The 28th Slamdance Film Festival today announced its winners, with the Audience Awards going to The Civil Dead, directed by Clay Tatum, for Narrative Feature; Iron Family, directed by Patrick Longstreth winning the Audience Award for Documentary Feature and The Ember Knight Show: “Getting Mad” directed by Bobby McCoy taking home the Audience Award in the Episodes subcategory.
The Narrative Feature Grand Jury prize was awarded to Hannah Ha Ha (USA) directed by Joshua Pikovsky and Jordan Tetewsky. A statement from the jury called it “a beautiful film in the vein of the American working-class cinema from the ’70s and ’80s…chosen for its incredible lead actor and its sensitive portrayal of the quiet eradication of a community by powers beyond their control.”
The Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize was awarded to director Olivier Bernier’s Forget Me Not which the jury said used “intimate moments in a family’s life” to address “national sociopolitical issues around inclusion in public schools.”
The 2022 Slamdance Unstoppable Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Straighten Up and Fly Right by Directors Steven Tanenbaum and Kristen Abate.
All winners were announced during the virtual awards ceremony on February 4 and will continue to play on the Slamdance Channel until midnight on February 6, 2022.
“We congratulate the winners of Slamdance 2022 and everyone of our filmmakers who together created a showcase that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in storytelling,” said President and Co-founder Peter Baxter, noting their “unique voices who defy simple classification and transcend analytics.”
The AGBO Fellowship and its $25,000 prize, presented by Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo along with their colleagues at their AGBO production company, was awarded to Ethan Eng, director of the Candian film Therapy Dogs. The honor also includes mentorship from the Russos as well as development support from their studio.
“Ethan’s ability to connect with the audience in a personal and profound way is effortless while his commitment and work ethic as a filmmaker is inspiring,” AGBO President of Creative Angela Russo-Otstot said in a statement. “We look forward to working with and championing him as he continues on this exciting filmmaking journey.”
Here’s the full list of winners:
GRAND JURY AWARDS
Narrative Feature
Hannah Ha Ha (Dir: Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky)
Honorable Mention: Ultrainocencia (Dir: Manuel Arija)
Documentary Feature
Forget Me Not (Dir: Olivier Bernier)
Honorable Mention: Fury (Dir: Krzysztof Kasior)
Breakouts Feature
Killing the Eunuch KHAN (Dir: Abed Abest)
Honorable Mention: Retrograde (Dir: Adrian Murray)
Unstoppable Feature
Straighten Up And Fly Right (Dir: Kristen Abate and Steven Tanenbaum)
Honorable Mention: Selahy (My Weapon) (Dir: Alaa Zabara)
SHORTS
Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize
Ratking (Dir: Eric Colonna)
Honorable Mention: See You, Garbage! (Dir: Romain Dumont)
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize
The Ritual to Beauty (Dir: Shenny de Los Angeles and Maria Marrone)
Honorable Mention: Walls Cannot Keep Us From Flying (Dir: Jonathan Haff Mehring)
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize
Chameleon (Dir: Ima Iduozee and Jaamil Olawale Kosoko)
Honorable Mention: Compositions for Understanding Relationships (Dir: David De La Fuente)
Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize
I’m Here (Dir: Julia Orlik)
Honorable Mention: Oldboy’s Apples (Dir: Brad Hock)
FESTIVAL AWARDS
The AGBO Fellowship (presented by Joe and Anthony Russo)
Ethan Eng, director of Therapy Dogs
Slamdance Acting Award
Hannah Lee Thompson, Hannah Ha Ha
Honorable Mention: Batel Moseri, Bracha
George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award
Sasha Levinson, director of Sylvie of the Sunshine State
CreativeFuture Innovation Award
My Parent, Neal (Dir: Hannah Saidiner)
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Narrative Feature
The Civil Dead (Dir. Clay Tatum)
Documentary Feature
Iron Family (Dir. Patrick Longstreth)
Episodes
The Ember Knight Show: “Getting Mad” (Dir. Bobby McCoy)
