While it held the premieres for such major studio films such as the Evil Dead remake (our review here) and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, the South by Southwest Film Festival also marks the birthplace for many new discoveries and today we’ve got a few titles to keep on our radar, as the jury awards have been announced. The list of jurors includes many notable names in the independent film realm, including ION Cinema’s Eric Lavallee, Indiewire’s Dana Harris, Elvis Mitchell, Brian Brooks, Jonathan Lisecki, Ondi Timoner, Don Hertzfeldt and more.
As for the Grand Jury prize in the Documentary Feature category, Ben Nabors took it home with his film William and the Windmill, which follows an energy icon. On the Narrative Feature side, Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Brie Larson-led Short Term 12 followed in the steps of last year’s Gimme the Loot, bringing home the Grand Jury prize. Check out the full list of winners below and expect to see the bulk of them hit theaters or VOD within the next year, and follow our coverage from the festival here.
Feature Film Jury Awards
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Winner: WILLIAM AND THE WINDMILL Director: Ben Nabors
Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: Touba
Director of Photography: Scott Duncan
Special Jury Recognition for Directing: We Always Lie To Strangers
Directors: AJ Schnack & David Wilson
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Winner: Short Term 12 Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Special Jury Recognition for Ensemble Cast: Burma
Christopher Abbott
Gaby Hoffmann
Christopher McCann
Dan Bittner
Emily Fleischer
Jacinta Puga
Matt McCarthy
Kelly Aucoin
Special Jury Recognition for Acting: Tishuan Scott, The Retrieval
Short Film Jury Awards
NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: Ellen is Leaving
Director: Michelle Savill
Honorable Mention: Sequin Raze Director: Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
Honorable Mention: SKIN
Director: Jordana Spiro
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: SLOMO
Director: Josh Izenberg
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: The Apocalypse Directors: Andrew Zuchero
ANIMATED SHORTS Winner: Oh Willy…
Director: Emma De Swaef & Marc James Roels
MUSIC VIDEOS Winner: Vitalic, “Stamina”
Director: Saman Keshavarz
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: The Benefactress Director: Alina Vega
SXSW Film Design Awards
EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN Winner: Kiss of the Damned
Designer: Akiko Stehrenberger, Gravillis Inc
Special Jury Recognition: We Always Lie To Strangers
Designer: Erik Buckham, PALACEWORKS
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN Winner: Joven & Alocada
Designer: Pablo González, Fabula
Special Jury Recognition: Crave
Designer: Raleigh Stewart, Iron Helmet
SXSW Special Awards
SXSW CHICKEN & EGG EMERGENT NARRATIVE WOMAN DIRECTOR AWARD Winner: Hannah Fidell, A Teacher
Special Mention: Katie Graham. Zero Charisma
LOUIS BLACK “LONE STAR” AWARD
Winner: Loves Her Gun
Director: Geoff Marslett
KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP
Presented to: Jim Hession
Which of the above films are you looking forward to?