FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Film Festival Media Contacts:
Marty Schechter, marty@denverfilm.org
Jon Ewing, jon@denverfilm.org
Anna Duggan annaduggan@denverfilm.org
Audience Award winners Include: HARD MILES; THE SPACE RACE; PORTRAIT OF A COWBOY
Juried Award winners include: TÓTEM; FOUR DAUGHTERS / LES FILLES D’OLFA; SMOKING TIGERS
DENVER – Nov. 13, 2023 — The Denver Film Festival (DFF46) today announced the recipients of its annual Audience Awards and Festival Juried Awards in multiple categories following the conclusion of its 46th annual event held Nov. 3-12.
“Our DFF46 programming lineup brought some groundbreaking films, award honorees and special guests to our Denver-area audiences who responded so well through their engagement in conversations throughout our annual celebration of film,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. “We were excited to present this very strong international lineup of independent films and to share, explore and celebrate the work of many of the industry’s most respected and awarded filmmakers as we recognize those who created and brought these stories and experiences to life.”
DFF46 Audience Awards
The following films were recognized as the People’s Choice Award winners for the 46th Denver Film Festival by a tally of ballots cast by screening attendees.
Narrative Feature:
HARD MILES
Director: R.J. Daniel Hanna
Country: USA
Documentary Feature:
THE SPACE RACE
Directors: Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortés
Country: USA
Short Film:
PORTRAIT OF A COWBOY
Director: Devon Wycoff
Country: USA
DFF46 Juried Awards
Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film
The Krzysztof Kieslowski Award is the Festival’s longest-running juried award and is awarded for best feature film.
Best Feature Film:
TÓTEM
Director: Lila Avilés
Country: Mexico, Denmark, France
Best Feature Film Jury Statement: “The jury presents the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award to a film about the simple pleasures and mighty heartbreaks of family that is as lively and appealing as it is profoundly sad. TÓTEM stages a final celebration of life, a prelude to mourning, with deep compassion and dazzling artistry.”
Special Mention Feature Film:
BANEL & ADAMA
Director: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
Country: France, Senegal, Mali
Special Mention Feature Jury Statement
“BANEL & ADAMA is a beautiful first feature outing for Director Ramata-Toulaye Sy and lead actors Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo. The level of emotion and care put into this complicated love story leaps off the screen and captures the movie lover in you. We look forward to seeing what Ramata-Toulaye Sy does next.”
Jurors:
Richard Lawson, Chief Critic, Vanity Fair
Valerie Complex, Associate Editor, Deadline
Lisa Dreyer, Director/Fantastic Fest, Alamo Drafthouse
Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary
Al Maysles was a long-time supporter and contributor to the Denver Film Festival. Its annual award for Best Documentary is presented in his name.
Best Documentary:
FOUR DAUGHTERS / LES FILLES D’OLFA
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Country: France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia
Best documentary jury statement: “The jury selects FOUR DAUGHTERS for its inventiveness in form, courage of subject matter, and its ability to stay with us long after the last frame ends.”
Jurors:
Brooke Marine, Deputy Culture Editor, The Cut
Larry Wilmore, Emmy-Award winning Producer, Writer and Host
American Independent Award
American Independent Award Winner:
SMOKING TIGERS
Director: So Young Shelly Yo
Country: USA
American Independent Award Jury Statement:
“We were mesmerized and moved by So Young Shelly Yo’s beautiful coming of age story. Anchored by Ji-Young Yoo’s tender performance as Hayoung, this film is the debut of a fresh and dynamic new voice in American Independent cinema.”
American Independent Award Special Mention:
PARACHUTE
Director: Brittany Snow
Country: USA
American Independent Award Special Mention Jury Statement:
“PARACHUTE marks an exciting new career trajectory for Brittany Snow.”
Jurors:
Maxwell Whittington-Cooper, Actor
Tawny Cypress, Actor
Bronte Payne, Vice President (Film), LuckyChap Productions
Short Film Awards
Grand Jury Award:
INGLORIOUS LIAISONS
Director: Chloé Alliez, Violette Delvoye
Country: France
Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film Jury Statement:
“A delightful animated short that captures the fear and excitement of your first unsupervised party — told with clickers as characters.”
Special Mention:
HOW WE GET FREE
Director: Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles
Country: USA
Special Mention Best Short Film Jury Statement:
“A powerful portrait of Colorado Legislator Elisabeth Epps and her personal quest to end cash bail in the state and beyond.”
