‘Rock Steady Row,’ ‘Mr. Fish’ Win Top Slamdance Awards
via Variety • by Dave McNary
Trevor Stevens’ “Rock Steady Row” and Pablo Bryant’s “Mr. Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End” have won the Sparky Awards for grand jury prizes at the 24th Slamdance Film Festival.
The award winners were announced Thursday evening at the festival’s annual awards ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Ut. Slamdance runs concurrently as an alternative to the larger Sundance Film Festival. The feature competition films in the documentary and narrative programs are limited to first-time filmmakers working with production budgets of less than $1 million. Slamdance alum Dana Nachman’s “Pick of the Litter” was the first deal at Sundance this year.
“We congratulate the winners and everyone at Slamdance who represented the unfiltered voice of independent artists,” said Slamdance president Peter Baxter. “Thousands came to appreciate our diverse international program, including our neighbors Sundance. As the major acquisition of ‘Pick of the Litter’ demonstrates, we can expect millions more to follow as our filmmakers and their work continue to attract global recognition out of our showcase.”
Baxter also announced Yassmina Karajah, director of the narrative short “Rupture” as the first recipient of The Russo Brothers Fellowship, a $25,000 prize that includes mentorship from Joe and Anthony Russo as well as development support from their studio.
“Ever since their first film premiered at Slamdance, Anthony and Joe Russo have cared deeply about supporting our community,” Baxter said. “They have continually given back to a festival that helped them — first as programmers and increasingly now as mentors.”
A full list of winners is below:
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize – Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens)
Honorable Mentions: Fake Tattoos (Dir.: Pascal Plante) and Lovers (Dir.: Niels Holstein Kaa)
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize – Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End (Dir.: Pablo Bryant)
Honorable Mention – MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon)
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize – Nueva Vida (Dir.: Jonathan Seligson)
Honorable Mention: The Last Man You Meet (Dir.: Chris Bone)
Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah)
Honorable Mention: Goodbye, Brooklyn (Dir.: Daniel Jaffe)
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Are You Tired Of Forever? (Dir.: Caitlin Craggs)
Honorable Mention: Silica (Dir.: Pia Borg)
Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Interstitial (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi)
Honorable Mention: Satellite Strangers (Dir.: James Bascara)
Slamdance Acting Award: Rhaechyl Walker (My Name is Myeisha)
Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner: Wendy McColm (Dir. of Birds Without Feathers)
CreativeFuture Innovation Award: Railment (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi)
The Russo Brothers Fellowship Award Winner: Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah)
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens)
Runner up: Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Dir.: Bert Scholiers)
Audience Award for Documentary Feature: Freedom For The Wolf (Dir.: Rupert Russell)
Runner up: MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon)
Audience Award for Beyond Feature: My Name Is Myeisha (Dir.: Gus Krieger)
Runner up: Funny Story (Dir.: Michael Gallagher)