2013 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS
THE ROCKET, THE KILL TEAM, WHITEWASH AND OXYANA
WIN TOP AWARDS IN JURIED WORLD COMPETITIONS
SANDY STORYLINES WINS FIRST-EVER BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AWARD FOR TRANSMEDIA
FESTIVAL AWARDS $155,000 IN CASH PRIZES
New York, NY – (April 25, 2013) –The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.
The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films, selected from a pool of 24 feature films throughout the program. Awards were also given for the best narrative short, best documentary short and student visionary films in the short film competitions. This year’s Festival included 89 features and 60 short films from 38 countries, programmed by a team led by Tribeca’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Gilmore, Artistic Director Frederic Boyer, Director of Programming Genna Terranova, and Programmer Cara Cusumano.
This year the Festival introduced a new award, the Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia, for the new juried Storyscapes section, created in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin. Also announced at the awards were the Tribeca Online Festival feature and short film winners selected by the online audience. The winners of the Heineken Audience Awards, determined by audience votes throughout the Festival, will be announced on April 27.
“It is a pleasure to share a diverse range films with our audiences at Tribeca and to introduce new storytellers from every corner of the globe,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “We are grateful to the incredible group of talented filmmakers who shared their work with us and with the New York and film communities.”
“With such a wonderful and diverse selection of films in our competition sections, the jury has had quite the challenge in awarding just one per category,” said Frederic Boyer, TFF Artistic Director. “Their selection recognizes films depicting worlds that are seldom seen on screen and to which we are given the rare opportunity to experience through unforgettable characters and remarkable subjects.
Screenings of all winning films will take place throughout the final day of the Festival, Sunday, April 28, at various venues. Specific times and ticketing information are available on the Festival website, www.tribecafilm.com.
In addition to cash awards and in-kind services provided by sponsors including American Express,
AKA, Bombay Sapphire, Citizens of Humanity, Company 3, Kodak, Persol, and Sony Electronics, the Festival presented the winners with original pieces of art created by acclaimed artists, including Joyce Pensato, Dustin Yellin, William Wegman among others.
World NARRATIVE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition were Bryce Dallas-Howard, Blythe Danner, Paul Haggis, Kenneth Lonergan, and Jessica Winter.
Jury Comments: “The Rocket is a spectacular achievement that is powerful and delightful in equal measures. Artfully structured and gorgeously shot, it chronicles the struggles of a displaced family while steering well clear of either sentimentality or despair. Complex in its tone and characterizations, the film takes an unflinching – and edifying – look at the suffering caused both by a legacy of war and the new status quo of economic globalization. And yet, while never losing sight of those grim realities, it also offers us a transcendent tale of hope and perseverance in a world that few Westerners ever have the chance to see.”
Jury Comments: “One of the great pleasures this year was the discovery of this young, non-professional actor, who plays his role with an irresistible blend of pluck, stoic determination and vulnerability. Sitthiphon Disamoe carried a big, ambitious production on his small shoulders, with charm and grace to spare.”
Jury Comments: “We’ve selected a woman who shows herself to be a totally committed and fiercely versatile actress. Veerle Baetens’ character goes from a sunny free spirit to grieving wife and mother, and no matter where we are in the course of that journey, this actress shows us the light burning inside her character, one that both sustains and destroys. She is the heart and soul of the movie, and her performance is nothing short of a tour de force.”
Jury Comments: “Before Snowfall packs a visual punch to match the force and ambition of its story about a teenage boy who pursues the honor killing of his own sister. Shot in four countries and capturing everything from a rural village to multiple European cities, from intimate domestic scenes to teeming street life, from a harrowing border crossing to a bleakly beautiful Nordic landscape in winter, it invites us into many vivid worlds and fulfills many possibilities for cinematography as an art form.”
Jury Comments: “The Broken Circle Breakdown is a true original, starting with the eclectic ingredients in its dynamic screenplay: a romance of opposites, a battle between spiritual faith and secular humanism, triggered by unthinkable tragedy, a Flemish bluegrass band. With dialogue that spans the sweetly flirtatious and the operatically confrontational -- and with dollops of humor and a pure, deep love of music – the film leaps nimbly back and forth in time to conjure vivid characters who face down literal life-or-death issues. They win both our rapt interest and our greatest empathy; they make us both think and feel.”
BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR:
The jurors for the 2013 Best New Narrative Director Competition were Naomi Foner, Tony Gilroy, Ari Graynor, Radha Mitchell, and Stu Zicherman.
Jury Comments: “Whitewash is funny, strange, emotionally honest, tense, pathetic, and ultimately haunting -- a broad canvas for even the most experienced director to paint. It quickly became clear that we were in the hands of a filmmaker with the intelligence, imagination and bravery to carry off this very tricky piece of material. The ability to mix tones and the guts to stage odd, random moments and make them inevitable is one of the least-appreciated tools in a filmmaker’s skill set. The taste and attention to detail required to deliver a story this unsettled and delicate is the work of a director -- and a team -- that this jury hopes will continue for many movies. Their story is so credibly and invisibly constructed -- and the filmmakers have such control of the material and trust in the audience -- that the film reaches for metaphor without ever having had to ask for the privilege. It is a remarkable first feature, and we extend our congratulations to all involved, including two spectacular lead actors in Thomas Haden Church and Marc Labrèche.”
World DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The jurors for the 2013 World Documentary Competition were Joe Berlinger, Sandi DuBowski, Whoopi Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, and Evan Rachel Wood.
