The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced the winners of its 2010 festival competition on Sunday, with Stuart Hazeldine’s “Exam” winning for independent cinema and Finland’s “Letters to Father Jacob” picking up the top honor for international films.
Winners were selected by a jury that included actors Dennis Franz, Anthony Zerbe and Clifton Collins Jr., director Anthony Abrahams Wilson, critic Claudia Puig and SBIFF founder Phyllis de Piccciotto.
Three of the international winners – “Letters to Father Jacob,” “The Wind Journeys” and “Mother” – were submitted in the Academy Awards Foreign-Language film competition, but failed to make the shortlist.
The winning films in the short films category will now be eligible for next year’s Oscars.
The awards:
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema: “Exam” (right)
Best International Film Award: “Letters to Father Jaakob (Postia pappi Jaakobille)”
Nueva Vision Award: “The Wind Journeys”
Best East Meets West Cinema Award: “Mother (Madeo)” ,
Best Eastern Bloc Award: “Katalin Varga”
Best Documentary Film Award: “Enemies of the People”
Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film Under 30 Minutes: “Ana's Playground”
Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film: “Urs”
Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award Sponsored by The Fund for Santa Barbara: “Enemies of the People”
SB Audience Choice Award: “The Legend of Pale Male”
10-10-10 Student Screenwriting Competition:
Katie Elster, San Marcos High School – “With All My Heart”
Cora Hirashiki, UCSB – “Shuttling Noah”
10-10-10 Student Filmmaking Competition:
Taylor Fisher, San Marcos High School – “The Invisible”
Jasmine Toutounchi, UCSB – “Love Fool”
The press release announcing the winners:
25th SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES WINNING FILMS
Santa Barbara, CA - The 25th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced the winners of the 2010 festival competition at a Press Conference and Sunday morning brunch at the famed Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, hosted by KTYD Radio's Julie Ramos. The festival, which celebrated its Silver Anniversary February 4-14, was a huge success. By the look of the theaters you'd never know the economy was in the fight of its life as audiences packed the theaters for the last 11 days, proving once again how powerful the art of film can be.
Commented SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling, "This year's films proved once again the caliber of filmmaking is higher than ever. The jury was truly challenged in making the final determination."
The esteemed Jury for the 2010 SBIFF included: actor/director Joel David Moore (Avatar and director, SBIFF Award winning film, Spiral); SBIFF originator Phyllis de Picciotto; actor Haaz Sleiman (The Visitor); USA Today Film Critic Claudia Puig; Andy Abrahams Wilson (director, Under Our Skin); actor Clifton Collins, Jr. (Capote), actor Anthony Zerbe(The Matrix); actor Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue); actor Jay Thomas; and actor/director/writer Perry Lang.
The winning films are as follows:
The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema, given to a unique independent feature that has been made outside mainstream Hollywood, went to Exam (US Premiere), directed by Stuart Hazeldine, and starring Luke Mably, Nathalie Cox.
