Breach directed by Lorenzo Monti picked up the coveted best of the fest Grand Chameleon Award, as well as Best Experimental Film at the Brooklyn Film Festival’s 21st edition: THRESHOLD, which wrapped on Sunday. Felipe Vara de Rey’s Nosotros won Best Narrative Feature and Sarah Menzies’ Afghan Cycles took home the award for Best Feature Documentary.
“It has been a wonderful festival. Everything we were hoping would happen, actually did,” said Marco Ursino, Brooklyn Film Festival Executive Director. “We envisioned this edition as a sanctuary where people of different backgrounds and cultures could have an honest and civilized conversation stimulated by 119 projects which, I feel, did bring back interest in politics and in the social condition of people who live so far away and yet experience the same things we are going through here in the U.S.”
This year’s festival was comprised of 119 features and shorts from 30 countries spread over six continents. The lineup included 19 world premieres, 21 USA bows, 37 east coast debuts and 30 first-time screenings in NYC.
2018 Brooklyn Film Festival Winners
GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD – BREACH by LORENZO MONTI
Best Narrative Feature – NOSOTROS by FELIPE VARA DE REY
Best Documentary Feature – AFGHAN CYCLES by SARAH MENZIES
Best Short Documentary – GIVE by DAVID DE ROZAS
Best Narrative Short – COUNTERFEIT KUNKOO by REEMA SENGUPTA
Best Animation – LA MORT, PERE & FILS by PARONNAUD VINCENT and WALTGENWITZ DENIS
Best Experimental – BREACH by LORENZO MONTI
Best New Director – BROTHERS by BRAM SCHOUW
Best Brooklyn Project – ONE BEDROOM by DARIEN SILLS-EVANS
Spirit Awards
Feature Narrative – ICE CREAM by SABA RIAZI
Feature Documentary – STREET FIGHTING MEN by ANDREW JAMES
Short Documentary – CHRISANTO STREET by PALOMA MARTINEZ
Short Narrative – BONOBO by ZOEL AESCHBACHER
Experimental – GENESIS by ABTIN MOZAFARI
Animation – LES ANIMAUX DOMESTIQUES by JEAN LECOINTRE
Audience Awards
Feature Narrative – ARE YOU GLAD I’M HERE by NOOR FAY GHARZEDDINE
Feature Documentary – MY NAME IS PEDRO by LILLIAN LASALLE
Short Documentary – DAVID’S VOICE by GRAHAM HILL
Short Narrative – CASUALTIES by HOLLY VOGES
Experimental – DUPPY by JUSTIN MORRIS
Animation – HI-FIVE THE CACTUS by CHRISTOPHER THOMAS
Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
Producer – MICHAEL ANGELO ZERVOS & LUKE SHIROCK for TOMMY BATTLES THE SILVER SEA DRAGON
Screenplay – Director/Writer MARINA MICHELSON for BIOPHILIA
Cinematography – VLADIMIR EGOROV for FAITH
Editing – ROMANY MALCO, JR. for PRISON LOGIC
Style – WENDY MCCOLM for BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS
Original Score – Composer SIMON TAUFIQUE for ARE YOU GLAD I’M HERE
Actor Female – LAURA ESTERMAN for CAN HITLER HAPPEN HERE?
Actor Male – ROMANY MALCO for PRISON LOGIC