Out on Film announced the filmmaker awards for the recently concluded 34th edition of the Oscar ® qualifying, Atlanta-based LGBTQIA+ film festival. Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart was a jury favorite, winning Best Narrative Feature and Best Ensemble. T.J. Parsell’s Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music won both the Jury’s favor for Best Documentary, as well as the Audience Award for Best Documentary, and filmmaker Lauren Hadaway announced herself with Jury nods for both Best First Feature for her film The Novice, as well as capturing the Best Director prize.

Sharing the Jury Prize for Best International Feature were Kun-Young Park’s A Distant Place and Henrika Kull’s Bliss. Also sharing their Audience Awards were Peter Reebane’s Firebird and Nathan Hale Williams’ All Boys Aren’t Blue(best Narrative Feature Film), and Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati’s Mascarpone (Best International Film). William T. Horner and Stacey Worlfel’s Keep the Cameras Rolling: The Pedro Zamora Way was the Runner-Up for the Best Documentary Audience Award.

Out on Film Festival Director, Jim Farmer, said, “This year’s award winners spanned styles, genres, and inspirations, as we recognized the work of both veteran filmmakers and relative newcomers with our awards. It really was an inspiring mix and rightly deserved group that received both jury and audience nods this year.”

Additional jury awards included; Mat Johns’ Inertia (Best Drama Short Film) as well as a Special Award for Excellence in Cinematography for Flames’ Director of Photography: Edward Martinez. The Jury Prize for Best Screenplay went to My Fiona’s Kelly Walker.

Additional audience awards include ties between Faraz Arif Ansari’s Sheer Qorma and Luciana Bitencourt’s As Simple as That for best Narrative Short Film, and Stuart Ruston’s Together Again and Richard O’Connor’s My Aunties for Best Animated Short Film. Best Comedy went to Wes Hurley’s Potato Dreams of America, and Best Comedy Short went to Matt Porter’s Flex, while Roberto Pérez Toledo ‘s Before the Eruption won Best Trans Short Film, and the Audience thought C.J. Arellano’s Griffica delivered the scares for Best Horror Short. Quinlan Orear’s Over My Dead Body won Best Local Short Film, and Lyrik London’s Black Boi Majik, and Deondray Gassfield and Quincy Le Near’s Flames tied for the Runner-Up spot in that category. Denis Theriault’s I am Syd Stone won Best Web Series.

World premieres included; Out on Film alumni Jan Miller Corran’s Along Came Wanda, Antony Hickling’s Down in Paris, aand Jade Winters’ One Four Three, as well as the art installation of Matthew Terrell’s “The Hate Shield Project”. Amanda Bearse’s virtual acceptance of the 2021 Trailblazer Award was a hit, as was the care taken to record thoughtful Q&As and talks on film with the vast majority of this year’s filmmakers.

Farmer added, “While we enjoyed great success last year with our virtual presentations, there is still nothing like being live and in-person with our filmmakers and enjoying their work on the big screen with our film fans here in Atlanta. Adding that to the virtual presentation has continued our growth as a film festival and it was gratifying to hear the appreciation and enthusiasm from our filmmakers following this year’s edition. We’re already looking forward to 2022.”

2021 Out on Film Award Winners

Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature
Sweetheart (Director: Marley Morrison)

Best Documentary
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music (Director: T.J. Parsell)

Best International Film (TIE)
A Distant Place (Director: Kun-Young Park)
Bliss (Director: Henrika Kull)

Best First Feature
The Novice (Director: Lauren Hadaway)

Best Drama Short Film
Inertia (Director: Mat Johns)

Special Award for Excellence in Cinematography – Short Film
Flames (Director of Photography: Edward Martinez)

Best Director
Lauren Hadaway (The Novice)

Best Screenplay
Kelly Walker (My Fiona)

Best Ensemble
Sweetheart

Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature (TIE)
Firebird (Director: Peter Reebane)
All Boys Aren’t Blue (Director: Nathan Hale Williams)

Best Documentary
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music (Director: T.J. Parsell)

Best Documentary Runner-up
Keep the Cameras Rolling: The Pedro Zamora Way (Directors: William T. Horner, Stacey Worlfel)

Best International Film
Flee (Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen)

Best International Film Runner-up
Mascarpone (Directors: Alessandro Guida, Matteo Pilati)

Best Comedy
Potato Dreams of America (Director: Wes Hurley)

Best Narrative Short Film (TIE)
Sheer Qorma (Director: Faraz Arif Ansari)
As Simple as That (Director: Luciana Bitencourt)

Best Comedy Short Film
Flex (Director: Matt Porter)

Best Horror Short Film
Griffica (Director: C.J. Arellano)

Best Animated Short Film (TIE)
Together Again (Director: Stuart Ruston)
My Aunties (Director: Richard O’Connor)

Best Local Short Film
Over My Dead Body (Director: Quinlan Orear)

Best Local Short Film Runner-up (TIE)
Black Boi Majik (Director: Lyrik London)
Flames (Directors: Deondray Gassfield, Quincy Le Near)

Best Trans Short Film
Before the Eruption (Director: Roberto Pérez Toledo)

Best Web Series
I am Syd Stone (Director: Denis Theriault)