2008 SLIFF AWARDS

Audience Choice Awards

Best Feature: "Streetballers" directed by Matt Krentz

Best International Feature: "Slumdog Millionaire" directed by Danny Boyle

Best Documentary: "Dear Zachary" directed by Kurt Kuenne

Interfaith Awards

Best Feature: "Days and Clouds" directed by Silvio Soldini

Best Documentary: "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" directed by Gina Reticker

New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award

"Yeast" directed by Mary Bronstein

Indieflix indiefest winners

Best Short: "The Tangent" directed by Vincent Vesco

Best Feature: "Reversion" directed by Mia Trachinger

Short Subject Awards

Best of Fest: "New Boy" directed by Steph Green (Ireland)

Best Live Action: "Next Floor" directed by Denis Villeneuve (Canada)

Best Animated: "Lavatory Lovestory" directed by Konstantin Bronzit (Russia)

Best International: "James" directed by Connor Clements (Northern Ireland)

Best Short Short: "Codswallop" directed by The Brothers McLeod (UK)

Best Local: "The Ville" directed by Amy Bench

Best Documentary Short: "The Witness" directed by Adam Pertofsky

St. Louis Film Critics Award

Under the Radar Award: "The Unknown Woman" directed by Giuseppe Tornatore

Best of Fest: "Slumdog Millionaire" directed by Danny Boyle

Lifetime Achievement Award

Paul Schrader: Celebrated writer-director Schrader is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's SLIFF. Starting as a film critic in the late 1960s - an archive of his insightful writing can be found at www.paulschrader.org - Schrader then quickly established himself as a major screenwriter in the mid-'70s, penning scripts for such landmark films as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull." Schrader debuted as a director in 1977 with the powerful "Blue Collar," and his impressive directorial resume of 17 films includes "Hardcore," "American Gigolo," "Cat People," "The Comfort of Strangers," "Patty Hearst," "Light Sleeper," "Affliction" and "Auto Focus." SLIFF screens Schrader's new "Adam Resurrected" on Nov. 14 - a program that includes a career-spanning interview conducted by LA Weekly film editor Scott Foundas - and on Nov. 15 presents a new 35mm print of the gorgeously restored "Mishima," which the writer-director considers his finest work.

Maysles Brothers Lifetime Achievement Award in Documentary

Michael Apted: SLIFF honors renowned filmmaker Apted for his extraordinary work in documentary film. Apted's crowning achievement is his epic series "Seven Up!" - an immensely ambitous project that has followed, at seven-year intervals, a group of British schoolchildren from childhood through middle age. The most recent installment is "49 Up." Apted's other documentary work includes the Sting concert film "Bring On the Night," "Incident at Oglala," "Moving the Mountain," "Inspirations," "Me & Isaac Newton" and the multi-part "Married in America." Impressive as his documentary credits are, Apted has an equally stellar career in narrative features, with a filmography that includes "Stardust," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Gorillas in the Mist," the Bond film "The World Is Not Enough" and "Amazing Grace." He's now directing the third film in the "Narnia" series. On Nov. 23, SLIFF screens Apted's new "The Power of the Game," about the social impact of soccer, and conducts a post-screening interview.

Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award

Jeremy Lasky: SLIFF presents its annual Cinema St. Louis Award, which honors St. Louisans making significant contributions to the art of film, to Pixar Animation Studios director of photography Jeremy Lasky. Growing up in Chesterfield, Lasky found his early creative inspiration in science-fiction films such as "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Wars." After graduating from Parkway Central High, he earned a bachelor of fine arts from Rhode Island School of Design in 1997. Lasky began his career at Pixar as a layout artist on "A Bug's Life" and then worked in the Layout Department on "Toy Story 2" and "Monsters, Inc." He's since served as director of photography on the award-winning films "Finding Nemo," "Cars" and "WALL-E." Lasky is now hard at work on "Toy Story 3," scheduled for release in the summer of 2010. Lasky, wife Michelle and son Asher currently reside in the Bay Area. Lasky presents two free programs at the fest - a selection of Pixar shorts on Nov. 21 and a behind-the-scenes look at "The Making of 'WALL-E'" on Nov. 22.

Women in Film Award

Marsha Hunt: SLIFF pays tribute to legendary blacklisted actress Marsha Hunt with its annual Women in Film Award. Hunt began her Hollywood career in 1935, signing with Paramount at the age of 17. Hunt disdained the studio's efforts to sell her as an ing?nue, refusing to pose for "leg art" publicity shots. Moving to MGM, she quickly earned a reputation for tackling challenging roles. Hunt's films include "Pride and Prejudice," "Flight Command," "Blossoms in the Dust," 1944 Best Picture nominee "The Human Comedy" and "Raw Deal," Anthony Mann's 1948 crime drama, which is considered one of the finest examples of film noir ever produced. Hunt's career, however, was dramatically curtailed in the late 1940s when she was blacklisted after protesting the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Although film offers dried up, she continued to pursue her acting career on television and the stage, and she redirected her attentions to humanitarian causes. Hunt is featured at the fest in a free two-part program on Nov. 22 that includes her new short, "The Grand Inquisitor," and a panel on the Hollywood blacklist and film noir.

