Sydney Film Festival award winners announced at closing gala

The 66th Sydney Film Festival tonight awarded Parasite by renowned Korean director Bong Joon-ho the prestigious Sydney Film Prize, out of a selection of 12 Official Competition films.

The $60,000 cash prize for 'audacious, cutting-edge and courageous' film was awarded to Bong Joon-ho at the Festival’s Closing Night Gala awards ceremony and event at the State Theatre, ahead of the Australian Premiere screening of rock ’n’ roll comedy Yesterday.

Accepting the award, Bong Joon-ho said: “This Festival is really amazing, especially the audience… really special and extraordinary. This is the most meaningful prize for me - in this beautiful city and beautiful theatre, and one of the most beautiful audiences in the world.”

Indigenous director Erica Glynn was awarded the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary’s $10,000 cash prize for She Who Must Be Loved, a celebration of the life of her mother, the trailblazing Indigenous filmmaker Alfreda Glynn.

Charles Williams took out both the $7000 cash prize for the Dendy Live Action Short Award, and the $7000 Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director in Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, for All These Creatures, which also won the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes. The $5000 Yoram Gross Animation Award went to Lee Whitmore’s Sohrab and Rustum.

The Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award, a $5000 prize for the best short screenwriting, was awarded to Michael Hudson of Ties That Bind, for its narrative simplicity and complex perspective on family violence. Victoria Hunt’s film Take received a Special Mention for its weaving of found material and dance into a powerful story about the repatriation of stolen Indigenous art.

The $10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award, bestowed by Create NSW to a trail-blazing NSW-based screen practitioner, went to Darren Dale and Rachel Perkins of Blackfella Films, with Deborah Mailman presenting the award to filmmaker Rachel Perkins.

Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said: “Since the 2009 increase in NSW Government support, this truly impressive cultural event has grown by over 80% in attendance and scale to become one of the leading international Film Festivals operating around the world today. Across the past 12 days, we have supported 22 titles shown: from Opening Night’s Palm Beach, Judy and Punch, Lambs of God through to the Screenability shorts.”

“One of the great things about this Festival is that it lives on across regional centres over the course of the year ahead. Through the Travelling Film Festival, this year eight NSW locations will enjoy highlights as part of the tour, starting in Newcastle next weekend. We will also add five additional locations in 2020. It’s all part of the NSW Government’s expanded $5 million funding commitment over the next four years,” he said.

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore said: “As it proves year after year, Sydney Film Festival is an irresistible drawcard and a great standard-bearer for Sydney’s life and culture. The many venues across the City were crowded with avid film-goers whether here, or at the Dendy Cinemas in Newtown and Opera Quays, or the Art Gallery and outdoor screen in Pitt Street Mall.”

“From the Adam Goodes film, The Final Quarter, which has rightfully stirred so many consciences, to tonight’s closing screening, Yesterday, the Festival has brought so much great cinema to its audiences,” she said.

Sydney Film Festival CEO Leigh Small said: “There were many sold out sessions – 160 – across the Festival this year, which had the highest attendance to date of 188,000.”

Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley said: “This year, the Festival presented a great number of superb films from emerging and acclaimed filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho who was with us at the festival to present Parasite. Our juries have been nothing short of astonished by the calibre of storytelling. It’s a testament of the Festival’s spirit of championing impactful films that leave lasting impressions, long after you’ve left the cinema.”

“From impassioned standing ovations to wonderful red carpets graced with screen icons, these 12 days have seen filmmakers from across the globe and eager Festival audiences alike laughing and crying together, celebrating important stories that deserve to be told.”

THE SYDNEY FILM PRIZE

On awarding the Sydney Film Prize to renowned Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, Jury President John Maynard said: “Parasite has an outrageous disregard for genre conventions – it is tender and brutal; beautiful and harsh; funny and tragic and a masterwork in its exploration of class.”

Winner of the Palme d'Or, Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to Okja (SFF 2017) is a thrilling, satirical take on income inequality as told through two families.

The Festival Jury was comprised of Australian producer John Maynard (Jury President); Australian filmmaker Ana Kokkinos (Blessed, SFF 2019); actor and director from Brazil, Wagner Moura (Marighella, SFF 2019); from New Zealand, filmmaker Gaylene Preston (My Year with Helen, SFF 2017); and Indian artist and filmmaker Ritu Sarin (The Sweet Requiem, SFF 2019).

Previous winners include: The Heiresses (2018), On Body and Soul (2017), Aquarius (2016), Arabian Nights (2015); Two Days, One Night (2014); Only God Forgives (2013); Alps (2012); A Separation (2011); Heartbeats (2010); Bronson (2009); and Hunger (2008).

