CORONADO ISLAND, Calif., Nov. 21, 2022 — (PRNewswire) — The Coronado Island Film Festival wrapped the latest edition of the popular film festival this past weekend, having screened Oscar hopefuls, presented an impressive list of honorees at its signature event, the Leonard Maltin Industry Awards Gala, and presenting several special film events and panels.

Winners of this year's filmmaker awards included Tom Huang's Dealing with Dad taking the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Film, and Chris Haigh's Song for Hope – The Ryan Anthony Story winning the Jury Prize for Best Documentary, as well as the film festival's coveted Emerald Award, which included a cash prize of $5000. The Audience Awards were topped by Maria Schrader's She Said (Best Narrative Feature) and Denny Tedesco's Immediate Family (Best Documentary Feature). The CIFF Jury Cash Awards brought with them a total of $20,000 given to the award-winning filmmakers. The impressive list of honorees included Geena Davis, Jacqueline Bisset, Ron Shelton, Elegance Bratton, Charles Fox, and Vanessa Roth.

Coronado Island Film Festival Executive Director Merridee Book, said, "We took another step this year in our growth as a prime destination film festival where filmmakers, especially independent filmmakers, have an opportunity to have their work seen by veteran producers, executives, and top film industry influencers, alongside our film loving audiences. Our award-winning films and our honorees have their work and careers celebrated against the backdrop of Hollywood's beautiful home away from home a bridge ride across the bay from San Diego. Each year, we become less and less of a 'best kept secret' and more and more of the fest you don't want to miss in November." 

Jury Prize winners in the short film categories were led by another two-time CIFF winner, as Jessica Henwick's Bus Girl won Best Narrative Short Film, as well as also receiving the Mary Pickford Award (and $2000) in the film festival's signature Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Awards category for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking. Henwick will also soon be seen in Rian Johnson's highly anticipated Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion. Gwen Murroni's Nice to Meet You All received a Special Jury Mention. The Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary went to Chris Preitauer's When I Get Grown-Reflections of a Freedom Rider, and Best International Short went to Orlando von Einsiedel's Into Dust, with a Special Jury Prize going to Seemab Gul's Sandstorm (Mulaqat). The film was another two-time winner at CIFF, as it also picked up the Francis Marion Award (and $1000) for Outstanding Achievment in Screenwriting, under the Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Awards umbrella. Alicia Wszelaki and Matthew Nothelfer's Flying Fur also received an Honorable Mention under the Emerald Award category.

The Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Awards were presented by Coronado Island Film Festival's Founder and Board Chair Doug St. Denis, and they were capped by the announcement of Vanessa Roth, Laura Morton's documentary Anxious Nation, as the winner of the Fearless Female Filmmaker Award. The award also came with a cash prize of $2000).

Also, announced as part of CIFF's Jury Cash Awards was the addition of an Animated Film Award which went to Marcus Wulf's Louis I. King of the Sheep (Louis 1er Roi des Moutons) along with a cash prize of $3000, and Ida Mellum's The Night of the Living Dread, and a cash prize of $2000. Among the Dr. George M. Sanger Student Film Awards, Zahida Pirani's El Carrito took the Student Grand Prize Award (and $2000), and Will Clothier's Pete the Pond received the Best Student Documentary Short Film Award (and $1000). The Best Animated Student Short Film (and $1000) went to Damaris Zielke's The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World. High School Awards went to Max Hendrickson's The Oubliette (and $750), and Miyeok-Guk (and $250), which was directed by Yezy Suh, Meia Voss, Alexis Applebaum, and Michael Gutierrez.

Jury President
Leonard Maltin (Maltin on Movies)

Narrative Film Jury
Lisa Bruce (The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour)
Lori Huck (Senior Editorial Analyst, Metadata & Content Platforms, The Walt Disney Co.)
Rob Ramsey (Life, Intolerable Cruelty)

Documentary Jury
Claudia Puig (LAFCA, NPR's Film Week, SBIFF)
Ann Walker (Mendocino Film Festival)
Kira Wojak (Mendocino Film Festival)

Shorts
Jim Gallagher (Former President of Marketing, Walt Disney Studios)
Jon Anderson (Amblin Entertainment)

International Films
Ricardo Del Rio (Co-Founder, National Film Commission – Mexico, Puerto Vallarta Film Commission)
Sue-Allen Villalva (Ghosts of the Pacific, Hands of Stone)

Student Films
Mitchell Block (Sara)
Vanessa Block (Pig, The Testimony)
Kim Magnusson (Helium, Election Night)

Jury Cash Awards
Stephanie Allen (Creative Strategy consultant, Former EVP Marketing Fox Searchlight)
Kristie Kershaw (Founder, Head of Creative Marketing, Fanthropology)
Nancy McRae (Founder, Head Juror CIFF Emerald Award)
Peter McRae (Emerald Award)

Additional Audience Award winners included Ricky Rhodes' Yellow Wallpaper (Best Narrative Short), and Chris Preitauer adding to his haul, winning Best Documentary Short for When I Get Grown-Reflections of a Freedom Rider. Best International Narrative Short went to Ålvaro G. Company and Meka Ribera's Table for 3 (Mesa para 3), and Best International Documentary Short went to Olivia Martin-McGuire's Freedom Swimmer. Randall Christopher took the Audience Award for Best Animation for his film, A Cartoon of a Cat Sleeping. Daniel M. Dyer and Petey Dyer's Sole Trail won Best Local Film, and there was a tie for Best Emerging Film, with Ayannah Love's Little White Shadows, and Kanika Vora's The Pomegranate Tree sharing the award.

