Awards, Honors From the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival

The 32nd Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), presented by HamptonsFilm, concluded with the announcement of its feature and short competition winners, alongside audience award recipients. This year’s festival showcased a broad international slate, with films representing 50 countries and nearly half of the selections directed by women. A total of 89 features and 61 short films were screened, including 14 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, and 9 North American Premieres.

The top honor for Best Narrative Feature went to Armand, directed by Halfdan Ullman Tøndel. The film earned a $2,500 cash prize along with $72,500 in in-kind goods and services provided by sponsors such as Panavision, Hamptons Locations, and On Location Education. 

“Armand is an intense journey into the complexities of human nature. Halfdan Ullman Tøndel has skillfully crafted a narrative that grips you from start to finish, featuring Renate Reinsve in a stunning performance that lingers long after viewing,” Narrative Competition Jury members Joanna Arnow, Wyatt Cenac, and Genevive Villaflor said.

In the documentary category, Viktor, directed by Olivier Sarbil, won the Best Documentary Feature award. The documentary was lauded by the Documentary Competition Jury for its portrayal of resilience in the face of war. 

“Amid a remarkable selection of documentary films this year, we are privileged to present Best Documentary Feature to Olivier Sarbil’s Viktor,”  Documentary Competition Jury members Ebs Burnough, Rachel Fleit, and Tomris Laffly said in a news release. “Sarbil’s innovative approach, fusing striking black-and-white imagery with inventive sound design, adds an extraordinary depth to Viktor’s journey, inviting audiences to engage with a conflict that remains inaudible to him yet resonates powerfully through his steadfast determination.”

In the short film categories, L’Avance, directed by Djiby Kebe, received the Best Narrative Short Film award, while Jacqueline Baylon’s Until He’s Back was named Best Documentary Short Film. The Narrative Competition Jury also gave a special mention to Beautiful Men, directed by Nicolas Keppens, for its original take on masculinity through a comedic lens. Meanwhile, the Documentary Jury awarded a Special Jury Prize to Walk With Me, directed by Heidi Levitt, for its intimate and generous storytelling.

Audience awards were another highlight of the festival, with Tracie Laymon’s Bob Trevino Likes It taking the prize for Best Narrative Feature, and The World According to Allee Willis, directed by Alexis Spraic, winning Best Documentary Feature. The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to A Swim Lesson, co-directed by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.

The festival also recognized several films with special awards, including the 2024 Artemis Rising Foundation Award for Social Impact, which was given to Zurawski v. Texas, directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault. This award is presented to films that challenge societal norms and address pressing social justice issues. 

Jane Austen’s Period Drama, directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder, received the 2024 Peter Macgregor-Scott Memorial Award, a $10,000 cash prize awarded to narrative short filmmakers who demonstrate creativity in overcoming production challenges. The Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution went to James Jones for his film Antidote, which examines the social and political complexities surrounding war and violence.

Other honorees included Kimberly Reed’s I’m Your Venus, which won the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice, recognizing films that promote peace, equality, and civil liberties.

Filmmaker Joshua Zeman, a Sea Cliff native who is known on Long Island for producing the documentary The Killing Season about the Gilgo Beach murders, was honored with the Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award for his film Checkpoint Zero, which focuses on animal rights during the war in Ukraine.

The festival also celebrated emerging talent with the University Short Film Awards, which granted $500 prizes to five filmmakers, including Dovydas Drakšas of London Film School for PRAEIS, and Jack Kendrick of NYU for Tornado. 

In addition to competition awards, HIFF honored several industry veterans and rising stars. Demi Moore was presented with the Career Achievement in Acting Award, while Liev Schreiber received the Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award. Other notable honorees included Clarence Maclin, who was named Breakthrough Performer, and Malcolm Washington, who was recognized with the Breakthrough Director Award. Screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein were celebrated with the Achievement in Screenwriting Award.

“We congratulate all of our award winners and thank them for bringing their incredible stories and creative art to our audiences out East,” HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent said.  “This year brought projects and storytellers from across the globe. Seeing how many projects had the power to personally touch our filmgoers is what brings us back each year. We are thankful to everyone including our staff, filmmakers, volunteers and audiences who make the festival possible each year.”