Here are the winners...
Many thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Amsterdam Lift-Off. It was great to see so many filmmakers and film enthusiasts filling Lab 111 cinema, in support of both local and international indie film.
The judges' votes have been counted and added to the audience's feedback.
Huge congratulations to the filmmakers who screened with us, who all did themselves proud. A special well done to the following films.
Photos from the festival can be viewed here:
Best Short - Boudewijn (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Vincent Fitz-Jim
Synopsis: Boudewijn, a 55-year-old man, is about to meet Robin. Robin is 25, that’s all Boudewijn knows of him. The excitement of not knowing what’s coming turns him on. But nothing is what it seems.
Best Short Doc - This is Civilization (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Jennifer Smart
Synopsis: In 1957, an American diplomat newly stationed in Beirut decides to document his life in the Middle East. Sixty years and 18,000 photographs later, his images inspire a group of young people to share stories and confront misperceptions about their Middle Eastern heritage.
Best Feature - Love and Saucers (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Brad Abrahams
Synopsis:The strange story of David Huggins, a 72 year-old Hoboken man who claims to have had a lifetime of encounters with otherworldly beings - including an interspecies romance with an extra-terrestrial woman (with whom he lost his virginity to), and chronicled it all in surreal impressionist paintings, few of which have ever been seen.
Special Mentions
ALZHAÏMOUR (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Pierre Van de Kerckhove
Synopsis: Louise, aged 68, is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and lives in a nursing home. Her daily life is riddled with sadness because her son Daniel is no longer visiting her, discouraged by his mother's memory lapses. The arrival of a new patient in the home (Leo, 82), who is also suffering from Alzheimer's disease, will upset Louise's life ... but also that of Daniel!
Off Path (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dirs. Julie Jouve and Rida Belghiat
Synopsis: Florie, a twenty-eight-year-old Creole woman and single mother from the Reunion Islands, participates in the Reunion's most famous ultramarathon, La Diagonale des Fous. Over three days and three nights, she finds herself confronted by the demons of her past. Will she manage to overcome her inner barriers and to rediscover the only freedom that really counts?
The Past We Live In (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Jerome Weber
Synopsis: Félix celebrates his 92nd birthday in the company of his family, as his past catches up with him. “The Past We Live In” is the story of a former forcibly recruited WWII soldier, who now suffers from dementia and relives an emotional friendship by confusing his 7-year old nephew with an old friend from the second world war.
Lucky Boy (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Etienne Leung
Synopsis: A short documentary, that explores a young single father’s inspiration as a baker in the countryside of Gunma, Japan.
The Accomplice (next screening with Lift-Off in Sydney)
Dirs. John F. Beach, Jon Hoeg
Synopsis: Arriving home from a long business trip, Jerry discovers a number of urgent messages on his answering machine from his impulsive and inept friend, Randy. Much to his surprise, Jerry is now an unwilling participant in one of Randy's boneheaded schemes.
Day of Reckoning (next screening with Lift-Off in London)
Dir. Gideon van Eeden
Synopsis: Eighty year old Hans blows out his birthday candles with particular force this year; he is ready to die. But first he must contend with a spectre from his past, who holds the key to his final peace.
Clanker Man (next screening with Lift-Off in London)
Dir. Ben Steiner
Synopsis: Reality doesn't happen by itself. Terry Lothian works tirelessly to maintain the background details that we all take for granted. But with his department feeling the pinch of austerity cutbacks, it's not just the fabric of reality that's starting to unravel.
Online Winners
Impact (next screening with Lift-Off in Paris)
Dir. Mark S Wright
Synopsis: A sensory experience exploring the stigma surrounding PTSD.
Shot (next screening with Lift-Off in Sydney)
Dir. Manaal Khan
Synopsis: A firefighter gunned down in the line of duty confronts his demons and a violent assailant in a fight for his life.
Season Awards Nominations
Best Best Director Nomination - Boudewijn - Vincent Fitz-Jim
Best Director - Pure Madness - Lander Haverals
Best Actor Nomination - Eli Sliverman for Clanker Man
Best Art Direction Nomination - The Past We Live In
Best Score - The Past We Live In
Best Animation Nomination - Farewell Fire
