One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Los Angeles Film Fest Winners: Top Prize Goes To 'Man From Reno'
The Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) closed out its 2014 run yesterday with the announcement of the jury and audience awards, as well as individual prizes.
The narrative jury—director Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12), producer Stuart Cornfeld (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) and film critic Ella Taylor—awarded the top narrative feature prize to Dave Boyle’s Man From Reno, a “cross-cultural mystery.”
The documentary jury, comprised of editor Lynzee Klingman (A River Runs Through It), Margaret Brown (The Great Invisible) and film critic and author Justin Chang, gave the documentary prize to Stray Dog, directed by Debra Granik. The film’s a profile of burly biker and Vietnam vet Ron “Stray Dog” Hall. The jury also awarded an honorable mention in the category to Eliza Kubarska’s Walking Under Water, which traces the dying cultural traditions of the Badjao people of Borneo.
The LA Muse Award was presented by a special jury to Los Ángeles by Damian John Harper. In its inaugural year, the new category featured films that explored different aspects of L.A. life. Los Ángeles upends the typical gang film, offering multidimensional characters while exploring life on the other side of the border.
The three top juried awards carry a $5,000 cash prize for director, and the short film awardees each receive $1,500. The complete list of winning films, including the audience awards are listed below:
Sponsored message
Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature)
Man From Reno, directed by Dave Boyle
Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)
Stray Dog, directed by Debra Granik
Documentary Award
Honorable Mention: Walking Under Water, directed by Eliza Kubarska
LA Muse Award
Los Ángeles by Damian John Harper
Best Performance in the Narrative Competition
The Ensemble Cast of Recommended by Enrique, directed by Rania Attieh and Daniel García
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
The Young Kieslowski, directed by Kerem Sanga
Sponsored message
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Meet the Patels, directed by Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel
Audience Award for Best International Feature
Someone You Love, directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen
Award for Best Narrative Short Film
"The Runaway," directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin. France.
Award for Best Documentary Short Film
"The Queen," directed by Manuel Abramovich. Argentina.
Award for Best Animated/Experimental Short Film
"Butter Lamp," directed by Hu Wei. China/France.
Audience Award for Best Short Film
"The Gunfighter," directed by Eric Kissack
Sponsored message
The Gunfighter Trailer from Eric Kissack on Vimeo.
Audience Award for Best Music Video
"Turn Down For What": Lil Jon and DJ Snake directed by Daniels, Music: Lil Jon & DJ Snake
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
