DIY Film Fest Gala

It was SRO at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Saturday night March 3rd for the annual DIY Film Fest Gala.  The combined Gala included winners from the LA and DIY Book Festival (Winners included Tim Burton's "The Art of Tim Burton" edited by "Ballad of Sandeep's" Derek Frey).  The festival attracted winning entries from across the globe, including Brazil, Italy, Romania, and Israel.

Clips, trailers and shorts were shown

Fulbright Scholar Artemis Preeshl

In attendance were also filmmakers who'd make pictures in different countries.   Fullbright Scholar Artemis Preeshl won an Honorable Mention for her Indian film she shot in Chenai - "Pancha Ratna - Five Gems."  A film that combined the spirit of DIY as well as filming in the rural countryside of India in Bollywood dance fashion.

Actor Deep Roy

  Deep Roy was on hand to accept the Honorable Mention for Derek Frey's "The Ballad of Sandeep" and spoke of the four films that he's made with Tim Burton at the helm including "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Deep Roy spoke on behalf of Derek Frey who directed him in

"The Ballad of Sandeep."

Cara Feinberg

Deep Roy accepting the DIY award from DIY's Rich Martini

Cara Feinberg spoke movingly about the DIY experience when making her film "Working Blind" about three people who became blind, but found themselves becoming wood craftsmen, working with buzz saws and creating their artwork. Her film also won and Honorable Mention in the short documentary category.

Film director Puppett

Filmmaker "Puppett" spoke of her journey from film school in Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and her film "Time Spent." An unusual look at a relationship between two friends, the film was awarded an Honorable Mention in the dramatic short category.

Nicholas Plagman

Nick Plagman accepted the Comedy Short Film award for his "The Ham Sandwich That Changed the World" which detailed how a comic satire he wrote became part of the Fox News cycle - Nick, a contributor to "Funny or Die"  plays all the parts in his film, his film becoming a satire on a satire of how news becomes news.

Ike Ahloe spoke about the genesis of his winning animated film "Clocked In," and how in true DIY fashion, he was actually communicating with the developer of the software to help him (and help the developer) with the software he used to make his film.  The film is a hilarious punk rock infused look into a mind numbing office workplace - (reminiscent of Mike White's HBO show "Enlightenment") and in the midst of trying not to fall asleep, the character envisions a number of scenarios to allow him to break free from his office doldrums.

Also on hand was the winning documentary filmmaker Jennifer Hitchcock, who along with her husband Vernon Hall created the powerful "Dreams Deferred: The Struggle for Peace and Justice In Israel and Palestine" a searing portrait of the Palestinian settlements in Israel as told by Israeli activists who are trying to stop their country from stealing more Palestinian lands.  It's an eye opening look at a controversial topic that demonstrates how the new "settlements" are actually these modern, high tech, mini-malls and apartment complexes that are quickly gobbling up Palestinian land, and how both the Palestinians and Israeli activists against these massive projects are getting little or no help to stop them.  Jennifer spoke of her journey to the work, this being her first documentary, and how the film shot on location and in the midst of rubber bullet attacks cost under $10K to produce.  She also spoke eloquently on behalf of those people she interviewed who wanted to get the message out into the world.  A link to the full length feature is above.

Flavio Parenti

Director Flavio Parenti  couldn't be on hand to deliver his speech thanking the DIY Film festival for acknowledging his amazing "Quantum Butterfly Dream" but sent a video from Rome  where he's working on a film. (He's acting in the next Woody Allen film tentatively title "Nero Fiddled.")  Flavio speaks about the two and half years it took him to make the film,  how he'd shot it with a small digital camera, and how moved he was that the film was acknowledged for its masterful story telling technique - not all the festivals it went to understood, or appreciated its use of multiple digital images to tell the story, but at the DIY Film Festival, we appreciate those who turn the every day into art.  As avante garde artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau once said "when the cost of making film is as much as a pencil and a piece of paper, then we'll see true artists."  Flavio Parenti's "Sogno Farfalle Quantiche" is an advancement of digital filmmaking into that category.

 Here's the rest of the DIY FILM FEST winners:

WINNER BEST DIRECTOR - Rodolfo Novaes for “JUST IN TIME”

Rodolfo Novaes is a writer director from Brazil studying film at the University of Westminster in the UK.  This stunning debut film, shot with the Red camera, is a clever journey of a husband who returns home to London to find his wife has been cheating on him while he was away.  He follows his wife's lover to find the man is a hired gigolo - and the gigolo doesn't realize the husband is following him.  Their ensuing encounter is both surprising and brilliant, and shows a promising career for this amazing film student.  This is his first film.

