The South By Southwest Film Festival and Conference, which opened last week in the Texas capital of Austin, has presented over 150 films and nearly 50 professional seminars. Last evening, at a typically laid-back awards ceremony, the Festival announced its 2006 Festival Award Winners.

LIVE FREE OR DIE, co-directed Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin (former executive producers and Emmy-winning writers of the hit comedy series SEINFELD), won the Narrative Jury Award. The film, shot in New Hampshire and starring Michael Rappaport and Zoey Deschanel, is a crime comedy about a group of lackluster criminals, who try to pull off a major heist in the Granite State.

JAM, directed by Mark Woolen, won the Documentary Jury Prize. The film is a nostalgic look back at the roller derby craze of the 1960s and 1970s, whose stars were among the most high profile in sports. The decline of interest in roller derby included a fade of the stars’ luster. In this inspiring film, a roller derby impresario attempts to revitalize its popular appeal by staging a major comeback for its now faded, middle aged stars.

AMERICANESE, by director Eric Byler, was the evening’s top prize winner, snatching two awards for Audience Award Narrative and a special Grand Jury Prize for its outstanding Asian-American ensemble cast, including Chris Tashima, Raymond Ding,
Allison Sie, Joan Chen and Kelly Hu. The film was shot on location in San Francisco. Byler’s previous film CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES, won the Audience Prize four years at the SXSW Festival.

DARKON, by co-directors Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer, won the Documentary Audience Award. The film follows the real-life adventures of a group of fantasy role-playing gamers.

Other winners included STATE VS. REED (Ryan Polomski and Frank Bustoz), winner of the Lone Star States (for Texas-based filmmakers) Audience Award; and HIGH SCORE (Jeremy Mack), winner of the Emerging Visions Audience Award.


Sandy Mandelberger
Industry Editor