York Story (USA) Directed by: Greg Olliver, Karim Raoul, State of Firsts (USA) Directed by: Chase Joynt
Grand Jury Award | Short Films and Jury Statements
The Short Film Grand Jury included Erik Anderson (Awards Watch), Kerry Barden (Casting Director), and Schuyler Fisk (Artist).
Grand Jury Award: Live Action Short
A Very Normal Seeming Man (Director Al Pattanashetty | USA)
“As funny arsenic it is heartwarming and creative, this meta father/son drama is simply a awesome practice of familial support while navigating individual and profession uncertainty.”
Grand Jury Award: Documentary Short
Voices from nan Abyss (Director Irving Serrano and Victor Rejon | Mexico)
“Through stunning editing and achromatic and achromatic cinematography, nan vulnerable lives of cliff divers, aged and young, and what keeps them coming back, opened our eyes to a world we’d ne'er seen and wanted to research much of.”
Special Mention for Cultural, Environmental and Community Impact: Abalone Stories: Loss, Connection, Renewal (USA, Dir. Cynthia Abbott)
Grand Jury Award: Animated Short
Two Black Boys successful Paradise (Director Baz Sells | UK)
“For its depiction of nan improvement of humanity and innocence corrupted by society, nan movie shows nan life of boys becoming men successful nan look of nan darkest levels of adversity pinch poetic beauty.”
Special Jury Mention for Directing
Domingo Familiar (Directed by Gerardo del Razo | Mexico)
SONOMA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE FILM AWARDS:
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Film
THE CHRISTOPHERS (United Kingdom) Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
1st Runner-up: You Found Me (France) Directed by: Alice Vial
2nd Runner-up: Primavera (Italy) Directed by: Damiano Michieletto3rd Runner-up: Colors Of Time (France) Directed by: Cedric Klapisch
4th Runner-up: I Swear (United Kingdom) Directed by: Kirk Jones
The A3 Audience Award for Best Documentary
Jane Elliott Against nan World (USA) Directed by: Judd Ehrlich
1st Runner-up: The Six Billion Dollar Man (USA) Directed by: Eugene Jarecki
2nd Runner-up: The Art of Adventure (Canada) Directed by: Alison Reid
3rd Runner-up: The Balloonists (USA) Directed by: John Dower
4th Runner-up: Raoul’s, A New York Story (USA) Directed by: Greg Olliver, Karim Raoul
The McNeely Award for Best Short Film
Abalone Stories: Loss, Connection, Renewal (USA) Directed by: Cynthia Abbott
1st Runner-up: Sense of Emergency (USA) Directed by: Madeline Down
2nd Runner-up: Sauna Sickness (Sweden) Directed by: Malin Barr
3rd Runner-up: Check Please (USA) Directed by: Shane Chung
4th Runner-up: Last Days connected Lake Trinity (USA) Directed by: Charlotte Cooley
