ATLFF 2018: Award Winners Announced

From April 12 through the 22, the 42nd annual Atlanta Film Festival hosted more than 55 feature length films and 150 shorts from more than 7,600 submissions. This year's festival was the most diverse, by number of countries represented, and the largest, by number of films, in Atlanta history.

Below is the list of the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival juried prize winners:

• Narrative Feature Jury Award – RESTOS DE VIENTO (WIND TRACES)
• Narrative Feature Special Jury Prize – DISAPPEARANCE
• Documentary Feature Jury Award – MAN MADE
• Documentary Feature Special Jury Award – NOS LLAMAN GUERRERAS (THEY CALL US WARRIORS)
• Narrative Short Jury Award – FOR NONNA ANNA
• Documentary Short Jury Award – ZION
• Animated Short Jury Award – 基石 (FUNDAMENTAL)

In addition, the winners of the Narrative Short (FOR NONNA ANNA), Documentary Short (ZION), and Animated Short (FUNDAMENTAL) all now qualfy for the 2018 Oscar short list. The Atlanta Film Festival is one of only 14 festivals in the country that is Oscar-qualifying in three or more categories.

Other awards handed out during the festival include:

• WonderFilm Award (presented by WonderRoot) – WALLS OF HOPE
• Georgia Film Award – STILL
• Filmmaker-to-Watch Award – Connor Simpson (KUDZU)
• Innovator Award – Daveed Diggs (BLINDSPOTTING)
• Rebel Award – Jason Reitman (TULLY)
• Phoenix Award – Kiersey Clemons (HEARTS BEAT LOUD)

This year, ATLFF launched a new initiative to honor Originators, Innovators and Rebels in the film industry. On April 13, ATLFF awarded its inaugural Innovator Award, created to recognize visionaries and those forging their own path within the film industry, to Daveed Diggs for his work on Broadway’s “Hamilton” and ATLFF Opening Night film Blindspotting.

Prior to the April 15 ATLFF Marquee screening of Tully, the festival also awarded Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman with the ATLFF Rebel Award for writing and directing films like Thank You For Smoking (2005), Juno (2007) and Up in the Air (2009) about characters that defied expectations and cut against the grain.

Actress Kiersey Clemons, known for her roles in Flatliners and The Only Living Boy in New York and set to star in the upcoming DC Comics’ Flash movie, received the inaugural ATLFF Phoenix Award prior to the April 20 red carpet screening of Hearts Beat Loud.