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

WINNER BEST ANIMATED FILM

Ike Ahloe’s “CLOCKED IN”
An amusing look at the adventures of a clock puncher in a computer office.

HONORABLE MENTION
Gerald Grunow’s “999.999.999”
Set in the future, brilliant animation from a German filmmaker about the power of a rose.

STUDENT FILM
WINNER BEST STUDENT FILM

Christopher Jarvis’ animated short “THE BIRD UPSTAIRS”

Winner of a number of film festivals, this Tisch school short is amazing and hilarious.
HONORABLE MENTION
Ryan Klaver’s short documentary “AMEND”  

From Taylor University, a straight forward story about a one of our nation's "Greatest Generation."

COMEDY SHORT  FILM

WINNER BEST SHORT COMEDY FILM

Nicholas Plagman’s “THE HAM SANDWICH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD”
Provocateur and comedian Nicholas Plagman's true story of how satire made it into Fox News.
HONORABLE MENTION

Derek Frey’s “BALLAD OF SANDEEP”
The comedic journey of an outsourced Indian, who turns the tables on his bosses.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Jessica Vecchione’s “ROBERT   -   PORTRAIT OF AN ART-ER”
Amazing look into an artist who creates monuments out of stone, and lives in an alternate universe of time.
HONORABLE MENTION

Cara Feinberg’s “WORKING BLIND: THREE STORIES”  

Touching and moving look into the lives of three newly blind woodworkers learning to use power tools and buzz saws by sound and feel alone.

DRAMA SHORT FILM
WINNER BEST SHORT DRAMA FILM
Daniel Watson, Rafael Cortina’s “DOUBLE TRUTH”
Powerful dramatic tale about two wayward thieves and crossing paths with a young boy on a cold day in NYC.
HONORABLE MENTION

Puppett’s “TIME SPENT”
Two friends deal with an emotionally dangerous past.
HONORABLE MENTION

Misha Sundukovskiy’s  “THE SUNSET”
Insightful tale about an unlikely friendship between two different cultures in San Francisco.

HONORABLE MENTION

Craig Macnaughton’s  “COME HERE GO WAY” (Canada)

Beautifully lensed examination of a love affair between someone who can and one who can't commit.

WINNER JURY PRIZE - EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE

Brian Paul Higgins “CURE FOR THE CRASH”

Masterful blending of documentary and fiction in a tale of modern day Hobos who ride the rails in a world fraught with danger and dreams.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Jennifer Hitchcock’s  “Dreams Deferred: The Struggle for Peace and Justice in Israel and Palestine” 
Insightful journey into the "settlements" of Palestine from the point of view of Jewish citizens who are outraged or poetic about their country's taking other people's ancestral lands.
HONORABLE MENTION

Leo Grillo’s “THE RESCUER” 
Over 20 years in the making, this tale is about a man who found his life's calling in rescuing abandoned pets.
HONORABLE MENTION

Gary Null’s “DEATH BY MEDICINE”
A clarion call to understand the money and collusion behind Big Pharma, and the medicines that are killing those they're supposed to save.
HONORABLE MENTION

Kevin Malone’s “CHRISTY MATHEWSON DAY”

A small town, a local hero - and how this little town continues to celebrate its most famous son.

DRAMATIC FEATURE  

WINNER BEST DRAMA FEATURE

Robin North, Kelly Preeper's “DEAD SAINTS”

Two women in an insane asylum.  One sees the dark world for what it is, the other sees it as a religious journey.
HONORABLE MENTION

Rachael Yaeger’s “NO LOST CAUSE”  

A woman comes to terms with her car accident that left her in a wheelchair - its ultimately the faith and love of her friends and Church that get her to see the blessings in her life.

