The 2023 Naples International Film Festival announced the filmmaker award winners with the jury prize for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $2,500) going to Vivian Kerr’s Scrap, and the jury prize for Best Documentary Feature (and $2,500) was given to Miranda Yousef’s Art For Everybody.

Audience Awards went to RJ Daniel Hanna’s Hard Miles (Best Narrative Feature), Maggie Contreras’ Maestra (Best Documentary Feature) and Timothy Blackwood’s Infraction (Best Short Film). Both feature films received cash prizes of $1,000 and the short film winner received a cash prize of $500.

Additional filmmaker awards included Denny Tedesco winning NIFF’s signature Focus on the Arts Award and $1,500 for his film, Immediate Family; Shaun Dozier’s The Problem of the Hero winning the Impact Award; Michael Selditch’s Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field selected as the Programmers’ Choice honoree; and Sara Friedman’s Heightened taking Best First Feature honors.

Brendan Hall received the Rising Star Award for his film Out There: A National Parks Story; Christian Cicerone’s Duelers won NIFF’s Indie Spirit Award and Tara Calligan’s The Face of Immokalee: Public Art for Social Changetook the Florida Film Award. Each of these filmmakers also received a $250 cash prize.

The 2023 Naples International Film Festival Award Winners:

NIFF JURY AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature – $2,500
Scrap
Director: Vivian Kerr

Best Documentary Feature – $2,500
Art For Everybody
Director: Miranda Yousef
NIFF PROGRAMMERS’ AWARDS

Focus on the Arts Award – $1,500
Immediate Family
Director: Denny Tedesco

Impact Award – $250
The Problem of the Hero
Director: Shaun Dozier

Indie Spirit Award – $250
Duelers
Director: Christian Cicerone

Programmers’ Choice Award – $250
Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field
Director: Michael Selditch

Best First Feature – $250
Heightened
Director: Sara Friedman

Rising Star Award – $250
Director: Brendan Hall
Out There: A National Parks Story

Florida Film Award – $250
The Face of Immokalee: Public Art for Social Change
Director: Tara Calligan

NIFF AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Award Winner, Narrative Feature – $1,000
Hard Miles
Director: R.J. Daniel Hanna

Audience Award Winner, Documentary Feature – $1,000
Maestra
Director: Maggie Contreras

Audience Award Winner, Best Short Film – $500
Infraction
Director: Timothy Blackwood