The 29th Sonoma International Film Festival wraps its 29th edition tonight after awarding prizes in multiple categories earlier today.
Maspalomas, directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature. The film, described as a “bold, emotionally charged portrait of identity, aging, and resilience,” tells the story of a septuagenarian gay man who moves into a conservative nursing home after suffering a stroke, and “finds himself slipping back into the closet.”
Maspalomas star Jose Ramon Soroiz won the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, where the film premiered.
The jury, comprised of Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist), Max Geschwind (CAA), and Kirsten Schaffer (Women in Film), wrote, “For an authentic and rare depiction of an elder man confronting personal and physical crisis at the onset of the COVID pandemic, we award the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature to Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga for the nuanced and moving queer drama Maspalomas.”
‘Silent Rebellion’
Sonoma International Film Festival
The Special Jury Prize for Directing went to Marie-Elsa Sgualdo for Silent Rebellion, a drama set in WWII-era rural Switzerland about “a young housemaid [who] finds herself at odds with her puritanical village.” The jury praised the filmmaker for “her excellence in crafting intimate storytelling and grounded performances.”
The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to State of Firsts, directed by Chase Joynt. The film follows Sarah McBride’s bid to represent Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives, a successful campaign that made her the first openly trans person elected to Congress.
“The jury wants to recognize a film that represents what authentic truth looks like among the squalor of our politics,” noted jurors Jo Addy (SoHo House), Nick Price (Reel South), and Ania Trzebiatowska (Sundance Film Festival). “The award-winning film is a nuanced portrait of leadership and responsibility that also provides a clear and honest account of the challenges and apparent harms that come from seeking to change the world. The language of change is complex, and sometimes it’s as simple as using the right name. The jury is honored to platform a story that showcases the wholeness of a person in an industry and society so quick to tokenize.”
Director Chase Joynt
Courtesy of Wynne Neilly
At an Art of Storytelling panel at the festival on Saturday, Joynt spoke about filming McBride in 2024 during a presidential campaign that saw Donald Trump disparage trans people and promise a rollback of their rights.
“We could not have anticipated the volatility and transphobic swirl that would circulate around Sarah McBride’s body and life and history as it did throughout the course of our shooting,” Joynt commented. “We recognize that our film is a very particular time capsule of a very particular pressurized moment in time. And we hope that it can serve as a kind of tool for conversation and advocacy and activism as we’re still continuing to reckon with the impacts of this particular administration.”
Jane Elliott
Sundance Institute
Jane Elliott Against the World, directed by Judd Ehrlich, won the Audience Award in the feature documentary category. His film examines the Iowa educator, now in her 90s, who developed a “blue-eyed, brown-eyed exercise” in the 1960s to help schoolchildren understand the reality of racism and white privilege in American society. Later, she would conduct the exercise with adults, eliciting strong and often defensive reactions.
“Jane never backs down from a fight, never backs down from telling the truth,” Ehrlich said as he accepted the award. “We need to hear her message more than ever right now at this moment in our country. She’s going to be really happy to hear this news and we need to just keep fighting.”
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Film went to The Christophers, the latest film directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.
A La Quebrada cliff diver in ‘Voices From the Abyss’
EFD
Voices from the Abyss, directed by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejon, won Best Documentary Short. “Through stunning editing and black and white cinematography, the dangerous lives of cliff divers, old and young, and what keeps them coming back, opened our eyes to a world we’d never seen and wanted to explore more of,” wrote the short jury comprised of Erik Anderson (Awards Watch), Kerry Barden (Casting Director), and Schuyler Fisk (Artist).
The shorts jury awarded the Grand Jury Award for Live Action Short to A Very Normal Seeming Man, directed by Al Pattanashetty, writing, “As funny as it is heartwarming and creative, this meta father/son comedy is a wonderful representation of familial support while navigating personal and career uncertainty.”
The Grand Jury Award for Animated Short was presented to Two Black Boys in Paradise, directed by Baz Sells. Jurors wrote, “For its depiction of the evolution of humanity and innocence corrupted by society, the film shows the life of boys becoming men in the face of the darkest levels of adversity with poetic beauty.”
This is full list of winners at the 29th Sonoma International Film Festival:
GRAND JURY FILM AWARDS:
Grand Jury Award | Best Narrative Feature:
Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi | Spain)
Jury Statement from the Narrative Feature Grand Jury: Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist), Max Geschwind (CAA), and Kirsten Schaffer (Women in Film).
“For an authentic and rare depiction of an elder man confronting personal and physical crisis at the onset of the COVID pandemic, we award the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature to Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga for the nuanced and moving queer drama Maspalomas.”
