Award Winners at the 2017 Harlem International Film Festival

Roberta Durrant’s KROTOA named Best Narrative Feature, Daniel Peddle’s GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON Best Documentary Feature

Ilker Savaskurt’s GROOM’S BLOCK is Best World Film (Narrative) and Steven McGregor’s SERVANT OR SLAVE is honored as Best World Documentary

Angela Robinson Witherspoon’s CURTSY, MISTER wins the Audience Award and Best Director Awards go to Johnny O’Reilly for MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS (Narrative Feature), and Sarita Siegel & Gregg Mitman for THE LAND BENEATH OUR FEET (Documentary Feature)

 

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“We have a great deal of pride in the accomplishments of all the films that comprised our slate this year,” said Program Director Nasri Zacharia about the festival that run ran from May 4 to May 7. “From opening night to closing night, our audiences were enthralled with the way our filmmakers see and show the world to us and the profound resonance of the messages they delivered within the urgent stories they told. It is never easy to single out and award just a few from a program as strong as this, but it’s always a pleasure to shine a second light on some of the great films we admired this season.”

The Audience Award was bestowed upon Angela Robinson Witherspoon’s CURTSY, MISTER. Best Director Awards go to Johnny O’Reilly for MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS (Narrative Feature), and Sarita Siegel & Gregg Mitman for THE LAND BENEATH OUR FEET (Documentary Feature).

The Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker went to Serena Dykman for her work on NANA, while acting awards were received by Hasmine Killip (Best Actress) and Ronwaldo Martin (Best Actor) – both for their work in ORDINARY PEOPLE (Pamilya Ordinaryo).

Highlighting the film festival’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the work of local filmmakers, Jacques Zanetti’s DAY AFTER DAY won the New York Showcase Award, and Harlem Spotlight Awards went to Eduard Eme’s THE SPEECH (Harlem Spotlight Best Documentary), Tesia Joy Walker’s SEARCH PARTY (Harlem Spotlight Best Short Narrative), and Marquis Martin’s A GIRL CAN DREAM…BRE SCULLARK (Harlem Spotlight Best Short Documentary).

Best Experimental Film went to Mtume Gant’s WHITE FACE. Best Animation went to Nathalie Blomme’s TRIP TO THE STARS, and the winner for Best Music Video was Eileen Byrne’s IRIDESCENCE. The winning Webisode was Darian Dauchan’s THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BROBOT JOHNSON

Awards for Short Films went to: Pape Bouname Lopy, Marc Recchia, and Chistophe Rolin’s DEM DEM! For Best Short (short film over 15 minutes in length), Jeremy Wallace’s HELLO, MALCOLM for Best Short Short (short film under 15 minutes in length), and Royston Scott’s THE SARAH SPENCER WASHINGTON STORY for Best Short Documentary.

Best Youth Short went to Dominique Gilbert’s COCOA BUTTER SHORT, and Phil Elleston, II’s STATEMENT OF TRUTH was named Best Youth Short Documentary.

 

The 2017 Award Winners

 

Best Narrative Film
KROTOA
Director: Roberta Durrant

Best Documentary
GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON
Director: Daniel Peddle

Best World Film
GROOM’S BLOCK
Director: Ilker Savaskurt

Best World Documentary
SERVANT OR SLAVE
Director: Steven McGregor

Audience Award
CURTSY, MISTER
Director: Angela Robinson Witherspoon

Best Narrative Director
Johnny O’Reilly (MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS)

Best Documentary Director
Sarita Siegel & Gregg Mitman (THE LAND BENEATH OUR FEET)

Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker
Serena Dykman (NANA)

Best Actress
Hasmine Killip (ORDINARY PEOPLE (Pamilya Ordinaryo))

Best Actor
Ronwaldo Martin (ORDINARY PEOPLE (Pamilya Ordinaryo)

New York Showcase Award
DAY AFTER DAY
Director: Jacques Zanetti

Harlem Spotlight (Documentary)
THE SPEECH
Director: Eduard Eme

Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative)
SEARCH PARTY
Director: Tesia Joy Walker

Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary)
A GIRL CAN DREAM…BRE SCULLARK
Director: Marquis Martin

Best Experimental Film
WHITE FACE
Director: Mtume Gant

Best Short Documentary
THE SARAH SPENCER STORY
Director: Royston Scott

Best Short Narrative
DEM DEM!
Directors: Pape Bouname Lopy, Marc Recchia, and Chistophe Rolin

Best Short Short
HELLO, MALCOLM
Director: Jeremy Wallace

Best Youth Short Documentary
STATEMENT OF TRUTH
Director: Phil Elleston, II

Best Youth Short
COCOA BUTTER SHORT
Director: Dominique Gilbert

Best Animation
TRIP TO THE STARS
Director: Nathalie Blomme

Best Music Video
IRIDESCENCE
Director: Eileen Byrne

Winning Webisode
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BROBOT JOHNSON
Director: Darian Dauchan

 

About The Harlem International Film Festival: Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have unique experiences and perspectives to share, the Festival actively seeks and exhibits fresh work. Hi is committed to exemplifying the eminence that Harlem represents and is dedicated to bringing attention to the finest filmmakers from Harlem and across the globe.

 

Gregg Morris can be reached at gmorris@hunter.cuny.edu