SIFF 2010: And the winners are…

The 36th Seattle International Film Festival concluded a record-breaking year on Sunday June 13th, in spite of the downturn in summer movie-going nationwide, with the announcement of juried SIFF 2010 Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards, bringing to a close the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States. SIFF 2010 broke box office records with a nearly 20% increase in box office, making it SIFF’s most triumphant year to date. The Golden Space Needle Award winners were announced at a ceremony on Sunday. More than 83,000 ballots were cast by SIFF audiences to determine the winner in six categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film. So, without further ado…

SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards

Best Film Golden Space Needle Award

The Hedgehog

The Hedgehog, directed by Mona Achache (France, 2009)

First runner up: Mao’s Last Dancer, directed by Bruce Beresford (Australia, 2009)
Second runner up: Micmacs, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France, 2009)
Third runner up: Cell 211, directed by Daniel Monzón (Spain, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Hipsters, directed by Valery Todorovsky (Russia, 2009)

Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award

Waste Land

Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life, directed by Karen Stanton (USA 2010)
Waste Land, directed by Lucy Walker (United Kingdom, 2010)

First runner up: The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, directed by Leanne Pooley (New Zealand, 2009)
Second runner up: Wheedle’s Groove, directed by Jennifer Maas (USA, 2009)
Third runner up: Brownstones to Red Dirt, directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker (Sierra Leone, 2010)
Fourth runner up: Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington (USA, 2010)

Best Director Golden Space Needle Award

Debra Granik for Winter’s Bone (USA, 2010)

First runner up: Mona Achache for The Hedgehog (France, 2009)
Second runner up: Ana Kokkinos for Blessed (Australia, 2009)
Third runner up: Valery Todorovsky for Hipsters (Russia, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Daniel Monzón for Cell 211 (Spain, 2009)

Best Actor Golden Space Needle Award

Luis Tosar for Cell 211 (Spain, 2009)

First runner up: Jim Broadbent for Perrier’s Bounty (Ireland, 2009)
Second runner up: Aaron Johnson for Nowhere Boy (UK, 2009)
Third runner up: Martin Nissen for Angel at Sea (Belgium/Canada, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Edward Norton for Leaves of Grass (USA, 2009)

Best Actress Golden Space Needle Award

Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone (USA, 2010)

First runner up: Josiane Balasko for The Hedgehog (France, 2009)
Second runner up: Patricia Clarkson for Cairo Time (Canada, 2009)
Third runner up: Sibel Kekilli for When We Leave (Germany/Turkey, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Tilda Swinton for I Am Love (Italy, 2009)

Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award

Ormie, directed by Rob Silvestri (Canada, 2009)

First runner up: Bedfellows, directed by Pierre Stefanos (USA, 2010)
Second runner up: The Little Dragon, directed by Bruno Collet (France, 2009)
Third runner up: The Crush, directed by Michael Creagh (Ireland, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Whistleless, directed by Siri Melchior (Denmark, 2009)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, Presented by Women in Film/Seattle

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, directed by Leanne Pooley (New Zealand, 2009)

2010 Fool Serious Awards

The always-fun second-opinion Fool Serious Awards are voted on by a dedicated group of full passholders, who see a LOT of movies, therefore have a LOT of opinions on said movies. Here’s what they thought…

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone

Most Liked

1. Winter’s Bone
2. The Hedgehog
3. Cell 211
4. Hipsters
5. Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
6. Castaway on the Moon
7. City of Life and Death
8. The Concert
9. The Trotsky
10. The Reverse

Top Archival

1. On The Waterfront
2. West Side Story
3. Night Train
4. Fight Club

Top Documentaries

1. The Untitled Ginny Ruffner Project
2. Waste Land
3. The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
4. Waiting for Superman

The Special Category Award Winners

Best Director – Debra Granik for Winter’s Bone
Best Script – Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, Walter Fasano, Luca Guadagnino for I Am Love
Best Cinematographer – Michael McDonough for Winter’s Bone
Best Music – Konstantin Meladze for Hipsters
Best Actor – Luis Tosar for Cell 211
Best Actress – Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone
Best Guilty Pleasure – Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil