Harlem International Film Festival 2024 Announces Filmmaker Awards

The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) announced the award-winning films and filmmakers for the just concluded 19th edition of the film festival. Ana Fahr’s Valley of Exile was named Best Film (Narrative Feature), with Ashley Malcolm Morrison’s Back To Your Corner taking the award for Best Documentary Feature.


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Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s When Morning Comes was cited as Best World Film (Narrative) and Cionin Lorenzo and Pearlette J. Ramos’ Three (Extra) Ordinary Women took the prize for Best World Documentary.

Valley of Exile, Harlem International Film Festival
VALLEY OF EXILE
Return To Your Corner, Harlem International Film Festival
RETURN TO YOUR CORNER

Harlem International Film Festival Program Director Nasri Zacharia said, “Our 19th edition was bolstered by our partnerships and support from the Columbia University Zuckerman Institute, Maysles Documentary Center, and the NYC Media and Entertainment office which allowed us to offer free screenings to the public and greater access for our filmmakers and their films. This year shined once more with our unique blend of global cinema and local films and each of our winning films truly exemplified that.”


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Jury member Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust), who cited Ana Fahr’s Valley of Exile for its “brave storytelling”, and the promising future of When Morning Comes’ Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, added, “I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and diversity of the final films to be screened and judged. Every film I screened was emotionally charged and very well done.”

One Person One Vote, Harlem International Film Festival
ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE?
A COW IN THE SKY

Additional film and filmmaker awards went to; Maximina Juson’s One Person, One Vote?, which won the Audience Award;Shawn Antoine II’s For Those That Lived There (Best Experimental Film); Darren Press and C. Fraser Press’ A Cow In the Sky (Best Animation); Stefan Verna’s Cyano Sun Suite – Null Island (Best Music Video), Benjamin Steger’s Vibrations: Offerings (Winning Episode); and Andreas Waldenmaier’s Nirwana Gold (Best Virtual Reality).

Leading the individual awards, Balbinka Korzeniowska won The Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker for her work on Playing Through, and Jean-Pierre Canerwon Best Narrative Director for Stakes is High, while Christopher Nostrand won Best Documentary Director for Firefly: The Tay Fisher Story. Ashely Ortega was named Best Actress for her work in As If It’s True.

SKATE NIGHT

The Harlem International Film Festival’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the work of local filmmakers this year yielded wins for; Emily Leibow’s Skate Night (New York Vision Award); Jade Bryan’s What Somalia Wants (Harlem Spotlight Award – Narrative); Colin Still’s Sing! Fight! Sing! Fight! From Leroi To Amiri (Harlem Spotlight Award – Documentary); Wes Andre Goodrich’s Speak Up Brotha! (Harlem Spotlight Award – Narrative Short); Safiya Songhai’s Interception: Jayne Kennedy – American Sportscaster (Harlem Spotlight Award – Documentary Short); Shaun Vivaris’ Bronx Park Thunder (Uptown Award – Narrative); and Ian Phillips’ The Book of Days (Uptown Award – Documentary).                          

Awards for Short Films went to; Morad Mostafa ‘s I Promise You Paradise for Best Short Film – Narrative; John Beder’s How To Sue the Klan for Best Short Film – Documentary; Julian J. Delacruz’s Pen, Again for Best Short Short; Andrew Baker Taylor and Andrew Yuen’s Project: KLB2 for Best Youth Short Film (Narrative), and Emilio Marti López’s Little Sahara for Best Youth Short Film (Documentary).

Hi screenwriting competition winners include Joe Villanti’s “Black Mountain” winning Best Feature Screenplay and Ryan Fenson-Hood’s “No Rules Radio” winning Best Short Screenplay.

Harlem International Film Festival and Columbia University Zuckerman Institute’s free-to-the-public presentations at The Forum, included an Opening Night red carpet, with more screenings and panels taking place the second weekend at Maysles Documentary Center. Highlights included Saturday’s Spotlight Presentation of Nancy Saslow’s documentary Xernona Clayton: A Life in Black and White with Saslow and the icon herself, Xernona Clayton in person, and presented with the film festival’s 2024 Renaissance Award, as well a special panel discussion on colorism in Black and Latinx communities prior to a screening of Magdalena Albizu’s Negrita.

