‘Glory’, ‘Eagle Huntress’ Top Hamptons Fest; LA Critics To Fete Shirley MacLaine

The 24th Hamptons International Film Festival closed Sunday with Oscar hopeful American Pastoral and announced its award winners at a ceremony in East Hampton. Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s Glory took the top prize for Best Narrative Feature, and Sony Pictures Classics’ The Eagle Huntress collected the trophy for Best Documentary Feature. Cash prizes come with those awards and backers of Huntress, an Oscar hopeful itself in the Academy’s Documentary Feature race, will be donating the prize money they receives to the fund they are building for the education of its 13-year-old star, Aisholpan, who wants to become a doctor. “She’s been such an inspiration to me and our entire team,” said director Otto Bell. “We’re just honored to be able to continue to contribute to her amazing journey.” Also among the HIFF winners was Bryan Cranston-starring film Wakefield, which recently had its world premiere at the Telluride, screened at Toronto and is trying to lock in a domestic distribution deal. Writer-director Robin Swicord received the Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award honoring an outstanding female narrative filmmaker. The fest opened Thursday night with Jeff Nichols and Focus Features’ awards hopeful Loving. which was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice.

Here is the full list of winners at the 2016 Hamptons Film Festival:

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature presented by the Wall Street Journal
GLORY “Slava,” directed by Kristina Grozeva & Petar Valchanov

Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature presented by the Wall Street Journal
DIVINES, directed by Houda Benyamina

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films
THE EAGLE HUNTRESS, directed by Otto Bell

Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films
THOSE WHO JUMP, directed by Estephan Wagner, Moritz Siebert & Abou Bakar Sidibé

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film presented by the Wall Street Journal

THE SILENCE “Il Silenzio,” directed by Ali Asgari & Farnoosh Samadi

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film presented by ID Films
IRREGULARS, directed by Fabio Palmieri

Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award
WAKEFIELD, directed by Robin Swicord

Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant
BLACK SWELL, directed by Jake Honig

The 2016 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution
DISTURBING THE PEACE, directed by Stephen Apkon & Andrew Young

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence

UNLOCKING THE CAGE, directed by Chris Hegedus & D.A. Pennebaker

And as previously announced:

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice
LOVING, written/directed by Jeff Nichols

Variety’s Creative Impact in Acting Award
Aaron Eckhart, BLEED FOR THIS and SULLY

HIFF Career Achievement Award
Edward Norton, BUNKER77 (executive producer), BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE), COLLATERAL BEAUTY

HIFF Narrative Feature Jury
David Edelstein, Chief film critic for New York Magazine, NPR’s Fresh Air, and regular commentator for CBS Sunday Morning; Chairman of the New York Critics Circle

Mariska Hargitay, Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winning actress known for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

John Krokidas, writer/director, KILL YOUR DARLINGS

HIFF Documentary Feature Jury
Alexis Alexanian, President of Production at Locomotive & NYWIFT Board of Director

Jason Janego, former Co-Founder and Co-President of RADiUS

Julie Goldstein, President of Production at Endgame Entertainment & formerly of HBO and Miramax

Meanwhile in other awards news today, Shirley MacLaine has been chosen by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association as the recipient of this year’s Career

Achievement Award. It will be presented at their annual dinner to be helf Saturday January 14 in Century City. Awards for the groups regular categories will be determined by the membership on December 4. “I’m thrilled with the honor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the recognition and the encouragement,” said MacLaine who is an Oscar, Emmy, Kennedy Center Honors and AFI Life Achievement Award winner. The org said this year’s awards event will be dedicated to late director Curtis Hanson.