Liberty Global Best Student Domestic Short:
WE WERE MEANT TO
Director: Tari Wariebi
Country: USA
Special Mention:
SULAM
Director: Noam Argov
Country: USA
Liberty Global Best Student International Short:
GRAVEYARD OF HORSES
Director: Xiaoxuan Jiang
Country: China
Marilyn Marsh Saint-Veltri Award for Best Student Animation Short:
SPRING ROLL DREAM
Director: Mai Vu
Country: United Kingdom
Special Mention:
ELECTRA
Director: Daria Kashcheeva
Country: Czech Republic, France, Slovakia
Jurors:
Donald Mowat, Academy-Award nominated makeup artist
Lawrence Yee, Deputy Editor, The Wrap
Sonaiya Kelley, Entertainment Writer, Los Angeles Times
DFF46 Award Winners and Honorees:
Excellence in Acting Award
Sterling K. Brown
Breakthrough Director Award
Michael Shannon
5280 Award (Inaugural – honoring exceptional cinematic work and film collaboration)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse
Phil Lord, Writer/Producer
Christopher Miller, Writer/Producer
Bob Persichetti, Executive Producer
Christina Steinberg, Producer
Humberto Rosa, Senior Animation Supervisor
CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award
Andrew Haigh
Rising Star Award
Talia Ryder
Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award
Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Director, I.S.S.
Excellence in Directing Award
Anthony Chen
Rare Pearl Award
HAPPY CLOTHES – A FILM ABOUT PATRICIA FIELD
Director: Michael Selditch
Country: USA
Stan Brakhage Vision Award
Janie Geiser
Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award
Caronlina Cavalli
Music on Film – Film on Music Documentary Grant Awards (MOFFOM)
Now in its seventh year, the MOFFOM Grant provides up to $20,000 annually in finishing funds for documentary productions specifically for music licensing, scoring, and composition.
2023 MOFFOM Grant Recipients
MAESTRA
Produced and directed by Maggie Contreras – in her directorial debut – MAESTRA follows five incredible women from around the world who are boldly breaking glass ceilings take center stage in the male-dominated world of orchestral conducting.
The struggles and triumphs of the gifted artists in MAESTRA offer a microcosm for the challenges faced by women in every industry and in every walk of life today, while also providing valuable insights into how we may conduct ourselves as we create a new movement for a more equitable future.
I WAS BORN THIS WAY
An innovative documentary by the Oscar and Emmy-winning team of directors Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, telling the incredible story of Archbishop Carl Bean through interviews, archival footage, and animation. When Archbishop Bean sang the 1977 Motown hit and gay anthem “I was born this way,” it was just the start of his mission to change the world. With appearances by Questlove, Dionne Warwick and Rep. Maxine Waters and using innovative animation, the feature-length documentary explores the life and legacy of Bean and his resounding message “love is for everyone.”
Jurors:
Jonathan Palmer, Jury Lead – Senior Vice President, BMG Rights Management
Heather Guibert – Music Supervisor, Francium Enterprises
Loretta Munoz – Assistant Vice President, ASCAP
Derrick Hodge – Multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer
2023 Denver Film Festival Sponsors:
MARQUEE: Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, AOR, Jacquard Hotel, Liberty Global, Moye White, Pinemelon, Sheila K. O’Brien, University of Denver – Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, William LaBahn, and Xfinity
SPOTLIGHT: Butler Rents, Caz Matthews, Clayton Hotel & Members Club, Colorado Party Rentals, RNDC, Serendipity Catering, SeriesFest, and Wana Brands and Wana Brands Foundation
STUDIO: American Airlines, Meow Wolf, and The Family Jones
CAMEO: BAIRD The Palm Group, Crested Butte Film Festival, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Isarti Travel, Mary Watson, Susan Capitelli, Taloma Partners, Ratio Beerworks, United Airlines and Underwood
PARTNERS: Black Pride Colorado, Denver Arts & Venues, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry, Colorado Dragon Boat, Harmonic Media, Pearl Street Marketing, Ken’s Prints and Graphics, YellowDog, Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, The Color of Conversation, Sap Sua, Cherry Creek North, and Denver Office of Storytelling
GOVERNMENT & FOUNDATIONS:Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Office of Film and Television, NEA Media Arts, SCFD, Canadian Consulate, Instituto Italiano di Cultura, and Consulto Generale of Italia Chicago
FILM: Ballard Spahr, CFVA,The Center for African American Health, Colorado Environmental Film Festival, Datura Home, GHP Investment Advisors Inc., Gloria Campbell and John Verwys, MSterious Miracles, SAGindie, Aer Lingus, and Visit Denver
MEDIA: Axios Denver, CBS Colorado, Colorado Public Radio, Denver Gazette, Rocky Mountain Public Media, Wetsword, 5280 Magazine, and KBCO
About Denver Film
Founded in 1978, Denver Film is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform lives through film, Denver Film provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences.
The permanent home of Denver Film, the Sie FilmCenter is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque, presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format. Denver Film’s one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training.
Media Contacts:
Marty Schechter, marty@denverfilm.org
Jon Ewing, jon@denverfilm.org
Anna Duggan annaduggan@denverfilm.org
