‘The Case Against 8’ Wins Top Doc Awards at RiverRun Film Festival

The Case Against 8, Ryan White and Ben Cotner’s documentary about the legal case that led to the overturn of California’s ban against same-sex marriage, won both the audience and jury awards for best documentary at the RiverRun International Film Festival, which concluded April 13 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, in which a young woman discovers a dark family secret, won the jury award for best narrative feature as well as best screenplay honors for Pawlikowski and the best actress award for Agata Kulesza.

The audience award for best narrative feature was given to Philippe Muyl’s Nightingale, while the audience award for best indie film went to James E. Duff’s Hank and Asha.

The Peter Brunette Award, named after the late Hollywood Reporter film critic, was presented to Marcel Said for The Summer of the Flying Fish, which also took the cinematography prize. And the best actor prize went to Nestor Guzzini for Tanta Agua.

A complete list of winners follows:

AUDIENCE AWARDS

The Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Nightingale/ China / France (Director: Philippe Muyl)

The Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: The Case Against 8/ U.S.A. (Directors: Ryan White, Ben Cotner)

Altered States Award for Best Indie: Hank and Asha/ U.S.A. / Czech Republic (Director James E. Duff)

JURY AWARDS – NARRATIVE COMPETITION

The Best Narrative Feature Award: Ida/ Poland / Denmark (Director: Pawel Pawlikowski)

The Peter Brunette Award for Best Director: Marcel Said, The Summer of Flying Fish / Chile / France

Best Actor: Néstor Guzzini, Tanta Agua / Uraguay / Mexico / Netherlands / Germany (Directors: Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge

Best Actress: Agata Kulesza, Ida / Poland / Denmark (Director Pawel Pawlikowski)

Best Cinematography: Inti Briones, The Summer of Flying Fish / Chile / France

Best Screenplay: Ida/ Poland / Denmark (Director: Pawel Pawlikowski)

Special Jury Prize: 2 Autumns, 3 Winters/ France / (Director Sébastien Betbeder)

JURY AWARDS – DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Best Documentary Feature: The Case Against 8/ U.S.A. / (Directors: Ben Cotner and Ryan White)

Best Director: Stephanie Sprayand Pacho Velez, Manakamana / Nepal / U.S.A.

The Human Rights Award: The Kill Team/ U.S.A. (Director: Dan Krauss)

JURY AWARDS – SHORTS COMPETITION

Best Documentary Short: Cathedrals(Kathedralen) / Germany (Director: Konrad Kästner)

Special Jury Prize: A Hole in the Sky(Godka Cirka) / U.S.A. / Spain (Director: Alex Lora)

Best Narrative Short: Inertial Love/ Spain (Director: Joseph Esteban Alenda)

Special Jury Prize for Visual Ingenuity: Rhino Full Throttle/ Germany (Director: Erik Schmitt)

Special Jury Prize for Emotional Authenticity: Whale Valley/ Denmark / Iceland (Director: Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson)

Best Animated Short: Padre / Argentina (Director: Santiago “Bou” Grasso)

Special Jury Prize: Sonata/ France (Director: Nadia Micault)

JURY AWARDS – STUDENT SHORT COMPETITION

Best Student Narrative Short: Kanyekanye / South Africa (Director: Miklas Manneke)

Best Student Documentary Short: A Hole in the Sky(Godka Cirka) / U.S.A. / Spain (Director: Alex Lora)

Best Student Animated Short: The Magnificent Lion Boy/ UK (Director: Ana Caro)

Honorable Mention – Student Animated Short: Punctuwool / U.S.A. / (Director: Jacob Streilein)

PITCH FEST

First Place: Unmappable/ U.S.A. / Filmmaker Diane Hodson (Wake Forest University)

Runner Up: Titanic Boy/ U.S.A. / Filmmaker Andrew Reed (University of North Carolina – Greensboro)