INTO THE STORM directed by Adam Brown won the coveted best of fest Grand Chameleon Award at Brooklyn Film Festival’s 23rd edition: TURNING POINT (aka Relearn How to be Human), which due to the COVID-19 pandemic was held online this year.

The festival handed out a total of 30 awards to this year’s filmmakers including to Jeanne Leblanc’s OUR OWN, winner of Best Narrative Feature and Adam Brown’s INTO THE STORM also winning for Best Documentary Feature.

“The 2020 BFF has been for me, without a doubt, the most important event up to date organized by the Brooklyn Film Festival. Our outreach this year has been second to none to our previous 22 editions. 124 countries have been following the festival in numbers that we could have only dreamt about in the past. I have the clear feeling that BFF has entered a brand new stage and the greatest thing of all is that we have achieved this by doing something tangibly good. We envisioned, created, and then delivered a well-organized film festival to people who are going through a very difficult moment in their lives. And the idea to offer such a show free of charge has been one of the most rewarding actions I have ever been involved in,” said Marco Ursino, Brooklyn Film Festival Executive Director.

Winners of 2020 Brooklyn Film Festival

GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD – Dir. Adam Brown for the Documentary Feature INTO THE STORM

Best Narrative Feature – Dir. Jeanne Leblanc for the film OUR OWN

Jury Statement: In this category’s strong competition, the jury found that OUR OWN distinguished itself with its unwavering gaze at difficult issues and its formal control. Director Jeanne Leblanc captures the disconnect between the apparently ordinary households of a suburban neighborhood and the ugliness beneath the surface, problems that extend well beyond the film’s original sin. Its admirable qualities include courageous performances and a refusal to resolve itself in a conventionally reassuring way.

Best Documentary Feature – Dir. Adam Brown for the film INTO THE STORM

Jury Statement: The judges were thoroughly inspired by Jhonny’s story in INTO THE STORM. Thanks to the filmmakers’ excellent access, we felt that we were right there alongside him, experiencing the various ups and downs inherent to an athlete’s journey. We also applaud the excellent cinematography which superbly caught both Jhonny’s moves on the surfboard and stunning views of the ocean.

Best Narrative Short -Dir. Georgi M. Unkovski for the film STICKER

Jury Statement: STICKER is a rare achievement. One in which the filmmakers manage to perfectly balance humor and humanity, parental love and outlaw determination, inside a masterfully made film. It infuses us with joy as it impresses us with its technical skill.

Best Documentary Short – Dir. Malcolm Rizzuto and and Spencer Garrison for the film EAT WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY

Jury Statement: The Jury found EAT WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY extremely creative and strikingly funny. As an autobiographical tale on the immigrant experience from a unique perspective, it felt fresh and innovative. Presented through lively animation that details the complex – but also loving – story behind the relationship between a young man and his grandmother, we thoroughly enjoyed this film and encourage the filmmakers to keep creating.

Best Animation – Dir. Zige Zhang for the film KING OF THE HOUSE

Jury Statement: The Animation we selected as winner of the category is KING OF THE HOUSE. Zige Zhang’s exquisitely illustrated and pacy tale shines the spotlight on inequality. She nudges us to see that our shared humanity holds the key.

Best Experimental – Dir. Garry Stewart for the film THE CIRCADIAN CYCLE

Jury Statement: The jury is pleased to name THE CIRCADIAN CYCLE as the BFF 2020 winner for Best Experimental Short for its combination of striking cinematography, intriguing choreography, resonant score and conceptual depth. As the film shifts from vast wild landscapes to intimate explorations of the human form, it unites dance and the natural world in an eloquent expression of life’s rhythms.

Spirit Awards

Narrative Feature – Dir. Kenya Márquez for the film SUFFOCATION

Documentary Feature – Dir. Hasan Oswald for the film HIGHER LOVE

Narrative Short – Dir. Alex Wu for the film IDOL

Documentary Short – Dir. Jessica Colquhoun for the film SUNDAYS AT THE TRIPLE NICKEL

Experimental – Dir. Kevin McGloughlin for the film SUITE AFTER THE FURIES

Animation – Dir. Tom Hardiman for the film PITCH BLACK PANACEA

Best Brooklyn Project – Dir. Mojo Lorwin for the film SUMMER IN THE CITY

Audience Awards

Narrative Feature – MACABRE directed by Marcos Prado

Documentary Feature – INTO THE STORM directed by Adam Brown

Narrative Short – THE PRESENT directed by Farah Nabulsi

Documentary Short – THEY directed by Louisa Rechenbach

Experimental – INHUMAN LOVE directed by Adam Hayes and Nick Hayes

Animation – WADE directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi

KidsFilmFest – CRAMMING directed by Dan Perlman

Certificates of Achievement

Best New Director Award – Hasan Oswald for the film HIGHER LOVE

Best Producer Award – Rodrigo Ríos Legaspi for the film BEFORE OBLIVION

Best Screenplay Award – Morgan Ingari for the film MILKWATER

Best Cinematography Award – Vincent Biron for I’LL END UP IN JAIL

Best Editing Award – Maciej Bruno Sosnowski for the film ROTTEN EARS

Best Style Award – Ashley Eakin for the film SINGLE

Best Original Score Award – Composer Xiao Zhuang Ma for the film THE JOURNEY OF MURDER

Best Actor Female – Susana Alcantara for the film WOMAN WITHOUT A CHILD

Best Actor Male – Kyle Chen for the film IDOL