2022 Santa Barbara Film Festival Winners: ‘Róise And Frank’ Takes Audience Award

Roise And Frank — "Róise and Frank" SBIFF

The Santa Barbara Film Festival unveiled winners for its 37th edition on Saturday morning, bestowing its Audience Choice award to the Irish-language film Róise and Frank.

Juried winners at this year’s festival include Jon-Sesrie Goff’s After Sherman as Best Documentary, and Shawkat Amin Korki’s The Exam (Ezmûn) winning the Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for best international feature film.

Róise and Frank (Mo ghrá buan), directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy, centers on Róise (Brid Ni Neachtain), a widow in mourning who befriends a dog who just might be her late husband reincarnated. The pic earlier this week screened at the Dublin Film Festival where it won the Best Ensemble award.

Overall, this year’s in-person festival attracted 200 films from 54 countries along with its usual A-list of panel galas celebrating the year’s best in film – a traditional stop on the awards circuit. This year included Q&As with Oscar nominees Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur, Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman among others.

The winning films were chosen by this year’s jury: Carlos Aguilar, Justine Bateman, Dupe Bosu, Julie Carmen, Annlee Ellingson, Tim Grierson, Beandrea July, Elizabeth Lo, Scott Mantz, Jose Novoa, Gil Robertson, Charles Solomon, Angie Wang, Steve Zahn, and Anthony & Annette Zerbe.

Here’s the full list of 2022 winners:

Audience Choice

Roise and Frank
Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy

Documentary Short Film

Lalito 10
Jordan Matthew Horowitz

Bruce Corwin Award (Best Live-Action Short Film)

No Ghost in the Morgue (Pas de fantôme à la morgue)
Marilyn Cooke

Bruce Corwin Award (Best Animated Short Film)

The Shaman’s Apprentice
Zacharias Kunuk

Best Documentary

After Sherman
Jon-Sesrie Goff

Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award (Best International Feature Film)