The 5th Annual Gotham Screen International Film Festival (GSIFF) is over after ten days of screenings and events in downtown New York. Highlights of the festival included the world premiere of US drama “40 West,” Singaporean production “Sandcastle” and popular Indian movie “Shuttlecock Boys.”
Festival director Michael Gunther said of the event, “We’re very proud of this year’s program, which featured no less than six world premieres, with films as diverse as US thriller ‘Occupant,’ Chinese documentary ‘He Film’ and indie road movie ‘Days Together.’ The move to the legendary Quad Cinema brought increased attendance and allowed us to dramatically broaden the program. We definitely feel at home in the new surroundings of Greenwich Village and hope to continue our growth, both creatively and audience-wise, in the next year.”
Winners of 2011 GOTHAM SCREEN International Film Festival:
Best Feature: “Jo For Jonathan,” directed by Maxime Giroux
Best Actress: Erin Anderson as ‘Alex’ in “Days Together”
Best Actor: Raphaël Lacaille as ‘Jonathan’ in “Jo For Jonathan”
Best Cinematography: Sharon Loh, for “Sandcastle”
Best Documentary: “The Cost Of Creativity,” directed by John Biddle
Best Short Film: “I Am Not A Moose,” directed by Jessica Brickman — Winner of the $1,000 Circleframe Short Film Award, sponsored by Triboro Pictures.
Audience Choice Awards:
Feature Film: “Brief Reunion,” directed by John Daschbach
Short Film: “Porn Masala,” directed by Ken Kwek
Special Jury Mentions:
Feature Film: “Sandcastle,” by Boo Jun Feng
Documentary: “Fat Cows, Lean Cows,” by Meni Elias
Short Film: “Lighthouse,” by Anthony Chen
Winners of the 2011 GOTHAM SCREEN Screenplay Contest:
Best Screenplay: “Auntie” (Thriller), by Deirdre Patterson — Winner of the $2,500 Circleframe Screenwriting Award, sponsored by Triboro Pictures.
Best Action/Adventure: “April Fool,” by Yvonne Fein
Best Comedy: “Saturday Night Club,” by Rob Nagle
Best Drama: “The Song of Sampson Dale,” by Geoffrey Caple
Best Horror: “Committed,” by Jeff Sussman
Best Mystery: “Absolution,” by Michael R. Lupariello
Best Romantic Comedy: “Alison Offline,” by Gordon Rayfield
Best Sports / Biography: “Jackie,” by Jay S. Blumenkopf
Best War / Drama: “Silent Courage,” by Max Kopelowicz
The 2012 Gotham Screen festival will return in October, 2012.