For more information about the Harlem International Film festival, please go to https://harlemfilmfestival.org/.


The 2024 HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL JURY

Narrative Feature Film Jury

Julie Dash (Director, Daughters of the Dust)

Zig Madamba Dulay (Director, Bambanti)

Rawle D. Lewis (Actor, Cool Runnings)

Liza Jessie Peterson (Playwright/Actor, All Day)

Documentary Feature Film Jury

Cat Brewer (Director, Sign the Show)

Stacey L. Holman (Director, Dressed Like Kings)

Crystal Kwok (Director, Blurring the Color Line)

Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Jury

Erika Bowman (Actor, Euphoria)

Abigail Horton (Director, Blow Up My Life)

Samuel Smith (Actor, Godfather of Harlem)

Charise Sowells (Director/Writer, Sun Tea)


THE 2024 HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

FILM AWARDS

Best Film

Valley of Exile                                                                          

Director: Ana Fahr

Best Documentary Feature

Return to Your Corner                                                                                       

Director: Ashley Malcolm Morrison

Best World Film

When Morning Comes                                                                                       

Director: Kelly Fyffe-Marshall

Best World Documentary

Three (Extra) Ordinary Women                                                                                                  

Directors: Cionin Lorenzo, Pearlette J Ramos

Audience Award

One Person, One Vote?                                              

Director: Maximina Juson

Best Experimental Film

For Those That Lived There                                                                             

Director: Shawn Antoine II

Best Animation

A Cow In the Sky                                                                                              

Directors: Darren Press, C. Fraser Press

Best Music Video

Cyano Sun Suite – Null Island

Director: Stefan Verna

Winning Episode

Vibrations: Offerings                                                                 

Director: Benjamin Steger

Best VR (Virtual Reality)

Nirwana Gold                                                                                                                

Director: Andreas Waldenmaier

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker

Balbinka Korzeniowska(Playing Through)                                            

Best Narrative Director

Jean-Pierre Caner(Stakes is High)

Best Documentary Director

Christopher Nostrand (Firefly: The Tay Fisher Story)                                   

Best Actress

Asley Ortega (As if it’s True)

HARLEM AND NEW YORK SHOWCASE AWARDS

New York Vision Award

Skate Night                                                                                                     
Director: Emily Leibow

Harlem Spotlight (Narrative Feature)

What Somalia Wants                              

Director: Jade Bryan

Harlem Spotlight (Documentary Feature)

Sing! Fight! Sing! Fight! From Leroi To Amiri                              

Director: Colin Still

Harlem Spotlight (Narrative Short)

Speak Up Brotha!                              

Director: Wes Andre Goodrich

Harlem Spotlight (Documentary Short)

Interception: Jayne Kennedy – American Sportscaster                              

Director: Safiya Songhai

Uptown Award – Narrative

Bronx Park Thunder 

Director: Shaun Vivaris

Uptown Award – Documentary

The Book of Days                                             

Director: Ian Phillips

SHORT FILM AWARDS

Best Short Narrative 

I Promse You Paradise                                                                                      

Director: Morad Mostafa

Best Short Documentary

How To Sue The Klan                                  

Director: John Beder

Best Short Short

Pen, Again                                                                                                               

Director: Julian J. Delacruz

Best Youth Short (Narrative)

Project: KLB2                                                                                 

Directors: Andrew Baker Taylor, Andrew Yuen

Best Youth Short (Documentary)

Little Sahara                                                                                   

Director: Emilio Marti López

Hi SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

Best Feature Screenplay 

“Black Mountain”

Writer: Joe Villanti

 Best Short Screenplay

“No Rules Radio”

Writer: Ryan Fenson-Hood

Feature Screenplay Finalists

“Dust”                                                             

Writer: Christine LeVeaux Haley 

“Stats“                                                                        

Writer: Ken Joy Ukwu

“The Amazing Days of Alex Mazze ”       

Writers: Christopher Harmon, Alex Mazze Maisonette

“The Pickleball Killer”  

Writer: Jim Carroll

“The Porter”

Writer: Megan Breen

“The Seduction of Auntie Rose”

Writer: Alpha Blair

Short Screenplay Finalists

“An Ocean Journey”

Writers: Victoria Dook, Rick Harvey 

“How Possible”

Writer: D.K. Nwosu

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