Michael Moshe Dahan’s Yes Repeat No, a challenging and engaging meta masterpiece film, won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the 28th Stony Brook Film Festival. “Thank you to all of the people who believe in human rights and democracy all over the world … and to all the people who want to make difficult material all over the world because finding the questions to ask is sometimes harder than getting the answers,” Dahan said in his acceptance speech.
Two feature films tied for this year’s Audience Choice Award for Best Feature – The Grandson directed by Kristof Deak, a charged thriller that boasts “revenge is a dish best served old,” and Chris Raiber’s First Snow of Summer, a masterfully shot and magical romance in a whimsical setting, came out on top.
The Spirit of Independent Filmmaking is awarded to filmmakers that utilize a uniquely indie lens to bring their incredible stories to life. A first in the Festival’s history, this category was awarded to two different Features. Friends From Home, a quietly hilarious cross-country odyssey by New York filmmakers, Joe Blank and Mike Koslov, and Where The Road Leads by Nina Ognjanovic, a Serbian film about a sleepy village brought to life with subtle humor and masterfully directed, both brought home Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Awards. “If you told us we would be watching our film on a 40-foot-screen, we wouldn’t have believed you, and this was awesome,” said Mike Koslov of Friends From Home, “We just tried to make a film as honest and close to the heart as we could,” said Joe Blank, co-writer and Director of Friends From Home.
Other awards include the Jury Award for Best Short for Chipper, the Audience Award for Best Short went to Stuck, and the Opening and Closing Night Feature and Short Awards. Shoval Chiprut and Daniel Brushin from Stuck flew in from Israel and were present for both their screening and the awards ceremony. Director and lead Actor of Chipper, Shaun MacLean, and Jayson Warner Smith, respectively, were both in attendance at the Awards Ceremony as well, with Shaun attending earlier during the Festival for his screening and to lead a lively Q&A.
2023 FESTIVAL WINNERS
YES REPEAT NO
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
THE GRANDSON
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
FIRST SNOW OF SUMMER
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
WHERE THE ROAD LEADS
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
FRIENDS FROM HOME
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
CHIPPER
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
STUCK
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
SEA OF TIME
2023 OPENING NIGHT FEATURE
DIVERTIMENTO
2023 CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE
THE RED SUITCASE
2023 OPENING NIGHT SHORT
THE BASICS OF LOVE
2023 CLOSING NIGHT SHORT