By Travis Johnson
The 65th Sydney Film Festival is behind us but the news keeps coming, with the announcement today of the Audience Awards, in which the everyday punters, who are the very lifeblood of the fest, pick their top five features and documentaries.
Winner for best narrative feature went to Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, while best documentary went to Australian film Backtrack Boys, directed by Catherine Scott.
Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley said,“It is our delight to report that Sydney Film Festival audiences have spoken, revealing The Insult and Backtrack Boys as the winners of the feature and documentary categories in the Audience Awards.
“Grounded in long-standing historical tensions and prejudice, The Insult is a truly monumental film that has clearly left an impact on audiences. Ultimately, it is a plea for reconciliation, forgiveness and peace.
“The Festival is also thrilled to see all five of the top documentaries focus on unique Australian stories. This enthusiastic response is an undeniable indicator of an appetite for great Australian cinema, that local audiences find real resonance with.”
The Audience Awards
The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Top Five:
1. The Insult, directed by Ziad Doueiri (France, Lebanon)
2. Searching, directed by Aneesh Chaganty (USA)
3. Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya)
4. An Elephant Sitting Still, directed by Hu Bo (China)
= 5. Ága, directed by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria, Germany, France)
= 5. Leave No Trace, directed by Debra Granik (USA)
The Audience Award for Best Documentary Top Five:
1. Backtrack Boys, directed by Catherine Scott (Australia)
2. Teach a Man to Fish, directed by Grant Leigh Saunders (Australia)
3. I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, directed by Jessica Leski (Australia)
4. Oyster, directed by Kim Beamish (Australia)
5. Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible, directed by Axel Grigor (Australia)
This weekend also marks the start of the Travelling Film Festival in Newcastle, with nine feature films and two shorts from this year’s festival screening: The Breaker Upperers, Ága, Pig, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, Foxtrot, The Heiresses, Transit, Jirga, and American Animals are on at Tower Cinemas from Friday 22 – Sunday 24 June. For info and tickets, click here.
