Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Film Festival announced the winning films and filmmakers following the conclusion of its 12th edition. Piotr Stasik’s Film For Aliens was a two-time winner, taking home the Best Narrative Feature award as well as the festival’s Grand Jury Award. Thaddeus D. Matula’s Into The Spotlight won Best Documentary Feature.
The Greenpoint Film Festival also announced the films/filmmakers selected for their coveted R2W2 Accelerator and Mentorship Prizes. Maegan A. Houang won the GFF23 Short to Feature Accelerator Prize for her “audaciously original and promisingly groundbreaking work” in Astonishing Little Feet, and Alex Spott won the GFF23 Talent Mentorship Prize for the “clarity of vision and creativity” showcased in her film No Other Gods But Me. The Short to Feature Accelerator Prize consists of in-kind consultation services in development, financing, production to distribution that will lay the groundwork to propel the short film into the production of the feature film version of it, while the Talent Mentorship Prize consists of coaching the winning talent to help best position themselves in the market and to lay the groundwork for having a sustainable talent career.
Greenpoint Film Festival Creative Director Ricardo Vilar, said, “This was a wonderful edition of the film festival, highlighted by a coming together of filmmakers both local and as far away as Europe and Asia to share their films with us and connect with each other, here in North Brooklyn. It was exciting to hear audience members and their fellow filmmakers give feedback with conversations inspired by the thought provoking subjects and entertaining cinema they had just watched. Presenting these awards was a perfect way to wrap up a fantastic event celebrating truly independent film.”
Additional winners included Anne Hu’s Lunchbox (Best Narrative Short Film), Alex Ramsey’s Limbo (Best Documentary Short Film), and Chen Sing Yap’s Feeling The Apocalypse (Best Animation Film). Honorable mentions went to Lorena Russi’s A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms, Manal Fadlala’s Achromatism, Sam Motamedi’s Repentance, Noam Argov’s Sulam, and Simon Schneider’s Zeitpunkt X.
Following a standing room only screening of Michał Kwieciński’s Filip at the Polish Consulate, the Greenpoint Film Festival presented four days of screenings, panels, and interactive presentations at The Boiler / ELM Foundation (191 N. 14th Street) which included interactive conversations with a computer-generated killer whale for audience members waiting to take their seats the next screening. The lineup has strong representation from Poland, as well as a respectful nod to Ukraine courtesy of the Opening Night presentation of Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Roslowski’s dramatic feature The Hamlet Syndrome and Orr Bortman’s short documentary Lesyk a.k.a. Words of Wisdom. Eventual award-winner Piotr Stasik headed a special workshop, “How to Make a Documentary in One Day,” for young, aspiring filmmakers (21 years-old or less), and the Closing Night presentation of Saim Sadiq’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner Joyland concluded the festival with a special pre-recorded interview with Sadiq and cast members with Siddhant Adlakha following the screening.
This year the Greenpoint Film Festival also teamed up with New York City’s largest soundstage company – Broadway Stages, highlighting their commitment to renewable energy and eco-friendly production utilizing “green” venue dressings, including a Step-and-Repeat made of wood with replaceable logos.
To find more information on the Greenpoint Film Festival, please visit: https://greenpointfilmfestival.org/.
2023 Greenpoint Film Festival Filmmaker Awards
Grand Jury Award
Film For Aliens
Director: Piotr Stasik
Best Narrative Feature Film
Film For Aliens
Director: Piotr Stasik
Best Documentary Feature Film
Into The Spotlight
Director: Thaddeus D. Matula
R2W2 Short to Feature Accelerator Prize
Astonishing Little Feet
Director: Maegan A. Houang
R2W2 Talent Mentorship Prize
No Other Gods But Me
Director: Alex Spott
Best Narrative Short Film
Lunchbox
Director: Anne Hu
Best Documentary Short Film
Limbo
Director: Alex Ramsey
Best Animation Film
Feeling The Apocalypse
Director: Chen Sing Yap
Honorable Mentions
A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms
Director: Lorena Russi
Achromatism
Director: Manal Fadlala
Repentance
Director: Sam Motamedi
Sulam
Director: Noam Argov
Zeitpunkt X
Director: Simon Schneider
