AFI Fest 2023: ‘Năi Nai & Wài Pó,’ ‘Chutes’ and ‘Closing Dynasty’ Win Grand Jury Awards

AFI Fest 2023 wrapped on Sunday, and with it came another roster of winning features and shorts likely to land more acclaim as this awards season progresses.

The Live Action Grand Jury Prize winner was “Closing Dynasty,” directed by Lloyd Lee Choi and featuring a wide-eyed, 7-year-old’s view of New York City, while Sean Wang’s “Năi Nai & Wài Pó,” a heartwarming tale of the filmmaker’s two beloved grandmothers, took the Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize. The latter title also happened to win the 2023 ShortList Film Festival Audience Award at TheWrap’s long-running celebration of the best and brightest emerging moviemakers.

In the Animated Short category, Kenzie Sutton’s “Chutes” — an investigative look at capitalism and society through the guise of toys — took the Grand Jury Prize.

The Grand Jury Award winners for Live Action Short, Documentary Short and Animated Short will be eligible for the 2023 Best Live Action Short, Best
Documentary Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards. The jury was comprised of BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated director and writer Sindha Agha, film critic Ryan Swen and writer, producer and film programmer Imani Davis.

“By smashing attendance records this year, AFI Fest proves the power of cinema to bring us together in difficult times,” Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO, said in a statement. “For 37 years, AFI has been proud to bring the very best of world cinema to the heart of Hollywood, and we look forward to welcoming even more people to the movies next year.”

Below is a list of all of this year’s AFI Fest award winners:

Grand Jury Prize – Live Action Short
“Closing Dynasty: (Dir: Lloyd Lee Choi)

Grand Jury Prize – Documentary Short
“Năi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma)” (Dir: Sean Wang)

Grand Jury Prize – Animated Short
“Chutes” (Dir: Kenzie Sutton)

Special Mentions

Special Jury Mention for Editing – Live Action Short
“Set Lam” (Dir: Vincent Fontana)

Special Jury Mention for Experimentation – Documentary Short
“Quiet as It’s Kept” (Dir: Ja’Tovia M. Gary)

Special Jury Mention for Social Commentary – Documentary Short
“Alpha Kings” (Dir: Enrique Pedráza Botero, Faye Tsakas)

Special Jury Mention for Stop Motion – Animated Short
“The Miracle” (Dir: Nienke Deutz)

Special Jury Mention for 2D Animation – Animated Short
“Miisufy” (Dir: Liisi Grünberg)

Special Jury Mention for Cinematography – Live Action Short
“Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy” (Dir: Khozy Rizal)

Special Jury Mention for Lead Acting – Live Action Short
“Madden” (Dir: Malin Ingrid Johansson)

Special Jury Mention for Hybrid Storytelling – Documentary Short
“Dildotectonics (Dildotectonica)” (Dir: Tomás Paula Marques)