Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announces 2009 winners

Ordinarily I would just link to this but since they don't have the winners up on their web site yet I'll reprint the press release here:


Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Announces 2009 Award Winners

For more information, visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org/awards.html or
call 406-541-FILM.

Best Feature: Rough Aunties by Kim Longinotto
Artistic Vision: In A Dream by Jeremiah Zagar

Best Short: Bronx Princess by Musa Syeed & Yoni Brook
Artistic Vision: The First Kid to Learn English From Mexico by Peter Jordan

Best MiniDoc: Jennifer by Stewart Copeland
Artistic Vision: The Secret Life of Beards by Melanie Levy

Big Sky Award: Red Gold by Travis Rummel & Ben Knight

Programmer's Choice Awards
Best Editing: Crude by Joe Berlinger
Best Cinematography: Ashes of American Flags by Brendan Canty & Christoph Green
Best Music Doc: The Choir by Michael Davie

Missoula, Montana - The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is pleased
to announce its festival award winners, each of which will be
screened during a special encore presentation Thursday, February 19,
at Missoula's historic Wilma Theatre.

Award Screening Schedule

Fri. Feb 20, 2009 at 7 pm - In A Dream, Jennifer & The Secret Life of Beards
Sat. Feb 21, 2009 at 7 pm - Red Gold; Bronx Princess; The First Kid
to Learn English From Mexico,
Sun. Feb 22, 2009 at 8 pm - The Choir & Rough Aunties

Thanks go to the distinguished nine-member Festival Jury whose
members selected the 2007 award winners:

Documentary Feature Jury:
Dawn Smallman (Ridin' & Rhymin'), Richard Beer (Film Action Oregon/
Hollywood Theatre, Portland) , Brett Ingram (Monster Road,
Rocaterrania)

About the Best Feature Awards, the jury said, "We chose to award this
film Best Documentary Feature because the bravery of the film's
characters is mirrored by the unflinching courage of the filmmaker's
vision. In Rough Aunties, Director Kim Longinotto's camera elegantly
captures compassion and humanity in a brutal world.


We chose to award this film the Artistic Vision Award because of its
seamless integration of style and content. Director Jeremiah Zagar's
cinematic artistry equals the stunning artwork created by his father,
the primary subject of In A Dream."



Best Documentary Short Jury:
Mike Bonfiglio (Crude, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster), Kristen
Fitzpatrick (Women Make Movies)


About The First Kid to Learn English From Mexico, the jury said The
Artistic Vision Award goes to a film that manages to say a great deal
about a number of subjects in a very short time and with
extraordinary storytelling, sound and images. This
beautifully-crafted, lyrical, almost impressionistic work shows the
world of a fascinating individual through his own eyes, as well as
those of the world around him. It was difficult to decide which of
the two awards this film deserved most, but the more we thought about
the phrase, "artistic vision," the easier it was to figure out.

Best MiniDoc Jury
Joe Beringer (Crude, Brother's Keeper), Brendan Canty (Ashes of American Flags)

Big Sky Award Jury:
Chris White (POV), Anna Rau (Montana PBS)


The programmers of the festival also awarded three special awards to
film which exemplified the artistic spirit of nonfiction filmmaking.
The films were selected from the 143 selections in this year's
festival.

Special thanks to Sponsors of the 2009 Big Sky Documentary Film
Festival, including HBO Documentary Films, Montana Film Office, The
Washington Foundation, The International Documentary Association,
Montana Arts Council, The Canadian Consulate, Montana PBS, Montana
Public Radio, KGBA, Rockin' Rudy's, Missoula Art Museum, First
Security Bank, NorthWestern Energy, The Independent, Sony, Media 100,
Edgewater/Doubletree, Best Western Grant Creek Inn, Red Lion Inn
Missoula, Campus Inn, Big Sky Brewery, Ten Spoon Winery, Thomas
Kemper Soda, Porta Brace, Docurama, Vann's Electronics.

For more information call (406) 541-FILM or see visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org