Bobby Cannavale has another award-winning performance on his resume…
Organizers of the 13th annual Sun Valley Film Festival, which took place from February 28 to March 1, have announced this year’s juried film award winners, with the 53-year-old half-Cuban American Emmy-winning actor among the recognized.
In all, the festival screened 20 narrative and documentary features, 37 shorts and three episodics.
For his performance in Ezra, Cannavale received the inaugural best performance in a film award. The winner of an audience award, Ezra was met with a sold-out crowd during the festival’s opening night. The screening was followed by a Q&A with producer Jon Kilik and a live performance by Adrienne Ackerman.
Ezra had a second screening on March 2, which was followed by a Q&A with Cannavale and director Tony Goldwyn, moderated by Variety’s Tatiana Siegel.
Melissa Barrera received an Honorable Mention award for her performance in Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster.
Raul Sanchez and Pasqual Gutierrez’s Shut Up & Fish won the SVShorty Award, while Maggie Contreras’ Maestra received an Honorable Mention prize in the Best Documentary Feature Film category.
Tiger Stripes and Maya and the Wave won best narrative and documentary feature film, respectively. Photographer and Abundance: The Farm Link Story also received audience awards.
During the festival, Annette Bening and David O. Russell received the Vision Award. The Pioneer Award went to Ted Hope, while Julia Cox received the High Scribe Award.
The Sun Valley Film Festival is set to return in 2025 from Feb. 26 to March 2.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Performance in a Film Award: Bobby Cannavale for his role in “Ezra”
Audience Award Winners
FEATURE WINNER: “Ezra,” directed by Tony Goldwyn
EPISODIC WINNER: “Photographer ‘Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die,’” directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
SHORT WINNER: “Abundance: The Farmlink Story,” directed by Owen Dubeck
Best Narrative Feature Film
WINNER: “Tiger Stripes,” directed by Amanda Nell Eu
HONORABLE MENTION FOR PERFORMANCE: Melissa Barrera in “Your Monster” directed by Caroline Lindy
Best Documentary Feature Film
WINNER: “Maya and the Wave,” directed by Stephanie Johnes
HONORABLE MENTION: “Maestra,” directed by Maggie Contreras
One in a Million Awards
NARRATIVE WINNER: “Long December,” directed by Thomas Torrey
DOCUMENTARY WINNER: “Invisible Nation,” directed by Vanessa Hope
The SVShorty Award
WINNER: “Shut Up & Fish,” directed by Raul Sanchez and Pasqual Gutierrez
SPECIAL MENTION: “The Sperm Bank,” directed by Margaux Susi
The Gem State Award
WINNER: “The Balloonist,” directed by Heather Parkinson Dermott and Kai Barry
SVFF Film & Screenwriting Competition Winners
High Scribe Award
WINNER: “Aman and Flor Against the Motherfucking World,” written by Emilie McDonald
SVJR Film Competition
HOT SHOT WINNER: “The Overlocks’ Dilemma,” directed by Julian Felix Aaronson
2nd PLACE: “Happiness in the Palm of Her Hand,” directed by Ella Janes
3rd PLACE: “Anna McGee’s Wild Ride,” directed by Ava Bounds
The Gem State Jr. Award
WINNER: “Kenai River King,” directed by Bentley Allen Zylstra