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Published by Editor
Nov 15, 2023
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And the Denver Film Festival Award Goes to…

Award Winners

Explore the 46th Denver Film Festival award recipients including our 2023 audience awards, juried awards, and MOFFOM.

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

 

 

 

Juried Awards

 

Krzysztof Kieslowski Award 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



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

The best in short films at DFF46, chosen by this year's amazing jurors: Donald Mowat (Academy-Award nominated makeup artist), Lawrence Yee (Deputy Editor, The Wrap), and Sonaiya Kelley (Entertainment Writer, Los Angeles Times)

 

Grand Jury Award: INGLORIOUS LIAISONS

Director: Chloé Alliez, Violette Delvoye

Country: France



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

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

 

 

 

DFF46 Award Winners and Honorees

 

 

 

Excellence in Acting Award

Sterling K. Brown

 

 CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award

Andrew Haigh

 

Rising Star Award

Talia Ryder

 

Excellence in Directing Award

Anthony Chen

 

Rare Pearl Award

HAPPY CLOTHES – A FILM ABOUT PATRICIA FIELD

Director: Michael Selditch, Country: USA

Breakthrough Director Award

Michael Shannon

 

5280 Award

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Creative Team

Phil Lord, Writer/Producer

Christopher Miller, Writer/Producer

Bob Persichetti, Executive Producer

Christina Steinberg, Producer

Humberto Rosa, Senior Animation Supervisor

 

Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award

Gabriela Cowperthwaite,

Director, I.S.S.

 

Stan Brakhage Vision Award

Janie Geiser

 

Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award

Carolina Cavalli

 

 

 

 

Music on Film – Film on Music Documentary Grant Awards (MOFFOM) 

 

This year we're excited to announce that we have two 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. 

 

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. 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT MOFFOM

 

 

 

 

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

 

 

 



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