Emir Baigazin’s Harmony Lessons won the 39th Seattle International Film Festival’s Best New Director grand jury prize on Sunday [9] as top brass handed out jury and audience awards.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The SIFF 2013 Best Documentary grand jury prize went to Penny Lane’s Our Nixon and Lucy Walker earned a special jury prize for The Crash Reel, while Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the Best New American Cinema grand jury prize for C.O.G.

In the audience awards, Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom took the corresponding documentary prize.

The Best Director Golden Space Needle Award went to Nabil Ayouch for Horses Of God, while best actor was awarded to James Cromwell for Still Mine and best actress to Samantha Morton for Decoding Annie Parker.

The Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award was presented to Spooners directed by Bryan Horch.

The 25-day festival screened more than 447 films representing 85 countries, including 49 world, 48 North American and 17 US premieres.

“Our most successful festival in the history of SIFF is ending on a high note and setting an exciting precedent for the future with Fanie Fourie’s Lobola from our inaugural African Pictures programming taking home the top audience prize for best film with a Golden Space Needle Award,” said SIFF artistic and co-director Carl Spence.

“With once-in-a-lifetime experiences including country western rock band The Maldives performing a haunting score to Victor Sjöström’s 1928 classic film The Wind and the opportunity for audiences to meet more than 200 directors with their films across 25 days with massive attendance illustrated once again that Seattle has the most engaged, lively and active audiences of any city in the US.”

“I’m thrilled that my first festival as managing director was such a record-breaking one,” said Mary Bacarella. 

“We had higher attendance and more visiting filmmakers than ever before.  I look forward to continue to work with SIFF on our year-round programs and events.”

Competition Awards

SIFF 2013 BEST NEW DIRECTOR

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Harmony Lessons, directed by Emir Baigazin (2013, Kazakhstan)

SIFF 2013 BEST DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Our Nixon, directed by Penny Lane (2013, USA)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
The Crash Reel, directed by Lucy Walker (2013, USA)

SIFF 2013 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA

GRAND JURY PRIZE
C.O.G., directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (USA, 2013)

Golden Space Needle Audience Awards

BEST FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, directed by Henk Pretorius (South Africa, 2013)

Runners-up

  1. The Rocket, dir. Kim Mordaunt (Australia, 2013)
  2. Monsters University, dir. Dan Scanlon (USA, 2013)
  3. Decoding Annie Parker, dir. Steven Bernstein (USA, 2013)
  4. Still Mine, dir. Michael McGowan (Canada, 2013)
  5. Short Term 12, dir. Destin Daniel Cretton (USA, 2013);
  6. Horses of God, dir. Nabil Ayouch (Morocco, 2013);
  7. Circles, dir. Srdan Golubovic (Serbia, 2013);
  8. The Forgotten Kingdom, dir. Andrew Mudge (USA, 2013);
  9. Unfinished Song, dir. Paul Andrew Williams (UK, 2012);
  10. Populaire, dir. Régis Roinsard (France, 2012).

BEST DOCUMENTARY GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

Twenty Feet from Stardom, directed by Morgan Neville (USA, 2013)

Runners-up

  1. The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)
  2. Harana, directed by Benito Bautista (Philippines, 2012)
  3. Alive and Well, directed by Josh Taft (USA, 2013)
  4. Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (USA, 2013)
  5. Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, directed by Pratibha Parmar (USA, 2013);
  6. Finding Hillywood, directed by Leah Warshawski, Chris Towey (USA, 2013);
  7. Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington, directed by Riley Morton (USA, 2013);
  8. SOMM, directed by Jason Wise (USA, 2012);
  9. The Otherside, directed by Daniel Torok (USA, 2013);
  10. Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth (USA, 2013).

BEST DIRECTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

Nabil Ayouch, Horses of God, (Morocco, 2012)

Runners-up

  1. David Ondříček, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
  2. Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, (USA, 2012)
  3. Thomas Vinterberg, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
  4. Andrew Mudge, The Forgotten Kingdom, (USA, 2013)
  5. Sarah Polley, Stories We Tell, (Canada, 2012);
  6. Brady Hall, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);
  7. Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, 7 Boxes, (Paraguay, 2012);
  8. Reha Erdem, Jin, (Turkey, 2012);
  9. Michael Mayer, Out in the Dark, (Israel, 2012);
  10. Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013).