The competition is endorsed by FIAPF, the regulating body for international film festivals, and is judged by a jury of five international and Australian filmmakers and industry professionals.

The films in Competition for the 2019 Sydney Film Prize are listed HERE.

THE DOCUMENTARY AUSTRALIA FOUNDATION AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY

The Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary was awarded to She Who Must Be Obeyed Loved from Indigenous filmmaker Erica Glynn. The Jury comprising Australian filmmaker Robert Nugent, Chinese director Jialing Zhang (One Child Nation, SFF 2019), and producer Toni Stowers in a joint statement said:

“This year’s collection of Australian documentaries has taken us across the world and deeper into Australia.”

“We would like to emphasize how difficult it was to make a final decision with such passionate films. We would like to thank all the filmmakers for sharing thought-provoking stories that make us laugh, cry, disagree and care. The beauty of storytelling lies in its creative diversity yet sadly we have to pick one winner.”

“The film is a reminder of the continued work and importance that of reflective representation of Indigenous communities to all platforms of media. Traversing through very personal and dark moments, the documentary is a poignant yet intimate firsthand testament, yet still find moments to laugh.”

“It’s a gracious and close-to the-heart documentary that encompasses both the strength and spirit of Freda Glynn, a pioneer of Indigenous film and TV. The filmmaker’s dance between both personal and social history and the importance of recognising and recording all experiences and not leaving anyone behind.”

Kaye Harrison’s Sanctuary received a Special Mention, for its bold yet intimate look at the traumas of punitive border-protection institutions and bureaucratic policies caused in asylum seekers.

2019 marks the sixth year the prize has been supported by the Foundation.

Previous winners include: Ghosthunter (2018), The Pink House (2017), In the Shadow of the Hill (2016); Only the Dead (2015); 35 Letters (2014); Buckskin (2013); Killing Anna (2012); Life in Movement (2011); and The Snowman (2010). In 2009 the inaugural prize was shared between Contact and A Good Man, and each film received a $10,000 cash prize.

The 12 finalists for the 2019 Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary are listed HERE.

THE DENDY AWARDS FOR AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILMS

A jury comprising Australian film editor Dany Cooper (Judy & Punch, SFF 2019), New Zealand International Film Festival former Director Bill Gosden, and Macedonian filmmaker Teona Strugar Mitevska (God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya, SFF 2019) judged the festival’s short film awards.

The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films were awarded to Charles Williams for All These Creatures (Dendy Live Action Short Award, and Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director), and Lee Whitmore for Sohrab and Rustum (Yoram Gross Animation Award).

The Festival’s short-film competition celebrates its 50th year in 2019; and has been sponsored by Dendy Cinemas for over 30 years. Winners of the Best Live Action Short Film award and the Yoram Gross Animation award, sponsored by Yoram Gross Films, are Academy Award-eligible, opening new pathways for many Australian filmmakers.

These ground-breaking awards have kick-started the careers of many prominent filmmakers, with past competitors Warwick Thornton, Ariel Kleiman, Cate Shortland, Jane Campion, Phillip Noyce and Ivan Sen among Dendy Awards alumni.

The 10 finalists for the 2019 Dendy Award for Australian Short Film are listed HERE.

EVENT CINEMAS AUSTRALIAN SHORT SCREENPLAY AWARD

The Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award was awarded to Michael Hudson, director of Ties That Bind, for its narrative simplicity and complex perspective on family violence.

Victoria Hunt’s film Take received a Special Mention for its weaving of found material and dance into a powerful story about the repatriation of stolen Indigenous art.

Sponsored by Event Cinemas, Luke Mackey, General Manager of Operations, Australian Cinema Circuit at Event Cinemas said: “Event Cinemas is once again proud to be a partner of the Sydney Film Festival and to once again sponsor the Screenplay Award. Film begins with the story, words, characters and the world created by the writer. We congratulate all nominees this year and look forward to seeing this years talented writers become important story tellers that will shape our cinema experiences in years to come.”

The Australian short films eligible for the 2019 Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award are listed HERE.

Winners of all Sydney Film Festival awards are presented with the Festival’s signature mesmeric swirl award, designed and handmade in Sydney by Festival partners Dinosaur Designs.

The UNESCO Sydney City of Film Award

The $10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award, bestowed by Create NSW to a trail-blazing NSW-based screen practitioner, went to Darren Dale and Rachel Perkins of Blackfella Films, with Deborah Mailman presenting the award to filmmaker Rachel Perkins.

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