Jury Comments: “The Kill Team examines the fundamental flaw in the preparation of young soldiers for war that allows them to see people as targets without humanity, a culture of killing that looks to express itself even in times of peace. It masterfully combines verite' footage, talking head interviews and a private look into one family's desperate fight in a seamless cinematic undertaking. As the drama unfolds we are faced with issues of both institutionalized responsibility and culpabilty within the military itself, the extreme importance of individual acts of courage, cowardice or allegiance to authority, and an expiation of guilt of one tormented soldier's decision to blow the whistle, too late. We feel it raises questions that demand to be answered by our military and society at large, so that these ever enumerating acts of senseless violence cease.”
Jury Comments: “Let the Fire Burn tells a story we were stunned to realize we didn’t know. It offers a time capsule, taking us to a horrific moment in our nation’s history with a masterfully structured edit that vividly mines a trove of blistering period archive images without voiceover narration. The film ensures that a criminal and senseless destruction that cost eleven deaths -- five children, six adults -- shakes us to our core and is remembered with utter visceral power.”
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
The jurors for the 2013 Best New Documentary Director Competition were Jared Cohen, Taraji P. Henson, Riley Keough, Jason O’Mara, and Josh Radnor.
Jury Comments: “Sean Dunne's Oxyana is a major accomplishment, deeply sad without being sentimental, fearless, unblinking and deft in the filmmaker’s ability to coax harrowing stories from his subjects. It is not an easy film to watch. It could be read as hopeless, but by the end, something of the light of each person shone through. It presents an acute awareness of the severity of their situation mixed with an inner battle to not let this film be the final story of them or their once-proud town. We will never forget the faces of these people, their stories and their struggles.”
Short Film Competition Categories:
The 2013 Best Narrative Short Competition jurors were Christine Baranski, Kassem Garaibeh, Jessica Hecht, Chris Milk, and Sheila Nevins.
Jury Comments: “The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars expresses love in its many dimensions and literally gets to the heart of the matter.”
The 2013 Best Documentary and Student Short Competition jurors were Abigail Breslin, Bobby Flay, Eva Longoria, Jason Silva, John Skipper, and Danny Strong. (John Skipper recused himself from the final vote in the Documentary category.)
Jury Comments: “In just 15 minutes, Coach brilliantly shows us a world in which pain and tragedy can lead to triumph and success. It takes us through a national scandal that was handled by the film’s subject with her signature passion, grace and dignity. All together, it shows us why C. Vivien Stringer is a hall of famer and one of the great college basketball coaches of all time.”
Jury Comments: “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me is a sweet coming-of-age story that displays its writer/director’s unique voice through humor, drama and whimsy, in a way that brings true depth to his charming yet conflicted characters. Effortlessly shifting from comedy to drama, this work definitely showcases a young director with a skilled hand and a bright future ahead of him.”
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AWARD FOR TRANSMEDIA
The 2013 BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Award for Transmedia jurors were Thomas Allen Harris, Jeff Gomez, and Frank Rose.
Jury Comments: “We were treated to five extraordinary, transmedia works, and the winner stood out for its powerful demonstration of the potential of communal storytelling. Sandy Storyline, created by Rachel Falcone, Laura Gottesdiener and Michael Premo, leverages the innovative Cowbird storytelling platform, creating a fully realized transmedia account that demonstrates both the therapeutic power of storytelling and our responsibility to bear witness. This project will be of use not only to people today but also to future generations seeking to understand a signal moment in our stewardship of the planet. Moreover, thanks to its admirably simple user interface, its elegant design both online and in physical installations and its effective yet unobtrusive curation, this project serves as a model for narratives surrounding future moments of crisis.”
TRIBECA ONLINE FESTIVAL CATEGORIES:
The 2013 Tribeca Online Festival winners were voted on by visitors to tribecafilm.com.
Full List of Eligible 2013 TFF Films in Each Category of Competition:
World Narrative Feature Competition:
World Documentary Feature Competition:
All feature sections, first time directors with films making their North American, International, or World Premiere
Short Films in Competition:
Storyscapes Projects in Competition:
For more information on all of the films in the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, please visit tribecafilm.com.
Tickets for the 2013 Festival:
Tickets for the Festival are $16.00 for evening and weekend screenings, and $8.00 for all late-night and weekday matinee screenings and can be purchased online, by telephone, or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, Clearview Cinemas Chelsea at 260 W. 23rd Street, and AMC Loews Village 7 at 66 3rd Avenue. The 2013 Festival offers ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only. Additional information and further details on the Festival can be found at www.tribecafilm.com.
About the Tribeca Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.
Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.
The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,400 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4 million attendees and has generated an estimated $750 million in economic activity for New York City.
About the 2013 Festival Sponsors:
As Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, American Express is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking, bringing business and energy to New York City and offering Cardmembers and festivalgoers the opportunity to enjoy the best of storytelling through film.
The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce the return of its Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield, Cadillac, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, ESPN, GE FOCUS FORWARD (in partnership with cinelan), Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Heineken USA, JetBlue, Magnum® Ice Cream, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, and OppenheimerFunds. The Festival is also honored to welcome the following new Signature Sponsors: AT&T, IWC Schaffhausen, PepsiCo, and Sony Electronics.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Anna Dinces
VP, Rubenstein Communications
212-843-9253
adinces@rubenstein.com
Tahra Grant
Senior Account Executive, Rubenstein Communications
(212) 843-9213
tgrant@rubenstein.com
Tammie Rosen
VP of Communications, Tribeca Enterprises
(212) 941-2003
trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
