Juliet McKoen’s FROZEN takes top award at Commonwealth Film Festival

Each year the Commonwealth Film Festival presents four Audience Awards, voted for by audiences throughout the 10 day Festival. Whilst the UK was gripped by General Election fever, the Commonwealth Film Festival had its Manchester audiences poised to vote for their favourite short, documentary, and feature, as well as Best Short made in the North West.

The 4th Commonwealth Film Festival audience awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film were announced at the closing night screening of UK premiere of South African drama Forgiveness.

Mathieu Ravier, Commonwealth Film Festival’s programme director says:
“Audience Awards are a great way to boost a filmmaker’s profile and a film’s potential for wider distribution. The Festival’s film-savvy audience selected the winners from over 200 titles from many of the 71 nations of the Commonwealth, in a programme of new films spanning many genres, filmmaking traditions and cultures.”

The BBC Audience Award for Best Feature Film, with £1000 cash prize, goes to British film Frozen, a film shot in Lancashire and starring Shirley Henderson and Roshan Seth. Juliet McKoen’s subtle and confident debut elevates a simple mystery to a gripping metaphysical ghost-story. BBC Talent, as always, were ardent supporters of up and coming filmmakers at this year’s Festival; proud to present the BBC Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the awards ceremony.

Director Juliet McKoen says: "I'm a great admirer of Commonwealth Film Festival. Even though it's a relatively young festival, it pulls in a great audience and I'm impressed by the way the programme of screenings and events has an energy and relevance to both film makers and public alike. So it's a real honour to receive this award and to know that Frozen spoke so well and so clearly to the audience at this year's festival."

From New Zealand, Sheilas: 28 Years On scooped the Audience Award for Best Documentary, with a £500 cash prize. The film, inspired by Michael Apted’s 7-Up formula, by award-winning filmmaker Annie Goldson (2002’s acclaimed Georgie Girl) and co-director Dawn Hutchesson, revisits five women who’d taken part in a TV series made at the height of the 70s’ feminist movement in New Zealand.

The Kodak Audience Award for Best Short Film goes to British director Paul Whittington, for his 19 minute short Innocent Pink, about a teenager’s struggle for survival on a London council estate. Whittington receives £1000 worth film stock from Kodak.

The Reel North audience award for ‘Best Short made in the North West’ was presented to Lena Corner and Graham Clayton Chance, directors of Exit Manhattan at the Local Heroes party on 5 May. Exit Manhattan is an accomplished documentary examining the art and music scene of post 9/11 New York, featuring interviews and performances by Larry Tee and Scissor Sisters.

Paul Barron, Reel North says:
"Once again, Reel North and the International Media Centre were delighted to support the North by North West category, and our congratulations go to all the shortlisted filmmakers, especially Lena Corner and Graham Clayton Chance - very worthy winners. Congratulations also to everyone connected with Commonwealth Film Festival on yet another superb festival. Here's to the next one!"

Juliet McKoen, director of Frozen, Annie Goldson and Simon Raby, director and cinematographer of Sheilas: 28 Years On respectively, Lena Corner and Graham Clayton Chance, co-directors of Exit Manhattan, were in Manchester during the Festival to present their films to the audience.