WORLD CINEMA

BEST WORLD CINEMA FEATURE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Mirel Bran’s “ONE-WAY ROUND TRIP” (Romania)
An amazing journey with a family of Roma (Gypsies) who are expelled from France, then return to try to find a way to stay.  Everyone does their best to turn them out of the country, until they find their way to Cannes.
HONORABLE MENTION

DOCUMENTARY SHORT - Mia Mullarkey’s “HALLS WITHOUT WALLS” (Ireland) 
A young Irish painter and poet struggles with his Asperger's with the help of his loved ones.
HONORABLE MENTION

DRAMA SHORT STUDENT FILM - Shahar Amit’s “JOHNNY LOST HIS GUN” (Israel)

An impoverished woman is about to evicted from her home by two Israeli soldiers, while she waits for her son who is also in the military to come home and rescue her.

HONORABLE MENTION

DRAMA SHORT- Artemis Preeshl’s “PANCHA RATNA - FIVE GEMS” (India)
A DIY Bollywood film, shot in the countryside of India by a group of young Indian filmmakers who show how it only requires a passion for story telling to tell a compelling story - no matter where it is set.

A fun night was had by all, and special thanks to Avid for supplying the winners with their latest editing software, including the Avid Studio and Pinnacle's Studio HD Ultimate as prizes - bot of which allow filmmakers to "make professional moves and multimedia projects with technology trusted by Hollywood."
Special thanks to all the filmmakers who contributed, finished, struggled to finish, or set out to make their own DIY film projects.  We at the DIY Fest encourage everyone to pick up a camera and either document your world, and give people a journey they won't forget. As Jean Cocteau, French poet, novelist, actor, filmmaker said, and our motto for the DIY Film Festival remains:

“Film will only became an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper.”

The Envelopes Please!!!

The 10th annual DIY Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the "Best Film" and "Best Director" categories.  The Festival has become truly and international festival, and this year's winners prove that. Actor/Writer/Director Flavio Parenti's "Quantum Butterfly" is the winner of BEST FILM.  Rodolfo Novaes has been named BEST DIRECTOR for his film "Just In Time."

DIY FILM FEST WINNERS

WINNER BEST FILM - Flavio Parenti’s “QUANTUM BUTTERFLY” “Sogno Farfalle Quantiche”  (Italy)   

Flavio Parenti is an award winning actor and filmmaker.  His film Quantum Butterfly (Sogno Farfalle Quantiche) is a brilliant blending of live action footage with animation and text.  The film follows a group of young Italians during the best summer of our hero's life.  He falls in love, he breaks the heart of his girlfriend, and is devastated when she leaves him.  His friends try to console him - and the visions and images in his head are like a journey through James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" using modern technology.  Parenti's clever technique, score, dialog and stunning visuals make this a truly unique DIY experience.  No one who watches his film can come away without feeling completely immersed in the topic, and amazed by the technique involved.  At the moment, Parenti is filming in Rome, appearing in Woody Allen's latest film (currently titled "Nero Fiddled" with Alec Baldwin, Ellen Page and Woody Allen)  We at the DIY Film Fest hope Flavio continues his passion of writing, directing and producing as well, as this film is a testament to his ability to tell a compelling story with the tools anyone can use. A tour de force of DIY filmmaking.


WINNER BEST DIRECTOR - Rodolfo Novaes for “JUST IN TIME”

Rodolfo Novaes is a writer director from Brazil studying film at the University of Westminster in the UK.  This stunning debut film, shot with the Red camera, is a clever journey of a husband who returns home to London to find his wife has been cheating on him while he was away.  He follows his wife's lover to find the man is a hired gigolo - and the gigolo doesn't realize the husband is following him.  Their ensuing encounter is both surprising and brilliant, and shows a promising career for this amazing film student.  This is his first film.


ANIMATED SHORT FILM

WINNER BEST ANIMATED FILM

Ike Ahloe’s “CLOCKED IN”
An amusing look at the adventures of a clock puncher in a computer office.

HONORABLE MENTION
Gerald Grunow’s “999.999.999”
Set in the future, brilliant animation from a German filmmaker about the power of a rose.


STUDENT FILM


WINNER BEST STUDENT FILM

Christopher Jarvis’ animated short “THE BIRD UPSTAIRS”

Winner of a number of film festivals, this Tisch school short is amazing and hilarious.

HONORABLE MENTION
Ryan Klaver’s short documentary “AMEND”  

From Taylor University, a straight forward story about a one of our nation's "Greatest Generation."

COMEDY SHORT  FILM

WINNER BEST SHORT COMEDY FILM

Nicholas Plagman’s “THE HAM SANDWICH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD”
Provocateur and comedian Nicholas Plagman's true story of how satire made it into Fox News.

