The 12th Annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (MLFF) has concluded this year with a joyful party and awards ceremony.
This year’s jury and audience award winners at the Closing Night Award Ceremony were chosen from 32 narrative shorts, 15 documentary shorts and 16 animation shorts, music videos, and both international and North American feature length films. Winners received over $40,000 in awards and cash prizes.
Festival director Shira Dubrovner and programming director Paul Sbrizzi presided over the awards and created a festival that this year “reaffirmed the power of independent film to spark conversation, foster connection, and champion daring creative voices,” according to Dubrovner.
Sbrizzi adds that “This year’s lineup showcased bold, entertaining, and culturally resonant films that reflect the future of independent cinema.”
And the winners (along with filmgoers, awarded the ultimate prize of watching teriffic films), include:
Jury Awards
Best N. American Narrative Feature: “Mono 222,” directed by Quinton Dominguez
Honorable Mention: “Debt to the Dead,” directed by Daniel Castro Zimbrón
Best International Narrative Feature: “Dreaming of Lions,” directed by Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Honorable Mention: “Tony Odyssey,” directed byThales Banzai
Best Documentary Feature: “I Got Bombed at Harvey’s,” directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel
Bravery Award for Documentary Feature: “Sugarfly,” directed by Max Schoenfeld
Best Screenplay: “The Unseen,” written by Shivakumar Ramanathan
Best Narrative Short: “Reunion,” directed by Kyle Montgomery and Judd Myers
Honorable Mention: “Boat Movie,” directed by Anna Torzullo and Stephanie Ibarra
Best International Narrative Short: “Leivalaul (Breadsong),” directed by Katariina Aule
Best Documentary Short: “Jar of Time,” directed by Nevena Semova and Swapnil Arjun
Honorable Mention: “Hyodo’s Paradise,” directed by Jacque Rabie
Best Animation Short: “Wan Wan,” directed by Mayuko Kobayashi
Honorable Mention: “Long Live Livia,” directed by Zach Dorn
Best Music Video: “High Season,” by Yuliia Yanko and Trygve Luktvasslimo, directed by Trygve Luktvasslimo
Honorable Mention: “Erghad Afewo,” by Tinariwen, directed by Axel Digoix
Audience Awards
Best N. American Narrative Feature: “Danny Is My Boyfriend,” directed by Lucy Sandler & Mechi Lakatos
Best International Narrative Feature: “Tony Odyssey,” directed by Thales Banzai
Best Documentary Feature: “Nuisance Bear,” directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden.
Jury members included:
Carlos Aguilar (RogerEbert.com), Allison Amon (EP, Superconductor), Sean Barnes (Artist), Amanda Bonaiuto (Animation Filmmaker), Kimberley Browning (Tribeca), James Costa (Producer, All the Empty Rooms), Sarah Diamond (Slamdance Programmer), Allison Foreman (Indiewire) Shaun Hill (Indican Pictures), Kangmin Kim (Animation Filmmaker), Randal Kleiser (Director, Grease), Brian Morataya (Photographer), Kiva Reardon (former TIFF programmer), Pat Saperstein (Variety), Jacques Thelemaque (Filmmakers Alliance), Katherine Tulich (AP & RogerEbert.com).
– Genie Davis; photos by Davis and Cheryl Henderson