The awards of the 23rd Tribeca Film Festival were handed out June 13 with the top prize going to Hacking Hate by Simon Klose (Sweden, Denmark, Norway), described by the jury as “a film that bravely and fearlessly investigates the misuse of the internet to encourage hate and bias by allowing media giants to profit and foster the continuation of the outrage.”
Before all the awards were handed out, Tribeca Festival Director and SVP of Programming Cara Cusumano commented: “After a banner year of Tribeca programming, I do not envy our jurors’ task of selecting this year’s winners…I’m delighted to see they’ve chosen to honour a diverse, international, adventurous group of films that truly reflect the Tribeca spirit. We can’t wait to continue to follow and support all these films’ journeys into the world.”
The documentary winners are:
Best Documentary Feature: Hacking Hate, director Simon Klose (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “The documentary jury awards a film that bravely and fearlessly investigates the misuse of the internet to encourage hate and bias by allowing media giants to profit and foster the continuation of the outrage. On trial are First Amendment freedoms that have been violated for profit.”
Special Jury Mention for a Documentary Feature: Made in Ethiopia, directors Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan (United States, Canada, Ethiopia, Denmark, Korea, United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “For its multi-faceted exploration of the personal and collective cost of today’s face of globalization, we award the Special Jury Mention to Mazde in Ethiopia. Congratulations to the makers for opening a window to the lived experiences of those most directly impacted by the global labor industrial complex.”
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature: Ezra Wolfinger for Shelf Life (United States) – World Premiere. “For a film that was self-described as ‘a passionate odyssey through the aging process’—the jury appreciates and was delighted by our visual journey from string cheese in Georgia to Mozzarella in Japan.”
Best Editing in a Documentary Feature: Rupert Houseman for Antidote (United Kingdom) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “At this difficult moment in the world’s history we commend the filmmakers and editors ability to craft a narrative with clarity and urgency, and to ring alarm bells for the consequences of vicious attacks on journalists. For its crisp and compelling narrative.”
Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director: Debra Aroko and Nicole Gormley for Searching for Amani (Kenya) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “Exquisitely crafted with a taut narrative, this documentary paints a nuanced portrait of issues that often are ignored or worse unknown by those outside of a community. It is extremely difficult to take a topic that affects the world and to tell a story about that topic in an intimate and personal fashion that is both subversive and charming. So much of the success of a documentary is based on its main character, and the passion, curiosity, and relentlessness of 13-year-old Simon Ali was awe-inspiring.”
Special Jury Mention for New Documentary Director: Elizabeth Ai for New Wave (United States) – World Premiere. Jury statement: “Loss, identity, the unspoken longing of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons pulsing and animated by an 80s soundtrack. This raw portrait of the American Vietnamese Community is a story we’ve never seen before, where music becomes a way to escape from the old and belong to the new. For her powerful, evocative and emotionally honest storytelling.”
Best Documentary Short: Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, director Julio Palacio (United States) – New York Premiere. Jury statement: “For the grace with which it showed the gratitude and joy of parents unlocking the brilliance of their autistic daughter, and for how it showcased her extraordinary, once hidden talent.”
The Audience Award winners will be announced following the closing of the festival on June 16.
