The RiverRun International Film Festival announces the Jury Awards for the 2022 Festival. This year’s festival ran April 21-30 and offered both in-person and virtual screenings. The festival this year presented 174 films representing 33 countries.

“I was thrilled with our film lineup this year, easily my favorite one we have ever offered,” said Rob Davis, RiverRun Executive Director. “It was wonderful to see so many folks in person again this year and host award ceremonies, wonderful panels, and of course so many screenings where smiling faces filled seats. As always, RiverRun is grateful to all of the incredible people who make the Festival happen – our staff, volunteers, filmmakers, and, of course, all that come out to attend our screenings. We cannot wait to celebrate 25 years of RiverRun in 2023!”

RIVERRUN 2022 JURY AWARDS:

NARRATIVE FEATURES:

Best Narrative Feature: You Resemble Me directed by Dina Amer
Peter Brunette Award for Best Director: Adam Sjöberg & Seanne Winslow for The Falconer
Best Screenplay of a Narrative Feature: Dina Amer for You Resemble Me
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature: Rachel Lambert in I Can Feel You Walking
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature: Rami Zahar & Rupert Fennessy in The Falconer
Special Jury Award for Creative Vision: The Noise of Engines directed by Philippe Gregoire

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:

Best Documentary Feature: Art & Krimes by Krimes directed by Alysa Nahmias
Best Director of a Documentary Feature:  Ira McKinley & Bhwain Suchak for Outta the Muck
Special Jury Award for Human Rights Filmmaking:  A Decent Home directed by Sara Terry

NARRATIVE SHORTS:

Best Narrative Short: Hallelujah directed by Victor Gabriel
Best Student Narrative Short: Not the 80s directed by Marleen Valien
Honorable Mention for Comedy: S.O.S. directed by Sarah Hafner
Honorable Mention for Horror: Skin & Bone directed by Eli Powers

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (RiverRun is an Academy Award qualifying Festival for Documentary Shorts):

Best Documentary Short: The Sentence of Michael Thompson directed by Haley Elizabeth Anderson & Kyle Thrash
Honorable Mention: Holding Moses directed by Rivkah Beth Medow
Honorable Mention: Stranger at the Gate directed by Joshua Seftel
Special Jury Award for Visual Storytelling: His Name Was Cargo directed by Marco Signoretti

ANIMATED SHORTS (RiverRun is an Academy Award qualifying Festival for Animated Shorts):

Best Animated Short: The Clearing directed by Daniel Hope
Best Student Animated Film: Yallah! directed by Cécile Adant, Renaud de Saint Albin, Candice Behague, Nayla Nassar, Edouard Pitula & Anaïs Sassatelli
Honorable Mention: Prosopagnosia directed by Steven Fraser

KILPATRICK TOWNSEND AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:

Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen directed by Daniel Raim

REEL SOUTH AWARD:

RiverRun is pleased to be affiliated with Reel South. Reel South SHORTS, the digital hive of the PBS series Reel South, showcases the best in Southern short-form and is built on partnerships with the South’s regional film festivals. This year’s Reel South Winner was Mother(s) & Son, directed by Kiersten Houser.

PITCH FEST AWARDS:

The 11th annual RiverRun Pitch Fest was held with college students from four colleges from North Carolina pitching their documentary film projects to a panel of judges in hopes of winning cash prizes. First place was awarded for Becoming the Lion directed by Mier “Miranda” Tai from Wake Forest University. Second place was awarded to Sentient Souvenirs directed by Pearl Marley from University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

MASTER OF CINEMA AWARDS:

Karen Allen
Gigi Perreau
Kristi Zea
Karmic Release Ltd.

SPARK AWARDS:

Natalie Bullock Brown
Iman Zawahry