The FLICKERS: .  The 2015 Grand Prize winners are “Picnic,“ directed by Jure Pavlovic from Croatia (pictured above) that takes place in Sarajevo during rush hour. The story concerns Emir who is on his way to meet his father for a weekend picnic at Igman, a semi-open penitentiary, but is late due to heavy traffic. “The House is Innocent,” directed by Nicholas Coles, USA, is a documentary that concerns Tom and Barbara’s whose new home has a notorious past and it’s going to take more than a fresh coat of paint to whitewash its macabre history.  The winner of the RIIFF Best Short and Best Documentary Grand Prize holds a special honor: they become the Festival’s nominee for Academy Award consideration.

The 2015 Rhode Island International Film Festival was dedicated to the memory of actor/singer/activist, Theodore (Theo) Bikel, who was the recipient of the Festival’s 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.

BEST SHORT AND DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS

BEST SHORT FILM
GRAND Prize: (RIIFF’s Official Academy Nomination)
“Picnic” | Directed by:Jure Pavlović, Croatia, 2015

First Prize: “Monstre” (Monster) | Directed by: Delphine Girard, Belgium, 2014

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
GRAND Prize: (RIIFF’s Official Academy Nomination)
“The House is Innocent” | Directed by: Nicholas Coles, USA, 2015

First Prize: “We Live This” | Directed by: James Burns, USA, 2015
Tied With: “The Beauty of Barbara Allen” | Directed by: Jackson Anthony, USA, 2015

Festival Award Winners

BEST FEATURE
GRAND Prize: “Now We’re Alive” | Directed by: Thibault Arbre, Belgium/France, 2014

First Prize: “Fourth Man Out” | Directed by: Andrew Nackman, USA, 2015

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
GRAND Prize: “Madina’s Dream” | Directed by: Andrew Berends, USA, 2014

First Prize: “She’s The Best Thing In It” | Directed by: Ron Nyswaner, USA, 2014
Tied With: “CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap”| Directed by: Robin Hauser Reynolds, United States, 2015

BEST COMEDY SHORT
GRAND Prize: “Rest Stop” | Directed by: Kate Herron, United Kingdom, 2014

First Prize: “Timmy II” | Directed by: Imran J. Khan, USA, 2014
Tied With: “Dynamic Double Standard” | Directed by: Luke Patton, USA, 2015

BEST ANIMATION
GRAND Prize: “Mi ne mozhem zhit bez kosmosa (We Can’t Live Without Cosmos)” | Directed by: Konstantin Bronzit, Russian Federation, 2014

First Prize: “Chez Moi” | Directed by: Phuong Mai Nguyen, France, 2014
Tied With: “Golden Shot” | Directed by: Gokalp Gonen, Turkey, 2015

BEST CHILDREN’S ANIMATION
GRAND Prize: “Eloise, Little Dreamer” | Directed by: Myriam Obin, Canada, 2015

First Prize: “Soar” | Directed by: Alyce Tzue, United States, 2014

BEST EXPERIMENTAL
GRAND Prize: “Teeth” | Directed by:Tom Brown, Daniel Gray, United Kingdom, Hungary, 2015

First Prize: “Tupilaq” | Directed by:Jakob Maqe, Denmark, 2013

BEST DIRECTOR
GRAND Prize: “More Than God” | Directed by: Kev Cahill, Ireland, 2015
First Prize: “All the Pain in the World” | Directed by: Tommaso Pitta, United Kingdom, 2014

DR. J. GERALD LAMOUREUX AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Presented to a filmmaker and artist who represents the spirit of cultural exchange between the United States and Canada.
“Dogs Don’t Breed Cats” | Directed by: Cristina Martina, Canada, 2015

SOLDIERS AND SACRIFICE AWARD
Celebrating Stories That Commemorate America’s Heroes.
GRAND Prize: “My Father’s Vietnam” | Directed by: Soren Sorensen, USA, 2015

First Prize: “The Haircut” | Directed by: Alexis Ostrander Korycinski. USA, 2014
Tied with: “Riding My Way Back” | Directed by: Robin Fryday, USA, 2015

DIRECTORIAL DISCOVERY AWARD
GRAND Prize: “Vanishing Sail” | Directed by: Alexis Andrews, Antigua, Barbuda, Grenada, St. Vincent and Grenadines, 2015

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner of the Panavision Award and recipient of $10,000 in production equipment)
GRAND Prize: “Behind the Wall” | Directed by: Bat-Sheva Guez, Cinematography by: Giacomo Belletti, USA, 2015

RIIFF NEW ENGLAND DIRECTOR’S AWARD
GRAND Prize: “Seven Lovers” | Directed by: Keith Boynton, USA, 2015

