The Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly attended festival in the United States, announced today this year’s ShortsFest Jury Award winners. ShortsFest Weekend, SIFF’s celebration of the short film, takes place every year over Memorial Day Weekend at SIFF Cinema Uptown. This year’s Festival (May 15 – June 8) features 168 short films, including 24 World, 8 North American, and 6 US premieres.
Carl Spence, SIFF’s Artistic Director, says, “ShortsFest Weekend is always one of the most fun events of the Festival. Once again this year, the selection reveals the incredible vibrancy and diversity of the short form. The audience here in Seattle loves shorts, and it’s great to bring these filmmakers together for the long weekend so they can share ideas while we celebrate their work.”
Adds Beth Barrett, Director of Programming, “From recognizable names to emerging talent, ShortsFest 2014 showcased an impressive array of films. Six years ago, SIFF became an Academy Award®-qualifying festival, and we are proud to be part of the development of these significant voices in filmmaking.”
ShortsFest jurors choose winners in the Live Action, Documentary, and Animation categories. All ShortsFest films shown at the Festival are also eligible for Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. Each ShortsFest Grand Jury winner will receive $1,000, and the winners in the three categories are eligible for the Academy Awards® in their respective Short Film category (Live Action, Documentary, or Animated). ShortsFest is sponsored by The Mac Store and Classical KING FM 98.1.
SIFF 2014 SHORTSFEST AWARD WINNERS
LIVE ACTION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Twaaga, directed by Cedric Ido (Burkina Faso, France)
JURY STATEMENT: A rich and compelling world with beautiful cultural and generational chapters. The seamless use of animated comic book imagery reflects the protagonist’s journey and the larger political backdrop.
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Aban + Khorshid, directed by Darwin Serink (USA)
JURY STATEMENT: A beautifully filmed and tragic story, based on real life events, about freedoms here in the US that carry the death penalty elsewhere.
DOCUMENTARY
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Maikaru, directed by Amanda Harryman (USA)
JURY STATEMENT: An honest, vulnerable, and authentic piece that exposes an invisible issue that is happening in Seattle and worldwide. The character’s story of healing leaves the audience with a sense of hope. The use of artistic footage illustrates the character’s transformative journey.
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
The Queen (La Reina), directed by Manuel Abramovich (Argentina)
JURY STATEMENT: Effective framing crafts a haunting portrait of youth in exhibition pageants.
ANIMATION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Rhino Full Throttle, directed by Erik Schmitt (Germany)
JURY STATEMENT: A story of self redemption told through quirky and playful animation bounding with shifting formats that would be dizzying if the story wasn’t so timeless. An animated love story that tips its hat to its own genre.
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