Screen Door Jesus, a film about faith, religion and race that waswritten and directed by a former preacher who was excommunicated from hischurch, walked away with three jury prizes including the Golden Starfish forbest narrative feature at the 11th Hamptons International Film Festival on LongIsland.

Memphis-born Kirk Davis, whostudied filmmaking at New York's Columbia University after his brief stint atthe pulpit, took home some $180,000 in goods and in-kind services towards themaking of his next feature film as a result of the Golden Starfish award.

Screen Door Jesus, a film comprised of aseries of interrelated dramas that revolve around a vision of Jesus sighted onthe back porch screen door in a small East Texas town, also won prizes for bothits score and cinematography.

TheHamptons' festival audiences chose Roger Spottiswoode's Spinning Boris, as their favourite US film and Lone Scherfig's Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself as their favourite international film.

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Anthony LaPaglia andLiev Schreiber, Spinning Boris recountsthe true story of three American political consultants who helped Boris Yeltsinget re-elected president of Russia in 1996. It was made for the Showtime pay-TV network in the US.

Thedocumentary jury awarded its top prize to The Morrison Project, Amy Morrison Williams' account of her own family'sstruggles and triumphs on the tough Lower East Side of Manhattan following theattempted murder of her father in the late 60s. That violent act transformed himfrom an intellectual beat writer into a raving madman who beat his six childrennightly.

AWARD WINNERS

Golden Starfish Award forBest Narrative Feature:
SCREEN DOOR JESUS
Dir: Kirk Davis

Audience Award forBest Narrative Feature:
SPINNING BORIS
Dir: Roger Spottiswoode

Best Documentary Award:
THE MORRISON PROJECT
Dir: Amy Morrison Williams
(Honourable Mention: Greg Samata's ISLAND for its visual beauty)

Audience Award forBest Documentary:
MY ARCHITECT
Dir/Scr: Nathanial Kahn

Audience Award forBest International Film:
WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF (Denmark/UK)
Dir: Lone Scherfig

Screenwriting Award
VIRGIN
Dir/Scr: Deborah Kampmeier

Cinematography Award
SCREEN DOOR JESUS
DoP: Daniel Stoloff.

Best Original Score:
SCREEN DOOR JESUS
Mus; Max Lichtenstein.

Short Film Award:
UNDERGROUND
Dirs: Aimee Lagos & Kristin C. Dehnert
(Honourable Mention for humour was given to Gilly Barnes' WAIT HERE)

Audience Award for BestShort Film:
HOUSE HUNTING
Dir: Amy Lippman

Film Prize in Scienceand Technology
MADNESS AND GENIUS
Dir: Ryan Eslinger

Family InspirationalFilm Award:
REFUGEE
Dir: Spencer Nakasako

Films of Conflict andResolution Award:
REFUGEE
Dir: Spencer Nakasako

The Audience Award forBest Long Island Film:
SPEEDO
Dir/Prod/DoP: Jesse Moss

Best Student Films:
OUT OF TIME dir: Omi Vaidya (NewYork University)
PROM NIGHT dir: Robbie Pickering for (New York University)
THE RISE TO THE SKY dir: Peter Antokhine (Moscow Institute of Modern Art)
COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN dir: James Ponsoldt (Columbia University)
MISDEMEANOR dir: Jonathan LeMond (Columbia University)
RIVERSIDE dir: Charles Wachter (New York University)

Best Young Videomaker
Thea Workman.

Career Achievement inActing
Joan Allen