The Miami International Film Festival, as we so often know them to do, hosted a spectacular event this year with knock out films and the perfect atmosphere to enjoy them. Coming to a close on the 11th, MIFF awarded some of its many accomplished filmmakers with these awards:

KNIGHT IBERO-AMERICANCOMPETITION AWARD:

Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: Bonsái by Cristián Jiménez (Chile, Argentina, Portugal, France, 2011)
A $30,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which will be split with US distributor Strand Releasing

Grand Jury Discretionary Prize: Blood of My Blood (Sangue do meu Sangue) by João Canijo (Portugal, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Grand Jury Discretionary Prize: Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se fue a los cielos) by Andrés Wood (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: The Imposter by Bart Layton (United Kingdom, 2011)
A $10,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Honorable Mention: Unfinished Spaces by Alysa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray (USA, 2011)

Honorable Mention: The Strawberry Tree (El árbol de las fresas) by Simone Rapisarda Casanova (Canada, 2011)

THE JORDAN ALEXANDER RESSLER SCREENWRITING AWARD:

Bonsái by Cristián Jiménez (Argentina, Portugal, France, 2011) based on the novel by Alejandro Zambra
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the Jordan Alexander Ressler Charitable Fund; open to films in the Knight Ibero-American Competition

LEXUS IBERO-AMERICAN OPERA PRIMA COMPETITION AWARD:

Expiration Date (Fecha de caducidad) by Kenya Márquez (Mexico, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize sponsored by Lexus, official automotive sponsor of MIFF

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SHORTS COMPETITION:

University of Miami Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film: Catharsis by Cédric Prévost (France, 2011)
A $2,500 USD cash prize awarded by the University of Miami

LEXUS AUDIENCE AWARD

Juan of the Dead (Juan de los muertos) by Alejandro Brugués, the first Cuban zombie comedy satirizing life in post-revolution Cuba, was the grand winner of the Lexus Audience Award, voted on by festivalgoers throughout the Festival.

Congratulations to all the award winners, and to the Miami International Film Festival for yet another successful year!

This entry was posted on Monday, March 12th, 2012 at 11:34 pm and is filed under Daily News, Film Festivals, IndiePix Films. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.