2014 Competition Awards

Emerging Filmmaker AWARD

Jurors: Stefano Curti, Rose Kuo, Nora Paul

Harmony Lessons

Director: Emir Baigazin | Kazakhstan/Germany/France

Emerging Filmmaker Jury Statement: “Baigazin is a director who brings a compelling personality and style to his telling of this story of bullying in a school in Kazakhstan. In terms of the cinematography, he shows a creative eye with his frame construction. His portrayal of the stark settings and characterizations held our attention. Baigazin is a director that should be encouraged to continue to work at his craft and, therefore, we recommend he receive the Emerging Filmmakers award.”

Best Documentary Feature

Jurors: David Dancyger, Larkin McPhee, Justine Nagan

Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus

Director: Madeleine Sackler | Belarus/United States/United Kingdom

Documentary Jury Statement: “We felt that this was a very strong group of films, each with unique vision and style. We applaud each filmmaker for taking on the task of making a film with a courageous statement. After deliberation, we selected Dangerous Acts: Starring the Unstable Acts of Belaurus for the Documentary Jury Prize. We found it to be brave, engaging, informative and timely. The subject was both unsettling and incredibly inspiring, and was a well conceived and well crafted film. Congratulations to everyone involved.”