Envelope please! The Jury Awards were announced last night for SXSW Film 2014, and FORT TILDEN, debut feature film of directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, won the top award for Best Narrative Film, and THE GREAT INVISIBLE directed by Margaret Brown won the award for Best Documentary.
FORT TILDEN explores quarter life crisis, as two friends, Allie struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun responsibilities for the day when a pair of good-looking guys invites them along for a carefree Fort Tilden afternoon. As the two young women board their bikes and embark on a lengthy journey to the beach, they quickly realize that, akin to their confusing, transitioning lives, they neither know where they’re going nor how they plan to get there. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. It killed 11 workers and caused the worst oil spill in American history. THE GREAT INVISIBLE goes beyond the media coverage to examine the crisis in depth.
The complete list of Jury Award winners of 2014 SXSW Film
Feature Film Jury Awards
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Winner: Fort Tilden
Director: Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers
Special Jury Recognition for Courage in Storytelling: Animals
Actor & Screenwriter: David Dastmalchian
Special Jury Recognition for Best Acting Duo: 10,000KM (Long Distance)
Natalie Tena
David Verdaguer
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Winner: The Great Invisible
Director: Margaret Brown
Special Jury Recognition for Political Courage: Vessel
Director: Diana Whitten
Special Jury Recognition for Editing & Storytelling: Print the Legend
Directors: Luis Lopez & Clay Tweel
Short Film Jury Awards
NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire
Director: Monia Chokri
Special Jury Recognition: Person to Person
Director: Dustin Guy Defa
Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: Krisha
Director: Trey Edward Shultz
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace
Director: Jeff Dupre
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: Wawd Ahp
Directors: Steve Girard & Josh Chertoff
ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: Coda
Director: Alan Holly
Special Jury Recognition. Eager
Director: Allison Schulnik
MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner: Joel Compass, “Back to Me”
Director: Ian and Cooper
TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: Some vacation.
Director: Anne S. Lewis
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: Seawolf
Director: Caila Pickett & Max Montoya
SXSW Film Design Awards
EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN
Winner: Starry Eyes
Designer: Jay Shaw
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Winner: True Detective
Designer: Patrick Clair for Elastic
Special Jury Recognition: The Lego Movie
Designer: Brian Mah for Alma Matter
SXSW Special Awards
SXSW GAMECHANGER AWARD
Winner: Jen McGowan, Kelly & Cal
Special Mention: Kat Candler. Hellion
LOUIS BLACK “LONE STAR” AWARD
Winner: Boyhood
Director: Richard Linklater
KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP
Presented to: Colin Nusbaum
image via: SXSW. Clockwise from Top Left – FORT TILDEN, THE GREAT INVISIBLE, KEHINDE WILEY: AN ECONOMY OF GRACE, QUELQU’UN D’EXTRAORDINAIRE.