2024 JURY STATEMENTS ON WINNERS

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE & GRAND CHAMELEON AWARDS: ATIKAMEKW SUNS by Dir. CHLOE LERICHE 
East Coast Premiere | Quebec | 2023 | 103 min
Chloe Leriche’s beautiful and timely film “Atikamekw Suns” is a narrative exploration of multi-generational trauma surrounding the true story of the deaths of five members of the Atikamekw indigenous community of Manawan, Quebec. Her elegant, thoughtful, and deliberately crafted imagery weaves together the recollections, memories, and dreams of the victims’ family members, creating a detailed tapestry that resonates deeply. The film features a stellar ensemble cast, filled with moving performances from both non-actors and descendants of the real victims, bringing depth and realism to a grounded yet profoundly cinematic world. It highlights the importance of reckoning with the injustices of the past and present so we can all participate in community healing. The jury is proud to award “Atikamekw Suns” the best narrative feature.

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD: IMPOSSIBLE TOWN by Dirs. MEG GRIFFITHS and SCOTT FARIS
NY Premiere | United States | 2023 | 90 min
“Impossible Town” is an intimate and honest documentary about a small community dealing with a legacy of toxic pollution. Its story, about local residents struggling for justice during a lengthy Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund cleanup, resonates deeply with the many neighborhoods in Brooklyn that are undergoing similar cleanups. The filmmakers’ dedication to capturing this uncertain process over many years is highly commendable, and they clearly earned the trust of community members, allowing them to film intensely emotional personal moments. “Impossible Town” exemplifies how ethical and rigorous documentary work can result in powerful storytelling, and the jury is proud to name it the best feature documentary of the festival.

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT AWARD: BLOOD LIKE WATER by Dir. DIMA HAMDAN
NY Premiere | Palestine | 2023 | 15 min
The jury is honored to award Blood Like Water (dir. Dima Hamdan) BFF’s best narrative short film of 2024. It is a powerful short with a strong conflict and stellar performances. Filmed on location in Palestine, this film gives us a glimpse of one family’s struggle while living under occupation. The internal turmoil of each character is palpable as their fears burst through the screen. The color and tone of the film sets the brooding mood creating real anxiety and concern from the viewer. Blood Like Water’s relevance makes it a must watch for everyone who is concerned with Palestinian resistance.

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY AWARD: SHOTPLAYER by Dir. SAM SHAINBERG
East Coast Premiere | United States | 2023 | 21 min
Shotplayer is an impressionistic exploration of the life of notorious NYC pickpocket Wilfred Rose as he reflects back on his life of crime that began at age 13. Set almost exclusively in the gritty world of the NYC subway system, the film achieves a form of storytelling that is emotionally vulnerable and engaging while also being an artfully cinematic journey that blends nonfiction with fiction. The filmmaker carefully considers Wilfred, portraying all his complexities and allowing the viewer to truly connect with a man who has lived largely in the shadows. All highlighted by an excellent score! The jury is proud to award Shotplayer the Best Short Documentary Award for 2024.

BEST ANIMATION AWARD: TOMORROW by Dir. ARYASB FEIZ
East Coast Premiere | Iran | 2023 | 17 min
The jury was impressed with this depiction of a young Iranian boy’s struggles in a hostile environment. While filled with darkness and anxiety, we ultimately feel a sense of hope – and a renewed love for the dogs who adopt us. The judges also appreciated the artistry of the animation, including the textures, lighting and cinematography. Overall, the film offers a mesmerizing look into an unfamiliar world.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARD: REANIMATIONS by Dir. BENJAMIN BERTRAM GOLDMAN
East Coast Premiere | United States | 2023 | 12 min
“Reanimations” masterfully blends comedy and experimentation, featuring well-paced commercial breaks and intentional abrupt cuts that evoke a dark web futuristic vibe. Its genre-bending approach, mixing linear and non-linear storytelling, along with the use of liminal virtual spaces, makes it a relevant and intriguing film of our times.

