2023 FILM AWARD WINNERS
BEST OF FEST & BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Nyama (Meat)
Uganda - Director: Asher Rosen
When an indigenous woman is evicted from her home, she must do anything she can to feed her young son.Make it stand out
BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Undiagnosed
US - Directors: Dr. Katia Moritz & Nicholas Miller
Told through the captivating stories of 4 different families, the film explores why the medical system is failing this - undiagnosed illnesses - population and how studying these patients will advance medicine for all of humanity. Combining genetic technology, the power of community, and unwavering parental love, these families push against the ticking clock of rapid degeneration to find answers.
BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE
The Mirror Game
US - Director: William J. Stribling
Childhood friends Rose and Abe both find themselves in Las Vegas on the same weekend, but when Rose asks Abe for a life-changing favor, the evening takes a turn for the unexpected, and the two spend the night trying to beat the odds.
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Video Visit
US - Director: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Each week, scores of people visit the Brooklyn Public Library to see their incarcerated loved ones via a free video call. Video Visit tells the story of two mothers and their sons, and the librarians who negotiate daily to keep the families connected.
BEST STUDENT FILM
Five
US - Director: David Orantes
At the age of 16, Malcolm was convicted of reckless homicide. While inside he converted to Islam, and after 7 years he is released. Now 23 years old, with no diploma, no work history, and no place to go, he returns to his childhood home seeking the forgiveness of his Mother. His crime has hurt her more than you can imagine.
BEST FLORIDA FILM
Tony and the Tree
Florida, US - Director: Pacey Hansen
A young boy living with his estranged mother finds the comfort he craves in his relationship with a tree. However, this tree believes in revenge.
SPECIAL JURY AWARD - Performance
Foxglove (actor: Clara Harte)
Ireland - Director: Michael-David McKernan
Siobhán, left the island many years previous but now when she is beckoned home by her aunt she is forced to face the demons of her past and the crux of her unresolved pain, her relationship with her father.
SPECIAL JURY AWARD - Bold stories
While Mortals Sleep
US - Director: Alex Fofonoff
When a cold case novelist’s career implodes, she seeks refuge in her friend’s remote vacation home. Upon arrival, she encounters a strange couple who claim to be the caretakers. As tensions build, a dark secret begins to emerge.
SPECIAL JURY AWARD - Production design
Domestic Bliss
US - Directors: Jennifer Scott & Nicole Townssend
A woman with a surprise up her sleeve hopes to get a commitment-phobic man to propose
SPECIAL JURY AWARD - Stylization in storytelling
The Sprayer
Iran - Director: Farnoosh Abedi
In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. When a soldier finds a seed buried deep down in the dust, his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.