Festival of Cinema NYC 2022 Announces Award Winners after audience-filled return to theaters

Festival of Cinema NYC 2022 announced this year’s filmmaker award winners at an enthusiastic and emotional celebration at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center as it concluded a very successful in-person presentation for the film festival’s 6th edition.

Casey Nelson and Marchelle Thurman’s Black, White and the Greys led the winners, taking both the Best Feature Film Narrative as well as the Audience Choice for Best Feature Film. Top individual awards went to; Cory Choy (Esme, My Love) for Best Director, Nate Washburn (Behind the Wall) for Breakthrough Male Performance; and Nicole Stuart (40ish…) for Breakthrough Female Performance.

FOC NYC showcased over 124 independent films from more than 25 countries, bookended by the Opening Night screening of Black, White and the Greys, and the Closing Night screening of Michael Glover Smith’s Relative, which took home the award for Best Ensemble.

Festival of Cinema NYC Founder and Executive Director Jayson Simba, said, “Our film festival, like all festivals, works hard to bring people back to theaters and recapture the excitement of going to the movies again. The fact that this year, attendees from across the five boroughs came out in large numbers to celebrate cinema with filmmakers who flew in from as far away as Iceland, Germany, Japan, and the UK, was incredibly exciting for all of us. That enthusiasm and support was evident – from the Forest Hills Community to the filmmakers all the way through the final award being announced. It became clear that friendships and relationships had been forged throughout the 10 days at our film festival.”

Winners in the short film categories included Charles Sweeney’s The Vow (Best Short Film – Narrative); Daniel Merino Villavicencio’s Sweet Pea & Glass (Audience Award – Short Film); Maria Juranic’s A Feast That Never Comes (Best Experimental, Music Video, or Animation); and Patrick Devaney’s Visitation (Best Web/TV Series). Emotions abounded during the acceptance speeches as Villavicencio spoke of volunteering at the film festival its very first year and attending every year after that, Sweeney talked about the validation of the film’s message, and Devaney discussed the difficulties of filming remotely during the pandemic and managing to complete the film even though he never met one of the cast members in person.

Additional individual award winners included For I Am Dead, written by Patricia Delso Lucas (Best Screenplay); Into the Colors’ Director of Photography Michael Morales winning Best Cinematography; The Game Called Go Insane’s Jake LeCarner cited for Best Editing; Cookaphony’s Steve Call noted for Best Sound Editing; and Sally’s Phi Russell winning Best Make up. LeCarner’s award capped the first festival experience for the young filmmaker (who also wrote and directed The Game Called Go Insane) and his team, as they made their world premiere at FOC NYC.

The 2022 Festival of Cinema NYC was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. It is also supported and made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additionally, the festival is funded in part by the Mosaic Network and Fund in The New York Community Trust, Resorts World Gives, and Yant Tattoo Studios. Other sponsors for the 2022 festival include Regal Cinemas, Final Draft; Soundview Media Partners, and Simple DCP. For more information about the festival, please visit http://www.festivalofcinemanyc.com/.

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2022 FESTIVAL OF CINEMA NYC AWARD WINNERS

FEATURE FILMS

BEST FEATURE FILM – NARRATIVE

Black, White and the Greys

Directors: Casey Nelson & Marchelle Thurman

AUDIENCE CHOICE – FEATURE FILM

Black, White and the Greys

Directors: Casey Nelson & Marchelle Thurman

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Finding Courage

Director: Kay Rubacek

BEST EXPERIMENTAL, MUSIC VIDEO, OR ANIMATION

A Feast That Never Comes                                                               

Director: Maria Juranic

SHORT FILMS

BEST SHORT FILM – NARRATIVE

The Vow

Director: Charles Sweeney

AUDIENCE CHOICE – SHORT FILM

Sweet Pea & Glass                                                               

Director: Daniel Merino Villavicencio

BEST WEB/TV SERIES

Visitation – Episode One                                                        

Director: Patrick Devaney

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

BEST DIRECTOR

Cory Choy (Esme, My Love)

BREAKTHROUGH MALE PERFORMANCE

Nate Washburn (Behind the Wall)

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Nicole Stuart (40ish…)

BEST ENSEMBLE 

Relative                                                                      

Director: Michael Glover Smith

BEST SCREENPLAY

For I Am Dead

Writer: Patricia Delso Lucas

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Into the Colors

Director of Photography: Michael Morales

BEST EDITING

The Game Called Go Insane                                    

Editor: Jake LeCarner

BEST SOUND EDITING

Cookaphony

Sound Design: Steve Call

BEST MAKE UP

Sally

Make up: Phil Russell

Festival of Cinema NYC 2022 Announces Award Winners after audience-filled return to theaters