The 36th Starz Denver Film Festival (SDFF) sponsored by Starz Entertainment today announced its jury and audience award winners for this year’s festival, which ran from November 6 to November 17 in Denver.
“Beginning with our Opening Night presentation of Labor Day with special guests Joyce Maynard and Gattlin Griffith, to filmmakers from around the world joining us, and award recipients including Harry Dean Stanton, Kramer Morgenthau and Carl Reiner, the 36th Starz Denver Film Festival was an inspiring cinematic celebration,” said Festival Director Britta Erickson. “Demonstrated in both numbers and response, the Denver community, filmmakers and industry professionals who shared their work with our passionate audience were paramount in making it our most successful festival yet.”
The 36th Starz Denver Film Festival featured more than 270 films from 44 countries; SDFF screened 126 features and 144 shorts, with 34 titles being local Colorado productions. Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region’s largest film event, SDFF attracted over 50,000 filmgoers during the twelve-day celebration.
STARZ PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
Narrative Feature
Winner: “One Chance”
DIRECTOR David Frankel PRODUCERS Simon Cowell, Michael Menchel, Kris Thykier, Harvey Weinstein, Brad Weston WRITER Justin Zackham CAST Julie Walters, Colm Meaney, Mackenzie Crook, James Corden, Jemima Rooper, Alexandra Roach
Documentary Feature
Winner: “Code Black”
DIRECTOR Ryan McGarry PRODUCER Linda Goldstein Knowlton WRITERS Ryan McGarry, Joshua Altman
Short Film
Winner: “What Do We Have In Our Pockets?”
DIRECTOR/WRITER Goran Dukic PRODUCER Mikal Portnoi Lazarev CAST Azazel Jacobs, Diaz Jacobs
JURIED AWARDS
The Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Foreign Feature Film
Winner: “A Touch of Sin,” (China) directed by Jia Zhangke
The jury stated: “We salute Jia Zhangke for writing, directing and producing this startling collection of stories featuring masterful imagery, deeply human characters and searing social relevance. Created against unimaginable odds, this film represents an unprecedented level of commitment.”
Special Jury Award: “The Fifth Season” (Belgium), directed Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth
The jury stated: “Chosen for its visionary creation of an imaginary, yet vivid and fully realized world inspired by our current sociological and environmental challenges.”
The jury was comprised of Jason Silverman – Cinematheque Director, Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe; Maggie MacKay – Senior Programmer, Film Independent; Tom Hall – Director, Sarasota Film Festival
The Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary Film
Winner: The Search For Emak Bakia, directed by Oskar Alegria
The jury stated: “A film that is impeccably crafted yet still captures the freewheeling spirit of artistic discovery. Beautifully composed, formally innovative, it is at once a documentation of a work of experimental cinema and a work of art in itself.”
The jury was comprised of Jarod Neece – Producer & Senior Programmer, SXSW; Tom Bean – Filmmaker, Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton As Himself; Dan Nuxoll – Programming Director of Submissions, Rooftop Films
The New Directors Award
Winner: “Hide Your Smiling Faces,” directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone
The jury stated: “To Daniel Patrick Carbone for Hide Your Smiling Faces, an affecting and nuanced mediation on coming of age. With a confident visual style complimented by grounded performances from his young actors, Carbones film proves him an exciting new voice in American independent film.”
The jury was comprised of Clint Bowie – Program Director, New Orle