Sydney Film Festival’s Official Competition, for which The Rehearsa producer Bridget Ikin was one of the jury, was won by Brazilian Kleber Mendonça Filho’s drama Aquarius. The AU$63,000 Sydney Film Prize is the festival’s most valuable, although there are plenty of other cash prizes handed out.
Among the NZ titles playing the festival were MahanaA Flickering Truth and Tickled, plus shorts Accidents, Blunders & Calamities; Judgement Tavern; The King and Wait.
The full list of winners was:
Sydney Film Prize
Aquarius, Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary
In the Shadow of the Hill, Dan Jackson
Special mention: Destination Arnold , Sascha Ettinger Epstein
UNESCO Sydney City of Film Award
Lynette Wallworth
Short Film Awards
Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship
Anya Beyersdorf, Brooke Goldfinch, Alex Murawski and Alex Ryan (each receive a $50,000 grant_
Dendy Live Action Short Award
Slapper, Luci Schroder
Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director
Goran Stolevski for You Deserve Everything.
Yoram Gross Animation Award
The Crossing, Marieka Walsh
Event Cinema Australian Short Screenplay Award
Sheila Jayadev for Spice Sisters
Special mention: Matthew Vesely for My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling