Female filmmakers left a major impression on Tribeca jurors. The fest runs until Sunday, April 30, but presented awards for its 16th edition on Thursday. Women-directed films were named U.S. Best Narrative Feature, Best International Narrative Feature, and Best Documentary Feature.
Rachel Israel’s “Keep the Change” won the U.S. Narrative Feature Competition. The love story centers on characters who meet in a support group for adults living with autism and features a cast of nonprofessional actors on the autism spectrum. “Because our film deals with the subject of disabilities and specifically autism, people who haven’t yet seen it might dismiss it as a niche film — but it’s not a niche film,” Israel told us. “To me, this is a full butter popcorn movie: entertaining, moving, and opening up a world that most people have never seen before.” Clearly the jury agreed. Israel was also named Best New Narrative Director.
Elina Psykou’s “Son of Sofia” was honored as Best International Narrative Feature. Set in 2004, the coming-of-age story centers on a boy grappling with the death of his father, a move to another country, and an awful new step dad. When we asked Psykou what she wants audiences to think about after they see the film, she said, “I want them to think about their close relationships, expressing their real feelings, and destroying all these small and silly obstacles that keep them away from their emotions and their truth. Finally, I’d like them to remember what they thought about and how they felt when they were kids.”
Elvira Lind’s “Bobbi Jene” came out victorious in the Documentary Competition. The doc centers on Bobbi Jene Smith, an American dancer who has become the star of a famous Israeli dance company. She decides to return to the U.S. after 10 years working and living abroad. “When I met Bobbi five years ago I instantly knew that here was a film I’d like to pursue,” Lind told us. “I wanted to make a film about a woman around my own age who was facing the consequences of her choices as an artist — the loneliness, the struggle, and the doubt that comes with the lifestyle, but also the satisfaction you experience when you follow your instincts and find your path.” She explained, “Bobbi was strong and inspiring. She was unchained by taboos. She was honest and she was about to change her life dramatically. When we met it was like we had known each other for years. It was an easy choice to pick up my camera and begin shooting.” Lind also received the award for Best Cinematography for “Bobbi Jene.”
“The Divine Order” writer-director Petra Volpe took home the Nora Ephron Prize. Set in rural 1972 Switzerland, the drama tells the story of a young mother’s political awakening. “She realizes that the private is political and starts to fight for women’s right to vote,” Volpe shared with us. “It’s a look back into a shameful chapter of Switzerland’s history — but it also shows the importance of civil courage, which makes the film very timely.”
Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award went to “A Suitable Girl” directors Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra. “‘A Suitable Girl’ is a film about arranged marriage in contemporary India, told through the experiences of three young women from varied backgrounds. In a broader sense, it is an intimate look at how women negotiate their identities and sense of agency within patriarchal institutions, and the impact greater access to education and financial independence has had on those things,” Mundhra told us.
Check out all of the women Tribeca winners below. List adapted from The Hollywood Reporter.
U.S. Narrative Feature Competition Categories
Founders Award for best narrative feature: Keep the Change, written and directed by Rachel Israel
Best actress: Nadia Alexander, Blame
International Narrative Feature Competition Categories
Best international narrative feature: Son of Sofia (O Gios tis Sofias), written and directed by Elina Psykou (Greece, Bulgaria, France)
Best actress: Marie Leuenberger, The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung)
Documentary Competition Categories
Best documentary feature: Bobbi Jene, directed by Elvira Lind
Best cinematography: Elvira Lind, Bobbi Jene
Best new narrative director: Rachel Israel, Keep the Change
Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award: Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra, A Suitable Girl (special jury mention: Hondros)
Nora Ephron Prize: Petra Volpe, writer-director of The Divine Order (special jury mention: Keep the Change)
Short Film Competition Categories:
Best animated short: Odd Is an Egg (Odd er et egg), directed by Kristin Ulseth
Student Visionary Award: Fry Day, directed by Laura Moss (special jury mention: Dive)
