AFI Fest 2021’s Jury and Audience Award winners were revealed today (11/15) with Jockey directed by Clint Bentley taking the top Narrative Feature honor in the Audience tally–with the Documentary Feature Audience accolade going to Juice Wrld from director Tommy Oliver.
The Grand Jury Prize for Live Action Short went to director Suzannah Mirghani’s Al-Sit and Animation Short distinction was earned by Love, Dad from director Diana Cam Van Nguyen. Al-Sit and Love, Dad thus will be eligible, respectively, for the Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards. (The jury consisted of film curator and writer Kiva Reardon; Amanda Salazar, head of programming and acquisitions at Argo; and writer/director Angel Kristi Williams.)
“Bringing filmmakers and movie fans together to celebrate the moving image is at the heart of AFI Fest. The excitement of all festival-goers to be together in the theaters, once again, was electric,” said Sarah Harris, director of programming, AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival has truly shown everyone the power of the art form to lift our spirits when it’s needed the most.”
Here’s a rundown of the AFI Fest winners:
Audience Award – Narrative Feature
JOCKEY (DIR Clint Bentley)
An aging jockey hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion.
Audience Award – Documentary Feature
JUICE WRLD (DIR Tommy Oliver)
This intimate documentary explores the life and death of the young hip hop star Juice WRLD.
Audience Award – Short Film
ONLY THE MOON STANDS STILL (DIR Johnson Cheng)
Three generations of Chinese women say goodbye to their family ballroom dance studio.
Grand Jury Prize – Animation
LOVE, DAD (MILร TATI) (DIR Diana Cam Van Nguyen)
Jury Statement: “For its melding of form and content that makes for a deeply vulnerable and personal viewing experience, the Jury would like to award LOVE, DAD as Best Animated Short.”
Grand Jury Prize – Live Action
AL-SIT (DIR Suzannah Mirghani)
Jury Statement: “For going beyond its central story to make a densely layered and truly cinematic experience, the Jury would like to honor AL-SIT the Best Narrative Short.”
Special Mention
BABYBANGZ (DIR Juliana Kasumi)
Jury Statement: “The Jury would like to award BABYBANGZ with an Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Storytelling for its combination of stunning imagery, important conversations and compelling subjects.”
Special Mention
PLAY IT SAFE (DIR Mitch Kalisa)
Jury Statement: “For the bold formal choices made throughout the film, specifically in the final scene, the Jury would like to give an Honorable Mention for Direction to Mitch Kalisa, the director of PLAY IT SAFE.”
Special Mention
HER DANCE (RIKUD HASSIDI) (DIR Bar Cohen)
Jury Statement: “For a commanding performance that anchors the film, the Jury would like to give an Honorable Mention for Acting to Leeoz Levy for HER DANCE.”
Stiff competition
The complete AFI Fest program included 118 titles (51 features, 1 episodic, 49 shorts, including 19 Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI FEST shorts and 17 AFI Conservatory Showcase shorts) of which 51% were directed by women, 39% were directed by BIPOC and 13% were directed by LGBTQ+. This year’s program represented 53 countries and included 7 World Premieres.
This year’s Red Carpet Premieres included the World Premieres of Bruised (DIR Halle Berry), Sing 2 (DIR Garth Jennings), Swan Song (DIR Benjamin Cleary) and tick, tick…BOOM! (DIR Lin-Manuel Miranda), in addition to King Richard (DIR Reinaldo Marcus Green), Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodรณvar) and The Power of the Dog (DIR Jane Campion).
Returning filmmakers to FEST included Hany Abu-Assad (Huda’s Salon), Andrea Arnold (Cow), Jacques Audiard (Paris, 13th District), Sean Baker (Red Rocket), Michel Franco (Sundown), Miguel Gomes (The Tsugua Diaries), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Lingui, The Sacred Bonds), Cรฉline Sciamma (Petite Maman), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Memoria) and Zhang Yimou (One Second).
Internationally acclaimed and award-winning films that screened included Ahed’s Knee (DIR Nadav Lapid), Costa Brava, Lebanon (DIR Mounia Akl), Drive My Car (DIR Ryusuke Hamaguchi), The Girl and the Spider (DIR Ramon Zรผrcher, Silvan Zรผrcher), Good Madam (DIR Jenna Bass), Great Freedom (DIR Sebastian Meise), Happening (DIR Audrey Diwan), Jockey (DIR Clint Bentley), Memoria (DIR Apichatpong Weerakethakul), Prayers For The Stolen (DIR Tatiana Huezo), Unclenching The Fists (DIR Kira Kovalenko), What Do We See When We Look At The Sky? (DIR Alexandre Koberidze) and The Worst Person in the World (DIR Joachim Trier).
