2018 Hamptons International Film Festival Bestows Accolades On Filmmakers

During the 2018 Hamptons International Film Festival, which concluded on Columbus Day, Monday, October 8, numerous accolades were presented to outstanding filmmakers and actors.

Some awards were decided by the official festival jurors, while others were decided by festival partners or audience members.

Best Narrative Feature was awarded to “All Good,” or “Alles Ist Gut,” from German director Eva Trobisch, a film starring Aenne Schwarz as a woman’s struggles after being raped.

The Best Documentary Feature winner is “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” about the founder of Fox News Channel who died last year. The director is Alexis Bloom.

Best Narrative Short Film went to “Fence,” or “Gardhi,” an Albanian-language film written and directed by director Lendita Zeqiraj. Best Documentary Short Film was awarded to “Guaxuma,” a Portuguese-language mixed-technique animated film from Brazilian director Nara Normande.

Three awards were chosen by audience members: “The Hate U Give,” directed by George Tillman Jr., took home the Audience Award for Narrative Feature, “The Biggest Little Farm,” directed by John Chester, won in the Documentary Feature category, and “One Small Step,” directed by Bobby Pontillas and Andrew Chesworth, won for Best Short Film.

HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent called “The Hate U Give” “an important film for our times” and noted that it received a standing ovation after it screened on the second night of the festival with Mr. Tillman and actress Amandla Stenberg, one of the festival’s 2018 Breakthrough Artists, in attendance. The story centers on Ms. Stenberg’s character, who witnesses her friend’s fatal shooting at the hands of a police officer.

“‘The Biggest Little Farm,’ which offers a beautiful look at life’s cycles through the impactful story of one couple’s decision to resuscitate a farm in northern California, is sure to touch the hearts of people of all ages,” Mr. Nugent said. “‘One Small Step,’ the first film from two former Disney artists who started their own studio last year, is an inspiring story of one girl’s determination to follow her dreams.”

Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff, the two lead actors of “Border,” or “Grans,” from director Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for Acting.

The Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant was awarded to director Emily Anderson for her short narrative film that was shot in Montauk, “Only the Wind Is Listening.”

Director Sontenish Myers won the Vimeo Staff Pick Award for her short narrative film “Cross My Heart,” about an American teenage girl who visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves.

The Industry Advocate for Women Award was presented to Terry Lawler, the executive director of New York Women in Film & Television.