Special Jury Prize for Directing
Silent Rebellion(Marie-Elsa Sgualdo | Switzerland )
“For its unflinching portrayal of a virtuous teen in WWII era Europe, we are awarding a Special Jury Prize for Directing to Marie-Elsa Sgualdo for her excellence in crafting intimate storytelling and grounded performances in Silent Rebellion.”
Narrative Competition Films: Ky Nam Inn(Vietnam) Directed by: Leon Le, Maspalomas (Spain) Directed by: Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi, My Tennis Maestro (Italy) Directed by: Andrea di Stefano, Orphan (Hungary) Directed by: Lászlo Nemes, Silent Rebellion (Switzerland) Directed by: Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, The Soundman (Belgium) Directed by: Frank Van Passel, Sundays (Spain) Directed by: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, and Vainilla (Mexico) Directed by: Mayra Hermosillo
Grand Jury Award | Best Documentary Feature:
State of Firsts (Chase Joint | USA)
Jury Statement from the Documentary Feature Grand Jury: Jo Addy (SoHo House), Nick Price (Reel South), and Ania Trzebiatowska (Sundance).
“This year, the jury wants to recognize a film that represents what authentic truth looks like among the squalor of our politics. The award-winning film is a nuanced portrait of leadership and responsibility that also provides a clear and honest account of the challenges and apparent harms that come from seeking to change the world. The language of change is complex, and sometimes it’s as simple as using the right name. The jury is honored to platform a story that showcases the wholeness of a person in an industry and society so quick to tokenize. The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Sonoma International Film Festival this year goes to Chase Joynt for State of Firsts.”
Documentary Feature Competition Films:The Art of Adventure (Canada) Directed by: Alison Reid, Barbara Forever (USA) Directed by: Brydie O’Connor, The Big Cheese (USA) Directed by: Sara Joe Wolansky, Fork in the Road (USA) Directed by: Jonathan Nastasi, Vivian Sorenson, Jane Elliott Against the World (USA) Directed by: Judd Ehrlich, Kim Novak´s Vertigo (USA) Directed by: Alexandre O. Philippe, Newport and the Great Folk Dream (USA) Directed by: Robert Gordon, and Raoul’s, A New York Story (USA) Directed by: Greg Olliver, Karim Raoul, State of Firsts (USA) Directed by: Chase Joynt
Grand Jury Award | Short Films and Jury Statements
The Short Film Grand Jury included Erik Anderson (Awards Watch), Kerry Barden (Casting Director), and Schuyler Fisk (Artist).
Grand Jury Award: Live Action Short
A Very Normal Seeming Man (Director Al Pattanashetty | USA)
“As funny as it is heartwarming and creative, this meta father/son comedy is a wonderful representation of familial support while navigating personal and career uncertainty.”
Grand Jury Award: Documentary Short
Voices from the Abyss (Director Irving Serrano and Victor Rejon | Mexico)
“Through stunning editing and black and white cinematography, the dangerous lives of cliff divers, old and young, and what keeps them coming back, opened our eyes to a world we’d never seen and wanted to explore more of.”
Special Mention for Cultural, Environmental and Community Impact: Abalone Stories: Loss, Connection, Renewal (USA, Dir. Cynthia Abbott)
Grand Jury Award: Animated Short
Two Black Boys in Paradise (Director Baz Sells | UK)
“For its depiction of the evolution of humanity and innocence corrupted by society, the film shows the life of boys becoming men in the face of the darkest levels of adversity with poetic beauty.”
Special Jury Mention for Directing
Domingo Familiar (Directed by Gerardo del Razo | Mexico)
SONOMA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE FILM AWARDS:
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Film
THE CHRISTOPHERS (United Kingdom) Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
1st Runner-up: You Found Me (France) Directed by: Alice Vial
2nd Runner-up: Primavera (Italy) Directed by: Damiano Michieletto3rd Runner-up: Colors Of Time (France) Directed by: Cedric Klapisch
4th Runner-up: I Swear (United Kingdom) Directed by: Kirk Jones
The A3 Audience Award for Best Documentary
Jane Elliott Against the World (USA) Directed by: Judd Ehrlich
1st Runner-up: The Six Billion Dollar Man (USA) Directed by: Eugene Jarecki
2nd Runner-up: The Art of Adventure (Canada) Directed by: Alison Reid
3rd Runner-up: The Balloonists (USA) Directed by: John Dower
4th Runner-up: Raoul’s, A New York Story (USA) Directed by: Greg Olliver, Karim Raoul
The McNeely Award for Best Short Film
Abalone Stories: Loss, Connection, Renewal (USA) Directed by: Cynthia Abbott
1st Runner-up: Sense of Emergency (USA) Directed by: Madeline Down
2nd Runner-up: Sauna Sickness (Sweden) Directed by: Malin Barr
3rd Runner-up: Check Please (USA) Directed by: Shane Chung
4th Runner-up: Last Days on Lake Trinity (USA) Directed by: Charlotte Cooley
