The 7th Annual Harlem International Film Festival ran from September 19-23, opening with the world premiere of Move, which profiles Kevin Iega Jeff’s legendary dance company Deeply Rooted, directed by Theodore Collatos, who was present to for a Q&A afterward.
Other festival highlights include Herman's House (Best Documentary winner) which follows the unlikely friendship between a New York artist Jackie Summel and Herman Wallace, one of America’s longest serving solitary prisoners, as they collaborate on an original and highly acclaimed art project; True Bromance (2012 Best Film winner) by Sebastian Doggart of Project Runway fame, which follows Devin Ratray (Home Alone) in his bizarre pursuit of his one true love, former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice; Mas Man (Best Documentary Director winner) from Trinidad & Tobago, which documents Emmy-winning Peter Minshall, who was commissioned to stage the first night-time Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Barcelona. He became the only artistic director to brainstorm three Games including Atlanta and Salt Lake City using only his love and mastery of his native art form of Carnival, or the Mas; and Bringing King To China, directed by Pulitzer Prize-nominated news correspondent and war reporter, Kevin McKiernan, and shot by famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), which centers on McKiernan’s daughter Caitrin’s attempt to bring a theatrical production based on Martin Luther King Jr’s life, and his views on nonviolent resistance, to mainland China.
The festival also featured short films, anime, screenplay competitions, music videos, industry networking events, and more.
This year's award winners are listed in full below; congrats to all!
2012 BEST FILM True Bromance Sebastian Doggart (UK, US)
BEST WORLD FILM A.L.F. Jerome Lescure (France)
BEST DOCUMENTARY Herman’s House (Canada, US) Angad Bhalla
BEST WORLD DOCUMENTARY Not My Life Robert Bilheimer (Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Italy, Romania, Senegal, US)
BEST DIRECTOR Gene Gallerano The Talk Man (US)
BEST DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR Dalton Narine Mas Man (Trinidad & Tobago, US)
MIRA NAIR AWARD for Rising Female Filmmaker Sangeeta Nambiar A Gran Plan (Singapore)
AUDIENCE AWARD The Glamorous Lie (US)
BEST ACTOR Maurice Ripke Hombre y Tierra (US) Directed by Christian Cisneros
BEST ACTRESS Farida Jalal A Gran Plan (Singapore) Directed by Sangeeta Nambiar
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY Check the Rhyme Tim Smoove (US)
TOP SEVEN SHORTS (NARRATIVE) Amos Taylor Maxwell (US) I Can Smoke? Tony Ducret (US) Playing Grown Up Javier Solorzano Casarin (Mexico) Shoot the Moon Alexander Gaeta (US) The Darkness is Close Behind Sheena McCann (US) The Hole Joon Seong Ahn (South Korea) The Pilgrim & the Private Eye Joel Johnstone (US)
BEST SHORT SHORTS* And I on the Opposite Shore Mozell Miley-Bailey (US) Co Raz Zostalo Zapisane Martin Rath (Poland) Raise My Hands Frank Kelly (Ireland) The Future Venetia Taylor (Australia) The World Outside Zachary Kerschberg (US) *12 minutes and under
BEST ANIMATION The Hopper Alex Brüel Flagstad (Denmark) Wolf Dog Tales Bernadine Santistevan (US)
BEST YOUTH (FEATURE) FILM Brooklyn Bridges Fran Tarr (Palestine, US)
BEST YOUTH SHORT Cross Court Rafael Cortina (US)
BEST MUSIC VIDEO Soldier Cinque Northern (US)
HARLEM SPOTLIGHT Stonefaced Vivian Ducat (US)
WINNING FEATURE SCRIPT Eternal Spring Fist Erik Bernard
WINNING SHORT SCRIPT The Tenth Door Michael D. Lies
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS Hope is Not a Black and White Rainbow Harold Brown Resilience Lena Slachmuijlder You Dresses, Me Shoes S.A. Green
SCREENPLAY SEMI-FINALISTS Fall Out Michael Gold In 2 Me U Kimberly Fernandez & Jeanette Villafane Kingpin RM Chepesiuk Undivided Trevor and Troy Parham
For more details visit www.HarlemFilmFestival.com.
