Twenty-nine films will vie for three Knight Grand Jury prizes in March at the 2011 Miami International Film Festival.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation sponsors the grand jury prizes for the festival, which is produced and presented by Miami Dade College.
“These prizes help place the festival – and Miami’s growing film scene – on the world stage,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president/arts and Miami program director for Knight Foundation, which has supported the festival since 2006. “For South Floridians, the arts are also one way to bring our diverse community together. Films spark dialogue, transport us and move us, creating the common cultural experiences that make great cities.”
“The Knight Foundation awards continue to be the bedrock of our ability to attract high-quality North American and U.S. premieres to Miami,” said festival executive director Jaie Laplante. “We are fortunate to have the continued support of the foundation, and an invitation to the three Knight Foundation competitions continues to be highly-sought among international and domestic filmmakers.”
The three categories are:
Knight Grand Jury World Competition ($20,000): given to U.S. films premiering at the festival and created by up-and-coming filmmakers from across the globe;
Knight Grand Jury Ibero-American Competition ($20,000): honoring dramatic works from Latin America, Spain and Portugal by first-, second- and third-time directors;
Knight Grand Jury DOX Competition ($10,000): rewarding thought-provoking, feature-length documentaries created by international filmmakers that examine social issues, diverse cultures, icons and/or inspiring people.
The finalists, by category, are:
KNIGHT GRAND JURY WORLD COMPETITION
818
Directed by Robert Lee King
USA | 2011
Amador
Directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa
Spain | 2010
Hamill
Directed by Oren Kaplan
USA | 2010
Intimate Grammar (Hadikduk Hapnimi)
Directed by Nir Bergman
Israel | 2010
Jo for Jonathan (Jo pour Jonathan)
Directed by Maxime Giroux
Canada | 2010
Mandoo
Directed by Ebrahim Saeedi
Iraq | 2010
Microphone
Directed by Ahmad Abdalla
Egypt | 2010
The Piano in a Factory (Gang De Qin)
Directed by Zhang Meng
China | 2010
A Quiet Life (Una vita tranquilla)
Directed by Claudio Cupellini
Italy, Germany, Switzerland | 2010
Tilva Rosh (Tilva Roš)
Directed by Nikola Ležaic
Serbia | 2010
KNIGHT GRAND JURY IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION
All Your Dead Ones (Todos tus muertos)
Directed by Carlos Moreno
Colombia | 2011
Half of Oscar (La mitad de Óscar)
Directed by Manuel Martín Cuenca
Spain, Cuba | 2010
The Invisible Eye (La mirada invisible)
Directed by Diego Lerman
Argentina, France, Germany | 2010
Jean Gentil
Directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Germany | 2010
Marimbas From Hell (Marimbas del infierno)
Directed by Julio Hernández Cordón
Guatemala, France, Mexico | 2010
No Return (Sin retorno)
Directed by Miguel Cohan
Argentina, Spain | 2010
A Stone’s Throw Away (A tiro de piedra)
Directed by Sebastian Hiriart
Mexico | 2010
A Useful Life (La vida útil)
Directed by Federico Veiroj
Uruguay, Spain | 2010
Water and Salt (Agua y sal)
Directed by Alejo H. Taube
Argentina, Germany | 2010
KNIGHT GRAND JURY DOX COMPETITION
The Black Power Mixtape
Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson
Sweden, USA | 2011
Bobby Fischer Against the World
Directed by Liz Garbus
USA | 2011
How to Start Your Own Country
Directed by Jody Shapiro
Canada | 2010
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Directed by Marshall Curry
USA | 2011
The Interrupters
Directed by Steve James
USA | 2011
Little Voices (Pequeñas voces)
Directed by Jairo Carrillo
Colombia | 2010
Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place
Directed by Alex Gibney, Alison Ellwood
USA | 2011
Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times
Directed by Andrew Rossi
USA | 2011
Project Nim
Directed by James Marsh
United Kingdom | 2011
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
Directed by Daniele Anastasion, Eric Strauss
USA | 2011