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The 30th SXSW 2023 Jury and Special Awards has been announced.. Feature films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition categories. But that’s not all, SXSW also announced all other juried sections, including Shorts, Design and XR Experience Awards. Special Awards announced included: Louis Black “Lone Star” Award, Adobe Editing Award, Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, Hope Award, Thunderbird Rising Award, ZEISS Cinematography Award, and new this year in honor of Janet Pierson, Director Emeritus, the Janet Pierson Champion Award.
All 2023 film categories will be eligible for category-specific Audience Awards that will be certified by the accounting firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter. Audience Award Voting will conclude on Sunday, March 19. Winners will be announced via sxsw.com that week.
“What an extraordinary week of film and TV premieres here at SXSW, and there is more to come through Saturday,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP, Flm & TV. “Our theaters have been brimming with enthusiastic audiences celebrating the exceptional and diverse work in our lineup, and we’re so excited to celebrate this year’s jury and special award winners!
The 2023 Film & TV program includes 110 features including 75 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 9 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres, 16 Texas Premieres + 63 Short films, 20 Music Videos, 12 TV Premieres, 3 TV Spotlight, 7 Independent TV Pilots, and 35 XR Experience projects.
Feature Film Grand Jury Awards
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION Presented by Panavision
Winner: Raging Grace, Director/Screenwriter: Paris Zarcilla, Producer: Chi Thai
Special Jury Award for Performance: Courtney Eaton, Parachute
Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Eric Branco, Story Ave
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION Presented by ACE91
Winner: Angel Applicant, Director/Screenwriter: Ken August Meyer
Special Jury Award for Innovation in Storytelling: Another Body ,Directors: Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn
SHORT FILM GRAND JURY AWARDS Presented by IMDbPro
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: It Turns Blue, Director/Screenwriter: Shadi Karamroudi
Special Jury Award: Flores del Otro Patio , Director: Jorge Cadena, Screenwriters: Jorge Cadena, Li Aparicio Candama, Producers: Yan Decoppet, Gabriela Bussmann
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma), Director: Sean Wang, Producers: Sean Wang, Sam Davis
Special Jury Award: Suddenly TV, Director/Producer: Roopa Gogineni
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: The Flute, Director: Nick Roney, Screenwriters: Nick Roney, Ed Leer
Special Jury Award: Pennies from Heaven, Director: Sandy Honig, Screenwriters: Sandy Honig, Annabel Meschke, Sabina Meschke
ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: The Debutante, Director/Screenwriter: Elizabeth Hobbs
Special Jury Award for Animation Directing: Tom CJ Brown, Christopher at Sea
MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner: Amanda Sum – ‘Different Than Before’, Director/Screenwriter: Mayumi Yoshida
Special Jury Award: Residente – ‘This is Not America ft. Ibeyi’, Director: Grégory Ohrel
TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: Breaking Silence, Directors: Amy Bench, Annie Silverstein, Producers: Monique Walton, Amy Bench
Special Jury Award: When You Left Me On That Boulevard , Director/Screenwriter: Kayla Abuda Galang,
TV PILOT COMPETITION
Winner: Grown, Showrunner/Director/
Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance: Josh Fadem, Harbor Island
POSTER DESIGN COMPETITION
Winner: Eyestring, Designer: Javier Devitt
Special Jury Award: Riders on the Storm
Designer: Casey Moore, Directors: Jason Motlagh, Mark Oltmanns
XR EXPERIENCE COMPETITION
Winner: Consensus Gentium, Director/Screenwriter: Karen Palmer
Special Jury Award: Body of Mine, Director/Producer/
SXSW Special Awards
Janet Pierson Champion Award: Lizzie Shapiro
Louis Black “Lone Star” Award: The Lady Bird Diaries, Director: Dawn Porter
Special Jury Award: The Herricanes, Director: Olivia Kuan
Thunderbird Rising Award Winner: Paris Zarcilla, Raging Grace
Thunderbird Rising Special Award: Brittany Snow, Parachute
The Hope Award Winner: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Director: Davis Guggenheim
The Hope Special Award: Confessions of a Good Samaritan, Director: Penny Lane, Producer: Gabriel Sedgwick
Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award: Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, Director/Screenwriter: Tomas Gomez Bustillo
ZEISS Cinematography Award: Fancy Dance, Cinematographer: Carolina Costa, AMC
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