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. 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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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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