The 11th Antenna Documentary Film Festival last night announced the winners of its two prize categories at an Awards Ceremony held at Chauvel Cinemas in Sydney.
Best Feature Documentary
Best Feature Documentary, which comes with a $7,500 prize, sponsored by Macquarie University was awarded to Eat Your Catfish by Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen and Noah Amir Arjomand.
On awarding the Best Feature Documentary Award, the jury said: “Eat Your Catfish is in one word, a celebration. Of family, motherhood, life and of the power of documentary itself. The film flips on its head the cinematic gaze to provide us an unforgettable experience of those who too rarely have the opportunity to tell their own stories. In a simple yet innovative approach to filming, born out of necessity but eschewing the obvious, the film is effective in captivating its audience from beginning to end. Blending brutal honesty, frustration and comedy, this is a brave and honest portrait of an ordinary family, and what it means to choose life and death on our own terms”
It’s your LAST CHANCE to see Eat Your Catfish TONIGHT at the Palace Verona. Book your tickets now!
Special Jury Prize
A Special Jury Award, which comes with a $2,500 prize, also sponsored by Macquarie University was given to How to Save a Dead Friend by Russian filmmaker Marusya Syroechkovskaya.
The jury said that: “It is a film that combines a punk aesthetic with pacy editing and with the energy of youth – a raw and intimate documentary that reveals not only the personal journey of the filmmaker over 16 years, but also paints a portrait of a frustrated and disillusioned generation growing up in Putin’s Russia.”
The second screening of How to Save a Dead Friend is tomorrow night at the Randwick Ritz. Book tickets to this intensely moving film now.
Best Australian Short
Best Australian Short Documentary Award, which comes with a $5000 prize sponsored by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), was awarded to Ola Ka Honua by Jilli Rose.
“A story beautifully developed around the crisis of deforestation in Hawaii, Jilli Rose’s animated documentary combines cultural history and science to bring the past into the present, emphasising the status and value of trees as living treasures. Cleverly structured and perfectly paced the film evokes a devastating history then transcends it with optimism and hope for the future.”
Special Mentions went to Vanitas by Steven Andrew McIntyre and Glenn D’Curz and Who I Am by Naomi Ball.
With over 50 films from 23 countries, the Antenna Film Festival has held screenings across Sydney this past week and will have repeat screenings over the next four days, giving Antenna audiences the opportunity to continue casting their votes for the 2022 Audience Award before the announcement of the winner next week.
