Jury Awards
The 2011 New Orleans Film Festival Awards Ceremony was held Sunday evening, October 16. Awards were passed out in eight categories:
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (award: $10,000 Camera Package from Panavision)
AN ORDINARY FAMILY (dir. Mike Akel)
Jurors: Melissa Leo, Academy Award–winning actress (The Fighter); Matt Singer, film critic and on-air personality for IFC News; Jeff Sneider, writer for film publication Variety
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (award: $10,000 Camera Package from Panavision)
MARATHON BOY (dir. Gemma Atwal)
Jurors: Leslie Fields-Cruz, VP Operations and Director of Programming, National Black Programming Consortium; Jeff Malmberg, director of award-winning film Marwencol; Nigel Smith, full-time contributor for IndieWire
BEST LOUISIANA FEATURE (award: $2,500 Post-Production Package from Cineworks)
Winner: THE EXPERIMENT (dir. Ben Lemoine)
Honorable Mention: FLOOD STREETS (dir. Joseph Meissner)
Special Jury Mention for Acting: TAYLOR SLADE, MY FRIEND, OSCAR
Jurors: Steve Hank, director emeritus of the Film Program at the University of New Orleans; Wendell Pierce, actor (The Wire, Treme); Mike Scott, film critic for The Times-Picayune
BEST LOUISIANA SHORT (award: $500 cash prize sponsored by Hollywood Trucks + $500 anonymous donation)
Documentary Short Winner: CHASING DREAMS: A LEAH CHASE STORY (dir. William Sabourin O’Reilly)
Documentary Short Honorable Mention: CADE (dir. Tony Ledet)
Narrative Short Winner: DESTINY LIVES DOWN THE ROAD (dirs. Patrick Jackson and Daneeta Loretta Jackson)
Narrative Short Honorable Mention: IN THE GARDEN (dir. Zac Manuel)
Jurors: Eric Overmyer, one of the creators and an executive producer of Treme; Aaron Walker, award-winning director of Bury the Hatchet; Katie Williams, director of Film New Orleans
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT (award: $2,500 Kodak Film Certificate)
Winner: BENNY (dir. Huay-Bing Law)
Jurors: Luke Matheney, Academy Award-winning filmmaker (“God of Love”); Alicia Van Couvering, producer of award-winning film Tiny Furniture; Rose Vincelli, Program Manager for the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (award: Movie Magic Budgeting & Scheduling Software)
Winner: BROKEN DOORS (dir. Goro Toshima)
Jurors: Ingrid Kopp, editor-in-chief of Shooting People; Eliza Licht, director of community outreach and education for POV; Bill Ross, co-director of award-winning documentary film 45365
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS (award: Showbiz Software – Budgeting and Scheduling Software)
Winner: THE VOYAGERS (dir. Penny Lane)
Honorable Mention: FOUR CUBIC FEET OF SPACE (dir. Tony Gault)
Jurors: Pawel Wojtasik, award-winning experimental filmmaker; Roger Beebe, artistic director of FLEX, the Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival; Liz Dunnebacke, executive director of the New Orleans Video Access Center
ANIMATED SHORTS (award: Manga Studio Debut 4, Poser 8, Anime Studio 8)
Winner: THE LADY PARANORMA (dir. Vincent Marcone)
Honorable Mention: (NOTES ON) BIOLOGY (dir. Danny Madden)
Jurors: Richard O’Connor, creator of Asterisk Animation; Stephen Beck, director of the Red Stick Animation Festival; Rachel Morgan, lead programmer for Sidewalk Film Festival
*Additionally, through a special partnership with Lomography, all eight winning filmmakers will receive a moving picture camera.