2021 AWARD WINNERS & NOMINATIONS

Award winners were announced on Wednesday, June 30th at 8pm (EDT) during the Virtual Award Ceremony.  

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2021 BLACK FEATHER AWARD

Brooke Trantor & Chelsea Gonzalez

*The Black Feather Award is given to a filmmaker who reflects the inclusive values Blackbird stands for and embodies the spirit of the festival. Typically, Black Feather Award winners are festival alumni who remain engaged and continue to show their support year after year.  

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BEST OF FEST

Augustus

Art of Invisible
Día de Las Carpas
Feeling Through

Freya

Juliet
The Audition

The Rape Clause

Troubled Times

 

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

Celeste
Queen of the Andes

Triple Threat
Woman of the Photographs

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BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

¡Boza!
Invisible Hand
Re-Inventing the Wheel

The Art of Dissent

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BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Falling Forward

From Kurils with Love

Frontliners
Junior

Little Bean

 

BEST DRAMATIC SHORT

Daughter of the Tide

Juliet

Rudy (Red)

Sam & Emma

The Rape Clause

Troubled Times
Woodford County

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BEST ACTION SHORT

Augustus

Firefalls

Inconvenience Store

Misfits

The Dude

The Empire’s Surgeon
 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Ghost and Me
RenaiDance

The Unknown
Thin Blue Variety Show

Two Different Kinds of Love

 

BEST HORROR / THRILLER SHORT

Blue Fire

Household Demons

Susie

The Gift
The Remnant

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BEST COMEDIC SHORT

A Piece of Cake

El Beso (The Kiss)

Kill Cat Oakland

Inconvenience Store

Pete's Valve
The Will

Tough Crowd

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BEST MUSIC VIDEO

All My Life

Another Place

Optic Nerve

Sam & Emma

The End

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CINEMA DIRECTOR AWARD (FEATURE)

Celeste - Ben Hackworth

Triple Threat - Stacey Maltin

Queen of the Andes - Jillian Acreman

Woman of the Photographs - Takeshi Kushida

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CINEMA DIRECTOR AWARD (SHORT)

Augustus - Jon Alston

Anna - Dekel Berenson

Blue Fire - Nick Ronan

Connections - Carl Hansen
Freya - Camille Hollett-French

Like Father - Jonathan Chekroune
Troubled Times - Jared Crowelle

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CINEMA WRITING AWARD

Augustus

Diary Room

Freya

Mr. Sam

Thoughts and Prayers
The Rape Clause

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CINEMA EDITING AWARD

Anna

Art of Invisible

Freya

Like Father
Shiney

The Empire's Surgeon
Vortex

 

CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

Blue Fire

Daughter of the Tide

Firefalls

Like Father

The Gift

Vortex
Wind

 

SOUND DESIGN AWARD

Blue Fire

Freya
Ghost and Me

Optic Nerve
The Empire's Surgeon

The Remnant

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MOST ORIGINAL FILM AWARD

An Invitation to Tea

Art of Invisible

Blue Fire

Choker

Imago

Inconvenience Store

Mr. Sam

Unwind
The Best Orchestra in the World
 

HEART & SOUL AWARD

An Invitation to Tea

Diary Room

Falling Forward
Little Bean

The Celine Archive
When the Wolf Comes Home

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BETTER WORLD AWARD

Augustus
¡Boza!

Día De Las Carpas

Little Bean

Juliet

The Forest

Yours Sincerely

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POWERFUL VOICE AWARD

Biff & Me

Buttball

Chatter

Choker
Covered

Diary Room
The Forest
The Grey Town

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BEST LEAD ACTRESS (FEATURE)

Bhreagh MacNeil - Pillar (Queen of the Andes)

Stacey Maltin - Chloe (Triple Threat)

Radha Mitchell - Celeste (Celeste)

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BEST LEAD ACTOR (FEATURE)

Hideki Nagai - Kai (Woman of the Photographs)

Jay DeYonker - Gus (Triple Threat)

Thomas Cocquerel - Jack (Celeste)

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BEST LEAD ACTRESS (SHORT)

Avery Garcia - Sofia (When the Wolf Comes Home)

Cécile Grüebler - Sarah (The Audition)

Erica Camarano - Mecoy (Blue Fire)

Hazel Doupe - Blythe (Troubled Times)

Izabela Baran - Judyta (Red)

Maria Hildebrand - Angela (The Rape Clause)

Svetlana Barandich - Anna (Anna)

Reise Alexander - Serena (Juliet)

Rhona Rees - Jade (Freya)

Vanessa Leigh - Sam (Sam & Emma)
 

BEST LEAD ACTOR (SHORT)

Ayindé Howell -  Augustus (Augustus)

Brett Epstein - Sam (Diary Room)

Chimwemwe Miller - Gabriel (The Forest)

Christian Campbell - Willy (The Grey Town)

Christopher Shyer - Willigad (An Invitation to Tea)

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo - Eoghan (Troubled Times)

Garrett Stivers - Eli (Like Father)

Maxwell Scott - Paul (Woodford County)

Nick Ronan - Gabe (Blue Fire)

Rich Sommer - Jim (A Piece of Cake)
 

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AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS 2021

Audience Choice Awards are determined by votes submitted during both the in-person Film + Arts Festival as well as the Virtual Festival during the timespan of June 21st - June 30th.

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Memories of the Missing

An Invitation to Tea

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Music of Life

The Audition

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True Beauty

Juliet

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Making Friends

Connections

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Black Stories, Black Voices

Augustus

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Hello, Kind Stranger

Falling Forward

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Mother & Child

Little Bean

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Dystopic Bliss

Firefalls

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Hurdles of the Heart

Troubled Times

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Insane in the Membrane

Sobriety

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On the Frontlines

The Empire's Surgeon

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Tricksters

Inconvenience Store

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Last Wish

Thoughts & Prayers

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Little Trouble Makers

The Kiss

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The Good Dad

When The Wolf Comes Home

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Inner Demons

Blue Fire

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