SIFF Brunches, Presents Golden Space Needle Awards

The 2010 Golden Space Needle glassware

This morning at a tasty brunch celebration in the Space Needle’s Observation Deck, the Seattle International Film Festival celebrated increased attendance figures, a record number of films presented, and announced the winners of this year’s 25 day film marathon.

Some awards were decided by esteemed juries, others were chosen by the people who make this the country’s most attended festival. Only a few winners were on hand to claim the blown glass statues; so we have to hope that the fest invested in some quality shipping containers.

Overall, it was a great year for female directors. Audiences loved the Hedgehog most of all the narrative features, split between Waste Land and Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life in the documentary category, and chose Debra Granik as best director for Winter’s Bone. 

Full list of winners, runners up, and jury statements after the jump. Congrats to all of the winners and to SIFF’s entire team for putting on such an outstanding festival.

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JURY AWARDS:

SIFF 2010 Best Director

Grand Jury Prize

The Reverse, directed by Borys Lankosz (Poland, 2009)

Jury Statement: “Borys Lankosz’s The Reverse succeeds its substantial ambition to tell the story of love, family, and loyalty in a brutal post war Warsaw. Uniquely, first time director Lankosz manages to deliver a highly stylized vision without sacrificing character, story, or performance. We are happy and honored to give the New Director Award to this touching, thrilling, and deeply human film.” 

Special Jury Mentions

Turistas, directed by Alicia Scherson (Chile, 2009)

Jury Statement: “In addition we would like to give two special jury mentions. For her wry and surprising screenplay and her terrific casting, we want to note the achievement of Alicia Scherson for her film Turistas.”

Gravity, directed by Maximilian Erlenwein (Germany, 2009)

Jury Statement: “We also want to recognize the stylistic and storytelling promise evidenced by Maximilian Erlenwein in his film Gravity.”

The New Directors Competition jury was comprised of: Marcus Hu, Strand Releasing; Michael Kananack, NeoClassics Films; and Christian Vesper, IFC and The Sundance Channel.

SIFF 2010 Best Documentary

Grand Jury Prize

Marwencol, directed by Jeff Malmberg (USA, 2010)

Jury Statement: “For its ingenious, organic storytelling and respect for its subject, the documentary jury recognizes a complex and multi-layered portrait of a survivor and artist which comes to life thanks to an amazing level of trust between filmmaker and subject that allows director Jeff Malmberg to bring his audience deep into the fascinating and very private world that is Marwencol.”

The Documentary jury was comprised of: Patrick Baroch, ITVS; Michael Lumpkin, International Documentary Association; and MJ Peckos, Dada Films / Mitropoulus Films.

SIFF 2010 Short Film Jury Awards

 Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short

Little Accidents, directed by Sara Colangelo (USA, 2009)

Jury Statement: “For its compelling sense of voyeurism, outstanding performances, and brilliant storytelling – the total package.”

Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short

White Lines And The Fever: The Death Of DJ Junebug, directed by Travis Senger (USA, 2010)

Jury Statement: “For the way the story seamlessly reveals itself through the compassion of people who knew and loved DJ Junebug and the way the era of the birth of hip-hop was beautifully evoked.”

Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short

The Wonder Hospital, directed by Beomsik Shim (USA, 2010)

Jury Statement: “Who knew that this would be the hardest category? We choose The Wonder Hospital for its experimental, adult-based animation style and it being about the way you twist the mirror, the story’s depth.”

Special Jury Mention for Short Animation

Cherry On The Cake, directed by Hyebin Lee (United Kingdom, 2009)

Jury Statement: “In support of excellence in family animation.”

As a qualifying festival of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, short films that receive the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative short film and Best Animation short film awards at SIFF may qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

The Short Film jury was comprised of: SJ Chiro, Seattle based filmmaker; Chris Swenson, Seattle Office of Film + Music; and Karen Toering, Program Director, Langston Hughes African American Film Festival.

