It’s with delight that we announce our award-winning films for the 11th edition of Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival!
From juried prizes for documentary and feature narratives and shorts, to named cash prizes in special categories, our awards showcase the creativity, talent and ingenuity of our filmmakers.
The Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short: Expiration Date
A son reflects on the waning years of his father’s dairy farm and his decision not to carry on its legacy.
The Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature: Natchez
Natchez captures a clash between history and memory through a small Mississippi town reliant on antebellum tourism to survive. Who has the right to share America’s story?
The Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short: I Am A German Shepherd
An animated fable about the pleasure of getting in touch with your true nature, as told through the story of a German shepherd who leaves his flock of sheep.
The Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature: DJ Ahmet
Teenaged Ahmet, from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community and his first experience with love—a girl already promised to someone else.
The AICEF Prize for Cross-Cultural Filmmaking: Crocodile Tears and Love Chaos Kin
Crocodile Tears: An overbearing mother who lives with her son in a secluded crocodile farm spirals out of control when her son sees the outside world and falls for a girl for the first time.
Love Chaos Kin: An Indian immigrant mother helps her adopted twin daughters reconnect with their white birth mother and estranged Native American father, exposing raw class divides while transforming their understanding of identity and belonging.
The Jeanine Basinger Prize for Best Student Film: Kosher Test
In an ultra-Orthodox extremist community, 14-year-old Tamar is taken to the hospital by her father, who suspects she has engaged in sexual activity. As Tamar undergoes a virginity test, the intense pressure and scrutiny strain her relationship with her father and challenge her place within the community.
The Thaddeus Stevens Prize for Social Engagement: La Liga
In rural Vermont, immigrant dairy farmworkers endure hardship and oppressive working conditions while forging community through soccer and collective action.
The Clio Visualizing History Prize for the Advancement of Women in Film: Arrest the Midwife and Prime Minister
Arrest the Midwife: The arrest of trusted midwives ignites an unexpected rebellion, as Amish and Mennonite women break from tradition and emerge as fierce political activists.
Prime Minister: In 2017, Jacinda Ardern is catapulted to the top of New Zealand political life when she unexpectedly becomes Prime Minister. Over seven years of filming, we watch as she becomes the second world leader in history to give birth while in office, boldly leads her country through a mass shooting, a natural disaster and the Covid-19 pandemic, and after her resignation, continues to champion the fight against isolationism, fear and the distortion of truth.
The Gaia Prize for Environmental Filmmaking: The Making of the Saltmarsh Sparrow
As the saltmarsh sparrow disappears from its imperiled salt marsh habitat, wildlife filmmakers reveal the behind-the-scenes process of capturing the story on film.
The Shouldice Family Prize for Best Vermont-Made Film: Traces of Time
Over the final six years of his mother’s life, a filmmaker documents their time together. What began as an act of staying connected evolves into a meditation on memory, loss, how to hold on… and how to let go.
The Kate Hearst Prize for Human Connectivity: Checkpoint Zoo
A heroic team of zookeepers and volunteers risk their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Swift House Prize for Best Depiction of the Arts: Dale
Dale Hikawa was the first Asian American woman to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Taking stock of her long career, this trailblazing violist reflects on the meaning of life and work.
The Hernandez/Bayliss Prize for Triumph of the Human Spirit: Seeds
An exploration of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land.
The Ralph Steiner Prize for Poetic Cinema: The Silence of My Hands
Rosa, the first deaf law student in Guadalajara, and Sai, an immigrant from California confronting her gender identity, try to stay together despite their realities and the distance that separates them.
The Gamble-Paison Prize for Best International Feature: Tatami
Iranian judoka Leila and her coach attend the World Judo Championships, aiming for Iran’s first gold medal. During the event, they face an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic government.
Congratulations to all of our MNFF11 award winners. Reserve your tickets to these films on our website!