Jury And Audience Award-Winning Films Announced For 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival
Photo from the Philadelphia Film Society
PRESS RELEASE - PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 28, 2024 – The Philadelphia Film Society is proud to announce the award winning titles from the 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival. This year continued the Festival tradition of highlighting the best of film from around the world in an 11-day event featuring 98 features and 30+ shorts from over 40 countries.
The 11-member Philadelphia Film Festival jury is composed of a diverse range of critical voices across the film industry. The Philadelphia Film Society appointed Adam Hendricks (Film Producer, Megan, The Voyeurs), Lindsey Bahr (Film Critic, Associated Press), and Siddhant Adlakha (Film Critic, Variety) for the Narrative categories; Matthew Campbel (Artistic Director, Denver Film Festival), Dino-Ray Ramos (Film Journalist, Disapora), and Jess Devaney (Film Producer, Power) for the Documentary categories; Jesse Pires (Film curator, Lightbox Film Center), Kit Zauhar (Filmmaker, This Closeness), and Fernando Ferro (Film Producer, Pink Skies Ahead) for the Local categories; and Vanessa Meyer (Program Director, The Genre Film Lab), and Cameron Fife (Film Producer, Definition Please) for Shorts.
Audience Awards offer festival-goers a unique opportunity to engage directly with the competition and highlight diverse voices and perspectives by reflecting the preferences of the public. These awards empower attendees by allowing them to vote for their favorite films viewed during the Festival. Audience Awards are chosen for Narrative, Documentary, and Filmadelphia features. Honorable mentions are named for all other categories.
“As we celebrate the award-winning titles from the 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the talented filmmakers, cast members, and subjects and express my deep gratitude to our 2024 jury members for their dedication and keen insight in selecting this year's standout films,” said Andrew Greenblatt, CEO and Executive Director of the Philadelphia Film Society. “The Philadelphia Film Society would also like to sincerely thank our enthusiastic audiences for joining us in celebrating another fantastic year of film, voting for their favorite titles, and for their continued support of the Philadelphia Film Festival. We’re already looking forward to doing it all again with the 34th Philadelphia Film Festival in 2025, which will kick off on October 16th and run through October 26th”
Chosen by the jury, the coveted Best Feature Award, an accolade presented to the most outstanding full-length film, has been awarded to BOUND IN HEAVEN directed by Huo Xin. In this stunning, seedy, passionate love story, a woman in an unhappy marriage and a terminally ill man embark on a transformative, yet tragic, affair that dangerously reignites the missing spark in their lives.
Full list of award winners is below. More details can be found at www.filmadelphia.org.
33rd Philadelphia Film Festival Jury Award Winners
Best Narrative Feature
Winner - Bound in Heaven d. Huo Xin
Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Feature - La Cocina d. Alonso Ruizpalacios
Honorable Mention for Exceptional First Feature - Birdeater d. Jack Clark & Jim Weir
Best Documentary Feature
Winner - Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other d. Manon Ouimet & Jacob Perlmutter
Honorable Mention for Stranger Than Fiction Film - Mistress Dispeller d. Elizabeth Lo
Honorable Mention for Innovative Depiction of the Human Condition - Grand Theft Hamlet d. Sam Crane & Penny Grylls
Best Short Film
Winner - Beautiful Men d. Nicolas Keppens
Honorable Mention for Best Documentary - Bob's Funeral d. Jack Dunphy
Honorable Mention for Best Drama Short - Trapped d. Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz
Honorable Mention for Best Horror Short - Dream Creep d. Carlos A.F. Lopez
Honorable Mention for Best Mixed Media Short - Wander to Wonder d. Nina Gantz
Best Filmadelphia Short
Winner - Ah-Ma Burns d. Max Kane
Best Filmadelphia Feature
Winner - No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story d. Pat Taggart
Honorable Mention for Humanitarianism - Citizen George d. Glenn A. Holsten
Honorable Mention for Best Actor - Ian Ross in Dreaming of You
Honorable Mention for Best Actress - Natalie Dormer in Audrey's Children
33rd Philadelphia Film Festival Audience Award Winners
Audience Award, Narrative Feature
Winner - The Count of Monte Cristo d. Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Audience Award, Documentary Feature
Winner - Luther: Never Too Much d. Dawn Porter
Audience Award, Filmadelphia
Winner - Audrey's Children d. Ami Canaan Mann
Student Choice Award
Winner - Unstoppable d. William Goldenberg
Honorable Mentions
After Hours - Dead Talents Society d. John Hsu
Centerpieces - Unstoppable d. William Goldenberg
Community Screenings - Lions Of Mesopotamia d. Lucian Read
Focus on India - Superboys Of Malegaon d. Reema Kagti
Made In USA - Sew Torn d. Freddy Macdonald
Masters Of Cinema - I'm Still Here d. Walter Salles
Non/Fiction - Suburban Fury d. Robinson Devor
Spotlights - Transplant d. Jason Park
State Of The Union - Zurawski V Texas d. Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault
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ABOUT PHILADELPHIA FILM SOCIETY
The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) is the region’s home for classic and contemporary film presentation, education, entertainment, and community building. A nonprofit, community-supported organization, PFS produces the acclaimed Philadelphia Film Festival, curates an extensive year-round film program celebrating the past and future of world cinema, and provides education and community outreach programs, all serving to raise awareness of film as an important art form and vital piece of Philadelphia’s arts and culture community.
Presented at the Film Society Center, Film Society Bourse, and Film Society East, the Film Society’s offerings include film series with a unique global and local perspective, Movies on the Block, PFS On Us, and PFS Teacher Residencies across Philadelphia schools.
ABOUT PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL
Every October, the Philadelphia Film Society hosts the Philadelphia Film Festival which gathers more than 22,000 film lovers and scores of talented filmmakers for ten exceptional days of cinematic splendor. As a world-class film festival, it represents a major contribution to the cultural life of the city and region. It presents, on average, more than 100 films, draws industry guests and panelists, and fosters an interactive community of film professionals and supporters.
Throughout the year, the Film Society’s artistic team scours the world’s most prestigious film festivals - from Sundance to Berlin, Cannes to Toronto - for the year’s most highly anticipated, critically acclaimed, and thought-provoking films. The festival presents these films alongside exclusive events with actors, directors, and industry guests; VIP receptions; and much more that highlights Philadelphia as a place where film is flourishing.
