Stony Brook Film Festival, which saw its largest audience since the pandemic, concluded its 30th edition with the Peruvian drama Mistura by Ricardo de Montreuil winning the Jury Award for Best Feature. It follows a privileged French-Peruvian woman, who watches as her life quickly unravels after her husband’s betrayal ostracizes her from elite society.
The other top Jury prize – the Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award went to Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) directed by Joel Alfonso Vargas. The Bronx, New York-set drama film follows a 19 year old as his life comes crashing down when his newly pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend moves in after being kicked out by her parents.
The Audience Award for Best Feature went to the German, Kenyan coming-of-age drama Nawi by Toby Schmutzler. The film, selected as Kenya’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, follows a young girl’s struggle against a forced arranged marriage.
The 30th Stony Brook Film Festival ran July 17–26, 2025 and showcased 36 original films from 19 countries. Of the 36 films, ten took home prizes.
Winners of the 2025 Stony Brook Film Festival
2025 Jury Award for Best Feature – Mistura
Mistura is a film from the United States and Peru, about Norma, a privileged French-Peruvian woman, who watches as her life quickly unravels after her husband’s betrayal ostracizes her from elite society. Unsatisfied with the options she is given, she instead embarks on a daring culinary venture as she finds herself drawn to the people and communities she had been raised to disregard.
2025 Jury Award for Best Short – My Name is Dania
An Israeli film by Lev Brodinsky. Dania good-naturedly strives to connect with his father, who lives in public housing for immigrants and suffers from Alzheimer’s.
2025 Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award – Mad Bills to Pay
A New York Premiere, written and directed by Joel Alfonso Vargas, with Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, and Nathaly Navarro.
Rico, 19, lives with his no-nonsense mother and sassy sister Sally in a modest Bronx apartment in the heart of the Dominican American community. Rico’s version of having a job is selling homemade cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach while trying to evade local authorities. He squabbles with Sally, gets reprimanded by his mom, parties with his clients, and flirts with the local girls. But his endless summer life comes crashing down when his newly pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend moves in after being kicked out by her parents.
2025 Jury Award for Directing – Westhampton
Written and directed by Christian Nilsson, with Finn Wittrock (The Big Short), RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Jake Weary, Amy Forsyth, and Tovah Feldshuh.
Tom is a filmmaker perennially haunted by an accident he was involved in as a high school student in Westhampton, Long Island. Though he has made a moderately successful independent film about it, he believes both the film and himself to be a failure. When circumstances conspire, Tom must go back to the hometown he left years ago, forcing him to face old friends and a town he believes disdains him. But as present events are intercut with the B&W film Tom made, questions begin to arise about what really happened.
2025 Audience Award for Best Feature – Nawi
A film from Germany and Kenya. Directed by Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget. Written by Milcah Cherotich, Kevin Schmutzler and Toby Schmutzler. With Michelle Lemuya Ikeny, Joel Liwan, Ochungo Benson, Ben Tekee and Michelle Tiren.
Living in rural Kenya, Nawi‘s aspirations of attending high school are shattered when she learns that her father has reluctantly agreed to marry her off for a substantial herd of livestock. Instead of obeying tradition, Nawi chooses to fight her impending marriage in any way she can think of.
2025 Audience Award for Best Short – A Guest in My Country
A film by John Gray about an immigrant Uber driver who takes an upscale couple across town, and unexpected answers to seemingly innocuous questions reveal a rift.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.