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By Maria Esteves - May 11, 2009

The Eighth Annual 2009 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF09) Jury Competition Awards presented by founding sponsor American Express and hosted by Gideon Yago was held in the Tribeca Filmmaker Lounge sponsored by Union Square 
Ballroom, New York, Thursday, April 30, 7:00 PM.  TFF09 Audience Choice Award hosted by Heineken were announced at the Awards Wrap Party in the Tribeca Filmmaker Lounge at Union Square Ballroom,  Saturday, May 2, 9:00 PM. The festivals award winning films screened closing day at AMC Village VII theater on Sunday, May 3.

The award acknowledges the outstanding film achievements of 2009 by emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. The award announcers were co-founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and festival jurors.

Since 2001, TFF co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff following the attacks on the World Trade Center, is a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established filmmakers. TFF annually presents the largest celebration of film, music and
culture. TFF executive director is Nancy Schafer.

This year's film festival included 86 feature films from 33 countries; 48 world
premieres, 5 international premieres, 24 North American premieres, 6 USA
premieres, 11 New York premieres and 46 shorts. The festival also included panel discussions, family festival, awards ceremony, gala parties and special events.

2009 TFF founding, signature, industry and media sponsors are American
Express, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Apple Computers, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Brookfield, Delta Airlines, Direct TV, Heineken, iShares, R.R. Donnelley, Snapple, Alphacine, Brightcove, Broadway Video Digital Media, Directors Guild of America, Dolby Production Services, Kodak, Magno, Panavision New York, AMCTV.Com, Bloomberg, NBC New York, NCM.Com, The New York Times, Telemundo and Vanity Fair.

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival awards were judged by:

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani - TFF09 doc short juror, TFF Doha

Jon Robin Baitz - TFF09 NY doc juror, playwright/screenwriter/director

Mary Boone - TFF09 NY doc juror, founder/owner, Mary Boone Gallery

Adrien Brody - TFF09 NY juror, actor, Academy Award winner (The Pianist)

Bobby Cannavale  - TFF09 doc short juror, actor, (Paul Blart: Mall Cop)

Thomas Haden Church - TFF09 short juror, actor/writer/director

Bradley Cooper - TFF09 world juror, actor

Karen Durbin - TFF09 NY juror, film critic, Elle magazine

Marc Ecko - TFF09 NY doc juror, founder *ecko unltd

Richard Fischoff - TFF09 world juror, producer (Write & Wrong)

James Franco - TFF09 short juror, actor/producer/director, (Milk)

Liz Garbus - TFF09 world doc juror, producer/director

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. - TFF09 world doc juror, author/producer/director

Whoopi Goldberg - TFF09 world doc juror, award winning actress

Gael Greene  - TFF09 doc short juror, critic/author, co-founder of Citymeals-on-Wheels

Mary Harron - TFF09 short juror, director (The Notorious Bettie Page)

Todd Haynes - TFF09 world juror, director (I'm Not There)

A.J. Jacobs  - TFF09 doc short juror, author, (The Year of Living Biblically)

Richard Ledes  - TFF09 NY juror, writer/director

Douglas Keeve - TFF09 NY doc juror, photographer/director

Melissa Leo - TFF09 NY juror, actress, Best Actress Academy Award nominee

Rachel Maddow  - TFF09 doc short juror, MSNBC host (The Rachel Maddow Show)

Debra Messing - TFF09 short juror, actress, Emmy Award winner

Mary-Kate Olsen - TFF09 short juror, actress, (The Wackness)

Parker Posey  - TFF09 NY juror, award winning actress

Rachael Ray - TFF09 NY doc juror, author/founder/editorial director

Meg Ryan - TFF09 world juror, actress

Morgan Spurlock - TFF09 world doc juror, director (Super Size Me)

André Leon Talley - TFF09 NY juror, editor-at-large, Vogue

Uma Thurman - TFF09 world juror, actress/producer (Motherhood)

Brian Williams - TFF09 world doc juror, anchor/managing editor

Beau Willimon  - TFF09 NY juror, award winning playwright

TFF09 ceremony included 18 awards within 5 categories (world features, New York films, shorts, student visionary, audience). A combination of cash awards, art awards and honorable mention awards were presented to the following winners:

* Best Narrative Feature Award, presented by TFF co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal to writer/director Asghar Farhadio for ABOUT ELLY.

* Best Documentary Feature Award, RACING DREAMS, directed by Marshall Curry.

* Best New York Narrative Feature Award, presented by TFF09 juror Richard Ledes to writer/director Darko Lungulov for HERE AND THERE (Tamo i ovde).

* Best New York Documentary Feature Award, presented by TFF09 juror Rachael Ray to director Danae Elon for PARTLY PRIVATE.

* Best Narrative Short Award, presented by TFF09 juror Debra Messing to writer/director Carlos Chahine for THE NORTH ROAD (La route du Nord).

* Best Documentary Short Award, presented by TFF09 juror Gael Greene to director Matt Faust for HOME.  

* Best Narrative Filmmaker Award, presented by TFF09 juror Todd Haynes and vp Rich Lehrfeld, Global Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing, American Express to filmmaker RUNE DENSTAD LANGLO
for NORTH.

* Best New Documentary Filmmaker Award, presented by TFF09 juror Liz Garbus and vp Rich Lehrfeld, Global Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing, American Express to filmmaker IAN OLDS for FIXER: THE TAKING OF AJMAL NAQSHBANDI.

* Best Actor (Narrative Feature) Award, CIARAN HINDS for THE ECLIPSE.

* Best Actress (Narrative Feature) Award, ZOE KAZAN for THE EXPLODING GIRL.

* Special Jury Mention Award, DEFAMATION (Hashmatsa), directed by Yoav Shamir; THE LAST MERMAIDS, directed by Liz Chae; ODA A LA PINA, written/directed by Laimir Fano.

* Honorable Mention Award, ENTRE NOS, directed by Paola Mendoza and Gloria LaMorte.

* Student Visionary Award, presented by TFF09 juror presented by Gael Greene to writer/director Anna McGrath for SMALL CHANGE.

* Heineken Audience Award, (First Place) CITY ISLAND directed by Raymond De Felitta; (Second Place) RACING DREAMS directed by Marshall Curry; (Third Place) MIDGETS VS. MASCOTS directed by Ron Carlson.