DOC NYC 2010: Winners Announced

Yesterday was a whirlwind of excitement at DOC NYC for audiences and filmmakers alike. One of the highlights of the day was the announcement of the winners of our Viewfinders and Metropolis competitions. Recipients of the Viewfinders and Metropolis awards receive a 35mm and Digital Cinema Package (DCP) provided by The Documentary Film Group at PostWorks New York and Laser Pacific Lost Angeles.

And the winners are…

Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize: Windfall, directed by Laura Israel.

“For its superior use of storytelling, cinematography, sound and music towards illuminating critical environmental issues, small-town drama and the lesson that it’s not going to be so easy being green, the Viewfinders Jury is proud to present the Grand Jury Prize to Windfall, directed by Laura Israel.”

See Windfall Monday, November 8 at 8:30 pm. Buy Tickets.

Metropolis Grand Jury Prize: To Be Heard by directors Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Deborah Shaffer and Amy Sultan. 

“The members of the Metropolis Jury were very impressed with all of the films in this section and would like to offer our sincere congratulations to all of the filmmakers for their celebration of human creativity.  But while each film presented a unique look at one of the diverse artistic communities of New York City, one film stood out for both its dramatic scope and its intimacy in showing us the transformative power of art to reshape lives. The Metropolis Jury is proud to award the Grand Jury Prize to To Be Heard, directed by Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Deborah Shaffer and Amy Sultan.”

To Be Heard also won the Audience Award.

(above: One of the students in To Be Heard upon learning that the film won the Audience Favorite award. Photo by Simon Luethi)

See To Be Heard on Monday, November 8 at 5:30 pm (Buy Tickets) or Tuesday, November 9 at 10:30 pm (Buy Tickets).

Metropolis Special Jury Prize: Lost Bohemia by director Josef ‘Birdman’ Astor

“The unexpected is one of the gifts of documentary filmmaking, changing and deepening the cinematic experience. Astor’s film begins as a warm, nostalgic, hand made film about a little known slice of New York’s artistic history and then becomes a window into the vicious development policies that are ripping at the city’s soul. We gave Lost Bohemia a special jury prize to acknowledge the film’s dual achievement.”

See Lost Bohemia on Monday, November 8 at 1:30 pm and 10:30 pm (Buy Tickets).