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