BEST ACTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

James Cromwell, Still Mine, (Canada, 2012)

Runners-up

  1. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
  2. Terence Stamp, Unfinished Song (UK, 2012)
  3. Ivan Trejon, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
  4. Sabin Tambrea, Ludwig II, (Germany, 2013)
  5. Rounding out the top ten: Michael Beach, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);
  6. Niels Arestrup, You Will Be My Son, (France, 2012);
  7. Edward Hogg, Imagine, (Poland, 2012);
  8. Ali Suliman, The Attack, (Lebanon, 2012);
  9. Casey Affleck, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (USA, 2013);
  10. Paul Eenhoorn, This is Martin Bonner, (USA, 2013).

BEST ACTRESS GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

Samantha Morton, Decoding Annie Parker, (USA, 2013)

Runners-up

  1. Onata Aprile, What Maisie Knew, (USA, 2012)
  2. Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha, (USA, 2012)
  3. Juliane Köhler, Two Lives, (Germany, 2012)
  4. Martina Gedeck, The Wall, (Austria, 2012)
  5. Brie Larson, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013);
  6. Robin Weigert, Concussion, (USA, 2013);
  7. Lisa Tomaschewsky, The Girl With Nine Wigs, (Germany, 2013);
  8. Anna Giles, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);
  9. Jeanne Moreau, A Lady in Paris, (Estonia, 2012);
  10. Alma Prica, Halima’s Path, (Croatia, 2012).

BEST SHORT FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD

Spooners, directed by Bryan Horch (USA, 2012)

Runners-up

  1. My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), dir. Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)
  2. Malaria, dir. Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013)
  3. Fora, dir. Ayuub Kasasa Mago (Rwanda, 2012)
  4. While You Weren’t Looking, dir. Jeremy Mackie (USA, 2012)
  5. Good Karma $1, dir. Jason Berger, Amy Laslett (USA, 2012);
  6. Noodle Fish, dir. Jin-man Kim (South Korea, 2012);
  7. Walking the Dogs, dir. Jeremy Brock (UK, 2012);
  8. The Roper, dir. Ewan McNichol, Anna Sandilands (USA, 2012);
  9. Macropolis, dir. Joel Simon (UK, 2012);
  10. Penny Dreadful, dir. Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012).

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

PRESENTED BY WOMEN IN FILM/SEATTLE

The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)

REEL NW AWARD

PRESENTED BY KCTS 9

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Big Joy, directed by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha (USA)

Futurewave and Youth Jury Awards

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE

GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Spectacular Now,directed by James Ponsoldt (USA)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Blackbird, directed by Jason Buxton (Canada)

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Ernest & Celestine, directed by Benjamin Renner, Stephane Aubier, and Vincent Patar (France)

WAVEMAKER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUTH FILMMAKING

GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Painted Girl, directed by Ben Kadie (USA, 2013)

FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD

Piece of Cake, directed by Susan Procopio and Katherine Procopio (Canada, 2012)

THE FILM SCHOOL PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS

A Quest for Peace: Nonviolence Among Religions, directed by Matthew Evans (USA, 2013) 
Runner up: Laser Rabbit, directed by Matt Wells (USA, 2013)


Short Film Jury Awards

LIVE ACTION

GRAND JURY PRIZE
My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), directed by Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES
Penny Dreadful,directed by Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012)
Mobile Homes, directed by Vladimir de Fontenay (USA/France, 2012)
Decimation, directed by Wade Jackson (USA, 2013)

DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Keep a Modest Head, directed by Deco Dawson (Canada, 2012)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Today, directed by Philip Montgomery (USA, 2013)


ANIMATION

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Woody, directed by Stuart Bowen (Australia)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES
Malaria, directed by Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013)
The Hunter, directed by Marieka Walsh (Australia, 2012)