The 2016 Harlem International Film Festival announced on Sunday, September 18, the award winners for the 11th edition of the film festival at MIST Harlem (41 West 116th Street). Priscilla Anany’s CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN was named Best Narrative Feature, with Yoon-ha Chang’s I GO BACK HOME – JIMMY SCOTT taking the award for Best Documentary Feature. Ed Ehrenberg’s HEAR THE SILENCE won Best World Film (Narrative) and Fredrik Oskarsson’s NUCLEAR NEIGHBOR took the prize for Best World Documentary.
Harlem International Film Festival Program Director Nasri Zacharia said, “This year’s slate of films was unprecedented in their diversity and impact on our audiences. They pushed boundaries, dealt with issues and emotions that affect us all, and provided an introduction to some truly special and accomplished filmmakers. While it is always a pleasure to bestow distinction on some of the great films we enjoyed and appreciated, it is to all of their credit that it’s difficult to not honor so many more.”
The Audience Award was bestowed upon Margo Pelletier’s THIRSTY and Best Director Awards went to Brandon Ford Green for GOOD GRIEF (Narrative Feature), and Dawn Engle for RIGOBERTA MANCHÚ TUM – DAUGHTER OF THE MAYA (Documentary Feature).
The Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker went to Kati Juurus for her work on FOR KIBERA!, while acting awards were received by Rukiyat Masud (Best Actress for CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN), Mdou Moctar (Best Actor for RAIN THE COLOR BLUE WITH A LITTLE RED IN IT), and 42 SECONDS OF HAPPINESS receiving the nod for Best Ensemble Cast.
Honoring work behind the camera, the Harlem International Film Festival cited Marco Lopez for Best Cinematography for his work on THE SISTER, and Flora Volpelière was singled out for Best Editing for WEST COAST. A handful of performers were named Most Remarkable Young Person on Screen, including Laura Gontarczyk (TWO WORLDS), Jonas Laborda (JONAS AND THE BACKYARD CIRCUS), Kojo Roney (KOJO), Leonay Shepherd (GOOD FUNK), and Matthew Whitaker (THRIVE).
Highlighting the film festival’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the work of local filmmakers, Daniel Maldonado’s H.O.M.E. won the New York Showcase Award, and Harlem Spotlight Awards went to Adam Kritzer’s GOOD FUNK (Harlem Spotlight Best Feature), Emily Abt’s DADDY DON’T GO (Harlem Spotlight Best Documentary), Greg Charles Royal’s WORLD’S NOT FOR ME (Harlem Spotlight Best Short Narrative), and Mike De Caro’s BY JAMAL JOSEPH (Harlem Spotlight Best Short Documentary).
Best Experimental Film went to Bakhtiyar Islamov’s THE SKY OVER BERLIN OF MY CHILDHOOD. Best Animation went to both Alison Klayman’s THE NIGHT WITCH, and Jamal Joseph’s SISTERS, and Best Music Video also had a pair of winners with JD Ferenc’s BANGERS, and Jacob Krupnick’s DOVE.
The festival placed the spotlight on it’s Top 10 Narrative Shorts, choosing Phedon Papamichael’s A BEAUTIFUL DAY, Albert Uria’s ANY DAY NOW, Paul Meschùh’s BOAT PEOPLE, Karim Oulhaj’s THE FROZEN EYE, Tony Ducret’s MBFF (MAN’S BEST FRIEND FOREVER), George Dalphin’s NEUROPHREAK, Dave Zhang’s PRINCESS EUN HWA, Jace Alexander Casey’s SHEN, James Khehtie’s THE TELEGRAM MAN, and LeRon Lee’s UGLY. A trio of films received recognition as Best Short Documentaries, including Stephanie Mankins’s DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?, Gabri Christa’s ONE DAY AT A TIME, and Gini Richards, Monica Berra, and SheRea DelSol’s SOUL CITY. Best Short Shorts nods went to Pau Escribano’s THE QUANTUM LIGHTER, James Wvinner’s THE CRIP WHO LOVES YOGA, and Paul Szynol’s THRIVE.
Best Youth Feature went to Karmia Olutade’s THE REMNANT, Best Youth Short was Wayne Williams’s LET’S STAY TOGETHER, and Susan Saltz’s OUT OF THE ASHES Was named Best Youth Short Documentary.
Winning Webisodes were Kaira Akita’s EVERYTHING I DID WRONG IN MY TWENTIES (Narrative), and Maureen Aladin’s MY LIFE OFFLINE (Documentary). The Winning Feature Script was Ken Kimmelson and Mick Carlon’s Riding on Duke’s Train, and the Winning Short Script was Marjory Kaptanoglu’s Run, My Dear.
