Pan African Film Festival 2013 WinnersPosted by Wilson Morales
February 19, 2013
“Free Angela and All Political Prisoners” Grabs Best Doc Award and Haiti’s “Stones in the Sun” Walks Away With Top Prize
The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is happy to announce the winners of its films in competition today. The festival handed out jury, audience and special prizes during an awards brunch on Presidents’ Day at the “pop up” PAFF Filmmakers Lounge, located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
PAFF, America’s largest and most prestigious international Black film festival is took place February 7-18, 2013 at the Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills 15 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The festival selected a total of 154 films, representing 34 countries — that is, 23 documentaries, 13 short documentaries, 67 narrative features, and 51 narrative shorts. PAFF handed out prizes for Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards at the close of the festival.
Although no one film swept the awards, films from the United States and the Caribbean proved to be the favorites at the festival this year. In fact, Haiti’s “Stones in the Sun,” directed by Patricia Benoit walked away with the top prize of Best Feature Narrative. Canadian director Sudz Sutherland of “Home Again,” walked away with the Festival Choice Award, given by the Pan African Film Festival and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/LA (BAFTA/LA). In Sutherland’s acceptance speech, he thanked PAFF and BAFTA for the one-year subscription prize of Vimeo PRO, because he was “just online, thinking about getting it, but it’s very expensive.”
The winners are:
BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE
“Stones in the Sun” (Haiti/US), directed by Patricia Benoit
Special Jury Recognition | Feature Narrative
“Things Never Said” (US), directed by Charles Murray
BEST DIRECTOR | FIRST FEATURE
David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga,director of“Nairobi Half Life” (Germany/Kenya)
Special Jury Recognition | Director, First Feature
Ya’Ke,director of “Wolf” (US)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Free Angela & All Political Prisoners” (US/France), directed by Shola Lynch
Special Jury Recognition | Documentary
“Mugabe: Villain or Hero?” (UK), directed by Roy Agyemang
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
“Our Rhineland”(US), directed by Faren Humes
Special Jury Recognition | Short Narrative:
“The Collegians” (US), directed by Bryan B.A. Lewis
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” (US), directed by Alvelyn Sanders
Special Jury Recognition | Short Documentary:
“Africa: The Beat” (Tanzania/Spain), directed by the Samaki Wanne Collective
FESTIVAL PROGRAMMERS’ AWARD
“Babe’s and Ricky’s Inn” (US), directed by Ramin Niami
FESTIVAL FOUNDERS’ AWARD
“Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp”(US), directed by Jorge Hinojosa
CAPRI CAPITAL PARTNERS AWARD
“Songs of Redemption” (Jamaica), directed by Amanda Sans and Miquel Galofré
AUDIENCE AWARD | DOCUMENTARY
“Charles Lloyd: Arrows into Infinity”(US), directed by Dorothy Darr and Jeffery Morse
AUDIENCE AWARD | SHORT DOCUMENTARY
“Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” (US), directed by Alvelyn Sanders
AUDIENCE AWARD | NARRATIVE FEATURE
“Against the Grain”(US), directed by Elias Mael
AUDIENCE AWARD | SHORT NARRATIVE
“Island Song” (US/Virgin Islands), directed by David Massey
