Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira’s Between The Rains won the jury prize for Best Feature, and Tatiana Huezo’s The Echo won the Critics Prize at 32nd edition of Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The Audience Awards were led by Sharon “Rocky” Roggio’s 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture, taking Best Feature.

Regarding their selection of Brown and Thuranira’s Between The Rains for the Best Feature, the jury said, “Through incredible images and extraordinary immersion into a rural area in northern Kenya, this stunning film tells a captivating coming of age story set in a community whose very existence is threatened by climate change.” The Jury also presented a special mention to Roger Ross Williams’ Stamped From The Beginning, citing it as “timely”, and “a film both comprehensive and illuminating in its approach, that illustrates the history of anti-black ideologies and the severe impact they have had on generations of Black Americans.”

The Critics Jury Prize went to Huezo’s The Echo “for the way it elevates and expands the vérité tradition, immersing audiences in a remote Mexican farming community without judging or romanticizing its subjects. Dedicating a year to this evocative enclave of barely 100 inhabitants, the director emerges with a riveting and thoroughly cinematic portrait of a place inaccessible to audiences by any means but by screen.”

Best Short Documentary Film went to Andrew Nadkami’s Between Earth & Sky. The jury lauded the film “for its tender and inspiring portrayal of living beings growing through their scars.” A Special Jury Mention was bestowed upon Iyabo E. Kwayana’s By Water for “its bold and imaginative approach to deeper human truths.” The winner of this year’s PBS Reel South Short Award was Nathan Fitch’s IN EXILE, which explores the U.S.’s nuclear legacy in the Pacific through the lens of members of the Marshallese community in Arkansas. With the award, Fitch received a $1400 award and distribution on Reel South’s platforms.

Additional Hot Springs Matt DeCample Audience Choice Awards went to Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers’ The Last Repair Shop for Best Short Film, and Li Lu’s A Town Called Victoria for Best Southern Feature or Episodic. The award is named after the former festival Communications Director, who was one of the film festival’s most passionate supporters until he passed in 2020.

“This year marked a renewed commitment by our entire festival team and Board to the fully in-person version of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival that generations of audiences, filmmakers and guests have embraced so passionately over the years,” said Executive Director Ken Jacobson. “Through a wide range of impactful events — from “True Stories”, our first live storytelling event, to the Southern Storytellers screening and panel, and the world premiere of the episodic series A Town Called Victoria — we put a bright spotlight on the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling, with a special emphasis on the unique stories and artists of the South and Mid-South regions. We were thrilled with the enthusiastic response by our audience and the personal connections they made with our attending filmmakers and special guests, including beloved Arkansan and Honorary Chair Mary Steenburgen. These award-winning films are a fitting representation of the thoughtful and dynamic filmmaking that this year’s Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival presented from our first screening on Opening Night to our final Closing Night presentation.”

The 2023 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Award Winners:

Best Documentary Feature Film
BETWEEN THE RAINS
Directors: Andrew H. Brown, Moses Thuranira

Honorable Mention
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING
Director: Roger Ross Williams

HSDFF Critics Prize
THE ECHO
Director: Tatiana Huezo

SHORT FILMS

Best Short Documentary Film
BETWEEN EARTH & SKY
Director: Andrew Nadkami

Special Jury Mention
BY WATER
Director: Iyabo E. Kwayana

Reel South Award (In partnership with PBS Reel South)
IN EXILE directed by Nathan Fitch

MATT DECAMPLE AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Audience Choice Award for Best Feature
1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE
Director: Sharon “Rocky” Roggio

Audience Choice Award for Best Short
THE LAST REPAIR SHOP
Directors: Ben Proudfoot, Kris Bowers

Audience Choice Award for Best Southern Feature or Episodic
A TOWN CALLED VICTORIA
Director: Li Lu