Night Owls

The 2015 Twin Cities Film Fest unveiled its award winners Saturday night at a ceremony held in downtown St. Louis Park. “Room,” directed by Lenny Abrahamson (pictured above), took home the trophy for best feature film; 2015 Twin Cities Film Fest  the festival’s official closing night documentary directed by David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, won best documentary; and “Skunk,” a short film by Annie Silverstein, won the 2015 award for best short. For the 2015 audience award, John Crowley’s “Brooklyn” took home the feature film trophy (honorable mentions included : “The Dust Storm,” directed by Ryan Lacen & Anthony Baldino; “The Polar Bear Club,” directed by Brett Wayne Price; and “Shut In,” directed by Adam Schindler). Sarah Smith’s “D.Asian” took the top audience prize for short films (honorable mentions included Adam Burke’s “Boardroom,” Matthew G. Anderson’s “The Caper” and Bruce Southerland’s “The Last Vanish”) The festival culminated with two “Indie Vision” awards, recognizing standout independent productions released over the last year that broke new creative ground. The 2015 Indie Vision Breakthrough Film Award went to the Dennis Hauck thriller “Too Late,” in recognition of its immersive storytelling techniques. (The film was composed of five unbroken and carefully choreographed 20-minute “acts”) The 2015 Indie Vision Breakthrough Performance Award went to Rosa Salazar, actress in the notable Charles Hood romance “Night Owls,” in recognition of a raw, brilliant and pitch-perfect character arc and a performance that required hitting notes across the emotional spectrum. Here’s the full slate of 2015 Twin Cities Film Fest award winners, as well as honorable mentions: Best Feature Film Winner: “Room,” directed by Lenny Abrahamson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C6fZ-fwDws Honorable Mentions: “It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong,” directed by Emily Ting; “Brooklyn,” directed by John Crowley; and “The Quiet Hour,” directed by Stephanie Joalland. Best Documentary Winner: “Thank You For Playing,” directed by David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX_JKePEFiw Honorable Mentions: “Man Vs. Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler, directed by Tim Kinzy and Andrew Seklir; “A New High,” directed by Samuel Miron and Stephen Scott Scarpulla; and “Out in the Cold,” directed by J.D. O’Brien. Best Short Film Winner: “Skunk,” directed by Annie Silverstein. Honorable Mentions: “D.Asian,” directed by Sarah Smith; “Even the Walls,” directed by Sarah Kuck and Saman Maydani; and “Myrna the Monster,” directed by Ian Samuels. Audience Award, Feature Film Winner: “Brooklyn,” directed by John Crowley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPfmVEvhO70 Honorable Mentions: “Dust Storm,” directed by Ryan Lacen & Anthony Baldino; “The Polar Bear Club,” directed by Brett Wayne Price; “Shut In,” directed by Adam Schindler. Audience Award, Short Film Winner: “D.Asian,” directed by Sarah Smith. Honorable Mentions: “Boardroom,” directed by Adam Burke; “The Caper,” directed by Matthew G. Anderson; and “The Last Vanish,” directed by Bruce Southerland Indie Vision, Breakthrough Film Winner: “Too Late,” directed by Dennis Hauck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670uTzhVMF4 Honorable Mentions: “Anomalisa,” directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman; “Thugs: The Musical,” directed by Greg Bro; and “Out in the Cold,” directed by J.D. O’Brien Indie Vision, Breakthrough Performance Winner: Rosa Salazar, “Night Owls.” Honorable Mentions: Brie Larson, “Room;” Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn;” Nathan Tymoshuk, “Snail Mail” and “The Writer.” 2015 Changemaker Award: Dr. Heather Huseby, executive director of YouthLink. 2015 Northstar Award for Excellence: John Hawkes.

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