SXSW: 'Natural Selection,' 'Dragonslayer' Win Jury Prizes at 2011 Awards Ceremony

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"Dragonslayer"

Writer-director Robbie Pickering’s Natural Selection was the big winner Tuesday night at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival awards. The competition drama was handed not only the grand jury prize for narrative feature, but also awards for best screenplay, best editing, best score/music and the breakthrough performances of stars Rachael Harris and Matt O’Leary.

Tristan Patterson’s Dragonslayer, about a skateboarding kid falling in love in the Fullerton, Calif., suburbs, won the grand jury prize for documentary feature. The film’s director of photography, Eric Koretz, also was handed the honor for best cinematography.

Comedian Owen Egerton hosted the awards ceremony at the Vimeo Theater in the Austin Convention Center. The film festival actually carries on through Saturday.

“It's been completely exciting to witness the overwhelming appreciation and acclaim for the 2011 SXSW film lineup,” said festival producer Janet Pierson. “The unique combination of creative talents from music, film and technology all in the same environment has once again set an electric backdrop for our films, and across the board, the combustion of new talent, fresh perspectives and the engaged community has been exhilarating. We are happy our awards can honor even a sliver of the wide-ranging talent we were privileged to host this year.”

Natural Selection, about an infertile Texas housewife who goes in search of her dying husband’s illegitimate son in Florida, also captured the audience award for narrative feature. Vikram Gandhi’s Kumaré (documentary), Jeff Myers andJack Sanderson’s Becoming Santa (Spotlight Premieres) and Andrew Haigh’s Weekend (Emerging Visions) took the other audience feature awards.

Actor Evan Ross was also given an award for his breakthrough performance in 96 Minutes, and DP Elliot Davis was given the prize for best cinematography for A Year in Mooring.

Roger Ebert, Logan Hill and Michelle Satter made up the narrative feature jury, while Mark Olsen, Lisa Schwarzbaum and Sky Sitney comprised the documentary feature jury.

The jury awards for editing, cinematography, score/music, screenplay and breakthrough performance were new this year. The audience awards for the 24 Beats Per Second, Lone Star States and Midnighters sections are still being voted on and will be announced Saturday. 

A complete list of 2011 SXSW Film Festival award winners follows:

Feature Film Jury Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Winner: Dragonslayer
Director: Tristan Patterson

Best Editing: Where Soldiers Come From
Editors: Kyle Henry & Heather Courtney

Best Cinematography: Dragonslayer
Director of Photography: Eric Koretz

Best Score/Music: The City Dark
Music by: The Fishermen Three, Ben Fries

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Winner: Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering

Breakthrough Performances:
Evan Ross – 96 Minutes
Rachael Harris – Natural Selection
Matt O’Leary – Natural Selection

Best Screenplay: Natural Selection
Writer: Robbie Pickering

Best Editing: Natural Selection
Editor: Michelle Tesoro

Best Cinematography: A Year in Mooring
Director of Photography: Elliot Davis

Best Score/Music: Natural Selection
Music by: iZLER, Curt Schneider

Feature Film Audience Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Winner: Kumaré
Director: Vikram Gandhi

NARRATIVE FEATURE

Winner: Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering

SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES

Winner: Becoming Santa
Director: Jeff Myers

EMERGING VISIONS

Winner: Weekend
Director: Andrew Haigh

LONE STAR STATES

Winner: Building Hope
Director: Turk Pipkin

24 BEATS PER SECOND

Winner: Love Shines
Director: Douglas Arrowsmith

MIDNIGHT FEATURE (Votes tabulated across both Midnighters & SXFantastic Sections)

Winner: Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish

Short Film Jury Awards

NARRATIVE SHORTS

Winner: Pioneer
Director: David Lowery

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Winner: Mothersbane
Director: Jason Jakaitis

ANIMATED SHORTS

Winner: THE WONDER HOSPITAL
Director: Beomsik Shimbe Shim

MUSIC VIDEOS

Winner: Hollerado, "Americanarama"
Director: Greg Jardin

TEXAS SHORTS

Winner: 8
Director: Julie Gould & Daniel Laabs

TIME WARNER CABLE & OVATION YOUNG FILMMAKER SCHOLARSHIP FOR TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS

Winner: ( __ )
Director: Chad Werner

SXSW Film Design Awards

EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN

Winner: Silver Bullets
Designer: Yann Legendre

Audience Award Winner: Green
Designer: Adrian Kolarczyk

EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN

Winner: Blue Valentine
Designer: Jim Helton

Audience Award Winner: Blue Valentine
Designer: Jim Helton

SXSW Special Awards

SXSW WHOLPHIN AWARD

Winner:The Eagleman Stag
Director: Mikey Please

SXSW CHICKEN & EGG EMERGENT NARRATIVE WOMAN DIRECTOR AWARD

Winner: Sophia Takal for Green

LOUIS BLACK / LONE STAR AWARD

Winner: INCENDIARY: The Willingham Case
Directors: Steve Mims & Joe Bailey Jr.