And the Award Goes to...

We are excited to announce the full list of award winners from the 45th Denver Film Festival.

“This year’s DFF45 programming lineup was a pure reflection of our lives today and the countless challenges, as well as celebrations. Our team is incredibly proud of the diverse lineup that we were able to bring to our audiences and to now recognize the films and professionals who created and brought these stories and experiences to life,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. 

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45th Denver Film Festival Award Winners and Honorees

Audience Award
Narrative Feature: THE QUIET GIRL

Director: Colm Bairéad
Country: Ireland

Audience Award
Documentary Feature: THE HOLLY

Director: Julian Rubenstein
Country: USA

Audience Award
Short Film: THE FLAGMAKERS

Director: Cynthia Wade, Sharon Liese
Country: USA

Audience Award
Music Video: HOLDFAST - FIND A WAY 

Director: Ryan Frazee
Country: USA

Krzysztof Kie?lowski Award for Best Feature Film
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Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Country: Poland / Italy

The Krzysztof Kieslowski Award is the Festival’s longest-running juried award and is awarded for best feature film.

Best Feature Film Jury Statement: “The jury would like to present the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award to a film that displays a tour-de-force demonstration of the visual possibilities of filmmaking while simultaneously evoking a kaleidoscope of emotions through an unusually stoic protagonist."

Jurors:
Stan Shields, Programming Manager, Seattle International Film Festival
Doug Jones, Independent Film Programmer
Molly Conners, CEO, Phiphen Pictures

Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary
MASTER OF LIGHT
This film is a part of DFF45’s Color of Conversation and is Presented by Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival

Director: Rosa Ruth Boesten
Country: Netherlands / USA

Al Maysles was a long-time supporter and contributor to Denver Film Festival. It’s annual award for Best Documentary is presented in his name.

Best Documentary Jury Statement: “This was a tough deliberation as many of the films were on each juror's favorites list. One film stood out for its beauty, its complexity, and its bravery in addressing difficult issues such as addiction and incarceration. We were also moved by the familial relationships and generational trauma portrayed in MASTER OF LIGHT.”

Jurors:
Erika Dilday, Executive Director, American Documentary
Laurie Weltz, Film Fatales
Sean Charles, Manager of Development and Production for AllBlk

Short Film Awards

READ SHORTS JURY STATEMENTS

2022 MOFFOM Grant Recipients
The MOFFOM Grant provides up to $20,000 annually in finishing funds for documentary productions specifically for music licensing, scoring, and composition.

LEE FIELDS: FAITHFUL MAN
Lee Fields is a funk and soul legend, 50 years in the making. In this feature documentary, his journey to find his place in soul music history takes you from vinyl to virtual—and back again.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YET?
Beyond the success and bombastic stage persona of Fantastic Negrito lies a 51-year-old survivor, hustler, and self-described ‘recovering narcissist’ named Xavier Dphrepaulezz. HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YET? follows Xavier as he creates his newest album of the same title, laying bare his turbulent journey as he searches for truth, reconciliation, and healing.

SOUND OF THE SILENTS
From the first silent films to the present day, music has been inseparable from film. SOUND OF THE SILENTS is the untold history of this era and of the variety of people who played music at the movies.

Jurors:
Jonathan Palmer, Jury Lead - Senior Vice President, BMG Rights Management
Heather Guibert - Music Supervisor, Francium Enterprises
Loretta Munoz - Assistant Vice President, ASCAP
Bonnie Greenberg- Music Supervisor; President, Ocean Cities Entertainment, Inc.
Cate Fox Downy- Singer/Songwriter, APG
Amine Ramer - Music Supervisor, States of Sound

2022 DFF Honorees

Rare Pearl Award
THE WHALE

Excellence in Acting Award
RAÚL CASTILLO

Career Achievement Award
SHEILA MCCARTHY

Excellence in Writing Award
SAMUEL D. HUNTER

Stan Brakhage Vision Award
JAMES BENNING

Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award
MARIO MARTONE