Audience voting determines the winner of four awards from among the films in competition:

• Best Film Award
• Best International Film Award
• Leon Award for Best Documentary
  (named in memory of the late civic leader Leon Strauss)

In addition, the winners of indie-fest - SLIFF's online competition presented in partnership with IndieFlix - are chosen by audience voting. Ten short films and five narrative features will be available online in a secure streaming environment from Oct. 27-Nov. 12 at midnight. Viewers can access the films for free through the indie-fest (www.indie-fest.com) Web site, and online audience voting will determine the short and feature winners. The winning feature and short will be announced on SLIFF opening night and on the indie-fest and Cinema St. Louis Web sites, and a free double bill of the films will screen at Webster on the fest's closing night, Nov. 23. The winning films will also receive a distribution deal through IndieFlix.

Interfaith Awards

A jury gives Interfaith Awards to both a documentary and a feature, choosing from among 10 competition films (five in each category), which were selected for their artistic merit, contribution to the understanding of the human condition, and recognition of ethical, social, and spiritual values. See Sidebars for a list of the films.

The 2008 Interfaith Sidebar selection committee was David Gast (chair), board chairman of the Carl F. Gast Co.; Delcia Corlew, member of the Cinema St. Louis board; Paul Marsh, retired architect; Tom Stockdale, minister (retired); and Lee Whiston, emeritus professor of the Old Testament at Eden Theological Seminary.

The documentary jury is Kanak Gautam, associate professor of healthcare management at St. Louis University; Jill Petzall, filmmaker, writer, and designer for Beacon Productions; and Pat Scallet, filmmaker and editor. The feature jury is Sandra Olmsted, adjunct faculty member in English at St. Louis University, Fontbonne University, and Southwestern Illinois College; Joya Uraizee, associate professor of English at St. Louis University; and Betty White, professor of English (retired).

NFF Emerging Director Award

The FilmTracker New Filmmakers Forum (NFF) annually presents the Emerging Director Award. Five works by first-time feature filmmakers compete for the prize, which includes a $500 cash award and a year's subscription to Baseline's FilmTracker database.

The co-curator of NFF is Bobbie Lautenschlager. The NFF jury is Scott Foundas (chair), film editor for the LA Weekly and a film reviewer for Variety; Bill Appleton, assistant director for public programs and education at the Saint Louis Art Museum; Harper Barnes, freelance film critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis Beacon; Scott Phillips, author of "The Ice Harvest" and "Cottonwood"; and Joe Williams, film critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Shorts Awards

A jury chooses the winner of six awards from among the short subjects in competition:

• Best of Fest
• Best Animated Short
• Best Live Action Short
• Best Short Short (less than 5 minutes)
• Best Local Short
• Best International Short
• Best Documentary Short

The SLIFF shorts competition is officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, making the winners in the Best of Fest, Best Animated and Best Live Action categories eligible to submit for Oscar� consideration. The Best of Fest winner also receives a certificate for a year's subscription to Baseline's FilmTracker database.

The narrative-shorts jury is Scilla Andreen, CEO and co-founder of IndieFlix; Adam Hackbarth, co-writer and producer of the upcoming "Full-Time Ninjas" and founder of STLFILMWIRE.com; Brent Hoff, editor of the "Wholphin" DVD journal and former writer for "The Daily Show"; Tina Santamauro, acquisitions manager for AtomFilms; and RD Zurick, filmmaker and retired film teacher. The documentary-shorts jury is Diane Carson, retired professor of film at St. Louis Community College at Meramec; Kathy Corley, professor of film and video at Webster University; and James Harrison, coordinator of the Webster University Film Series.

St. Louis Film Critics Under-the-Radar Award

A jury from the St. Louis Film Critics organization selects SLIFF�s inaugural
Under-the-Radar Award winner, honoring an acclaimed international film
that deserves more audience attention. SLIFF chose the 10 films for jury
evaluation on the basis of critical recognition and major festival
awards.

The films selected were Beaufort (Bufor) , Ben X, The Grocer's Son , Luxury Car ,
Opera Jawa , The Pope's Toilet , Times and Winds , The Unknown Woman ,
Vanaja, and Wonderful Town

The 2008 jury includes Oscar Davis (Movie Guru), Mark Glass (KDHX), Rob
Levy (KDHX), Cate Marquis (St. Louis Jewish Light), Sandy Olmsted
(Cinematic Skinny), Joe Williams (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), and Calvin
Wilson (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)