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The 18th annual Brooklyn Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday with a gala evening at new BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel, handing out a total of $50,000 in products and film services. A grand time was had for all, with filmmakers, guests and staff celebrating into the night. 

Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed picked up the Best Feature Film award, as well as the Grand Chameleon Award for Sweaty Betty, while Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny also nabbed two awards, best actor for Olly Alexander (shared with Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley) and Best Editing, for Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson.

Wildlike nabbed three awards, including Best Actor (female) for Ella Purnell, Best Screenplay for director Frank Hall Green and Best Producer for Julie Christeas, Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss while world premiere New York City film But Not For Me nabbed the Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative, as well as the Best Original Score award for Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin, Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste.

Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli’s Frame by Frame nabbed the festival’s Spirit Award for documentary and shared the Audience Award with Neal Broffman’s film Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi.

“We’re so pleased with this year’s festival,” said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. “The films, filmmakers, audiences and sponsors all truly exemplify the diversity and spirit of Brooklyn and we look forward to the BFF continuing to be a vibrant part of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape.”

This year we brought more filmmakers with their first or second film to New York audiences than ever before. We staged the festival in all new venues and neighborhoods, and it proved to be a great success,” said Marco Ursino, BFF’s Executive Director. “After 18 years, the festival feels as fresh as ever.”

This year’s event screened 108 features and shorts from 26 countries and over 70 filmmakers attended, performing Q&A sessions after their screenings, supporting the work of other artists, and attending the festival’s various panels and parties. 

This year’s prizes were generously sponsored by Panavision, Abelcine, Xeno Lights, Media Services, Film Friends, Digital Bolex, Mik Cribben Steady-Cam, Cinecall Soundtracks, Windmill Studios, New York Film Academy, Noble Jewelry.

Complete list of BFF Winners:

GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD

Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty

BEST IN CATEGORY

Best Animation: Sol Friedman for Day 40

Best Experimental film: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In The Future Love Will Also 

Best Short Subject: Bartek Konopka for From Bed Thou Arose

Best Short Documentary: Danya Abt for Eric, Winter To Spring

Best Documentary: Florian Schewe and Katharina Von Schroeder for We Were Rebels

Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Award in the Animation Category: Bob Blevins & Bradly Werley for T.P.

Audience Award in the Experimental Film Category: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In the Future Love Will Also

Audience Award in the Narrative Short Category: Daisy Zhou for How to Be a Black Panther

Audience Award in the Short Documentary Category: Sean Ryon and Lea Scruggs for Born Into This

Audience Award in the Documentary Category (tie): Neal Broffman for Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi and Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame

Audience Award in the Feature Length Narrative Category: Ryan Carmichael for But Not for Me

SPIRIT AWARDS | Festival’s Favorite

Spirit Award in the Narrative Short Category: Graham Chychele Waterston for And It Was Good

Spirit Award in the Exp. Film Category: Janna Kyllästinen & Anne-Katrine Hansen for Division Avenue

Spirit Award in the Short Doc Category: Dir: Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer for Treasure Island

Spirit Award in the Documentary Category: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame

Spirit Award in the Animation Category: Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano for Love in the Time of March Madness

Spirit Award in the Feature Category: Vinko Moderndorfer for Inferno

Best Brooklyn Project: Harvey Mitkas for Devil Town

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT

Best Actor (male): Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley and Olly Alexander for Funny Bunny

Best Actor (female): Ella Purnell for Wildlike

Original Score: Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste for But Not for Me

Best Editing Award: Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson for Funny Bunny

Best Cinematography Award: Robert Machoian for God Bless the Child

Best Screenplay Award: Frank Hall Green for Wildlike

Best Producer Award: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss for Wildlike

Best New Director Award: Robert Gregson for The Refrigerator

About Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF)
The organizers of the Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), have been staging International, competitive film events since 1998. BFF's mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films, to draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema, to encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure. BFF, inc. is a not-for-profit organization