And the winners are: Winning Films of the 58th AAFF with More Than $20,000 in Prize Money
Ann Arbor—The Ann Arbor Film Festival is proud to announce this year’s award-winning filmmakers selected by jurors, Osbert Parker, Lynne Sachs, and Lisa Steele. The announcement was made during the 58th Ann Arbor Film Festival Live Stream. The announcement was followed by four different live-streamed programs of all the award-winning films at 3:00 p.m EDT, 5:00 p.m. EDT, and 7:45 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 29, as well as at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 30 on Vimeo.
The 2020 awards competition presents $22,500 to filmmakers through mostly cash and some in-kind awards such as film stock, film processing, camera equipment, and digital scanning services. An award from the AAFF confers prestige and financial support; it can also qualify filmmakers for an Oscar® nomination by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the short film category. Qualifying awards are the Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival, the Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film, the Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film, and Best Experimental Film.
58th Ann Arbor Film Festival Awards:
Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival – $3,000
Goodbye Fantasy – Amber Bemak and Nadia Granados
Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker – $2,000
I Dream of Vietnam – Jiayu Yang
Kodak Cinematic Vision Award – $2,000 in film stock
E-Ticket – Simon Liu
Best Experimental Film – $1,500
Video Blues – Emma Tusell
Best Documentary Film – $1,000
Kere mattu Kere (The Lake and The Lake) – Sindhu Thirumalaisamy
Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film – $1,000
The Golden Legend – Chema García Ibarra, Ion de Sosa
Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film – $1,000
Freeze Frame – Soetkin Verstegen
Cutters Studios Archival Film Award – $1,000 in film scanning services
The Deepest Hole – Matt McCormick
Gil Omenn Art & Science Award – $1,000
Home in the Woods – Brandon Wilson
Prix DeVarti for Funniest Film – $1,000 ($500 each)
SPENCER’S SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT PEEP SHOW A.K.A. MICRO-BURLESQUE – Gary Schwartz
AND
I’m Not A Robot – Sean Buckelew
The Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award for an Emerging Experimental Video Artist – $1,000 ($500 each)
Scar – Leilei Xia
AND
Someday – Páraic Mc Gloughlin
The Eileen Maitland Award – $750
Umbilical – Danski Tang
PROCAM Best Regional Filmmaker Award – $750 in kind
Blue – Laura Magnusson
George Manupelli Founder’s Spirit Award – $700
Queering di Teknolojik – Timothy Smith
The No Violence Award – $512
Green Ash (Ceniza Verde) – Pablo Mazzolo
UMCU Audience Award – $500
Tetlalli: the place of stones – Miguel Nájera
Leon Speakers Award for Best Sound Design – $500
Who’s Afraid of RGB? – Billy Roisz
Peter Wilde Award for Most Technically Innovative Film – $500
Vertigo A.I. – Chris Peters
Tíos Award for Best International Film – $500
The Eyes of Summer – Rajee Samarasinghe
\aut\ FILM Award for Best LGBTQ Film – $300
Why Can’t I Be Me? Around You – Harrod Blank
Overture/Wazoo Award for Best Music Video – $300
Diamonds – Tobias Kubli and Tillo Spreng
Juror Awards – $1,688 ( $153.45)
Kids-Michael Frei
Fifth Metacarpal – Scott Fitzpatrick
The Giverny Document – Ja’Tovia Gary
Framing Agnes – Chase Joynt and Kristen Schilt
Flesh – Camila Kater
Colors & Shadows – Andreas Hadjipateras
Candy Shop – Patrick Smith
Aphasia or (It Fell Upon My Mind) – Brynne McGregor
Goodbye Mommy – Jack Wedge
Throat Singing in Kangirsuk – Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland
Thorax – Siegfried A. Fruhauf