The AFI FEST announced the films that won this year’s Jury and Audience awards, with the Audience Award for Best Feature going to John Chester’s poignant and charming documentary The Biggest Little Farm. The Grand Jury Award for Live-Action Short went to War Paint directed by Katrelle Kindred, and is now eligible for that Short Film Oscar® category.
2018 AFI FEST Award Winners
Audience Award – Feature
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (DIR John Chester)
In this poignant and charming documentary, filmmaker John Chester chronicles the eight-year effort of an ambitious, life-changing personal venture: moving out of Los Angeles with his wife, Molly, and building a diverse, sustainable farm.
Audience Award – Short
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. (DIR Lisa Taback, Garrett Schiff, Melissa Berton, Rayka Zehtabchi)
In an effort to improve feminine hygiene, a machine that creates low-cost biodegradable sanitary pads is installed in a rural village in Northern India.
Grand Jury Award – Live-Action Short
WAR PAINT (DIR Katrelle Kindred)
Jury Statement: “We picked this film for its powerful intersectional narrative which focuses on the difficult aspects of one girl’s coming of age.”
In WAR PAINT, a young, South LA black girl experiences a series of events that intersect racism and sexism during the Fourth of July holiday. Katrelle Kindred (AFI Directing Workshop for Women, Class of 2018) directed WAR PAINT in 2017 as her AFI DWW short. The film world-premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Grand Jury Award – Animated Short
EGG (DIR Martina Scarpelli)
Jury Statement: “We chose this film for its visceral portrayal of the relationship between a woman and her body.”
In this film, a woman is locked in her home with an egg. She eats the egg, then repents. She kills it. She lets the egg die of hunger.
Honorable Mention for Social Impact Short
MAGIC ALPS (DIR Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi)
In MAGIC ALPS, an Afghani refugee arrives in Italy with his goat and seeks political asylum for both of them.
Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. (DIR Lisa Taback, Garrett Schiff, Melissa Berton, Rayka Zehtabchi)
Honorable Mention for Acting – Short
Vedrana Bozinovic, A SIEGE
In A SIEGE, a lonely woman in war-torn Sarajevo embarks on a journey to find water, and neither her neighbors nor sniper fire can stop her.