Client: Megan Park – Writer, Director
The SXSW Film Festival has revealed its Jury and Special Award winners of the 28th edition of the fest, which took place virtually this week. The Megan Park-directed high school shooting tragedy The Fallout took the top award in the Narrative Feature category, while Jeremy Workman’s portrait of Lily Hevesh, Lily Topples the World, won in the Documentary Feature category.
Also on the narrative side, Kelley Kali and Angelique Molina’s I’m Fine Thanks for Asking) won a Special Jury Recognition for Multi-hyphenate Storyteller. Martin Edralin’s Islands also took home a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Performance for actor Rogelio Balagtas.
In the docu feature competition Rachel Fleit’s Introducing, Selma Blair was honored with Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling. Meanwhile, Nicholas Bruckman’s Not Going Quietly scored Special Jury Recognition for Humanity in Social Action.
“We are so honored by the 2021 filmmakers who entrusted their work to us for this online version of our event, and joined us on this new adventure in such a beautiful way,” said Janet Pierson, SXSW’s Director of Film. “We are thrilled we could launch great new projects and talent in this pandemic year, and hope the films, sessions, music and gatherings online and in virtual reality, showcased the resilience, perseverance and creativity of our community.”
SXSW also announced all other juried sections including Shorts, Design and Virtual Cinema Awards. Special Awards announced included: Louis Black “Lone Star” Award, Adobe Editing Award, Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, Final Draft Screenwriters Award, ZEISS Cinematography Award, the Mailchimp Support the Shorts Award and the Brightcove Illumination Award which honors a filmmaker on the rise, celebrating the innovation and creativity of new artists within the SXSW Film Festival official selections.
All film categories, except Special Events, will be eligible for category-specific Audience Awards. The fest is also an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards; winners of the Best Animated, Best Narrative and Best Documentary Short Film categories become eligible for Oscar consideration. Any British Short Film or British Short Animation that screens at SXSW is eligible for BAFTA nomination. Films are also eligible for the Independent Spirit Awards.
The 2021 SXSW Film Festival Juries consisted of:
Narrative Feature Competition: Jake Coyle, Joanna Robinson, Deadline’s own Amanda N’Duka Documentary Feature Competition: Jacqueline Coley, Sean Fennessey, Steven Zeitchik Louis Black “Lone Star”: Joe Gross, Ann Hornaday, Stephen Saito Brightcove Illumination Award: Clayton Davis, Kate Erbland, Inkoo Kang Narrative Shorts Program: Janicza Bravo, Karen Han, Ina Pira Documentary Shorts: Opal H. Bennett, Omid Fatemi, Sheila Nevins Animated Shorts: Bryan Dimas, Chris Prynoski, Taylor K. Shaw Midnight Shorts: Jason Blum, Arbi Pedrossian, Kristy Puchko Music Videos: Hugo Burnham, Michael Kauffman, Kristian Mercado Texas Shorts: Sarah Green, Paula Mejía, Monique Walton Texas High School Shorts: Laura Kincaid, Hans-Martin Liebing, Cooper Raiff Episodic Pilots: Jessica Derschowitz, Yassir Lester, Ben Wasserstein Excellence in Title Design: Brian Mah, Brian Merrell, Erin Sarofsky Excellence in Poster Design: Damon Nelson, Yen Tan, Erica Williams Virtual Cinema Competition Jury: Myriam Achard, Jesse Damiani, Liz Rosenthal
Films will continue to be available on the SXSW Online platform until 11:59 CT on Friday. SXSW will continue running the Online Shift72 Screening Library through March 31 for those films that have opted in for the extended timeframe.
Here’s the complete list of 2021 SXSW Film Festival winners:
Feature Film Grand Jury Awards
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: The Fallout Director: Megan Park
“The Fallout takes us through the emotionally charged healing journey of a young girl whose life is forever changed in the wake of a school tragedy. Writer and director Megan Park delivers a timely, riveting, and thought-provoking film on the toll it takes on a teenager who is facing a world where they no longer feel safe. It is an intense, moving piece that highlights an important issue to which one can’t help but feel connected.”
SXSW Special Awards
Brightcove Illumination Award
The Brightcove Illumination Award honors a filmmaker on the rise, celebrating the innovation and creativity of new artists within the SXSW Film Festival official selections.
Brightcove Illumination Award
Presented to: The Fallout Director: Megan Park
“For her empathetic and honest exploration of life after tragedy, inspired craft, and stellar guidance of a talented young cast, we award the Brightcove Illumination Award to Megan Park for her The Fallout.”