SIFF 2021 Award Winners

Eleven days and 220 films later, the Golden Space Needle Audience and Juried Competition Awards have been announced. This year’s program was broadly representative, with films hailing from 69 countries of production, 56% of films directed by women, and more than 70% without US distribution. Congrats to all these award-winning filmmakers, and thanks to our jurors and our treasured audience for a terrific 47th year!

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best Film - There Is No Evil (dir: Mohammad Rasoulof, Germany/Czech Republic/ Iran)

Best Documentary - Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (dir. Sarah Kunstler, Emily Kunstler, USA)

Best Short Film - My Neighbor, Miguel (dir. Danny Navarro, USA)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision - Under the Open Sky (dir: Miwa Nishikawa, Japan)

JURIED AWARDS - FEATURES

Official Competition Grand Jury Prize - Little Girl (dir. Sébastien Lifshitz, France)

Ibero-American Competition Grand Jury Prize - Fly So Far (Nuestra libertad) (dir. Celina Escher, El Salvador/Sweden)

Ibero-American Competition Special Jury Prize - The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (El perro que no calla) (dir. Ana Katz, Argentina)

Ibero-American Competition Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Acting - Thiessa Woinbackk for Valentina (dir. Cássio Pereira dos Santos, Brazil)

New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize - This Is My Desire (Eyimofe) (dir. Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, Nigeria)

New American Cinema Competition Grand Jury Prize - Son of Monarchs (dir. Alexis Gambis, USA/Mexico)

New American Cinema Competition Special Jury Prize - Mother’s Milk | dir. Larry Powell, Nick Ducassi, Adriana DeGirolami, Kameron Neal, Bianca LaVerne Jones, Shinelle Azoroh, Alex Ander, John MacDonald, Lelund Durond Thompson, USA)

Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize - The Earth is Blue as an Orange (dir. Iryna Tsilyk, Ukraine/Lithuania)

Documentary Competition Special Jury Prize - Writing With Fire (dir. Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh, India)

Youth Jury Prize for Best Films4families Feature - The Legend of Hei (dir. MTJJ, China)

Youth Jury Prize for Best Futurewave Feature - Summertime (dir. Carlos López Estrada, USA)

JURIED AWARDS - SHORTS

FutureWave Shorts Wavemaker Award - Ambivalent (dir. Kayla Li, USA)

Futurewave Shorts Audience Award - A Really Dark Comedy (dir. Manasi Ughadmathe, USA)

Short Film Live Action Grand Jury Prize - Bruiser (dir. Miles Warren, USA)

Short Film Live Action Special Jury Prize for Direction - Breaking Ground (dir. Inès Girihirwe, Rwanda)

Short Film Live Action Special Jury Prize for Sound Design & Cinematography - The Pond, At Night (dir. Olivia Bordreau, Canada)

Short Film Live Action Special Jury Prize for Performance - Safa Tarifi for Are You Still There? (dir. Rayka Zehtabchi, Sam Davis, USA)

Short Film Documentary Grand Jury Prize - Souvenir Souvenir (dir. Bastien Dubois. France)

Short Film Documentary Special Jury Prize for Direction - Breaches (dir. Maria Elorza, Koldo Almandoz, Spain)

Short Film Animation Grand Jury Prize - Crowded (dir. Nathania Rubin, the Netherlands)

Short Film Animation Special Jury Prize for Achievement in Puppetry - The Haunted Swordsman (dir. Kevin McTurk, USA)