Jordan Noel’s THIS WORLD ALONE won the top Hoka award for Best Narrative Feature, and Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer’s WRESTLE won for Best Documentary Feature at the 2019 Oxford Film Festival.
Winner of the Best Mississippi Feature was John Reyer Afamasaga’s DOOR AJAR: THE M.B. MAYFIELD STORY; John Rash’s NEGRO TERROR won BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY.
Winner of the Best LGBTQ Feature Film Award was Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA. The shorts category had a tie between Will Stewart’s ALL WE ARE and Morgan Jon Fox’s THE ONE YOU NEVER FORGET for Best LGBTQ Short Film. The jury was so adamant about honoring both films equally that they ponied up the additional $100 prize money themselves so both films could win.
The Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award went to Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer for their work on WRESTLE.
2019 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL AWARD-WINNING FILMS
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
THIS WORLD ALONE – Director: Jordan Noel
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WRESTLE – Directors: Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer
BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE
DOOR AJAR: THE M.B. MAYFIELD STORY – Director: John Reyer Afamasaga
Special Jury Prize/BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE
SHARDE THOMAS: LEGACY OF THE FIFE – Director: Jeffrey Dennis
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
NEGRO TERROR – Director: John Rash
Special Jury Mention/BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
DON’T GET TROUBLE IN YOUR MIND – Director: John Whitehead
BEST LGBTQ FILM
THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA – Directors: Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher
BEST LGBTQ SHORT (TIE)
ALL WE ARE – Director: Will Stewart
BEST LGBTQ SHORT (TIE)
THE ONE YOU NEVER FORGET – Director: Morgan Jon Fox
Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award
Roger Bart
Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award
Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer (WRESTLE)
The Donna Ruth Roberts Volunteer of the Year Award
Leslee Lin and Damon Burks
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
DEBRIS – Director: Julio Ramos
Special Jury Prize/BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
AGE OF BRYCE – Directors: David Feagan, Brian Elliott
Special Jury Prize/BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
ESMERALDA – Directors: Paul Petersen, Rachel Emerson
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
THE CONQUEROR – Director: Timothy Blackwood
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY SHORT
IT’S NOW OR NEVER: A RACE TO SAVE COLONEL PARKER’S COMPLEX – Director: Austin Daniel Blasingame
BEST MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM (Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award
ROOTS AND WINGS – Director: Hanna Miller
Special Jury Prize/BEST MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA – Director: Bennett Krishock
BEST FEST FORWARD EXPERIMENTAL FILM
REMISSION – Directors: John Charter, Paul Kaiser
Special Jury Prize/FEST FORWARD EXPERIMENTAL
FUN TO COOK “WORLD’S BEST FOOD” – Director: Dongjun Kim
BEST FEST FORWARD ANIMATION FILM
MY MOON – Director: Eusong Lee
Special Jury Prize/FEST FORWARD ANIMATION FILM
THE BIRD & THE WHALE – Director: Carol Freeman
BEST MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEO
“Wash My Hands” by Cedric Burnside – Director: Christian Walker
Special Jury Prize/MUSIC VIDEO
THE GREAT DEPRESSION – Director: Jeff Gordon
BEST STUDENT FILM
THE MOON AND THE NIGHT – Director: Erin Lau
Special Jury Prize/STUDENT FILM
NO WAY IN HELL – Director: Raul Toledo
BEST SCREENPLAY
“The Golden Years” – Screenwriter: Joe Statzyk
ARTIST VODKA AWARD
PETIT FOUR – Director: Kalainithan Kalaichelvan
REEL SOUTH AWARD
SIGNS – Directors: Matthew Cipollone and Mikey D’Amico
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
DEBRIS – Director: Julio Ramos
Honorary Mention/BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE TRAFFIC SEPARATING DEVICE – Director: Johan Palmgren