The Byron Bay International Film Festival 2017 Award Winners

The 2017 Byron Bay International Film Festival, which ran between October 6 – 15, has come to an end. The festival saw a spectacular program of Australian and international short and feature length film screenings at a number of venues across the region.

The Closing Gala included a short but sweet awards ceremony, where the coveted ‘Best Film’ accolade was awarded to festival favourite ‘One Less God.’ This moving feature held audiences spellbound during the two festival screenings, as it revealed the intense experiences of Taj Mahal Palace guests and staff as they faced two terrorist attackers in 2008.

Co-producer Maren Smith had this to say about the film’s Byron debut: “The packed houses and the audience buzz at Byron really bodes well for our upcoming theatrical release, so we can’t wait to share it with a wide audience.”

‘One Less God’ will be screened in Mumbai this year.

Other notable winners included ‘Jungle’ directed by Greg McLean, which took out Best Dramatic Feature, and ‘Church of the Open Sky’ directed by Nathan Oldfield, which won Best Byron Film.

The Best Short award was given to ‘Uncanny Valley’ directed by Federico Heller, which offered a harrowing look at the impact VR technology and advanced video gaming could have on our society.

The full list of winners, which you can check out below, is a true representation of the diversity and incredibly high calibre of filmmaking the Byron Bay International Film Festival offers.

We look forward to seeing what BBFF brings to the region in 2018.

 

The 11th Annual Byron Bay International Film Festival Winners

BEST FILM AWARD WINNER

One Less God

Director: Lliam Worthington

 

BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE WINNER

Jungle

Director: Greg McLean

Honourable Mention: An American in Texas

Director: Anthony Pedone

 

BEST SURF FILM

Heavy Water

Director: Michael Oblowitz

 

BEST ANIMATION

Loving Vincent

Director: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman

 

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM

Blue

Director: Karina Holden

 

BEST YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER

Mwah

Director: Nina Buxton

 

BEST BYRON FILM

Church of the Open Sky

Director: Nathan Oldfield

 

BYRON BAY INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY AWARD 

Broken Head

Writer: Clare Sladden

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Radio Dreams

Director: Babak Jalali

 

BEST EXPREMINETAL FILM

A Dragon Arrives

Director: Mani Haghighi

 

BEST SHORT

Uncanny Valley

Director: Federico Heller

 

BEST INTERACTIVE VR

Hue

Director: Nicole McDonald

 

BEST CINEMATIC VR

Miyubi

Director: Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël

 

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World

Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana

 

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Love is a Lonely Dancer

Artist: Antony & Cleopatra

Director: Alan Masferrer

 

Learn more at www.bbff.com.au