Some of the filmmakers screening their films at NFFTY this year were just learning to crawl when the fest kicked off 15 years ago. The brainchild of Ballard High grad Jesse Harris, NFFTY has become the world’s largest film festival for emerging directors.

Back after a pandemic break, NFFTY celebrated its 15th anniversary by screening 258 films over the 11-day fest. Like other film fests getting back to a ‘new normal,’ NFFTY rolled out a hybrid model this year. In-person screenings took place April 28 – May 1, while the fest finished up with on-line screenings through May 8.

With the fest successfully wrapped, NFFTY has just announced the award winners which represents work by filmmakers 24 and younger from around the globe.

Jury Award winners take home a $500 cash prize, as well as $250 in credit to FIlmsupply/Musicbed. The 48 Hour Film Off winner recieves a $700 cash prize for their school from NFFTY, with the runner-up netting a $300 cash prize for their school. 

Jury Award Winners

BEST NARRATIVE – Busan, 1999 – Thomas Kim, Da Eun Kim, Soojin Jeong
BEST NARRATIVE – HONORABLE MENTION – Plum Town – Kelly Yu
BEST NARRATIVE (STUDENT) – Winter of ‘79 – Julia Elihu, Leslie Susman, Gabe Knows-Newton, Alex Joyce
BEST NARRATIVE (STUDENT) – HONORABLE MENTION – Beneath the Grass – William Bermudez, Sam Friedman, Nathan Ginter, Caden Ghen

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Dial Home – César Martínez Barba,
Yadira Rodríguez
BEST DOCUMENTARY – HONORABLE MENTION – Team Meryland – Gabriel Gaurano, Julia Elihu, Jason Phillips
BEST DOCUMENTARY (STUDENT) – Mawhialeo Ote Alowha (Our Love) – Valeriya Golovina, Niamh Swannack, Morgan Hopkins, Cameron Cook
BEST DOCUMENTARY (STUDENT) – HONORABLE MENTION – In Good Faith – Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung

BEST ANIMATION – Divination Dave – Georgia Madden
BEST ANIMATION – HONORABLE MENTION – This is Why Girls Go to the Bathroom Together – Lydia Reid
BEST ANIMATION (STUDENT) – Goodbye Jerome! – Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, Chloé Farr

BEST EXPERIMENTAL – Winter Insect, Summer Flower – Tee Jaehyung Park, Gbenga Komolafe
BEST EXPERIMENTAL (STUDENT) – How to Raise a Black Boy – Justice Jamal Jones

BEST MUSIC VIDEO – Brumatti – “In Shape For Summer” – Kaylinn Clotfelter, Andrew Trice, Isaiah Satterfield, Logan Triplett
BEST MUSIC VIDEO – HONORABLE MENTION – I Like the Look of Today – Brian Niles, Will Noyce, Shane Bagwell
BEST MUSIC VIDEO (STUDENT) – Mia Gladstone – “Food” – Zac Dov Wiesel, Sophia Loren Heriveaux, Shane Bagwell

BEST EPISODIC – Hetero – KJ Kieras, Bentley Eldridge
BEST EPISODIC – HONORABLE MENTION – Parked in America – Kayla Yumi Lewis, Luke Salin, Ann Swenson    

NEW TALENT
AGE 14 AND UNDER – Ella Janes – The First 280 Honest Words of My Life
AGE 15-18 – Isabella Chiappini – Counter Conformity
AGE 20-24 – Kelly Yu – Plum Town

48 Hour Film Off

1ST PLACE – Mount Si High School
2ND PLACE – Chaminade College Preparatory
3RD PLACE – Anacortes High School

For a full list of award winners visit: https://www.nffty.org/nffty-2022-awards-press-release