SIFF 2019 Award Winners

Tel Aviv on Fire wins Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film
Grand Jury Prizes go to House of Hummingbird, The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia, The Awakening of the Ants, International Falls, and Q Ball 
Best Documentary goes to We are the Radical Monarchs
Damla Sönmez, Sibel wins Best Actress
Julius Weckauf, All About Me wins Best Actor 

SEATTLE —June 9, 2019—The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, today announced the winners of the 2019 Golden Space Needle Audience and Juried Competition Awards. The awards were presented at a ceremony and brunch held at Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Seattle. The 25-day Festival, which began May 16, featured over 400 films representing 86 countries, including 33 World premieres (12 features, 21 shorts), 42 North American premieres (27 features, 15 shorts), 19 US premieres (11 features, 8 shorts), and 750 Festival screenings and events. Additionally, SIFF brought in more than 300 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals as guests of the Festival.

"It's been an incredible 25 days full of important stories from around the world. We're incredibly proud to showcase women in comedy, from jump starting the Festival with a lot of laughs during the screening of local filmmaker Lynn Shelton's newest film Sword of Trust, to honoring the incredible talent of Regina Hall with the Festival's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema before a screening of Support the Girls, one of her latest films, on June 2nd, showcasing the hilarious Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson's Late Night as our Centerpiece, and closing this year's Festival with Lulu Wang's The Farewell," said Artistic Director Beth Barrett. "In addition to celebrating women's voices, we hosted one-of-a-kind experiences like the third SIFF New Works-in-Progress forum that brings audiences and industry into the filmmaking creative process to critique and inspire direction to filmmakers while their films are being made." 

The Best of SIFF lineup will be announced Monday, June 10 and SIFF's five cinema screens will resume daily cinema service with Best of SIFF titles and other outstanding cinematic experiences beginning Friday, June 14.

---

2019 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD WINNERS

SIFF celebrates its films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. Selected by Festival audiences, awards are given in six categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film. This year, over 82,000 ballots were submitted.

The 2019 Golden Space Needle Awards are created by Seattle Artist, Piper O'Neill of Idlewild Union. More about O'Neill at idlewildunion.com.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST FILM
Tel Aviv on Fire, directed by Sameh Zoabi (Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium 2018)

First runner-up: Sink or Swim, directed by Gilles Lellouche (France/Belgium 2018)
Second runner-up: Official Secrets, directed by Gavin Hood (USA/United Kingdom 2019)
Third runner-up: Vai, directed by Nicole Whippy, 'Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Matasila Freshwater, Amberley Jo Aumua, Miria George, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Dianna Fuemana, Becs Arahanga (New Zealand 2019)
Fourth runner-up: Blinded by the Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha (United Kingdom 2019)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST DOCUMENTARY
We Are the Radical Monarchs, directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton (USA 2019)

First runner-up: Our Bodies Our Doctors, directed by Jan Haaken (USA 2019)
Second runner-up: Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, directed by Janice Engel (USA 2019)
Third runner-up: Patrinell: The Total Experience, directed by Andrew Elizaga, Tia Young (USA 2019)
Fourth runner-up: Maiden, directed by Alex Holmes (United Kingdom 2018)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST DIRECTOR
Ulaa Salim, Sons of Denmark (Denmark 2019)

First runner-up: Sameh Zoabi, Tel Aviv on Fire (Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium 2018)
Second runner-up: Willem Bosch, Afterlife (the Netherlands 2019)
Third runner-up: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts, For Sama (United Kingdom/Syria 2019)
Fourth runner-up: Károly Ujj Mészáros, X - The eXploited (Hungary 2018)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST ACTOR
Julius Weckauf, All About Me (Germany 2019)

First runner-up: Lorenzo Ferro, El Ángel (Argentina/Spain 2018)
Second runner-up: Rady Gamal, Yomeddine (Egypt/USA/Austria 2018)
Third runner-up: Aldis Hodge, Clemency (USA 2019)
Fourth runner-up: Viveik Kalra, Blinded by the Light (United Kingdom 2019)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST ACTRESS
Damla Sönmez, Sibel (Turkey/France/Germany/Luxembourg 2018)

First runner-up: Alfre Woodard, Clemency (USA 2019)
Second runner-up: Emilie Piponnier, Alice (Australia/France 2019)
Third runner-up: Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale (Australia 2018)
Fourth runner-up: Mimosa Willamo, Aurora (Finland 2019)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD - BEST SHORT FILM
Stepdaddy, directed by Lisa Steen (USA 2019)

First runner-up: Mikey, directed by Duane Schrode (USA 2018)
Second runner-up: All on a Mardi Gras Day, directed by Michal Pietrzyk (USA 2019)
Third runner-up: Other Side of the Box, directed by Caleb J. Phillips (USA 2018)
Fourth runner-up: Sweetheart Dancers, directed by Ben-Alex Dupris (USA 2018)

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION
Presented by Women in Film Seattle
Jan Haaken, Our Bodies Our Doctors (USA 2019)

This award is given to the female director's film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle's Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film Seattle to bestow it.