The Coronado Island Film Festival opened with Sam Mendes's Empire of Light is a deeply personal drama starring Academy Award®-winner Olivia Colman, followed with a Centerpiece screening of Elegance Bratton's The Inspection, and finished it's impressive group of Gala selections with a Closing Night presentation of Maria Schrader's She Said starring two-time Academy Award® nominee Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, along with the film festival's traditional screening of Billy Wilder's classic Some Like it Hot (1959), which of course shot some of its most memorable scenes at the iconic Hotel Del Coronado.

Over the course of the film festival's four days, CIFF balanced the film lineup with presentations featuring several star-studded honorees and special guests. Those special events included a Master Lab appearance by legendary director Joe Dante, a book signing by two-time Academy Award® winner and screen icon Geena Davis, a conversation on film between Academy Award® nominated and Golden Globe Award® winner, Jacqueline Bisset with Leonard Maltin, a special screening of Bull Durham followed by a Q&A with writer/director Ron Shelton, and a special presentation of Killing Me Softly with His Songs, Danny Gold's documentary of music and composing legend Charles Fox's life, followed by a Q&A with Fox and Gold. Additional special events included the "Babe and Lloyd Return to Coronado" panel featuring Babe Ruth's grandson and Babe Ruth historian, Tom Stevens, Suzanne Lloyd, Harold Lloyd's granddaughter and President of Harold Lloyd Entertainment, TV Celebrity and former announcer for the San Diego Padres, John Weisbarth, and Film historian, Tim Reid, as well as PARALLEL WORLDS: ART IN FILM SERIES featured Danish Director Andreas Koefoed, who screened his acclaimed feature documentary, The Last Leonardo. Famed Australian Digital Artist and Animator, Kathy Smith also presided over a unique presentation and exploration using 2D and 3D animation as an art form of expression with themes covering consciousness.

BEST NARRATIVE
Dealing with Dad
Director: Tom Huang

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Song For Hope - The Ryan Anthony Story
Director: Chris Haigh

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM
Bus Girl
Director: Jessica Henwick

SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Nice To Meet You All
Director: Guen Murroni

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
When I Get Grown-Reflections of a Freedom Rider
Director: Chris Preitauer

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Into Dust
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Sandstorm (Mulaqat)
Director: Seemab Gul

BEST ANIMATION SHORT
Louis I. King of the Sheep (Louis 1er Roi des Moutons)
Director: Markus Wulf

The Night of the Living Dread
Director: Ida Melum

STUDENT GRAND PRIZE AWARD
El Carrito
Director: Zahida Pirani

BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Pete the Pond
Director: Will Clothier

BEST ANIMATED STUDENT SHORT FILM
The Most Boring Granny in the World
Director: Damaris Zielke

BEST HIGH SCHOOL FILM
The Oubliette
Director: Max Hendrickson

HIGH SCHOOL AWARD
Miyeok-Guk
Directors: Yezy Suh, Meia Voss, Alexis Applebaum, Michael Gutierrez
Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min

FEARLESS FEMALE FILMMAKER AWARD
Anxious Nation
Directors: Vanessa Roth, Laura Morton

MARY PICKFORD AWARD
Bus Girl
Director: Jessica Henwick

FRANCIS MARION AWARD
Sandstorm (Mulaqat)
Director: Seemab Gul

Song For Hope - The Ryan Anthony Story
Director: Chris Haigh

HONORABLE MENTION
Flying Fur
Directors: Alicia Wszelaki, Matthew Nothelfer

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
She Said
Director: Maria Schrader

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Immediate Family
Director: Denny Tedesco

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Yellow Wallpaper
Director: Ricky Rhodes

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
When I Get Grown-Reflections of a Freedom Rider
Director: Chris Preitauer

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT
Table for 3 (Mesa para 3)
Directors: Ålvaro G. Company, Meka Ribera

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Freedom Swimmer
Director: Olivia Martin-McGuire

BEST LOCAL FILM
Sole Trail
Directors: Daniel M. Dyer, Petey Dyer

BEST ANIMATION
A Cartoon of a Cat Sleeping
Director: Randall Christopher

BEST EMERGING FILMMAKER - TIE
Little White Shadows
Director: Ayannah Love

The Pomegranate Tree
Director: Kanika Vora

The Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) is a 501 (c)(3) charitable corporation in good standing whose mission is to welcome makers and lovers of film from all over the world to the storied seaside village of Coronado, California to celebrate the magical art of visual storytelling. Coronado's enduring love affair with Hollywood began more than a century ago at the iconic Hotel del Coronado, our festival's Presenting Sponsor. Launched in 2016, CIFF quickly established itself as a unique, walkable, destination film festival.

SOURCE Coronado Island Film Festival