The Arbalest Still - H 2016
Courtesy of SXSWThe Jury and Special Award winners were announced for the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival on Tuesday, with Adam Pinney’s The Arbalest taking the top prize for narrative film and Keith Maitland’s Tower winning for documentary.
Mike Birbiglia, director of Don’t Think Twice, which debuted at SXSW on March 13, hosted the awards ceremony at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. The Audience Awards will be announced separately on Saturday, March 19.
The Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking and Film Design were also announced Tuesday, as well as Special Awards, including the Louis Black “Lone Star” Award and the SXSW Gamechanger Award.
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The Arbalest, which premiered Monday, follows a famous toy inventor (Mike Brune) who reflects on his lifelong obsession with a woman who hates him (Tallie Medel).
Andre Royo won the best actor prize for Hunter Gatherer, while Lily Rabe took best actress honors for Miss Stevens.
Tower is a documentary about the 1966 shooting on the University of Texas campus that features both interviews with the survivors and a unique use of archival footage with rotoscopic animation. The Hollywood Reporter‘s review called the film “a gripping combination of oral history and stylized reenactment.” The doc also won the Lone Star Award.
The film section of the SXSW Festival will show 143 features, consisting of 89 world premieres, 12 North American premieres and eight U.S. premieres, with 52 first-time filmmakers. Films continue through Saturday.
The complete list of awards is below:
Feature Film Grand Jury Awards
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: The Arbalest
Director: Adam Pinney
Special Jury Recognition for Best Actor: Hunter Gatherer
Actor: Andre Royo
Special Jury Recognition for Best Actress: Miss Stevens
Actress: Lily Rabe
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: Tower
Director: Keith Maitland
Special Jury Recognition for Portrait Documentary: Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America
Director: Matt Ornstein
Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: The Seer
Cinematographer: Lee Daniel
Short Film Grand Jury Awards
NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: How Was Your Day?
Director: Damien O’Donnell
Special Jury Recognition for Acting: Thunder Road
Actor: Jim Cummings
Special Jury Recognition for Writing: Greener Grass
Writers: Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: These C*cksucking Tears
Director: Dan Taberski
Special Jury Recognition: Dollhouse
Director: Terri Timely
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: Manoman
Director: Simon Cartwright
Special Jury Recognition: Don’t Tell Mom
Director: Sawako Kabuki
ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: Glove
Directors: Alexa Lim Haas & Bernardo Britto
Special Jury Recognition: Pombo Loves You
Director: Steve Warne
MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner: Childish Gambino — “Sober”
Director: Hiro Murai
TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: The Send-Off
Directors: Ivete Lucas & Patrick Bresnan
Special Jury Recognition for Acting: 1985
Actress: Lindsay Pulsipher
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: Lady of Paint Creek
Director: Alexia Salingaros
Special Jury Recognition: The Archer Hadley Story
Directors: Ben Root & Alex Treviño
SXSW Film Design Awards
EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN
Winner: Miss Me: The Artful Vandal
Designer: MissMe
Special Jury Recognition: Night Stalker
Designer: New Media Ltd
Special Jury Recognition: Eat My Shit
Designer: Octavio Terol
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Winner: Sunstone
Director: Aimee Duchamp
SXSW Special Awards
SXSW Gamechanger Award
Winner: My Blind Brother
Director: Sophie Goodhart
Louis Black “Lone Star” Award
Winner: Tower
Director: Keith Maitland
Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship
Presented to: Eileen Meyer
