FESTIVAL AWARDS
Each year, the Gold Coast International Film Festival is proud to recognize the achievements of talented filmmakers who provide entertainment, illumination, and a great movie-going experience.
2017 Audience Award winners and Short Film Award winners will receive prizes from Deluxe & LVR!
“DARKEST HOUR” Directed by Joe Wright
GCIFF Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature:
“DARE TO BE DIFFERENT” Directed by Ellen Goldfarb & “UNDERFIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF PFC. TONY VACCARO” Directed by Max Lewkowicz
GCIFF Audience Award for Best Short Film
“ON THE RUN” Directed by Gianguido Spinelli & “FRIDAY NIGHT” Directed by Alexis Michalik
Runner Up: “An Average Story” Directed by Yaniv Segalovich & “Aisle 4” Directed by Kyle McCallion, Gabriel Stoltz & Sam Monaghan
Honorable Mention: “A Drowning Man” Directed by Stephen J. Lattanzi
GCIFF Jury Award for Best Short Film
“FOR YOU” Directed by Nora Jobling
Runner Up: “Akado” Directed by Kim Belov & “Fulfilament” Directed by Rhiannon Evans
Honorable Mention: “Strange Beasts” Directed by Magali Barbe
Burn Your Maps
Audience Award for Best Documentary
Sidemen: Long Road To Glory
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Jewish Blind Date
The Bench
Jury Award for Best Short Film
The Gunfighter
Runner Up: Above All Else
Runner Up: We Live This
Honorable Mention: Taking Flight
Director’s Choice Award
Joe’s Violin
Morgan Spurlock, Writer, Director & Producer (Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock Inside Man)
Navid Negahban, Actor (Homeland, Baba Joon)
Woman of Influence
Patricia Riggen, Director (The 33)
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Mustang
Audience Award for Best Documentary
Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw
We Are Twisted F*cking Sister
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Grounded
Jury Award for Best Short Film
Subway Love
Tender Stories No. 1
Jury Award for Best Student Short Film
The Present
Catherine Martin, Academy Award-Winning Production & Costume Designer (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby)
Screenwriting Award
Talya Lavie, Writer & Director, Zero Motivation
Heroes Award
The Leary Firefighters Foundation
Lee Ielpi, President of the Board of Directors for the September 11th Families’ Association and co-founder of the 9/11 Tribute Center
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Paulette
Audience Award for Best Documentary
August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Welcome to China
Runner Up: How I Didn’t Become a Piano Player
Jury Award for Best Short Film
Why Do I Study Physics?
Runner Up: A Silent Waltz
Prizes sponsored by LVR.
Susie Essman, Comedian & Actress
Lifetime Achievement Award
Paul Sorvino, Actor
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Nebraska
Foreign Letters
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Comedy Warriors
The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Plurality
Jury Award for Best Short Film
Noah
Feature prizes sponsored by Deluxe. Short film prizes sponsored by LVR.
Edward Burns, Filmmaker & Actor
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Silver Linings Playbook
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Pigeon Impossible
Jury Award for Best Short Film
Luminaris
Jury Award for Best Student Short Film
Sight
Prizes sponsored by LVR
Bruce Dern, Actor
Best Narrative Feature sponsored by Panavision
My Afternoons with Marguerite
Best Documentary Feature sponsored by Deluxe
Bob and the Monster
Trailer Award Competition sponsored by the New York Post
Bob and the Monster
Best Narrative Short Film
Noreen
Best Documentary Short Film
In the Spirit of Laxmi
Jurors
Joe Bakhash (Award-winning filmmaker)
James Belfer (Producer: Vamps and Nuts!)
Don Fizzinoglia (Documentary filmmaker, professor of cinema studies and television and film production at New York Institute of Technology)
Gibson Frazier (Co-writer, producer, and star of Man of the Century, winner of Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival)
Luke Geissbuhler (Director of Photography: Helvetica, Objectified, Borat)
Dr. Sam Grogg (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Adelphi University; producer: Kiss of The Spider Woman, The Trip To Bountiful, Da, Patti Rocks, and Spike of Bensonhurst)
Carolyn Hepburn (Producer: Weiner and Life Animated)
Jennifer Lane (Production Mgr.: The Reader, The Good Shepherd, adjustment Bureau, Greenberg)
Diane Masciale (General Manager, WLIW21)
Jeremiah Newton (Producer: Beautiful Darling)
Norman Reedus (Actor: The Walking Dead, Boondock Saints)
Mark Romeo (Producer: Blue Gold)
Ryan Silbert (Oscar-winning producer: God Of Love, Assoc. Producer: Holy Rollers)
Rick Schwartz (Producer: The Departed, Exec. Producer: Black Swan)
Craig Teper (Director: Vidal Sassoon: The Movie)
Connect With Us
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Vimeo
Youtube