"Only the Young" & "Planet of Snail" Take Top Silverdocs Awards

In an afternoon ceremony yesterday in Silver Spring MD, Silverdocs announced the jury and special award winners for its 10th anniversary edition. Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims' "Only the Young," a beautifully-lensed portrait of adolescent friendship and romance in suburban Californa, was the recipient of the Sterling Award for Best US Feature, while Seungiun Yi's acclaimed "Planet of Snail," a lyrical film about the life of a deaf and blind South Korean poet and his wife, claimed the Sterling Award for Best World Feature. Both awards came with a $5000 cash prize. The Sterling Award for Best Short Film (for which I served as a juror) went to Sari Gilman's evocative exploration of the need for human connection among a group of Floridian senior citizens, "Kings Point." The award is accompanied by a $2500 cash prize.

In addition to the juried awards, Silverdocs presented two cash prizes in partnership with Whole Foods in the amount of $25,000 each. The Whole Foods/Silverdocs Green Grant for development went to Taggart Siegel's "Seed," exploring the importance of seed preservation; while the Green Grant for completion went to Rebecca Ferris and Jason Ferris for "Can't Stop the Water," about a Native American community in Louisiana facing climate change.

The complete list of announced winners is below, while Audience Awards for Best Feature and Short will be announced later today.

Sterling Award for Best US Feature ($5,000)
"Only the Young," Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims

Special Jury Mention
"The Waiting Room," Peter Nicks

Sterling Award for Best World Feature ($5,000)

"Planet of Snail," Seungiun Yi

Special Jury Mention
"Special Flight" (Vol Special), Fernand Melgar

Sterling Award for Best Short Film ($2,500)
"Kings Point," Sari Gilman

Special Jury Mention
"Mondays at Racine," Cynthia Wade

"Paradise" (Paraiso), Nadav Kurtz

Race to Film Social Issue Awards

"Escape Fire," Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke

"The House I Live In," Eugene Jarecki

Cinematic Vision Award
" ¡Vivan Las Antipodas," Victor Kossakovsky

WGA Documentary Screenplay Award
"Ann Richards' Texas," Keith Patterson (screenwriter)

Whole Foods Market/Silverdocs Green Grants
"Seed," Taggart Siegel

"Can't Stop the Water," Rebecca Ferris and Jason Ferris

Update: The following Audience Awards were announced Sunday evening:

Audience Award for Feature
"Trashdance," Andrew Garrison

Audience Award for Short
"Sparkle," Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert