SIFF 2014: Golden Space Needle Awards and other winners

SEATTLE — June 8, 2014 — The 40th Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, today announced the winners of the SIFF 2014 Golden Space Needle and Competition Awards. The awards were presented at a ceremony and brunch held at the Space Needle. The 25-day festival, which began May 15, featured 452 films representing 83 countries, including 44 World Premieres (20 features, 24 shorts), 30 North American Premieres (22 features, 8 shorts), 14 US Premieres (8 features, 6 shorts), and over 770 Festival screenings and events. Additionally, SIFF brought in more than 350 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals, setting a new guest record.

Carl Spence, SIFF’s Artistic Director, says, “This has been an extraordinary 40th anniversary Festival. From welcoming back Richard Linklater to Seattle with his groundbreaking epic Boyhood, to honoring Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Quincy Jones for their masterful work, to welcoming Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life for years, to the hundreds of first-time directors making their debut, it’s been another year of indelible cinematic experiences. Every year, it’s so thrilling to see our legendary Seattle audiences discover our lineup of films and wholly immerse themselves in the Festival experience. Congratulations to every single film and filmmaker that we had the opportunity to present!”

Adds Mary Bacarella, SIFF’s Managing Director, “Beginning with our big Opening Night announcement about the purchase of the SIFF Cinema Uptown and lease on the historic Egyptian Theatre, this Festival has blown away all of my expectations. Each day (and there’s 25 of them!) seemed to bring even more exciting events and can’t-miss moments. I’m thrilled to be leading SIFF in this time of growth, and can’t wait to get to work on bringing incredible films to two neighborhood cinemas.”

SIFF 2014 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARDS

SIFF celebrates its most popular films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Award. Selected by Festival audiences, awards are given in five categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Short Film. This year, nearly 90,000 ballots were submitted.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM

Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Life Feels Good, directed by Maciej Pieprzyca (Poland 2013)
Second runner-up: How to Train Your Dragon 2, directed by Dean DeBlois (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: The Fault in Our Stars, directed by Josh Boone (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Big in Japan, directed by John Jeffcoat (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY

Keep On Keepin’ On, directed by Alan Hicks (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett (USA 2014)
Second runner-up: I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, directed by Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble, directed by Isaac Olsen (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: The Case Against 8, directed by Ben Cotner, Ryan White (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR

Richard Linklater, Boyhood (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Maciej Pieprzyca, Life Feels Good (Poland 2013)
Second runner-up: Zaza Urushadze, Tangerines (Estonia/Georgia 2013)
Third runner-up: Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida (Poland 2013)
Fourth runner-up: Sara Colangelo, Little Accidents (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR

Dawid Ogrodnik, Life Feels Good (Poland 2013)

First runner-up: Guillaume Gallienne, Me, Myself and Mum (Belgium/France/Spain 2013)
Second runner-up: Matt Smith, My Last Year With the Nuns (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Felix Bossuet, Belle & Sebastien (France 2013)
Fourth runner-up: Igor Samobor, Class Enemy (Slovenia 2013)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Juliette Binoche, 1,000 Times Good Night (Norway 2013)
Second runner-up: Agata Kulesza, Ida (Poland 2013)
Third runner-up: Jenny Slate, Obvious Child (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Jördis Triebel, West (Germany 2013)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM

Fool’s Day, directed by Cody Blue Snider (USA 2013)

First runner-up: The Hero Pose, directed by Mischa Jakupcak (USA 2013)
Second runner-up: Strings, directed by Pedro Solis (Spain 2013)
Third runner-up: Mr. Invisible, directed by Greg Ash (United Kingdom 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Aban + Khorshid, directed by Darwin Serink (USA 2014)

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

Bound: Africans Versus African Americans, directed by Peres Owino (USA 2014)

This award is given to the female director’s film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle’s Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film Seattle to bestow it.

SIFF 2014 FOOL SERIOUS AWARDS

We are always interested in the opinions of the hardy full series (“Fool Serious”) passholders, who see many many more films than the average SIFF-goer. This year, they also felt good about their most liked film…

Most Liked

1. Life Feels Good
2. Tangerines
3. Calvary
4. Still Life
5. The 100-Year-Old Man…
6. Secret #1
7. Ida
8. Burning Bush
9. Boyhood
10. In Order of Disappearance

Best Director: Boyhood

Best Cinematographer: MEDEAS

Best Script: Venus in Fur

Best Music: Keep On Keepin’ On

Best Actor: Life Feels Good

Best Actress: Venus in Fur

Best “Guilty Pleasure”: Intramural