“Elly” and “Racing Dreams” Triumph at Tribeca Fest

Marshall Curry, right, accepts the award for best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival for “Racing Dreams,” winning a trans-Atlantic passage on the QM2. Photo by Brian Brooks

Best New Documentary Filmmaker:

Ian Olds director of “Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi,” (USA) - North American Premiere. In 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi and an Italian journalist. Naqshbandi was one of Afghanistan’s best “fixers”—someone hired by foreign journalists to facilitate, translate, and gain access for their stories. This tragic story is a behind-the-scenes look into the dangerous and unseen world that happens before we get the news. In English, Dari, Pashto, Italian with English subtitles.

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film :

Ciaran Hinds in “The Eclipse,” directed and written by Conor McPherson. (Ireland) - World Premiere. Award-winning screenwriter and Tony-nominated playwright McPherson crafts a drama about a widower (Ciaran Hinds) who sees and hears strange things in his house. His life converges with a beautiful author of supernatural fiction (Iben Hjejle) and a full-of-himself pop novelist (Aidan Quinn) at an international literary festival that will alter their lives in surprising ways.

Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film:

Zoe Kazan in “The Exploding Girl,” directed and written by Bradley Rust Gray. (USA) - North American Premiere. Cherubic college student Ivy is back home in Brooklyn for spring break with her longtime platonic guy pal Al in tow. As her relationship with her boyfriend slowly disintegrates via cell phone, Al’s friendship is cast in a new light.

New York Competition Categories:

Best New York Narrative - “Here and There” (Tamo i ovde), directed and written by Darko Lungulov. (Serbia, USA, Germany). 

Best New York Documentary - “Partly Private,” directed by Danae Elon. (Canada).

Short Film Competition Categories:

Best Narrative Short - “The North Road” (La route du Nord), directed and written by Carlos Chahine. (France)

Best Documentary Short - “home,” directed by Matthew Faust. (USA)

Special Jury Mention: “The Last Mermaids,” directed by Liz Chae. (USA, South Korea)

Student Visionary Award - “Small Change,” directed and written by Anna McGrath. (Australia)

Special Jury Mention: “Oda a la Pina,” directed and written by Laimir Fano. (Cuba)

Check out indieWIRE’s New Guide to Film Festivals (listings will be updated throughout the year):
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