Chris Eska‘s Civil War-set drama The Retrieval, about a boy sent up north by a gang of bounty hunters to con a freed man into his capture, was the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival this past Sunday April 7. The Retrieval premiered at this year’s SXSW, where it garnered a grand jury prize for Best Actor (Tishuan Scott).  I had the pleasure of interviewing the film’s director and cast; those interviews should be up in the next couple of days.

Ashland also gave a jury award for Best Feature Length Documentary to the Roger Ross Williams-directed God Loves Uganda. Uganda, which centers on how radical American Christian evangelists attempt to covert Ugandans and indoctrinate the country with anti-gay rhetoric, also won the Full Frame Inspiration Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival over the weekend.

Read our review of The Retrieval HERE, and our review or God Loves Uganda HERE.

See the full list of the Ashland Independent Film Festival winners below:

Juried Best Feature: The Retrieval

Juried Best Acting Ensemble: Feature – Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

Best Cinematography/The Gerald Hirschfeld A.S.C. Award: Feature – Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

John C. Schweiger Audience Award: Best Feature – The Forgotten Kingdom

Juried Best Documentary: Feature Length – God Loves Uganda

Rogue Creamery Audience Award: Best Documentary – Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings

Rogue Award – Lucy Walker

Juried Best Short Film – The River

Juried Best Short Documentary – FLO

Juried Best Animated Short – Bite of the Tail

Audience Award: Best Short Film – The Other Side

Sypko Andreae Volunteer Spirit Award: Best Short Documentary – Slomo

Family Choice Award – Floyd the Android