OUTFEST LOS ANGELES LGBTQ FILM  FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2019 AWARD WINNERS

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Experimental Short:  FRAMING AGNES, dirs. Chase Joynt & Kristen Schilt

Documentary Short:  HOW TO MAKE A RAINBOW, dir. Ryan Maxey

Narrative Short:  TIME & AGAIN, dir. Rachel Dax

Documentary Feature: CHANGING THE GAME, dir. Michael Barnett

Narrative Feature: TOP 3, dir. Sofie Edvardsson

Narrative First Feature (presented by HBO):  SAINT FRANCES, dir. Alex Thompson

GRAND JURY AWARDS

Documentary Jury:  

Sarah Harris, senior programmer for AFI Fest and AFI Docs; Outfest award-winning filmmaker Gregorio Davila; and co-founder and Chief Product Officer of queer streaming service, Revry, LaShawn McGhee.

Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short: SWEETHEART DANCERS, dir. Ben-Alex Dupris

Documentary Feature Special Mention: WHY CAN’T I BE ME? AROUND YOU, dirs. Harrod Blank, Sjoerd Djik

Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature: UNSETTLED, dir. Tom Shepard

International Narrative Shorts Jury:  

Screenwriter and best-selling novelist Steven Rowley, actor/director of Outfest 2019 selection RAZOR TONGUE, Rain Valdez, and senior manager of Artist Development at Film Independent, Angela Lee.

International Narrative Short Film Special Mention:  I (dirs. Hallfridur Thora Tryggvadottir, Vala Omarsdottir) – Iceland

Grand Jury Prize for Best International Narrative Short: THRIVE (dir. Jamie Di Spirito) – United Kingdom

U.S. Narrative Shorts Jury:

Actor/Comedian Drew Droege, filmmaker Mary Evangelista, and author/filmmaker/comedian Gaby Dunn.

U.S. Narrative Short Special Mention:  SKIN, dir. Audrey Rosenberg

Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Narrative Short:  BABY, dir. Jessie Levandov 

International Feature Film Jury:

Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, Sundance Senior Programmer Dilcia Barrera, and film critic Carlos Aguilar

Special Mention for Performance:  Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol, and Mia Maestro in END OF THE CENTURY (dir. Lucio Castro) – Argentina

Special Mention for Directing: Lisa Zi Xiang for A DOG BARKING AT THE MOON  – China

Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance in an International Narrative: Juan Pablo Olyslager in TEMBLORES (TREMORS) – Guatemala

Grand Jury Prize for Screenwriting, International Narrative: Santiago Loza for BRIEF STORY FROM THE GREEN PLANET — Argentina

Grand Jury Prize for Best International Narrative Film: THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET, dir. Marie Kreutzer

U.S. Narrative Feature Jury:

Vidiots Foundation executive director Maggie Mackay, talent and literary manager Ran Aubrey Frazier, and Executive Director of Inside Out Toronto, Andria Wilson. 

Special Mention for Ensemble Performance:  MOTHER’S LITTLE HELPERS, dir. Kestrin Pantera

Special Mention for Directing: Rhys Ernst, ADAM

Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenwriting:  TU ME MANQUES, dir. Rodrigo Bellott

Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance:  Nicole Maines in BIT

Grand Jury Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Feature:  JULES OF LIGHT AND DARK, dir. Daniel Laabs

Special Programming Awards

Emerging Talent: PIER KIDS, dir. Elegance Bratton

Freedom:  QUEERING THE SCRIPT, dir. Gabrielle Zilkha 

Artistic Achievement: VISION PORTRAITS, dir. Rodney Evans

Corporate Awards

Vimeo Staff Picks Award:  CATHERINE OPIE, B. 1961, dir. Sini Anderson

Hyundai’s Vision for Better Award: WONDER, dir. Javier Molina

HBO Award (Best Narrative First Feature Audience Award): SAINT FRANCES 

ABOUT OUTFEST

Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the world’s leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBT lives. Over the past three decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers, and protected more than 40,000 LGBT films and videos. Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival is eleven days of world-class films, panels, and parties. 

ABOUT HBO

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. and the world’s most successful pay TV service, providing the two television services – HBO® and Cinemax® – to approximately 131 million subscribers worldwide. The services offer the popular subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand®, as well as HBO GO® and MAX GO®, HD feeds and multiplex channels. HBO NOW®, the network’s internet-only premium streaming service, provides audiences with instant access to HBO’s acclaimed programming in the U.S. Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 60 countries. HBO and Cinemax programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide. 

ABOUT THE FORD

The John Anson Ford Theatres are owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Ford Theatre Foundation. Situated in a 32-acre regional park in the Cahuenga Pass, the Ford Theatres complex is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles still in use. This event is part of the Ford Theatres 2019 Season, an eclectic series of music, dance, theatre, film and family events that represent the diversity of the region. Ford programs nurture artists, arts organizations and audiences through initiatives designed to encourage participation in the arts. A complete season schedule, onsite dining options, directions, and parking information can be found at FordTheatres.org.