2020 HIFF Announces Competition Award Winners

East Hampton, NY (October 11, 2020) – The 28th Hamptons International Film Festival, presented by HamptonsFilm, today announced their award winners at a virtual ceremony. Handing out over $29,500 in cash awards and $130,000 in goods and services.  This year’s festival is running October 8 – 14 with virtual screenings and drive-ins.

THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION, directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, won the Award for Best Narrative Feature.  COLLECTIVE (COLECTIV), directed by Alexander Nanau, received the Award for Best Documentary Feature.  The film will be released by Magnolia Pictures and Participant on November 20th. ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS, directed by Mariana Saffon received the Award for Best Narrative Short Film, and THE GAME (DAS SPIEL), directed by Roman Hodel, won for Best Documentary Short Film.  Both Short Films will qualify for Academy® Awards consideration.

This year’s narrative and documentary jury was comprised of Co-owner of Mandeville Films and Television and producer on films including THE AERONAUTS, WONDER, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE FIGHTER, and THE PROPOSAL, Todd Lieberman; Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work includes the award winning documentaries THE STATE OF ARIZONA, A CLASS APART and FARMINGVILLE, and his latest film BAD HOMBRES, Carlos Sandoval; and Film Critic for Time Magazine & Chair of the New York Film Critics Circle, Stephanie Zacharek.

The festival’s opening night film and World Premiere of WITH DRAWN ARMS, directed by Glenn Kaino and Afshin Shahidi, was awarded the 2020 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict and Resolution.

Closing night film ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…, directed by Regina King, was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice.  The annual award is handed to a film that exemplifies the values of peace, equality, global justice and civil liberties, and is named after iconic civil rights lawyer Victor Rabinowitz and his wife Joanne Grant, an author, filmmaker and journalist. The award is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.

ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS, directed by Mariana Saffon was awarded the inaugural Peter Macgregor Scott Memorial Award.  This award recognizes narrative short filmmakers and rewards creative approaches to solving practical production challenges in the service of storytelling and comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

Two new awards from New York Women in Film & Television honor an outstanding female filmmaker who has demonstrated exceptional artistic vision and dedication to their craft.

FAREWELL AMOR, directed by Ekwa Msangi was awarded the New York Women in Film & Television Award for Directing which comes with a $2,000 prize. CODED BIAS, directed by Shalini Kantayya was awarded the New York Women in Film & Television Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, and a $1,000 cash prize.

The festival also announced the recipients of the University Short Film Awards, short films highlighting the extraordinary talent and achievements of five exceptional students. Each will receive a $500 cash prize. Awardees include HEADING SOUTH, directed by Yuan Yuan (NYU Tisch School For The Arts); PARACHUTE, directed by Katherine Tolentino (Brooklyn College); ROUND 0, directed by Sonia Ladidà Schiavone (Icelandic Film School); TAPE, directed by Jojo Erholtz (American Film Institute); TO THE DUSTY SEA, directed by Héloïse Ferlay (Ensad – École Nationale Supérieure Des Arts Décoratifs).

“In this year that has been unlike any other, we are so thankful for the filmmakers who shared their views of the world with us,”  said David Nugent, HamptonsFilm Artistic Director. “More than ever we will draw inspiration from their creativity and passion to bring us together through the craft of film.”

“As always, we could not be more thrilled for the opportunity to host the Hamptons International Film Festival and showcase such dynamic talent to our audience,” said Anne Chaisson, HamptonsFilm Executive Director. “We thank all of the filmmakers and distributors who shared their films with us, and congratulate all of the winners.”

Additional information on HamptonsFilm’s year-round programming, including the Now Showing series, SummerDocs Program, and recently established Flashback Friday and Summer Drive-In Series can be found on the website.  HIFF thanks the supporters for this year’s festival, including corporate sponsors Netflix, The Seltzer Group at JP Morgan, Silvercup Studios, Apple Original Films, and the official media sponsors WNBC and The East Hampton Star, The Purist and is grateful for the long-term support from NYSCA and Suffolk County. For more information, please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

 HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CONGRATULATES THE 2020 WINNERS:

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature

THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A  RESURRECTION, directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

Cash Award Value $3,000 + In-Kind Goods/Services Value: $82,500

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature

COLLECTIVE (COLECTIV), directed by Alexander Nanau

Cash Award Value $3,000 + In-Kind Goods/Services Value: $20,000

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film

ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS, directed by Mariana Saffon

Cash Award Value $500

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film

THE GAME (DAS SPIEL), directed by Roman Hodel

Cash Award Value $500

The 2020 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict and Resolution

WITH DRAWN ARMS, directed by Glenn Kaino, Afshin Shahidi

Cash Award Value $5,000

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…, directed by Regina King

Cash Award Value $2,000

The Peter Macgregor Scott Memorial Award

ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS, directed by Mariana Saffon

Cash Award Value $10,000

New York Women in Film & Television Award for Directing

FAREWELL AMOR, directed by Ekwa Msangi

Cash Award Value $2,000

New York Women in Film & Television Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking

CODED BIAS, directed by Shalini Kantayya

Cash Award Value $1,000

University Short Film Awards

HEADING SOUTH, directed by Yuan Yuan

PARACHUTE, directed by Katherine Tolentino

ROUND 0, directed by Sonia Ladidà Schiavone

TAPE, directed by Jojo Erholtz

TO THE DUSTY SEA, directed by Héloïse Ferlay

Cash Award Value $500

HIFF Narrative & Documentary Feature Jury

Todd Lieberman, Co-owner of Mandeville Films and Television, and producer of THE

AERONAUTS, WONDER, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017), THE FIGHTER, and THE PROPOSAL, among others.

Carlos Sandoval, Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work includes the award winning documentaries THE STATE OF ARIZONA, A CLASS APART and FARMINGVILLE, and his latest film, BAD HOMBRES.

Stephanie Zacharek, Film Critic for Time Magazine & Chair of the New York Film Critics Circle

ABOUT HAMPTONSFILM

HamptonsFilm, home of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), based in the Hamptons on the Eastern End of Long Island, was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences with an annual film festival each October. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, a Screenwriters Lab, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy. HIFF, celebrating 28 years as the tentpole event of HamptonsFilm, is an annual premier film event in New York State, and is an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. Awarding prizes to filmmakers in cash and goods and services of over $155,000 each year, with over $4.5 million awarded in competition funds and services over the past 27 years, our program continues to play an important role during awards season. 2019 marked the 10th time in a row that a film in the Festival has become the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making HIFF the only Festival in the world with such a distinction. For more information, please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.