HONORABLE MENTION

Derek Frey’s “BALLAD OF SANDEEP”
The comedic journey of an outsourced Indian, who turns the tables on his bosses.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Jessica Vecchione’s “ROBERT   -   PORTRAIT OF AN ART-ER”
Amazing look into an artist who creates monuments out of stone, and lives in an alternate universe of time.

HONORABLE MENTION

Cara Feinberg’s “WORKING BLIND: THREE STORIES”  

Touching and moving look into the lives of three newly blind woodworkers learning to use power tools and buzz saws by sound and feel alone.

DRAMA SHORT FILM
WINNER BEST SHORT DRAMA FILM
Daniel Watson, Rafael Cortina’s “DOUBLE TRUTH”
Powerful dramatic tale about two wayward thieves and crossing paths with a young boy on a cold day in NYC.

HONORABLE MENTION

Puppett’s “TIME SPENT”
Two friends deal with an emotionally dangerous past.

HONORABLE MENTION

Misha Sundukovskiy’s  “THE SUNSET”
Insightful tale about an unlikely friendship between two different cultures in San Francisco.

HONORABLE MENTION

Craig Macnaughton’s  “COME HERE GO WAY” (Canada)

Beautifully lensed examination of a love affair between someone who can and one who can't commit.

WINNER JURY PRIZE - EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE

Brian Paul Higgins “CURE FOR THE CRASH”

Masterful blending of documentary and fiction in a tale of modern day Hobos who ride the rails in a world fraught with danger and dreams.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Jennifer Hitchcock’s  “Dreams Deferred: The Struggle for Peace and Justice in Israel and Palestine” 
Insightful journey into the "settlements" of Palestine from the point of view of Jewish citizens who are outraged or poetic about their country's taking other people's ancestral lands.

HONORABLE MENTION

Leo Grillo’s “THE RESCUER” 
Over 20 years in the making, this tale is about a man who found his life's calling in rescuing abandoned pets.

HONORABLE MENTION

Gary Null’s “DEATH BY MEDICINE”
A clarion call to understand the money and collusion behind Big Pharma, and the medicines that are killing those they're supposed to save.

HONORABLE MENTION

Kevin Malone’s “CHRISTY MATHEWSON DAY”

A small town, a local hero - and how this little town continues to celebrate its most famous son.

DRAMATIC FEATURE  

WINNER BEST DRAMA FEATURE

Robin North, Kelly Preeper's “DEAD SAINTS”

Two women in an insane asylum.  One sees the dark world for what it is, the other sees it as a religious journey.

HONORABLE MENTION

Rachael Yaeger’s “NO LOST CAUSE”  

A woman comes to terms with her car accident that left her in a wheelchair - its ultimately the faith and love of her friends and Church that get her to see the blessings in her life.

WORLD CINEMA

BEST WORLD CINEMA FEATURE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Mirel Bran’s “ONE-WAY ROUND TRIP” (Romania)
An amazing journey with a family of Roma (Gypsies) who are expelled from France, then return to try to find a way to stay.  Everyone does their best to turn them out of the country, until they find their way to Cannes.


HONORABLE MENTION

DOCUMENTARY SHORT - Mia Mullarkey’s “HALLS WITHOUT WALLS” (Ireland) 
A young Irish painter and poet struggles with his Asperger's with the help of his loved ones.


HONORABLE MENTION

DRAMA SHORT STUDENT FILM - Shahar Amit’s “JOHNNY LOST HIS GUN” (Israel)

An impoverished woman is about to evicted from her home by two Israeli soldiers, while she waits for her son who is also in the military to come home and rescue her.

HONORABLE MENTION

DRAMA SHORT- Artemis Preeshl’s “PANCHA RATNA - FIVE GEMS” (India)
A DIY Bollywood film, shot in the countryside of India by a group of young Indian filmmakers who show how it only requires a passion for story telling to tell a compelling story - no matter where it is set.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.  The Gala is scheduled for March 3rd at the HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT HOTEL in beautiful downtown Hollywood. 

The Gala is a combined evening with the Los Angeles Book Festival and the DIY Book Festival.  It's a cocktail party attended by a number of movers and shakers in the film and book industry.  We're going to screen about an hour worth of trailers and short films from this year's festival. Admittance is with a ticket only, ticket information can be obtained by sending an email to diyconvention@aol.com. Its an intimate event where filmmakers and writers get the chance to mingle and meet people in the film and publishing industries.

