The 2019 RiverRun International Film Festival announced the Awards with the top prizes going to Alice directed by Josephine Mackerras which won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, along with the Peter Brunette Award for Best Director for Mackerras. The film also snagged the Re Vision and Independent Feature Film Award. The Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to American Factory directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert.

The 22nd RiverRun International Film Festival will take place March 26–April 5, 2020.

RiverRun International Film Festival 2019 Awards

Audience Awards

Overall Audience Award Winner —Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? (USA), directed by Zachary Stauffer

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP Audience Award for Best Re: Vision Independent Feature — Alice (Australia/France), directed by Josephine Mackerras

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature — Kifaru (Kenya/USA), directed by David Hambridge

Jury Awards (Re: Vision Independent Feature Competition)

Best Film — Alice (Australia/France), directed by Josephine Mackerras Peter

Brunette Award for Best Director — Josephine Mackerras, Alice (Australia/France)

Special Jury Prize for Bold Innovation — Life is Fare (USA), directed by Sephora Woldu

Jury Awards (Documentary Features Competition)

Best Documentary Feature — American Factory (USA), directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

Best Director — Marcus Lindeen, The Raft(Sweden/Denmark/Germany/USA)

Best Cinematography — For Sama (Syria/UK), directed by Waad Al-Khateab and Edward Watts

Human Rights Award — Always in Season (USA), directed by Jacqueline Olive

Special Jury Prize — Kifaru (Kenya/USA), directed by David Hambridge

Jury Awards (Shorts Competetion)

Best Narrative Short — Damage (USA), directed by Matt Porter

Best Student Narrative Short — Weaning(USA/Argentina), directed by Ines Gowland

Best Documentary Short — A Jew Walks into a Bar (USA), directed by Jonathan Miller

Special Jury Prize for Cinematic Quality, Documentary Short — El Desierto (USA), directed by Carly Jakins and Jared Jakins

Special Jury Prize for Social Impact, Documentary Short — Hamama and Caluna (Switzerland), directed by Andreas Anuuk Muggli

Best Animated Short — Cat Days (Germany), directed by Jon Frickey

Honorable Mention, Animated Short — Game Changer (USA), directed by Aviv Mano

Other awards

REEL SOUTH AWARD

For the third consecutive year, the Festival partnered with Reel South on the Reel South Short Award, which honors an authentically southern documentary, 15 minutes or less. The selected film receives a cash prize and a Reel South digital distribution deal. This award is sponsored by a collective of southern PBS stations including UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina and South Carolina ETV.

This year’s award was presented to As In Death.

PITCH FEST AWARD

The 8th annual RiverRun Pitch Fest was held with college students from across the state pitching their documentary film projects to a panel of judges. Pitch Fest cash prizes are sponsored by Piedmont Federal Savings Bank.

First place was awarded for A Space for Me directed Riley Bradford and Sophia Ortiz from Elon University.

Second place was awarded to Alchemy directed by Bridget Fitzgerald of Wake Forest University.

MASTER OF CINEMA AWARDS

Paula Prentiss

Richard Benjamin

Mike Medavoy

SPARK AWARD

Martha Stephens