RIIFF DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARD
GRAND Prize: “D.Asian” | Directed by: Sarah Smith, United States, 2015
First Prize: “Madam Black”| Directed by: Ivan Barge, New Zealand, 2015

HEARTS, MINDS, SOULS AWARD
Celebrating Films that Reflect the Jewish Experience.
GRAND Prize: “Look At Us Now, Mother!” | Directed by: Gayle Kirschenbaum | United States, 2015
First Prize: “Daily Bread” | Directed by: Betsy Tsai, United States, 2015
Tied with: “The Train” | Directed by: Asher Grodman, United States, 2015

BEST EDITING
GRAND Prize: “Breathe” | Directed by: Youssef Ouarrak, Edited by Dorota Nowocien,Poland, 2015
First Prize: “Kali” (Horse) | Directed by: Alban Ukaj, Kosovo, 2014

BEST SCREENPLAY
GRAND Prize: “Outliving Emily” | Written and Directed by: Eric Weber, United States, 2015 (adaptation)
First Prize: “Stunned” | Directed by: Gérard Pautonnier, France, 2015

FLICKERS’ AMBASSADOR AWARD
Presented to a film which inspires and empowers communication and cultural understanding
GRAND Prize: “Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi” | Directed by: Neal Broffman, United States, 2015

FLICKERS’ INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Given annually to films or filmmakers who inspire social change and community outreach and strive to better the world in which we live.
GRAND Prize: “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”| Directed by: Sara Bordo, Mexico, Spain, United States, 2014

First Prize: “Angel of Nanjing” | Directed by: Jordan Horowitz and Frank L. Ferendo, United States, China, 2014

PROVIDENCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
Presented annually to a New England director whose work brings cinematic excellence to an international audience.
GRAND Prize: “Hope City” | Directed by: David Angell, United States, 2014
First Prize: “Happygram” | Directed by: Julie Marron, United States, 2015

ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (LGBTQ) SHORT
GRAND Prize: “Gloria” | Directed by: Luis Hernández de la Peña, Mexico, 2015
First Prize: “Alzheimer’s: A Love Story” | Directed by: Gabe Schimmel, Monica Petruzelli, Riani Singgih, United States, 2015
Tied with: “Talking to My Mother” | Directed by: Leon Le, United States, 2015

ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (FEATURE)
GRAND Prize: “Counting for Thunder”| Directed by: Phillip Cooper, United States, 2015
First Prize: “Driving Not Knowing” | Directed by: Michael Busza, United States, 2015
Tied with: “Paternity Leave” | Directed by: Matt Riddlehoover, United States, 2015

KIDSEYE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
GRAND Prize: “The Epic of Hershey” | Directed by: Douglas McGinness, United States, 2015
First Prize: “Bienvenidos” | Directed by: Javier Fesser, Spain, 2014
Tied With: “The Dance of the Infants” | Directed by: Jokin Pascual and Javier Dampierre, Spain, 2015

GREEN PLANET AWARD
Celebrating the vision of man’s shared humanity and achieving sustainability on our planet.
GRAND Prize: “Children of the Artic” | Directed by: Nick Brandestini, Switzerland, 2014
FIRST Prize: “Living with Coyote” | Directed by: Priya Shelly, United States, 2015

VORTEX SCI-FI & FANTASY AWARD
GRAND Prize: “Subterranea” | Directed by: Mathew Miller, United States, 2015
First Prize: “Dive | Directed by: Matthew Saville, Australia, 2014
Tied with: “Zelos” | Directed by: Thoranna Sigurdardottir, United States, 2015

FILMMAKER OF THE FUTURE AWARD
Presented to a filmmaker whose vision excites audiences and judges alike about the potential to produce compelling and successful films in the future.
GRAND Prize: “No Strings” | Directed by: Eoin Maher, United Kingdom, 2014

BEST STUDENT FILM AWARD
GRAND Prize: “Foreign Sounds” | Directed by: Eric Shahinian, United States, 2015

Youth Jury Award Winners
FLICKERS’ YOUTH FILM JURY AWARDS:
Awards were presented by Paige Frankovich, RIIFF Youth Jury Program Manager, and the 2015 Youth Jury members.

BEST FEATURE
“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”| Directed by: Sara Bordo, Mexico, Spain, United States, 2014

BEST DOCUMENTARY
“The House is Innocent” | Directed by: Nicholas Coles, United States, 2015

BEST LGBTQ
“Alzheimer’s: A Love Story” | Directed by: Gabe Schimmel, Monica Petruzelli, Riani Singgih, United States, 2015

BEST SHORT
“He and She” | Directed by: Marco Gadge, Germany, 2015