AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi today announced the features and short films receiving this year’s Audience and Jury Awards.
Congratulations are in order for Nigerian filmmaker Chika Anadu whose feature film debut, B For Boy, won the Breakthrough award, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.
Developed at the Cannes Cinefondation Residence Program in Paris, the drama, an elegant realist drama that questions Nigeria’s gender divide as a middle-class woman resorts to desperate measures after a miscarriage, made its debut at the BFI in London this year.
A few weeks ago, we featured Chika Anadu’s short film titled The Marriage Factor – a contemporary comedy/drama about a young woman and her marriage-minded mother. Watch it HERE if you missed it.
The short film combines scripted elements, with documentary footage, and dance sequences to tell a tale that many (women, especially, even if you’re not Nigerian) will identify with – the pressure one’s parents, in this case mothers, put on their daughters to find “Mr Right,” walk down the isle and eventually give birth to grandchildren.
Wendy interviewed the filmmaker last month. If you missed that conversation, click HERE to read it. She’s definitely one to watch.
Select award-winning AFI films will screen again today at the Chinese 6 Theatres.
The full list of Award winners follows below:
GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST Grand Jury Award winners in the Live Action and Animated Shorts categories as qualifiers for the annual Academy Awards® Short Film category. The Shorts jury featured Alejandro De Leon (producer), Kitao Sakurai (filmmaker), Jordan Vogt-Roberts (filmmaker) and Heidi Zwicker (shorts programmer).
Live Action Short Film: BUTTER LAMP. “The Grand Jury prize for Live Auction caught us by surprise with its spellbinding and poetic simplicity. Traversing hundreds of miles of geography and spanning generations of time without leaving one central location, this film functions as a profound mediation on the practice and effects of image making,” stated the jury.
Animated Short: THE PLACES WHERE WE LIVED. “This was an exceptionally difficult choice to make. While many of the animations showcase incredible depth and artistry, one film shined through its idiosyncratic use of multiple mediums and humor to provide insight into the
filmmaker’s heart,” stated the jury.
NEW AUTEURS CRITIC’S AWARD
The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world. This year’s New Auteurs jury featured Peter Debruge (Variety), Karina Longworth (author and critic) and Amy Nicholson (LA Weekly). The Shorts jury features Alejandro DeLeon (producer), Kitao Sakurai (filmmaker), Jordan Vogt-Roberts (filmmaker) and Heidi Zwicker (shorts programmer).
NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN: “The true story of a homeless Christian teenager adopted by an abusive family who tests his ability to turn the other cheek. Many, many bad things happen. But the blessing is discovering first-time filmmaker Katrin Gebbe and her incredible ensemble who have braved their own tests – boos and walkouts, nothing too bloody – in order to bring us this powerful movie and faith and sacrifice,” stated the jury.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
World Cinema: THE ROCKET. DIR Kim Mordaunt. Australia.
New Auteurs: THE SELFISH GIANT. DIR Clio Barnard. UK.
American Independents: (award accompanied by a $60,000 grant from Panavision) WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE. DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins. USA.
Breakthrough (award accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize): B FOR BOY. DIR Chika Anadu. Nigeria.
