When we left off, I had just embarassed myself in front of Rachel Dratch and decided to call it a night. . .

Upon rising, we got a ride to the AWARDS BRUNCH at the breathtaking Chandler Hotel, with a terrace overlooking the water. There was a plentiful buffet, complete with pear bellinis and smoked fish. Lovely. We sat with Dan and Michelle Devivo and Ry, while we patiently waited for the awards to be given out.

The awards, were as follows:

• The Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature was presented to: The Road to Guantanamo, directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. (http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/G/guantanamo/)
• The Narrative Jury Prize for Best Director was presented to: Kelly Reichardt for Old Joy. (http://www.oldjoymovie.com/)
• The Narrative Jury Prize for Best Actress was presented to: Emily Rios for Quinceañera. http://www.quinceanerathemovie.com/
• The Narrative Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Acting was presented to: the cast of The Road to Guantanamo.
• The Jury Prize for Best Documentary was presented to: Black Sun, directed by Gary Tarn. http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/catalogue/browse/?id=D9CF998213ec523062tKp20CCAD5
• Documentary Jury Prize: Thin, directed by Lauren Greenfield, and The Trials of Daryl Hunt, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. http://www.laurengreenfield.com/news.html and http://www.breakthrufilms.org/
• The Jury Prize for Best Short Film was presented to: Breached, directed by Laura Richard.
• Short Film Jury Prize: Antonio’s Breakfast, directed by Daniel Mulloy.
• Short Film Honorable Mention: Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot directed by David Chai, and The Aluminum Fowl directed by James Clauer.
• The Student Jury Award, chosen by a panel of local high school students, mentored by Film Critic and NIFF Juror Elvis Mitchell, and coordinated by Middletown HS alumnus Maggie Drayton selected: What Remains, directed by Steven Cantor. http://www.cactusthree.com/whatremains.html

But Wait! There’s more!

I did not get to see any of the narrative winners, but happily, I have seen the three documentary winners, all of which are extremely deserving of their prizes. The proceedings unfolded rather. . . gradually, and everyone at our table took off to various screenings. However, Jordan and I were determined to sit it out and see the inimitable, crange-clad Diane Ladd accept her Lifetime Achievement Award. She began with a meditative moment of silence for Kristina Custer, the Festival’s Events Coordinator, who tragically took her own life a couple of weeks prior to the festival’s launch. This served as a natural opportunity to segue into Ladd’s own interest in alternative healing and medicine, and promote her book, SPIRALLING THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF LIFE. http://www.dianeladd.com/book.htm

Now, I love Diane as an actress. I truly think she is brilliant, particularly the scene in WILD AT HEART in which she smears lipstick all over her face and flips out. And I admire her feminism, her strength as a woman, her clearly amazing parenting skills, and all the other stuff she does. But her book is a bit. . . hokey, to borrow Jordan’s word. Still, there is something that always gets me about slightly New-Agey, highly spirited, orange-loving women prone to calling people “honey” and wearing cowboy hats. So I’m glad I spent twenty bucks on the book, and I’m glad I sat on the train ride home, as Jordan and Kevin Corrigan snoozed across from me, reading lines like “Honey, have I got a tale for you.”

Off to check into our B & B, The Yankee Peddler, where we got a room in the carriage house and soaked up some of that colonial times atmosphere. Then a circuitous walk to the Newport Art Museum for a screening of MAQUILAPOLIS, a documentary, equal parts infuriating and inspiring, about female factory workers in Tijuana fighting for their rights against massive, powerful multinational corporations. (http://www.maquilapolis.com/project_eng.html)

After a break in our hotel room, we were off to yet another screening, of David Wike’s disappointing CHAMPIONS. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473502/ Though the cast was delightful, with strong turns by the always engaging Kevin Corrigan and the striking Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the film went nowhere fast, with a plodding storyline and flat humor. A quick drink with the hard-working Agnes Varnum and Zombie-American Nick Poppy followed and we were off to the fabulous closing night fiesta, at the breathtakingly ornate Belcourt Castle http://www.belcourtcastle.com/ Ice sculptures, lavish buffet, flowing alcohol, and knights in armor abounded, as did the usual wonderful conversations with everyone I’d met at the Festival. Plus, some new faces — Alex Karpovsky, whose film, THE HOLE STORY, will play tomorrow at Rooftop Films (http://www.rooftopfilms.com/show_06-holestory.html) Jordan and I will be in attendance, so do check it out. Claus Mueller, a sometimes-intelligable, always hilarious German man with whom I write at the Independent Film and Video Monthly (http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/socio/faculty/muell.html), and Sean Shodahl, another co-worker with the AIVF (http://www.marakeshfilms.com/about_ss.html).

The folks at the castle seemed a bit nervous about letting us stay past midnight among centuries-old antiques and shining suits of armor, so we were quickly kicked out as the clock struck, leaving a horde of drunken Cinderellas to attempt to keep the ball raging elsewhere. An impromptu afterparty followed at the Viking Hotel, NIFF HQ, but I had to run off after an hour, exhausted from the intense and amazing stimulation of the Festival.

Thanks to everyone for making this my best Festival experience yet!

– Danielle