‘The Dark Horse’ Wins Top Honor at Seattle Film Fest

James Napier Robertson’s The Dark Horse, telling the story of New Zealand bipolar speed chess champion legend Genesis Potini, received the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film at the Seattle International Film Festival, which concludes today. The movie’s star Cliff Curtis was also named best actor. The Golden Space Needle Awards were voted by the festival’s audiences.

The award for best documentary went to Jason Zeldes’ Romeo Is Bleeding, which follows Bay Area poet Donte Clark as he puts together an updated version of Romeo and Juliet.

The best director prize was awarded to Alfonso Gomez-Rejon for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which Fox Searchlight will open June 12. Nina Hoss was hailed as best actress for the German film Phoenix. And the Golden Space Needle Award for best short film was claimed by Even the Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck and Saman Maydani.

A complete list of winners follows:

SIFF 2015 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM

The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson (New Zealand 2014)

First runner-up: Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter (USA 2015)

Second runner-up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (USA 2015)

Third runner-up: Shaun the Sheep, directed by Richard Starzak, Mark Burton (UK 2015)

Fourth runner-up: Good Ol’ Boy, directed by Frank Lotito (USA 2015)

 

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY

Romeo is Bleeding, directed by Jason Zeldes (USA 2015)

First runner-up: Paper Tigers, directed by James Redford (USA 2015)

Second runner-up: The Glamour & The Squalor, directed by Marq Evans (USA 2015)

Third runner-up: The Great Alone, directed by Greg Kohs (USA 2015)

Fourth runner-up: Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014)

 

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (USA 2015)

?First runner-up: George Ovashvili, Corn Island (Georgia 2014)

Second runner-up: Peter Greenaway, Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands 2015)

Third runner-up: Susanne Bier, A Second Chance (Denmark 2014)

Fourth runner-up: Ross Partridge, Lamb (USA 2015)

 

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR

Cliff Curtis, The Dark Horse (New Zealand 2014)

First runner-up: Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes (UK 2015)

Second runner-up: Jason Segel, End of the Tour (USA 2014)

Third runner-up: Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon, Henri Henri (Canada (Québec) 2014)

Fourth runner-up: Jacir Eid, Theeb (Jordan 2014)

 

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS

Nina Hoss, Phoenix (Germany 2014)

First runner-up: Kalki Koechlin, Margarita, with a Straw (India 2014)

Second runner-up: Rebecka Josephson, My Skinny Sister (Sweden 2015)

Third runner-up: Regina Case, The Second Mother (Brazil 2015)

Fourth runner-up: Ghita Nørby, Key House Mirror (Denmark 2015)

 

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM

Even the Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydáni (USA 2015)

First runner-up: Submarine Sandwich, directed by PES (USA 2014)

Second runner-up:Stealth, directed by Bennett Lasseter (USA 2014)

Third runner-up: Personal Development, directed by Tom Sullivan (Ireland 2015)

Fourth runner-up: Bihttoš, directed by Elie-Máijá Tailfeathers (Canada 2014)

 

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014)

  

SIFF 2015 COMPETITION AWARDS

 

SIFF 2015 BEST NEW DIRECTOR

GRAND JURY PRIZE

Liza, the Fox-Fairy (Hungary 2015), directed by Károly Ujj-Mészáros

SPECIAL JURY MENTION

Corrections Class(Russia/Germany 2014), directed by Ivan I. Tverdovsky

 

SIFF 2015 BEST DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE

The Great Alone(USA 2015), directed by Greg Kohs

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES

Romeo is Bleeding(USA 2015), directed by Jason Zeldes

Sergio Herman: F**king Perfect (Netherlands 2015), directed by Willemiek Kluijfhout

 

SIFF 2015 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA

GRAND JURY PRIZE

Chatty Catties(USA 2015), directed by Pablo Valencia

 

SIFF 2015 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE

Seoul Searching(USA/South Korea 2015), directed by Benson Lee

 

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE

When Marnie Was There(Japan 2014), directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

 

WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE)

In recognition of superior artistic and technical achievement.

Audio Input(USA), directed by Sho Schrock-Manabe

 

FUTUREWAVE AUDIENCE AWARD

Minimum Max(USA), directed by Josh Ovalle

 

PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS

Each winner will be awarded a $1000 scholarship to the Prodigy Camp.

I’m Not Here(South Africa), directed by Jack Markovitz

Minimum Max(USA), directed by Josh Ovalle

 

SIFF 2015 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

LIVE ACTION

GRAND JURY PRIZE

The Chicken (Croatia, Germany), directed by Una Gunjak

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Hole (Canada), directed by Martin Edralin

 

DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE  

Bihttoš (Canada), directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

 

ANIMATION

GRAND JURY PRIZE

The Mill at Calder’s End (USA), directed by Kevin McTurk