On Saturday night, the Miami International Film Festival closed their 10-day flick fest with a screening of Oscar-nominated Incendies and by honoring the winners in their cinema competitions. Among the international films, The Piano in a Factory, in which a laid-off steel worker does whatever he can to get his hands on a piano, won the World Competition. Getting sacked is also the impetus in the film that won the Ibero-American Competition. In Marimbas From Hell, a xylophone player gets fired and decides to start a new band that blends heavy metal and marimba. And finally, the audience award went to deaf boxer biopic, Hamil. Read on for a full list of winners.
Knight Foundation Ibero-American Competition:
• Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: Marimbas From Hell (Las marimbas del infierno) by Julio
Hernández Cordón (Guatemala/France/Mexico)--a $20,000 USD cash prize
awarded by the Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
• Honorable Mention: Half of Oscar (La mitad de Óscar) by Manuel Martín Cuenca (Spain/Cuba)
Knight Foundation World Competition:
• Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: The Piano in a Factory (Gang de qin) by Zhang Meng
(China)--a $20,000 USD cash prize awarded by the Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
• Honorable Mention: Intimate Grammar (Hadikduk Hapnimi) by Nir Bergman (Israel)
Knight Foundation Dox Competition:
• Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: The Interrupters by Steve James
(USA)--a $10,000 USD cash prize awarded by the Miami-based John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation
• Honorable Mention: If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front by Marshall Curry
University of Miami Shorts Competition:
• University of Miami Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film: Blokes
(Blockes) by Marialy Rivas (Chile)--a $2,500 USD cash prize awarded by
the University of Miami
• Honorable Mention: Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha46 by Anthony Vouardoux (Switzerland/Germany)
The Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Award:
• The husband-and-wife directing and screenwriting team of Israel
Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán of Jean Gentil--a $5,000 USD cash prize
awarded by the Jordan Alexander Ressler Charitable Fund; open to films
in the Ibero-American Competition
Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority Innovation in Industry Award:
• The Greatest Movie Ever Sold by Morgan Spurlock (USA)--sponsored by the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority
Venemovies Audience Award, Best Feature Film:
• Hamill by Oren Kaplan (USA)
Venemovies Audience Award, Best Short Film:
• Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha46 by Anthony Vouardoux (Switzerland/Germany)
Florida Focus Competition: CineaSlam for College Filmmakers in Miami
• Winner: Augustus by Bobby Douge of Miami International University of Art & Design
• Honorable Mention: Nurse Interrupted by Lara Fuchsbrauner of Miami International University of Art & Design
Florida Focus Competition: Miami Coalition for the Homeless for High School Filmmakers in Miami
• Winner (Overall): Homelessness: Just Look Around by Kasey Gonzalez, Emily Galvez and Lauren Thermes, South Dade Senior High
• Winner (Public Service Announcement): The Road to Ruin, by Eric Flemons, University School of Nova Southeastern University
Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award:
• Given to Andy Garcia (executive producer), Aaron J. Salgado (director) and Jaydee Freixas (producer), Magic City Memoirs