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2023 JURY STATEMENTS ON WINNERS

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE AWARD: COYOTE by Dir. KATHERINE JERKOVIC
East Coast Premiere | Canada | 2022 | 89 min

“Coyote” is a portrait of an immigrant (a strong, simmering performance by Jorge Martinez Colorado), whose life is disrupted by a rare professional opportunity and a rare familial duty, is one that might have become a simplistic, feel-good tale. But Jerkovic’s steady, unsentimental approach denies easy conclusions, preferring the complications of a life on the margins. For this rich character study, and its density of real-world detail (beautifully and warmly lensed in 16 mm), the jury finds Coyote a deserving winner of the Narrative Feature award.

Robert Horton
National Society of Film Critics
Critics Choice Awards
BFF Feature Narrative Judge/Panelist

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD: SWEETHEART DEAL by ELISA LEVINE and GABRIEL MILLER
East Coast Premiere | USA | 2022 | 99 min

In Elsa Levine and Gabriel Miller’s “Sweetheart Deal,” three courageous women in highly vulnerable situations fight back against a predatory figure in their midst. This clear-eyed view of the realities of sex work, homelessness, and substance abuse does not merely portray these women as victims of a person they thought they could trust. They are resilient, part of a community, and they never give up on themselves or each other. The jury is proud to name “Sweetheart Deal” the best feature documentary of the festival.

Caitlin Crowley
Director of Community Engagement
BFF Feature Doc Judge/Panelist

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT AWARD: CIELA by MAURICIO SIERRA
WORLD PREMIERE | Mexico | 2022 | 15 min

Captivating, compelling, uniquely beautiful and timeless, the short film CIELA echoes like a memory in real time as it unspools. The sublime visual articulation of this story is supported by expertly crafted, ambitious production led by confident direction that transports us from scene to scene, moment by moment, through surprising emotional labyrinths to a complex and satisfying conclusion. The unity of the performances, production design, cinematography and editing all combine to create a magical experience of a world seen through the eyes of the young protagonist. The legacy of great Mexican cinema reverberates through this short film and introduces us to a new powerful voice from Mexico, director Mauricio Sierra in his narrative debut. The masterful storytelling of CIELA makes all of us on the festival jury excited to see more narrative work by this ambitious filmmaker. Honored to host the world premiere of this fantastic debut, BFF presents the Best Narrative Short prize and the festival’s highest honor the Grand Chameleon Award to director Mauricio Sierra for the film CIELA.

William Cusick
Filmmaker/Programmer
Mechanical Reproductions Inc.
BFF Short Narrative Judge/Panelist

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY AWARD: THE BLAKE by COURTNEY SPOSATO and MARK SPOSATO
NY Premiere | USA | 2022 | 15 min

BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARD: VISION OF PARADISE (Visão do Paraíso) by LEONARDO PIRONDI
East Coast Premiere | Brazil | 2022 | 16 min

“Visions of Paradise” by Leonardo Pirondi from Brazil offered in the BFF Experimental Film category both to the judges and the audience an exploration of reality and its perspectives. The film infused a unique language of visuals, sound, and docu-storytelling techniques to delve into the depths of the human experience. Its a thought-provoking narrative and vision that provides a glimpse into a world where imagination and reality intertwine, encouraging viewers to reflect and contemplate.

Fatrin Krajka I
Composer
BFF Experimental Judge/Panelist

BEST ANIMATION AWARD: TULPA by PARIS BAILLIE
East Coast Premiere | USA | 2022 | 7 min

What is a Tulpa? In Tibetan it is the physical embodiment of thoughts or emotions, which can become a comforting companion. in this surreal animation, the narrations introduce a variety of Tulpas and their benefits. The odd but charming knitted puppets, their gentle movements, and the distinctive lighting, staging and sound design immerse us in a world that straddles dream and reality. According to one judge, everybody needs a Tulpa!

Trilby Schreiber
Animation Professor at SVA
BFF Animation Judge/Panelist