30th Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Full List of Award Winners

HamptonsFilm announced the full list of feature and short film award winners for the 30th-anniversary edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival, including the Audience Award winners in the Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Short Film categories.

Davy Chou’s RETURN TO SEOUL, distributed by Sony Picture Classics and follows a girl who finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about after returning to South Korea for the first time since she was adopted and raised in France, won this year’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Christopher Sharp & Moses Bwayo’s BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT, distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films and chronicling the story of Bobi Wine, the musician-turned-politician leading the opposition to the 35-year regime in Uganda, won this year’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. Kyle Thrash and Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON, which tells the story of Michael Thompson, the longest-serving nonviolent offender in Michigan history, whose daughter and his lawyer fight for his clemency, won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at this year’s edition of HIFF.

Previously announced feature and short competition award winners for this year’s festival include CLOSE for Best Narrative Feature, PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS for Best Documentary Feature, SNOW IN SEPTEMBER for Best Narrative Short Film, and WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD for Best Documentary Short Film.

Masha Novikova’s GLORIOUS REVOLUTION was awarded the 2022 Peter Macgregor-Scott Memorial Award. The award, which is accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize, aims to continue the celebrated producer’s mentorship for a new generation of passionate filmmakers. Sponsored by Susan Macgregor-Scott, this award is specifically designed to recognize narrative short filmmakers and reward creative approaches to solving practical production challenges in the service of storytelling.

Evgeny Afineevsky’s FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM was awarded the 2022 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict & Resolution, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.

Volker Schlöndorff’s THE FOREST MAKER 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, which is accompanied by a cash prize of $2,000, is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.

Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO was awarded the Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award. This award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection. The film was awarded $2,500.

Pepi Ginsberg’s THE PASS was awarded the Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant. This program supports the completion of high-quality, original, director-driven, low-budget independent films from both emerging and established filmmakers who have completed 50% of principal photography within Suffolk County. The film was awarded a $3,000 grant.

Laura Checkoway’s THE CAVE OF ADULLAM and Ellie Foumbi’s OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL were awarded the New York Women in Film & Television Awards. These two awards honor outstanding female narrative and documentary filmmakers who have demonstrated exceptional artistic vision and dedication to their craft. Each award is accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize.

The festival also announced the recipients of the University Short Film Awards, highlighting the extraordinary talent and achievements of five exceptional students. Each will receive a $500 cash prize. Awardees include BERRY PICKERS, directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson, GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova, MOTHERLAND, directed by Christina Yoon, TEXTURES, directed by Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong, and WET, directed by Marianne Bergeonneu, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, and Elvira Taussac.

“We are so thankful to all of the artists who allowed us to share their films and incredible stories with our film-loving community,” said David Nugent, HamptonsFilm Artistic Director. “As our 30th-anniversary edition of this year’s festival comes to an end, I would like to take a moment to congratulate the talented winners and all the filmmakers who made this year’s edition so special.”

“It has been a privilege to screen such a robust and inspiring selection of films as we celebrate 30 years of sharing stories with audiences out East,” said Anne Chaisson, HamptonsFilm Executive Director. “We would like to take a moment to wholeheartedly thank all of our filmmakers, audience members, staff, sponsors, and volunteers for making this milestone edition of HIFF a great success.”

Of the 69 feature films and 51 shorts screened as part of the 2022 Hamptons International Film Festival, 53% were female-directed and 38% were directed by filmmakers of color. 37 countries were represented at this year’s edition of HIFF.

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CONGRATULATES THE 2022 WINNERS:

Audience Award: Narrative Feature

RETURN TO SEOUL, directed by Davy Chou

Audience Award: Documentary Feature

BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT, directed by Christopher Sharp & Moses Bwayo

Audience Award: Short Film

THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON, directed by Kyle Thrash & Haley Elizabeth Anderson

HIFF Award for Best Narrative Feature CLOSE, directed by Lukas Dhont

HIFF Award for Best Documentary Feature

PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS, directed by Sinéad O’Shea

HIFF Award for Best Narrative Short Film

SNOW IN SEPTEMBER, directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir

HIFF Award for Best Documentary Short Film

WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, directed by Nathan Truesdell

The Peter Macgregor-Scott Memorial Award

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova

The 2022 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award to Films of Conflict and Resolution

FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky

Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant THE PASS, directed by Pepi Ginsberg

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award EO, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice THE FOREST MAKER, directed by Volker Schlöndorff

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Awards

OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL, directed by Ellie Foumbi (Narrative)

THE CAVE OF ADULLAM, directed by Laura Checkoway (Documentary)

University Short Film Awards

BERRY PICKERS, directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, directed by Masha Novikova

MOTHERLAND, directed by Christina Yoon

TEXTURES, directed by Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong

WET, directed by Marianne Bergeonneau, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, Elvira Taussac

HIFF Narrative Feature Jury

Fred Berner, producer, whose work includes the Oscar-winning POLLOCK, VANYA ON 42nd STREET, THE

GREAT WHITE HYPE, and THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO

Jeb Brody, producer, whose work includes 1917, FINCH, and the upcoming THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at The Museum of Modern Art

HIFF Documentary Feature Jury

Opal H. Bennett, producer, known for her work on POV Shorts which won the 2020 IDA Award for Best Short Form Series

Jordan Hoffman, writer, whose work can currently be read at Vanity Fair, The A.V. Club, The Guardian, and The Times of Israel

Regina Scully, producer, founder and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, who has produced over 200+ documentary films