AFI FEST 2018 Presented By Audi Announces Audience and Jury Award Winners

  • Print

AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi announced the films that received this year's Jury and Audience awards. Live-Action Short Winner WAR PAINT directed by Katrelle Kindred, an alumni of AFI Directing Workshop for Women becomes eligible for Short Film Oscar® category.

Audience Award – Feature
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (DIR John Chester)

In this poignant and charming documentary, filmmaker John Chester chronicles the eight-year effort of an ambitious, life-changing personal venture: moving out of Los Angeles with his wife, Molly, and building a diverse, sustainable farm.

Audience Award – Short
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. (DIR Lisa Taback, Garrett Schiff, Melissa Berton, Rayka Zehtabchi)

In an effort to improve feminine hygiene, a machine that creates low-cost biodegradable sanitary pads is installed in a rural village in Northern India.

Grand Jury Award – Live-Action Short
WAR PAINT (DIR Katrelle Kindred)

Jury Statement: "We picked this film for its powerful intersectional narrative which focuses on the difficult aspects of one girl's coming of age."

In WAR PAINT, a young, South LA black girl experiences a series of events that intersect racism and sexism during the Fourth of July holiday. Katrelle Kindred (AFI Directing Workshop for Women, Class of 2018) directed WAR PAINT in 2017 as her AFI DWW short. The film world-premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.


Widows Review - An Exceptional Whodunnit Thriller with Palpable Intrigue

Grand Jury Award – Animated Short
EGG (DIR Martina Scarpelli)

Jury Statement: "We chose this film for its visceral portrayal of the relationship betfween a woman and her body."

In this film, a woman is locked in her home with an egg. She eats the egg, then repents. She kills it. She lets the egg die of hunger.

Honorable Mention for Social Impact Short
MAGIC ALPS (DIR Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi)

In MAGIC ALPS, an Afghani refugee arrives in Italy with his goat and seeks political asylum for both of them.

Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. (DIR Lisa Taback, Garrett Schiff, Melissa Berton, Rayka Zehtabchi)

Honorable Mention for Acting – Short
Vedrana Bozinovic, A SIEGE

In A SIEGE, a lonely woman in war-torn Sarajevo embarks on a journey to find water, and neither her neighbors nor sniper fire can stop her.

The Shorts jury was comprised of Alison Becker (actor on PARKS AND RECREATION, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM), Chinonye Chukwu (director/writer), Alicia Malone (host on Turner Classic Movies), Michael Mohan (co-creator of the Netflix original series EVERYTHING  SUCKS!), Eliza Skinner (comedian and writer on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN) and Sasheer Zamata (comedian, actress, writer and former SNL cast member).

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

AFI FEST once again brought the best in global cinema to Los Angeles thanks to the visionary support of Audi — now in its 15th consecutive year as Presenting Sponsor of the festival.

The complete AFI FEST program included 135 titles (84 features, four episodic, 47 shorts), representing 45 countries, including 65 films directed by women, 29 documentaries and nine animated films. This year's program includes nine official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®submissions, and 24 films featuring 52 AFI Conservatory alumni credits, throughout the sections.The breakdown by section is Galas (8), Special Screenings (13), World Cinema (28), New Auteurs (18), American Independents (11), Midnight (4), Cinema's Legacy (6) and Shorts (47).


The Green Book Review – Four Stars! Brilliant, Inspired, Heartwarming

The many highlights of the festival included Conversations with Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Natalie Portman and Rob Marshall; the Indie Contenders Roundtable featuring Willem Dafoe, Richard E. Grant, Kathryn Hahn, Felicity Jones, Joanna Kulig, Thomasin McKenzie, Rosamund Pike and John C. Reilly; the Doc Roundtable featuring filmmakers Alexis Bloom (DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES), Talal Derki (OF FATHERS AND SONS), Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (FREE SOLO), Morgan Neville (WON'T YOU BE MY  NEIGHBOR?), RaMell Ross (HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING), Jed Rothstein (ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI), Sandi Tan (SHIRKERS), Rudy Valdez (THE SENTENCE) and Betsy West (RBG); a panel with foreign filmmakers Rima Das (VILLAGE ROCKSTARS), Sophie Dupuis (FAMILY FIRST), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (NEVER LOOK AWAY) and László Nemes (SUNSET); a panel with female film critics; and much more.

Additional guests and artists who attended the festival included Christopher Abbott, Mahershala Ali, Joe Alwyn, Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin, Jon S. Baird, Susanne Bier, Alison Brie, Sandra Bullock, Carter Burwell, Linda Cardellini, Ethan and Joel Coen, Steve Coogan, Brady Corbet, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Douglas, Lisa Edelstein, Peter Farrelly, Gillian Flynn, Andrew Garfield, Teddy Geiger, Lukas Haas, Armie Hammer, Marielle Heller, Shirley Henderson, Zoe Kazan, Karyn Kusama, Yorgos Lanthimos, Mimi Leder (AFI Class of 1973), Machine Gun Kelly, Frances McDormand, Steve McQueen, David Robert Mitchell, Viggo Mortensen, Tim Blake Nelson, Pawel Pawlikowski, Trevante Rhodes, Margot Robbie, Michelle Rodriguez, Josie Rourke, Taylor Schilling, Yara Shahidi, Sebastian Stan, Justin Theroux, Nancy Travis, Matt Walsh, Sam Waterston, Jacki Weaver and Beau Willimon.

Audi was the exclusive presenting sponsor of AFI FEST 2018. Additional top sponsors included AT&T and American Airlines, the official airline of AFI.

About the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute was established by presidential proclamation in the White House Rose Garden, and launched its national mandate on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.  AFI's founding Trustees included Chairman Gregory Peck, Vice Chairman Sidney Poitier, Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Jack Valenti and George Stevens, Jr., as Director.

For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilmfacebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

About AFI FEST presented by Audi 
A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST presented by Audi is a celebration of global cinema and today's Hollywood — a showcase for the best festival films of the year and an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. Celebrating its 32nd edition, AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for both Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. This year's edition took place November 8–15, 2018. Additional information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFESTtwitter.com/AFIFEST and youtube.com/AFI

About Audi 
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands, delivering about 1.878 million vehicles globally in 2017. In the U.S., Audi of America sold nearly 227,000 vehicles in 2017 and broke all-time company sales records for the eighth straight year. Visit audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.