Congratulations to the filmmakers for their talent and hard work!!!

Finalists for the 10th Annual Film Fest

The DIY Film Fest is proud to announce this year's finalist's for the 10th annual DIY Film Festival.  Thank you all for your submissions, we had films from across the planet this year, and we're glad to be able to include links to almost all of them below, so people can see this amazing crop of films for themselves.

The Gala is scheduled for March 3rd here in LA, the results (Best Film in each category) will be announced then, but meanwhile, here's the full list of Finalists for this year's festival.  Everyone will be getting either an Honorable Mention or a Best Film award. We will be showing clips, trailers and some shorts during the Gala, and we'll be in touch to make sure we have the most up to date trailers.  

DIY FILM FEST 10th Annual FINALISTS  

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Gerald Grunow’s “999.999.999”

Ike Ahloe’s “CLOCKED IN”

Christopher Jarvis’ “THE BIRD UPSTAIRS”

(Student Film)

COMEDY SHORT  FILM

Nicholas Plagman’s “THE HAM SANDWICH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD”

Derek Frey’s “BALLAD OF SANDEEP”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

Jessica Vecchione’s “ROBERT   -   PORTRAIT OF AN ART-ER”

Cara Feinberg’s “WORKING BLIND: THREE STORIES”  

Ryan Claver’s “AMEND”  

(Student Film)

DRAMA SHORT FILM

Daniel Watson, Rafael Cortina’s “DOUBLE TRUTH”

Puppet’s “TIME SPENT”

Misha Sunovkoskiy’s  “THE SUNSET”

Craig Macnaughton’s  “COME HERE GO WAY” (Canada)

Rodolfo Novaes’ “JUST IN TIME”

(Student Film)

NARRATIVE/DOCUMENTARY

Brian Paul Higgins “CURE FOR THE CRASH”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Jennifer Hitchock’s  “Dreams Deferred: The Struggle for Peace and Justice in Israel and Palestine” 

Leo Grillo’s “THE RESCUER”  

Gary Null’s “DEATH BY MEDICINE”

Kevin Malone’s “CHRISTY MATHEWSON DAY”

DRAMATIC FEATURE  

Flavio Parenti’s “QUANTUM BUTTERFLY” “Sogno Farfalle Quantiche”  (Italy)   

Rachael Yaeger’s “NO LOST CAUSE”  

Robin North, Kelly Preeper's “DEAD SAINTS”

WORLD CINEMA

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Mirel Bran’s “ONE-WAY ROUND TRIP” (Romania)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT - Mia Mullarkey’s “HALLS WITHOUT WALLS” (Ireland)   

DRAMA SHORT STUDENT FILM - Shahar Amit’s “JOHNNY LOST HIS GUN” (Israel)

DRAMA SHORT- Artemis Preeshi’s “PANCHA RATNA - FIVE GEMS” (India)

Congratulations to the filmmakers for their talent and hard work!!!

DIY FILM FEST GALA MARCH 3RD

Along with our sister events, the DIY Book Festival and the Los Angeles Book Festival, we're announcing our gala of celebrating the best in DIY Filmmaking will be held in Los Angeles on March 3rd.

Last Year's DIY Fest winners Cody Blue Snider and Jesse Griffith at the Gala

We're sending out individual notifications to filmmakers to let them know that they're finalists for the best picture in their category, and we look forward to seeing all of you at the event if you can make it.

And congrats to all you filmmakers for finishing your film - it's not easy to finish a movie, and there's many film festivals out there - so we appreciate your thinking of us.


Details about the Gala to follow!  (Time, place, etc).

Here are links to the DIY Book Festival and the Los Angeles Book Festival.

2011-2012 Los Angeles Book Festival

The Los Angeles Book Festival celebrates the best of world publishing in the world entertainment capital. When: March 3, 2012 Where: Los Angeles, CA. United States. Visit Website

The 2011-2012 DIY Book Festival

The 10th annual DIY Book Festival honors the best of independent and self-published books. Part of the 11th annual DIY Convention: Do it Yourself in Film, Music & Books. When: March 3, 2012 Where: Los Angeles, CA. United States. Visit Website

Youtube announces film fest

With Ridley Scott no less.  Grand prize is $$$ to make a film. http://www.youtube.com/user/yourfilmfestival



"This is Your Film Festival. You have until March 31st to submit a short, story-driven video. There's no entry fee. It can be any format - short film, web-series episode, TV pilot - and any genre. In June, audiences around the world will vote, sending 10 deserving storytellers to open the 2012 Venice Film Festival where a Grand Prize Winner will be be rewarded with a $500,000 grant to create a new work, produced by Ridley Scott and his world class team."


