As the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival closed last week, the festival announced this year’s jury and audience winners. At the conclusion of the fest, Festival Director Masashi Niwano said, “SFIAAFF has long been the nation’s premiere showcase for Asian American and Asian films. But with 110 feature-length and short films from 20 countries, plus a host of interactive events, this year was CAAM’s most ambitious yet. We are delighted by the new ways the audience is engaging with the festival, and we look forward to seeing them at our 30th anniversary next year.”
Narrative Competition
Jury Members: Aseem Chhabra, Quentin Lee, and Leonardo Nam
Best Film:
“The Imperialists are Still Alive!,” Zeina Durra
Special Jury Prize:
“The Taqwacores,” Eyad Zahra
Documentary Competition
Jury Members: Anita Chang, Jessie Mangaliman and Alex Rivera
Best Film:
“Made in India,” Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha
Visual Achievement Award:
“Summer Pasture,” Lynn True and Nelson Walker
Award for Achievement in Citizen Journalism:
“Open Season,” Lu Lippold and Mark Tang
Audience Awards
Best Narrative Feature:
“Surrogate Valentine,” Dave Boyle
Best Documentary Feature:
“One Voice,” Dir. Lisette Marie Flanary
Loni Ding Award in Social Issue Documentary:
Sybil Wendler for her short film “Once Upon a Rooftop,” which chronicles Hong Kong’s roof dwellers.
