AFI Fest Announces Short Film Jury Awards Film News in Brief

AFI FEST 2022 announced the three winners of this year’s short film Jury awards on Nov. 7, spotlighting the live action short “Birds,” the documentary short “Haulout” and the animated short “Sierra” for creating art that can “bring people together,” AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale said.

“Birds,” directed by Katherine Propper, is a 14-minute narrative that follows the lives of teenagers in Austin, Texas through summer boredom. Directors Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev’s “Haulout” features Maxim Chakilev, a man who waits in the Russian Arctic to observe an ancient gathering. “Sierra,” directed by Sander Joon, is a black comedy that uses car racing as the literal vehicle to discuss themes of toxic masculinity, which the jury dubbed “simple in subject but deep in content.”

Special mentions include “Yokelan” for ensemble acting, “How To Be A Person: How To Get An Abortion” for screenwriting, “An Avocado Pit (Um Caroço de Abacate)” for lead acting, “Kylie” for cinematography, “Not Even For A Moment Do Things Stand Still” for historical relevance, “The Spiral” for sound design and “It’s Raining Frogs Outside (Ampangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likol)” for editing.

Thirty-six countries were represented in this year’s AFI programming, spanning 125 titles total. Several International Feature Oscar submissions were also included, such as “Alcarràs,” “Bardo,” “False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” “Close,” “Eo,” “Joyland” and “Saint Omer.”

This year marked the 36th iteration of AFI FEST, which annually showcases high-profile films from international creators. The festival wrapped Nov. 6 after five days of extensive programming and Red Carpet Premieres.

Sara Polley, Laura Poitras and Kazuo Ishiguro to Receive Honors At 2022 Moving Image Awards Gala

The Board of Trustees from the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announced Nov. 7 that “Women Talking” director Sarah Polley, “Living” writer Kazuo Ishiguro and “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” documentarian “Laura Poitras will be honored at the 2022 Moving Image Awards on Dec. 1 for their outstanding achievements within their fields.

Polley received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay on “Away From Her” as a first-time director. Polley again doubled as a writer and director on “Women Talking,” which has made an early boom in the awards circuit with its reconciliatory tale of women grappling with faith in a rural, religious community. The Canadian filmmaker also boasts a long list of acting credits on films like 2005’s “Beowulf & Grendel” and “Dawn of the Dead” in 2004. Most recently, she released an autobiographical collection of essays called “Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory” about her experience with body dysmorphia.

Poitras won an Academy Award for best documentary feature with her film “Citizenfour” in 2014, and was nominated in the same category eight years prior for directing “My Country, My Country.” Other notable projects Poitras has worked on include “Terror Contagion” in 2021, “Landfall” in 2020 and “The Oath” in 2010. The 58-year-old documentary filmmaker released her latest work, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” earlier this year, which memorializes the life of an artist named Nan Goldin and the downfall of a family largely at the helm of the pharmaceutical industry.

Ishiguro is a Nobel Prize winner, which he earned in 2017 for several novels he had written that were diverse in genre. The Japanese-born author moved to Britain in his childhood, where he was knighted in 2018. Many of his books have been adapted into films, such as “The Remains of the Day” and “Never Let Me Go.” His latest screenplay, “Living” is adapted from director Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film “Ikiru,” and is set to release Dec. 23, 2022.

“These exceptional artists, whose work ranges from narrative directing to screenwriting to nonfiction filmmaking, highlight the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of the moving image,” said MoMI executive director Carl Goodman. “We eagerly anticipate welcoming them, along with our supporters, to the Museum on December 1, to celebrate their remarkable achievements.”

The annual event doubles as a fundraiser for the museum’s programming, which includes exhibitions, film screenings, live conversations with filmmakers, and education and tours for youth and seniors. This year’s gala will be hosted at the museum’s historic location in Astoria, Queens.

Jennifer Hale to Receive SOVAS Voice Arts Icon Award

The Society of Voice Arts & Sciences announced that video game voice actor Jennifer Hale has been named the recipient of this year’s Voice Arts Icon Award. The award will be presented on Sunday, December 18th at the 9th Annual Voice Arts Award Gala at Warner Bros Studios — where the art of voice acting first originated — by Anjali Bhimani, a fellow voiceover actress.

A Canadian-American voice actor with a mountain of acclaim and awards, Hale holds the world record for voicing the most female video game characters. Her voice has graced popular game franchises such as “Halo,” “World of Warcraft,” “Overwatch,” “Mass Effect” and more.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to honor Jennifer for her unsurpassed body of voiceover work, as well as her steadfast advocacy for breaking down gender stereotypes and same-sex relationship barriers in video games and animation,” said Rudy Gaskins, Chairman & CEO, SOVAS. “Jennifer continues to raise the bar that inspires innovation, education and a notable dedication to her craft and her audience.”

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