I recommend you guys all check into this!

Congrats to the 2012 Sundance Winners!

Sundance 2012: 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' Wins Top Honors

By SANDY COHEN   01/29/12 07:02 AM ET   

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PARK CITY, Utah -- A mythical film starring an 8-year-old girl and a documentary about the war on drugs took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, and "The House I Live In" won the same honor in the U.S. documentary category Saturday at the independent film festival's awards ceremony.

Directed and co-written by 29-year-old first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" follows a girl named Hushpuppy who lives with her father in the southern Delta. The film also won the cinematography prize.

Zeitlin said he was grateful to the Sundance Institute and labs, where he worked on the film for more than three years.

"This project was such a runt, this sort of messy-hair, dirty, wild child, and we just have been taken care of and just eased along until we were ready to stand up on our own," he said in an interview after the ceremony. "It's just great that it happened here. This is the right place for the world to meet the film."

Zeitlin described his spunky young star, Quvenzhane Wallis, as "the biggest person I know." She said she is ready to be a movie star, but first will be going back to third grade.

Fox Searchlight acquired the film earlier this week.

Eugene Jarecki's documentary "The House I Live In" examines the social, human and financial costs of the war on drugs. The filmmaker won the same award in 2005 for his documentary "Why We Fight."

As he accepted his award, Jarecki called the war on drugs "tragically immoral, heartbreakingly wrong and misguided."

"If we're going to reform things in this country, putting people in jail for nonviolent crime, in many cases for life without parole, for possession of a drug, for sentences longer than is now given for murder in this country, must end," he said.

Kirby Dick's documentary about rape in the military, "The Invisible War," won the audience award, as did Ben Lewin's heartfelt drama "The Surrogate," which stars John Hawkes as a paralyzed 38-year-old man who hires a sex surrogate, played by Helen Hunt, to help him lose his virginity. Fox Searchlight acquired that film, too.

"I don't think most people have ever seen this sort of story before," Lewin said after the ceremony. "I think it was very new and unexpected... From the experiences I've had seeing it with an audience, it seems to be a real emotional ride."

"The Surrogate" also won a special jury prize for its ensemble cast.

World cinema jury prizes went to the documentary "The Law in These Parts," about Israel's legal system in occupied Palestinian territories, and the drama "Violeta Went to Heaven," about Chilean musician Violeta Parra.

The audience favorites in world cinema were the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," which also won a special jury award, and the drama "Valley of the Saints," which also claimed the Alfred P. Sloan film prize. A second winner of the Sloan Award, which recognizes films with science as a theme or a scientist as a major character, was "Robot and Frank." The film, which premiered at Sundance, stars Frank Langella as a retired jewel thief who befriends the caretaker robot his children have given him, eventually bringing the robot along on his illegal outings.

Other winners:

_ U.S. drama directing award: Ava DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere."

_ U.S. documentary directing award: Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles."

_ World cinema drama directing award: Mads Matthiesen, "Teddy Bear."

_ World cinema documentary directing award: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi, "5 Broken Cameras."

_ U.S. drama screenwriting award: Derek Connolly, "Safety Not Guaranteed."

_ World cinema screenwriting award: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Peirano, Sebastian Sepulveda, "Young & Wild."

_ U.S. documentary editing award: Enat Sidi, "Detropia."

_ World cinema editing award: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky, "Indie Game: The Movie."

_ U.S. documentary cinematography award: Jeff Orlowski, "Chasing Ice."

_ World cinema drama cinematography award: David Raedeker, "My Brother the Devil."

_ World cinema documentary cinematography award: Lars Skree, "Putin's Kiss."

_ U.S. drama special jury prize for producing: Andrea Sperling and Jonathan Schwartz, "Smashed" and "Nobody Walks."

_ U.S. documentary special jury prizes: "Love Free or Die," "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry."

_ World cinema drama special jury prize: "Can."

_ Short film audience award: "The Debutante Hunters."

_ Best of NEXT audience award: "Sleepwalk With Me."

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