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The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Presented to FROZEN RIVER, directed by Courtney Hunt, about a desperate trailer mom and a Mohawk Indian girl who team up to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States from Canada.
(Assistant producer & cast Craig Shilowich, BFA '06 (Film & TV), cinematographer Reed Morano, BFA '00 (Film & TV), sound recordist Micah Bloomberg, BFA '04 (Film & TV), script supervisor Andrew Cesana, BFA '02 (Film & TV) and production designer Inbal Weinberg, BFA '03 (Film & TV).)
The Audience Award: Dramatic
Presented to THE WACKNESS, directed by Jonathan Levine. During a sweltering New York summer, a troubled teenage drug dealer trades pot for therapy sessions with a drug-addled psychiatrist, and in the process falls for the doctor's daughter.
(Cast members: Nicole Berger, BFA '99 (Dance), Sean Dillon, BFA '03 (Drama) and Natalie R. Ridley, BFA '99 (Dance), cinematographer Petra Korner, BFA '99 (Film & TV), art director Beth Kuhn, MFA '77 (Design), stage rigging gaffer Eric Boncher, BFA '95 (Film & TV), best boy electric John Coots, BFA '01 (Film & TV), second assistant camera: "a" camera Milly Itzhak, BFA '99 (Film & TV), production assistant Ryan David Kohler, BFA '06 (Film & TV), steadicam operator Aaron Medick, BFA '97 (Film & TV), assistant sound Joe Origlieri, BFA '06 (Film & TV) and best boy rigging electrician Michele SchianodiCola, BFA '06 (Film & TV).)
The Directing Award: Documentary
Presented to Nanette Burstein for her film AMERICAN TEEN, an irreverent cinema vérité which chronicles four seniors at an Indiana high school and yields a surprising snapshot of Midwestern life.
(Nanette Burnstein, BFA '94 (Film & TV) / MFA '04 (Film) director, screenwriter, producer)
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing
Presented to Alex Rivera and David Riker for their screenplay for SLEEP DEALER. Set in a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences, three strangers risk their lives to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology.
(David Riker MFA '96 (Film))
The Documentary Editing Award
Presented to Joe Bini for his work on the film ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED. The documentary examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
(Joe Bini, BFA '86 (Film & TV).)
Special Jury Prize: Dramatic, Work by an Ensemble Cast
Presented to the cast of CHOKE. An adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, CHOKE is the sardonic story about mother and son relationship, fear of aging, sexual addiction, and the dark side of historical theme parks.
(Director, screenwriter and cast Clark Gregg, BFA '86 (Drama), executive producer Mike S. Ryan, MFA '92 (Film), cast members Heather Burns, BFA '96 (Drama), Allison Karman, BFA '05 (Drama), Jordan Lage, BFA '86 (Drama), and Erin Anne Williams, BFA '03 (Drama), dolly grip Melissa Guimaraes, BFA '00 (Film & TV), production coordinator Joshua Huffman, BFA '04 (Film & TV), and assistant to executive producers Alicia Van Couvering, BFA '05 (Film & TV).)
Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking
Awarded to SIKUMI (On the Ice), directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean.
(Director and writer Andrew O. MacLean, MFA Student (Film), director of photography Cary Fukunaga, MFA Student (Film), sound recordist Rob Meyer, MFA ’07 (Film), assistant director James Rogan, MFA Student (Film), 2nd assistant camera Nicolas Calzada, MFA Student (Film), 2nd unit cinematographer Danny Vecchione, MFA Student (Film), script supervisor Natacha Feola, MFA Student (Film), and composer Andres Martinez, MFA Student (Film).)
Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking
Presented to AQUARIUM, directed by Rob Meyer.
(Director, writer, and editor Rob Meyer, MFA '07 (Film), assistant director Craig Johnson, MFA Student (Film), cinematographer Rob Hauer, MFA ’04 (Film), sound Andrew MacLean, MFA Student (Film), boom operator Tom Perry, MFA Student (Film), grip/electric Nick Calzada, MFA Student (Film), grip/electric Stephen Dypiangco, MFA Student (Film), grip/electric Mark Heyman, MFA Student (Film), and grip/electric Joe Singer, MFA Student (Film).)
