06/05/2019 - Bora Kim’s debut snagged the major prizes at the New York-based gathering, while Cenk Ertürk’s Noah Land also got a good haul and Scheme Birds scooped Best Documentary

The 18^th Tribeca Film Festival (24 April–5 May) has come to a close and announced the winners in its competition categories. In the International Narrative Competition, House of Hummingbird by South Korean first-time director Bora Kim dominated the category, as it was crowned with the Best International Narrative Feature Award. In the other main competition, the Best US Narrative Feature Award went to Burning Cane, written and directed by Phillip Youmans, who also won the Best Cinematography Award, while the film’s lead, Wendell Pierce, received the Best Actor Award.

The International Narrative Competition jury, comprising Gbenga Akinnagbe, Angela Bassett, Baltasar Kormákur, Rebecca Miller and Steve Zaillian, bestowed the $20,000 top prize, which is accompanied by the "Easter" art award by Eddie Kang, upon House of Hummingbird, as it tells the story of “a seemingly unexceptional girl truly seen by another human being for the first time. Through that random connection, her perspective of herself, and hence her life, is transformed.” The coming-of-age film also received the Best Actress Award for Ji-hu Park and the Best Cinematography Award for Kang Gook-hyun.

The second big winner was Noah Land [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the debut feature by Turkish writer-director Cenk Ertürk, who received the Best Screenplay Award for “his perceptive and nuanced storytelling of an estranged father and son struggling to understand the past, each other and themselves”. For his “emotionally powerful and truthful portrayal of a conflicted and self-destructive man struggling to make sense of his life”, Ali Atay also received the Best Actor Award. Furthermore, Mexican director Edgar Nito received the Best New Narrative Director Award for his coming-of-age debut, The Gasoline Thieves [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

In the Documentary Competition, the $20,000 Best Documentary Feature Award went to Scheme Birds [+see also:
trailer
film profile], written and directed by Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin, for “its poetic, haunting depiction of compelling characters living on the edge”. Also, the directorial duo received the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award. The Best Cinematography Award went to Yang Sun and Shuang Liang for Our Time Machine, directed by Yang Sun and S Leo Chiang, and the Best Editing Award was presented to Jennifer Tiexiera for 17 Blocks, directed by Davy Rothbart.

Finally, in the Short Film Competition, Maja, directed by Marijana Jankovic, won the Award for Best Narrative Short, My Mother's Eyes by Jenny Wright went home with the Best Animated Short Award, and Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) by Carol Dysinger received the Best Documentary Short.

Here is the full list of the international competition winners at the 18^th Tribeca Film Festival:

International Narrative Feature Competition

Best International Narrative Feature
House of Hummingbird – Bora Kim (South Korea/USA)

Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film
Ji-hu Park – House of Hummingbird

Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film
Ali Atay – Noah Land [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Germany/Turkey/USA)

Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film
Kang Gook-hyun – House of Hummingbird

Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film
Cenk Ertürk – Noah Land

Documentary Competition

Best Documentary Feature Film
Scheme Birds [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin (UK/Sweden)

Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature Film
Yang Sun, Shuang Liang – Our Time Machine (China)

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Film
Jennifer Tiexiera – 17 Blocks (USA)

Best New Narrative Director Competition

Best New Narrative Director
Edgar Nito – The Gasoline Thieves [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Mexico/Spain/UK/USA)

Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award
Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin – Scheme Birds

Short Film Competition

Best Narrative Short
Maja – Marijana Jankovic (Denmark)

Best Animated Short
My Mother's Eyes – Jenny Wright (UK)

Best Documentary Short
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – Carol Dysinger (UK)

Student Visionary Award
Jebel Banat – Sharine Atif (Egypt)