March 18, 2019
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals (held every year in Austin, Texas) is arguably the best-known event in the U.S. that combines music, film, interactive and convergence programming. The 33rd annual SXSW event took place from March 8 to March 17, 2019.
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival screened 133 features, consisting of 102 World Premieres, 9 North American Premieres, and 3 US Premieres, with 62 first-time filmmakers. There were 101 shorts and music videos that screened as part of 12 curated shorts programs, plus two episodic pilot programs. The 256 films were selected from 8,496 overall submissions, including approximately 2,361 features and 4,734 shorts.
Here are the winners of the 2019 SXSW Film Festival:
FEATURE FILM GRAND JURY AWARDS
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: ”Alice”
Director: Josephine Mackerras
Special Jury Recognition for Best Ensemble: ”Yes, God, Yes”
Director: Karen Maine
Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice: ”Saint Frances”
Director: Alex Thompson
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: “For Sama”
Directors: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Special Jury Recognition for Empathy in Craft : “Ernie & Joe”
Director: Jenifer McShane
Special Jury Recognition for Excellence in Storytelling: “Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy”
Director: Elizabeth Carroll
SHORT FILM GRAND JURY AWARDS
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NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: ”Liberty”
Director: Faren Humes
Special Jury Recognition: ”The Orphan”
Director: Carolina Markowicz
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: “Exit 12”
Director: Mohammad Gorjestani
Special Jury Recognition: ”All Inclusive”
Director: Corina Schwingruber Ilić
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: ”Other Side of the Box”
Director: Caleb J. Phillips
ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: ”Guaxuma”
Director: Nara Normande
Special Jury Recognition: ”Slug Life”
Director: Sophie Koko Gate
MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner: ”Pa’Lante” – Hurray for the Riff Raff
Director: Kristian Mercado
Special Jury Recognition: ”Quarrel” – Moses Sumney
Directors: Allie Avital, Moses Sumney
TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: ”I Am Mackenzie”
Director: Artemis Anastasiadou
Special Jury Recognition: ”A Line Birds Cannot See”
Director: Amy Bench
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: “Fifteen”
Director: Louisa Baldwin
Special Jury Recognition: “Double Cross”
Director: Amiri Scrutchin
EPISODIC PILOT COMPETITION
Winner: ”Maggie”
Director: Sasha Gordon
Special Jury Recognition: ”Revenge Tour”
Directors: Andrew Carter, Kahlil Maskati
SXSW FILM DESIGN AWARDS
EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN
Winner: ”Daniel Isn’t Real”
Designer: Jock
Design Company: 4twenty limited
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
“Winner: Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Directors: Brian Mah, James Ramirez
Special Jury Recognition: ”The Darkest Minds”
Director: Michelle Dougherty
SXSW SPECIAL AWARDS
SXSW Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship
The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is a year-long experience that encourages and champions the talent of an emerging documentary editor. Awarded annually, the fellowship was created to honor the memory of gifted editor Karen Schmeer.
Winner: “Victoria Chalk”
Vimeo Staff Picks Award
Winner: “Milton”
Director: Tim Wilkime
ZEISS Cinematography Award
Winner: ”Amazonia Groove”
Director: Bruno Murtinho
SXSW Louis Black “Lone Star” Award
To honor SXSW co-founder/director Louis Black, a jury prize was created in 2011 called the Louis Black “Lone Star” Award, presented to a feature film world premiering at SXSW that was shot primarily in Texas or directed by a current resident of Texas. (Opt-in Award)
Winner: ”The River and the Wall”
Director: Ben Masters
SXSW Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award
In honor of a filmmaker whose work strives to be wholly its own, without regard for norms or desire to conform. The Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award is presented to a filmmaker from our Visions screening category.
Winner: ”Tito”
Director: Grace Glowicki
CherryPicks Female First Feature Award
“CherryPicks created the first feature by a female team award to support its mission to shine a spotlight on female voices. We hope to encourage women and audiences alike to create and support the stories women tell.”
Winner: ”Alice”
Director: Josephine Mackerras
CherryPicks Special Recognition: “Days of the Whale”
Director: Catalina Arroyave Restrepo
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: ”Saint Frances”
Director: Alex Thompson
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: ”For Sama”
Directors: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: ”The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Directors: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: ”Running With Beto”
Director: David Modigliani
VISIONS
Audience Award Winner: ”The Garden Left Behind”
Director: Flavio Alves
MIDNIGHTERS
Audience Award Winner: “Boyz in the Wood”
Director: Ninian Doff
EPISODIC PREMIERES
Audience Award Winner: ”Ramy”
Showrunner: Bridget Bedard
GLOBAL
Audience Award Winner: ”Cachada: The Opportunity”
Director: Marlén Viñayo
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Audience Award Winner: “Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins”
Director: Janice Engel
HEADLINERS
Audience Award Winner: “Long Shot”
Director: Jonathan Levine
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Audience Award Winner: “Nothing Stays the Same: The Story of the Saxon Pub”
Director: Jeff Sandmann
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Audience Award Winner: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Directors: Brian Mah, James Ramirez