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This afternoon the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 5–19), presented by SFFILM, announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Award (GGA) competitions at an event held at the Lab (2948 16th Street). This year the Festival awarded nearly $40,000 in prizes to emerging and established filmmakers.
For 60 years, the Festival’s Golden Gate Awards have honored deserving filmmakers and their projects, heralding unsung excellence and exposing local and international audiences to unique and innovative filmmaking. Among the most significant awards for emerging global film artists in the United States, the Golden Gate Awards embody SFFILM’s commitment to global storytelling and independent filmmaking.
GOLDEN GATE NEW DIRECTORS (NARRATIVE FEATURE) PRIZE
The Golden Gate Awards New Directors jury was composed of Village Voice film critic Bilge Ebiri, Austin Film Society’s Head of Film & Creative Media Holly Herrick, and last year’s New Directors Prize winner, filmmaker Philippe Lesage.
GGA New Directors Prize winner: Everything Else, Natalia Almada (Mexico/USA/France)
• Receives $10,000 cash prize
In a statement, the jury noted: “For its humanism, its consistency of vision, its formal rigor, and its remarkable blend of fiction and non-fiction, we give the New Directors award to Natalia Almada and her film Everything Else.”
MCBAINE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARDS
The GGA Documentary feature competitions jury was comprised of journalist and film programmer David Ansen, film editor Nels Bangerter, and Founder of Abulante and No Ficción Elena Fortes.
McBaine Documentary Feature Award Winner: Brimstone & Glory, Viktor Jakovleski (USA)
• Receives $10,000 cash prize
The jury noted in a statement: “Spectacular and visceral, dangerous and spiritual, this high-flying documentary transports us into the ecstatic rituals of a Mexican town.”
McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature Award: The Force, Peter Nicks (USA)
• Receives $5,000 cash prize
The jury noted: “For it's timely and in-depth examination of the relationship between the police and the community, unafraid to show the complex humanity of all sides of this fraught subject, we give this award to Peter Nicks’ gripping and finely crafted documentary.”
Special Jury Prize: School Life (formerly In Loco Parentis), Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane (Ireland/Spain)
The jury noted: “The jury would like to give a special jury prize to a movie that take us into an eccentric and idyllic world with intuitive grace and a richly empathetic vision.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
The GGA Short Film jury consisted of Vimeo Senior Curator Jeffrey Bowers, journalist Inkoo Kang, and film curator David Reilly.
Best Narrative Short winner: Univitellin, Terence Nance (France)
• Receives $2,000 cash prize
Special Jury Prize for Narrative Short: A Brief History of Princess X, Gabriel Abrantes (Portugal/France/UK)
Best Documentary Short winner: The Rabbit Hunt, Patrick X Bresnan (USA)
• Receives $2,000 cash prize
Best Animated Short winner: Hot Dog Hands, Matt Reynolds, (USA)
• Receives $2,000 cash prize
Best New Visions Short winner: Turtles Are Always Home, Rawane Nassif (Qatar/Lebanon/Canada)
• Receives $1,500 cash prize
Bay Area Short First Prize winner: In the Wake of Ghost Ship, Jason Blalock (USA)
• Receives $1,500 cash prize
Bay Area Short Second Prize winner: American Paradise, Joe Talbot, USA.
• Receives $1,000 cash prize
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR FAMILY FILM
The Family Film jury consisted of Common Sense Media Editor-in-chief Jill Murphy, author Jim Averbeck, and educator Alexandre Petrakis.
Best Family Film winner: Valley of a Thousand Hills, Jess Colquhoun (South Africa/UK)
• Receives $1,000 cash prize
The jury noted: “This film is a moving, refreshing, and unexpected portrait of a section of the culture of South Africa, feeling so far away geographically but so easy to relate to emotionally. We were drawn into the ease and dynamics of the kids’ friendships. The authenticity of the storytelling from its young subjects helped create a deeper connection to the audience. It was hopeful, inspiring, reassuring, and visually stunning. We feel audience members of a wide range of ages can walk away with a lasting impression that captures the simplicity of childhood layered with life lessons on focus, respect, and friendship.”
Special Jury Prize: Summer Camp Island, Julia Pott (USA)
The jury noted: “We want to see more of this and wish it could be turned into a series. We love the quirky originality of the story, animation, and characters.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR YOUTH WORK
The Youth Works jury was comprised of bay area high school students Ethan Bresnick, Shamaurea Sanford, and Melinna Equihua, with adult supervisor Jill Shackleford, Associate Producer of KQED’s Film School Shorts.
Best Youth Work winner: Cycle, Caleb Wild (USA)
• Receives $1,000 cash prize
The jury noted: “Cycle presented an honest portrait of a young man coming-of-age that examined his character beyond the typical tropes of masculinity, offering viewers an engaging journey that felt personal and surprising with strong cinematography.”
GOOGLE BREAKTHROUGH IN TECHNOLOGY AWARD
The Google Breakthrough in Technology Award jury was comprised of members of Google's Computer Science in Media and Industry Relations teams, including Courtney McCarthy, Women's & Kids Lead Strategist in Computer Science in Media, and Julia Hamilton Trost, Content Partnerships Lead, Google VR.
Google presents the Breakthrough in Technology Award for the best use or display of technology and innovation. The award honors filmmakers who go the extra mile to highlight the use of computer science and technology to solve a problem and make the world a better place, and aspires to promote diversity in tech while disrupting negative stereotypes in STEM fields.
Google Breakthrough in Technology Award winner: N.O.VI.S., Arthur Rodger ‘Harley’ Maranan (Phillipines)
• Receives $500 cash prize donated by Google Inc.
Access photos from the Golden Gate Awards event here (starting noon 4/17).
For general information visit sffilm.org/festival
To request interviews or screeners, contact your Festival Press Office contact.
For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press
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