The festival opened with a tribute to Prince including a screening of Christopher Kirkely’s African homage to Prince’s PURPLE RAIN, RAIN THE COLOR BLUE WITH A LITTLE RED IN IT, and closed with Marlene “Mo” Morris’s A NEW COLOR: THE ART OF BEING EDYTHE BOONE, bookending the screening of 99 films (31 features, and 68 short films) including 14 world premieres, 1 North American Premiere, and 7 U.S. premieres. The Harlem International Film Festival also featured a number of films in their annual Harlem Spotlight, which celebrates the work of Harlem and locally-based filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, and featured the final stage of the Harlem International Film Festival’s Screenplay Showdown, where 6 finalists directed excepts from their scripts in a live read by actors for the film festival’s audience.
THE 2016 HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS
Best Narrative Film
CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN
Director: Priscilla Anany
Best World Film
HEAR THE SILENCE (Höre Die Stille)
Director: Ed Ehrenberg
Best Documentary
I GO BACK HOME – JIMMY SCOTT
Director: Yoon-ha Chang
Best World Documentary
NUCLEAR NEIGHBOR
Director: Fredrik Oskarsson
Audience Award
THIRSTY
Director: Margo Pelletier
Best Narrative Director
Brandon Ford Green (GOOD GRIEF)
Best Documentary Director
Dawn Engle (RIGOBERTA MANCHÚ TUM – DAUGHTER OF THE MAYA)
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker
Kati Juurus (FOR KIBERA!)
Best Actress
Rukiyat Masud (CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN)
Best Actor
Mdou Moctar (RAIN THE COLOR BLUE WITH A LITTLE RED IN IT)
Best Ensemble Cast
42 SECONDS OF HAPPINESS
Most Remarkable Young Person on Screen
Laura Gontarczyk (TWO WORLDS)
Jonas Laborda (JONAS AND THE BACKYARD CIRCUS)
Kojo Roney (KOJO)
Leonay Shepherd (GOOD FUNK)
Matthew Whitaker (THRIVE)
Best Cinematography
Marco Lopez (THE SISTER)
Best Editing
Flora Volpelière (WEST COAST)
New York Showcase Award
H.O.M.E.
Director: Daniel Maldonado
Harlem Spotlight (Feature)
GOOD FUNK
Directed by Adam Kritzer
Harlem Spotlight (Documentary)
DADDY DON’T GO
Director: Emily Abt
Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative)
WORLD’S NOT FOR ME
Director: Greg Charles Royal
Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary)
BY JAMAL JOSEPH
Director: Mike De Caro
Best Experimental Film
THE SKY OVER BERLIN OF MY CHILDHOOD
Director: Bakhtiyar Islamov
Top 10 Narrative Shorts
A BEAUTIFUL DAY Director: Phedon Papamichael
ANY DAY NOW Director: Albert Uria
BOAT PEOPLE Director: Paul Meschùh
THE FROZEN EYE Director: Karim Oulhaj
MBFF (MAN’S BEST FRIEND FOREVER) Director: Tony Ducret
NEUROPHREAK Director: George Dalphin
PRINCESS EUN HWA Director: Dave Zhang
SHEN Director: Jace Alexander Casey
THE TELEGRAM MAN Director: James Khehtie
UGLY Director: LeRon Lee
Best Short Documentaries
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? Director: Stephanie Mankins
ONE DAY AT A TIME Director: Gabri Christa
SOUL CITY Directors: Gini Richards, Monica Berra, SheRea DelSol
Best Short Shorts
THE QUANTUM LIGHTER (L’Encenedor Quàntic) Director: Pau Escribano
THE CRIP WHO LOVES YOGA Director: James Wvinner
THRIVE Director: Paul Szynol
Best Youth Feature
THE REMNANT
Director: Karmia Olutade
Best Youth Short Documentary
OUT OF THE ASHES
Director: Susan Saltz
Best Youth Short
LET’S STAY TOGETHER
Director: Wayne Williams
Best Animation
THE NIGHT WITCH Director: Alison Klayman
SISTERS Director: David Chontos
Best Music Video
BANGERS Director: JD Ferenc
DOVE Director: Jacob Krupnick
Winning Webisode (Narrative)
EVERYTHING I DID WRONG IN MY TWENTIES Director: Kaira Akita
Winning Webisode (Documentary)
MY LIFE OFFLINE Director: Maureen Aladin
Winning Feature Script
Riding on Duke’s Train
Ken Kimmelson & Mick Carlon
Feature Script Finalists
Shining Star
Jackie Thornton
Monsterland
Michael Philip Cash
Dana the Drummer
Tannaz Hazemi
The Crab Pot
Joseph Grinstein
Ghost Chant
Ramon Olivo
Feature Script Semi-Finalists
The Legend of William Tell
J. Ian Sample
Dismas and Gestas
Peter Hoffmann
Wall Streak
Greg Greenberg
The Colored Women’s Chapter
Nancy Zafris
Verity
Richard Spencer
Winning Short Script
Run, My Dear
Marjory Kaptanoglu
Short Script Finalists
Christmas of Nothing
Joseph Verrico
Double Crossed
Eric P. Granger
Fireworks for a Funeral
Madeline Dennis-Yates