SIFF 2010 FIPRESCI Award for Best American Film

SIFF is very pleased to announce its continued partnership with FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. FIPRESCI, in existence for more than 65 years, with members in over 60 countries, supports cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression. SIFF is one of three festivals in the United States to host a FIPRESCI jury, and this year, FIPRESCI gave an award to Best American Film. 

FIPRESCI Award

Night Catches Us, directed by Tanya Hamilton (USA, 2010)

Jury Statement: “For its profound exploration of a chapter of American history that is woefully under-explored, for its deft interaction between the personal and the political, for its exceptional acting, and for its masterful cinematography, the FIPRESCI Award goes to Tanya Hamilton’s Night Catches Us.”

Special Jury Mention

The jury would like to give a special mention for her excellent combination of comedic timing and emotional sincerity to Jenna Fischer in A Little Help.

The FIPRESCI jury was comprised of members of the International Federation of Film Critics: Melissa Anderson, US; Luc Chaput, Canada; and Barbara Lorey, France.

SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards

The Golden Space Needle Audience Awards are given in the following categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film. Golden Space Needle Award winners receive a hand-made glass creation by artist James Mongrain and Movie Magic Screenwriter software. Additionally, the Golden Space Needle Award winner for Best Short Film receives $1,000 of Color Negative Motion Picture Film from the Eastman Kodak Company Entertainment Imaging Division, and the a fully-loaded MacBook Pro and iPod Touch from Iris Professional Services and The Mac Store.

Best Film Golden Space Needle Award

The Hedgehog, directed by Mona Achache (France, 2009)

First runner up: Mao’s Last Dancer, directed by Bruce Beresford (Australia, 2009)

Second runner up: Micmacs, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France, 2009)

Third runner up: Cell 211, directed by Daniel Monzón (Spain, 2009)

Fourth runner up: Hipsters, directed by Valery Todorovsky (Russia, 2009)

Rounding out the top ten: The Concert(Radu Mihaileanu, France, 2009); Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (Eli Craig, USA, 2010); Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, USA, 2010); Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime (Jesús Del Cerro, Spain, 2009); and Loose Cannons (Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2010).

Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award – TIE

Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life, directed by Karen Stanton (USA 2010)

Waste Land, directed by Lucy Walker (United Kingdom, 2010)

First runner up: The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, directed by Leanne Pooley (New Zealand, 2009)

Second runner up: Wheedle’s Groove, directed by Jennifer Maas (USA, 2009)

Third runner up: Brownstones to Red Dirt, directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker (Sierra Leone, 2010)

Fourth runner up: Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington (USA, 2010)

Rounding out the top ten: Marwencol (Jeff Malmberg, USA, 2010); Waiting for “Superman” (Davis Guggenheim, USA, 2010); Chihuly Fire & Light (Peter West, USA, 2010); American: The Bill Hicks Story (Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas, United Kingdom, 2009); and Mugabe and the White African (Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson, Namibia, 2009).

Best Director Golden Space Needle Award

Debra Granik for Winter’s Bone (USA, 2010)

First runner up: Mona Achache for The Hedgehog (France, 2009)

Second runner up: Ana Kokkinos for Blessed (Australia, 2009)

Third runner up: Valery Todorovsky for Hipsters (Russia, 2009)

Fourth runner up: Daniel Monzón for Cell 211 (Spain, 2009)

Best Actor Golden Space Needle Award

Luis Tosar for Cell 211 (Spain, 2009)

First runner up: Jim Broadbent for Perrier’s Bounty (Ireland, 2009)

Second runner up: Aaron Johnson for Nowhere Boy (UK, 2009)

Third runner up: Martin Nissen for Angel at Sea (Belgium/Canada, 2009)

Fourth runner up: Edward Norton for Leaves of Grass (USA, 2009)

Best Actress Golden Space Needle Award

Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone (USA, 2010)