---

SIFF 2019 COMPETITION AWARDS

SIFF confers five juried competition awards: SIFF Official Competition, Ibero-American Competition, New Directors Competition, New American Cinema Competition (FIPRESCI Prize), and Documentary Competition. The winners in each juried competition receives $5,000 in cash.

SIFF 2019 OFFICIAL COMPETITION
The SIFF Official Competition is juried by a team of international industry members, and are selected by SIFF programmers for their cinematic excellence. The SIFF Official Competition Jury members were Sam Morrill (Head of Management at Animal Kingdom), Helen Huang (Showtime Networks), and Anne Hubbell (Tangerine Entertainment).

GRAND JURY PRIZE
House of Hummingbird (d: Bora Kim, South Korea/USA 2018)
JURY STATEMENT: In an unanimous decision we are excited to honor this surprisingly mature first feature, anchored by an effortless performance by its young lead and surrounded by well-developed supporting characters. We were captivated by this movie for its authentic point of view and the universal, yet individual experience of a specific culture and time. We are pleased to give the Grand Jury Prize to House of Hummingbird.

2019 Entries:
Ghost Town Anthology (d: Denis Côté, Canada (Québec) 2019, US Premiere)
House of Hummingbird (d: Bora Kim, South Korea/USA 2018)
The Announcement (d: Mahmut Fazil Coskun, Turkey 2018)
The Days to Come (d: Carlos Marqués-Marcet, Spain 2019)
Them That Follow (d: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage, USA 2019)
Twin Flower (d: Laura Luchetti, Italy 2018, US Premiere) 
Watch List (Maria) (d: Ben Rekhi, Philippines/USA 2019, World Premiere)  
X&Y (d: Anna Odell, Sweden 2018)

---

SIFF 2019 IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION
The SIFF Ibero-American Competition aims to highlight the strength, creativity, and influence of storytelling in the region. The Ibero-American Competition is for films having their Seattle premiere during the Festival and without US distribution. The SIFF Ibero-American Competition Jury members were Manuel Betancourt (film critic, culture writer), Effie Brown (film, television and digital producer), and Carlos Marques-Marcet (filmmaker, The Days to Come).

GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Awakening of the Ants (d: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Costa Rica/Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
JURY STATEMENT: For its subtle yet powerful depiction of a woman's inner landscape as she takes control of her body in defiance of cultural and familial expectations. For giving us a stirring central performance that's equal parts moving and transfixing.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
The Good Girls (d: Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico 2018)
JURY STATEMENT: To its director, for creating a biting satire that reminds us that women's quiet lives of desperation can carry the weight of recent history within them.

2019 Entries:
The Awakening of the Ants (d: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Costa Rica/Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
Carmen & Lola (d: Arantxa Echevarria, Spain 2018)
The Good Girls (d: Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico 2018)
Marighella (d: Wagner Moura, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)
Miriam Lies (d: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic 2019)
Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark (d: Daniel Rosenfeld, Argentina/France 2018)
The Sharks (d: Lucía Garibaldi, Uruguay/Argentina/Spain 2019)
Socrates (d: Alexandre Moratto, Brazil 2018)
This is Not Berlin (d: Hari Sama, Mexico 2019)
Your Turn (d: Eliza Capai, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)

---

SIFF 2019 NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION
Festival programmers select 8 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style, and overall excellence. To be eligible, a film must be a director's first or second feature and without US distribution at the time of selection. The SIFF New Directors Jury members were Neal Block (Magnolia Pictures), Amy Nicholson (film writer and critic), and Simone Ling (producer).

GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia (d: Arturo Infante, Cuba/Germany 2018)
JURY STATEMENT: The New Directors Jury is thrilled to award their Grand Prize, and a $5,000 cash grant, to The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia, a Science Fiction dramedy charting the hopes of space exploration while keeping its heart and feet planted in the earthly struggles of Cuban life. Writer/director Arturo Infante's fable honours a middle-aged woman whose disappointments in life prompt her to search for something more. Congratulations to The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia, indeed an extraordinary, unexpected and heartwarming, journey for both the characters and the audience.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Long Time No Sea (d: Heather Tsui, Taiwan 2018)
JURY STATEMENT: The jury would also like to acknowledge Heather Tsui, director of Long Time No Sea, for her commitment to ensuring that stories of unseen communities are told.

2019 Entries:
Ayka (d: Sergey Dvortsevoy, Kazakhstan/Russia/Germany/Poland/China 2018)
A Colony (d: Genevieve Dulude-De Celles, Canada (Québec) 2018)
Crystal Swan (d: Darya Zhuk, Belarus/Russia/Germany/USA 2018)
The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia (d: Arturo Infante, Cuba/Germany 2018)
House of My Fathers (d: Suba Sivakumaran, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom 2018)
Long Time No Sea (d: Heather Tsui, Taiwan 2018)
Retrospekt (d: Esther Rots, Netherlands/Belgium 2018, US Premiere)
Sons of Denmark (d: Ulaa Salim, Denmark 2019, North American Premiere)

---

SIFF 2019 NEW AMERICAN CINEMA COMPETITION
Festival programmers select eight films without US distribution at the time of selection that are sure to delight audiences looking to explore the exciting vanguard of New American Cinema to compete for the FIPRESCI Award for Best New American Film. The SIFF New American Cinema Jury members were Robert Horton (film critic), Petra Meterc (film critic), Lucy Virgen (film critic).

GRAND JURY PRIZE
International Falls (d: Amber McGinnis, USA 2019)
JURY STATEMENT: The jury was impressed by the originality and the deceptive simplicity of the premise, the humor and the refreshing treatment of middle age. 

2019 Entries:
Burning Cane (d: Phillip Youmans, USA 2019)
Driveways (d: Andrew Ahn, USA 2019)
Go Back To China (d: Emily Ting, China/Hong Kong/USA 2018)
International Falls (d: Amber McGinnis, USA 2019)
Mickey and the Bear (d: Annabelle Attanasio, USA 2019)
Premature (d: Rashaad Ernesto Green, USA 2019)
Stray Dolls (d: Sonejuhi Sinha, USA 2019)
To the Stars (d: Martha Stephens, USA 2019)

---

SIFF 2019 DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Unscripted and uncut, the world is a resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have for years brought untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may never have known existed. The SIFF Documentary Jury members were Ryland Aldrich (producer), Ania Trzebiatowska (Autlook FilmSales), and Myrocia Watamaniuk (Senior International Programmer at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto).

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Q Ball (d: Michael Tolajian, USA 2019)
JURY STATEMENT: For its refreshing positivity and skillful portrayal of vivid characters and honest camaraderie.

2019 Entries:
Eastern Memories (d: Niklas Kullström, Martti Kaartinen, Finland 2018)
Fly Rocket Fly (d: Oliver Schwehm, Germany/Belgium 2018, North American Premiere)
Lynch: A History (d: David Shields, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Pigeon Kings (d: Milena Pastreich, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Q Ball (d: Michael Tolajian, USA 2019)
A Thousand Girls Like Me (d: Sahra Mosawi-Mani, Afghanistan/France 2018)
We Are the Radical Monarchs (d: Linda Goldstein Knowlton, USA 2019)
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (d: Alison Reid, Canada/USA/Kenya/South Africa 2018)

---

SIFF 2019 YOUTH JURY FEATURES & FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AWARDS

SIFF presents films throughout the Festival curated for youth in our Films4Families and FutureWave feature programs with seven youth selected in each respective jury to award their favorite film within their category.

YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE
We Are the Radical Monarchs (d: Linda Goldstein Knowlton, USA 2019)
JURY STATEMENT: For its empowering story, especially for young women of color, that shows real people standing for something they believe in, growing into activists, and learning real world skills.

YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE
Carmen & Lola (d: Arantxa Echevarria, Spain 2018)
JURY STATEMENT: For its portrayal of difficult decisions through the heartbreak of young love, this film's cultural insight into the Spanish Roma community culminated in a lasting emotional impact. 

In addition, SIFF presents FutureWave Shorts during ShortsFest Weekend, a program featuring filmmakers aged 18 and under. These inspiring original short films represent some of the best short filmmaking from around the world. FutureWave Shorts Jury: Filmmakers Leo Pfeifer, Melinda Raebyne, and Sudeshna Sen.

WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND JURY PRIZE)
grief.exe (USA 2018), Director: Dylan Santa Cruz
Jury Statement: For its combination of a polished narrative with compelling subject matter, grief.exe brings necessary attention to adolescent male vulnerability. We are excited to see more films by Dylan Santa Cruz.

PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIP
The winners will be awarded a $1000 scholarship to the 2019 Prodigy Camp.
Stuffed (USA 2018), Director: Sam Kellman
Fifteen (USA 2019), Director: AJ Baldwin

FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD
Stuffed (d: Sam Kellman, USA 2018)

---

SIFF 2019 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award Shorts Competition. Jurors chose winners in the Live Action, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner receives $2,500 and a free one-year membership to IMDb Pro, which includes comprehensive information and tools designed to help entertainment industry professionals achieve success throughout all stages of their career. Winners in each of the three categories may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.

LIVE ACTION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Sin Cielo (USA 2018), Director: Jianna S. Maarten Saada
Jury Statement: Moved by the complexity and intimacy of character, yet jolted by the devastating implications of turning a blind eye, the jury was deeply impressed by this film's ability to tell a singular story that shines a light on the larger global crisis of femicide. Congratulations to Jianna S. Maarten Saada and the team behind Sin Cielo.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Rock (USA 2019), Director: Jacob Rosen
Jury Statement: Delighted by its unexpected narrative and capacity for fun. The jury wanted to give an honorable mention to Jacob Rosen and the filmmaking team behind Rock.

---

DOCUMENTARY
GRAND JURY PRIZE
All on a Mardi Gras Day (USA 2019), Director: Michal Pietrzyk 
Jury Statement: For introducing us to an artist beset by many challenges, including post-Katrina displacement (and the gentrification that followed in its wake), who finds community and purpose in honoring the Indigenous people that provided safe harbor for fleeing slaves, the jury prize for documentary goes to Michal Pietrzyk for All on a Mardi Gras Day.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Fast Horse (Canada 2018), Director: Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
Jury Statement: A visit to the fascinating and little-known world of the dangerous, high-stakes game of bareback horse racing, Alexandra Lazarowich has created an exhilarating and beautiful film about the Blackfoot First Nation tradition that was almost lost and is now becoming North America's original extreme sport.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE  
Everything You Wanted to Know About Sudden Birth* (*but were afraid to ask) (United Kingdom 2019), Director: Scott Calonico
Jury Statement: Breaching completely new territory with a story that itself examines an obscure film, Scott Calonico has delivered a film that is hilarious, disturbing, and educational.

---

ANIMATION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Seahorse Traivner (Canada 2019), Directors: Ricardo Bonisoli, Babak Bina
Jury Statement: A stunning achievement in an animated/live action hybrid, creating both a rich world for the viewer to inhabit, and answering the question of what might be the product of human and seahorse relations, the jury prize for animation goes to Ricardo Bonisoli and Babak Bina for The Seahorse Trainer.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Egg (France 2018), Director: Martina Scarpelli
Jury Statement: For its bold visionary style that takes us on a journey as visceral as it is mesmerizing, a Special Mention for Best Animation Short goes to Martina Scarpelli for Egg.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Wild Love (France 2018), Directors: Paul Autric, Quentin Camus, Maryka Laudet, Léa Georges, Zoé Sottiaux, Corentin Yvergniaux
Jury Statement: Proving that crime shall not go unpunished (especially in wilderness) Paul Autric, Quentin Camus, Léa Georges, Maryka Laudet, Zoé Sottiaux, and Corentin Yvergniaux have created an animated short that is anything but predictable, full of laughs, and proves that, in the end, nature always wins.  

---

SIFF 2019 DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT PROGRAM

SIFF is thrilled to award the 2019 Clark Family Legacy Foundation Film Grant in the amount of $50,000 to Seattle-based Thin Skin, a new film by Charles Mudede, Ahamefule Oluo, and Lindy West, based on the smash hit off-broadway show "Now I'm Fine," which was loosely based of Oluo's real life.

We are humbled by the generosity and vision of Dwayne and Terese Clark, True Productions, and The Clark Family Legacy Foundation through their creation of this grant program and their ongoing commitment to nurture filmmakers with the vital financial support toward the completion of their films. SIFF has long believed in the importance of supporting filmmaking ecosystem by providing a platform for makers to debut their work. Through this support, exceptional films now have the opportunity to be fully realized and to be successfully launched into the world.