The SXSW Film Festival announced their 2016 Jury and Special Award-winners at the SXSW Film Awards tonight at the Paramount Theater in Austin. Hosted by Mike Birbiglia (whose film Don’t Think Twice made its world premiee at the festival) announced the awards which included an offbeat film about an obsessive toy inventor in the ’70s taking the top honors in the narrative feature competition and a rotoscopic animated film about the clock tower sniper from the ’60s snagging the trophy in the documentary feature competition. The Audience Award winners from the festival will be announced on March 19, so until then here’s the first batch of winners from the fest.
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 ARFUL 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: Aimée 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
For the complete schedule and details of the films at SXSW, visit sxsw.com. Follow all of Tracking Board’s coverage of SXSW here.
Dino-Ray Ramos | Staff Writer
