Kasper Torsting’s In Love and War (I krig & kærlighed) was voted winner of the Audience Choice Award at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film also won the Valhalla Award for Best Nordic Film. 1917: A Danish soldier fighting under the German regime fakes his own death to escape the horrors in the trenches and return to his wife and son-only to find that everything has changed.
Sam Friedlander’s Babysplitters took home the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema and Bettina Oberli’s With the Wind (Le vent tourne) is the recipient of the Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for Best International Film. The Best Documentary Film Award went to Johnny Sweet’s Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story.
Three awards were handed out for short films. The Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film went to Christopher Wollebekk’s My Brother Amal (Min bror Amal); the Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animated Short Film went to Rachel Johnson’s Henrietta Bulkowski; and Best Documentary Short Film was awarded to Leslie Iwerks’s Selling Lies.
The Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema went to Celia Rico Clavellino’s Journey to a Mother’s Room (Viaje al cuarto de una madre).
Sponsored by Santa Barbara and Tri-Counties ADL, The ADL Stand Up Award went to Javier Fesser’s CHAMPIONS (Campeones). The Social Justice Award for Documentary Film went to Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei’s Laila at the Bridge.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) will return for the 35th edition January 15 – 25, 2020.
Winners of 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Audience Choice Award
Kasper Torsting’s In Love and War (I krig & kærlighed)
Best Documentary Short Film Award
Leslie Iwerks’s Selling Lies
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Live Action Short Film
Christopher Wollebekk’sMy Brother Amal (Min bror Amal)
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Animated Short Film
Rachel Johnson’s Henrietta Bulkowski
Best Documentary Award
Johnny Sweet’sQuiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story
Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award – Best International Feature Film
Bettina Oberli’sWith the Wind (Le vent tourne)
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema
Sam Friedlander’sBabysplitters
Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema
Celia Rico Clavellino’sJourney to a Mother’s Room (Viaje al cuarto de una madre)
Valhalla Award for Best Nordic Film
Kasper Torsting’s In Love and War (I krig & kærlighed)
ADL Stand Up Award
Javier Fesser’s CHAMPIONS (Campeones)
Social Justice Award for Documentary Film
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei’s Laila at the Bridge