First runner up: Josiane Balasko for The Hedgehog (France, 2009)

Second runner up: Patricia Clarkson for Cairo Time (Canada, 2009)

Third runner up:  Sibel Kekilli for When We Leave (Germany/Turkey, 2009)

Fourth runner up: Tilda Swinton for I Am Love (Italy, 2009)

Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award

Ormie, directed by Rob Silvestri (Canada, 2009)

First runner up: Bedfellows, directed by Pierre Stefanos (USA, 2010)

Second runner up: The Little Dragon, directed by Bruno Collet (France, 2009)

Third runner up: The Crush, directed by Michael Creagh (Ireland, 2009)

Fourth runner up: Whistleless, directed by Siri Melchior (Denmark, 2009)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, Presented by Women in Film/Seattle

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, directed by Leanne Pooley (New Zealand, 2009)

SIFF 2010 FutureWave and Youth Jury Awards

The SIFF FutureWave jury was comprised of five high-school students that viewed nine FutureWave features to award to the prize to Best FutureWave feature. The Films4Families jury was comprised of five elementary and middle school students that viewed six Films4Families films to award the prize for Best Films4Families Feature. SIFF’s WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking was awarded at the FutureWave Shorts program on June 5 at the Egyptian Theatre. More than 100 short films were submitted from young filmmakers aged 13-18, from Canada, USA, and the United Kingdom. The award was selected from 15 finalists by local professional filmmakers Virginia Bogert (Women In Film/Seattle) and Rick Stevenson (TheFilmSchool).

Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature

REGENERATION, directed by Philip Montgomery (USA, 2010)

Jury Statement: “For it’s ability to stimulate thought for a variety of audiences, provide a sense of awareness, and inspire action in today’s apathetic society.”

Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature

From Time To Time, directed by Julian Fellowes (United Kingdom, 2009)

Jury Statement: “For it amazing story involving flashbacks, a great cast of characters, and authentic costumes and set design which made the film feel true to history.”

WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking (Grand Jury Prize)

Remember, directed by Scott Calvert (Anacortes, WA)

Jury Statement: “If you want evidence that filmmaking is a collaborative process, this certainly is it. The judges chose Remember for the near flawless choreography of events (and interesting events at that), the uniqueness and imaginative visual statements made by the players, the galvanizing of the participants by a director with a vision and a plan, and the sheer joy of the film. Although not a traditional story, it told us a lot about the young people involved…and their school.”

WaveMaker Special Jury Prizes

Celina’s Story, directed by Celina Chadwick (Seattle, WA)

Jury Statement: “For an honest and convincing account of one girl’s life experience, we are awarding a new documentary filmmaker with a distinctive voice who we believe has a strong future.”

Alisha, directed by Daniel Citron (Ruxton, MD)

Jury Statement: “For telling a gripping story, creating compelling images, knowing how to cast his lead, directing her to captivate the audience, and, for his tenacity and dedication to becoming a filmmaker.”

Daniel Citron also received a scholarship to TheFilmSchool’s Prodigy Camp, a week-long immersive overnight film camp for youth aged 12-18 held in late June.

FutureWave Shorts Audience Award

Remember, directed by Scott Calvert

1st Runner Up for FutureWave Shorts Audience Award is Alisha, directed by Daniel Citron; 2nd Runner Up is Omer, directed by Emma Strebel; 3rd Runner Up is Checkpoint Of Humanity, directed by Chloe Clark, Zain Masri, Owen Quanstrom, and Tamir Assouline; and 4th Runner Up is Celina’s Story, directed by Celina Chadwick.

FutureWave Online Audience Award powered by IndieFlix

Shawn Harris: Personal Trainer, directed by Tyler Silver and Simon Turkel

1st Runner Up for FutureWave Online Audience Award powered by IndieFlix is I Just Am Who I Am, directed by Megan Baxter, and 2nd Runner Up is Alisha, directed by Daniel Citron.