SXSW 2009: Hal Holbrook's 'That Evening Sun' takes home two key festival awards

 

The jury and audience award winners were announced tonight for the 2009 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival.  While the festival is growing in stature thanks to the Hollywood studio premieres that have begun to flock to the Austin, TX event because of its convenient spring date, the star quality of Sundance is usually absent from the films in competition. 

Scott Teems' "That Evening Sun" with Hal Holbrook took home the most gold receiving a special Jury Award for Ensemble cast and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.  Judi Grant's drama "Made in China," won the Jury Narrative Feature award.

Bill Ross' "45365" took home the Jury Award for Documentary Feature, an always competitive category, with an Honorable Mention going to Aron Gauet's "The Way We Get By."

Two additional awards, 24 Beats Per Second and Lone Star States, will be announced Friday, March 20.  The Film portion of SXSW closes on March 21.  Look for continuing coverage of the festival from HitFix's own Drew McWeeny all this week.

You can find a complete listing of this year's winners below.

Feature Jury Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner – 45365
Director: Bill Ross
An inquiring look at everyday life in Middle America, the film explores the congruities of daily life in an American town Sidney, Ohio.

Honorable Mention – The Way We Get By
Director: Aron Gaudet
On call 24/7 for the past 6 years, a group of senior citizens transform their lives by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine.

NARRATIVE FEATURE
Winner – Made in China
Director: Judi Krant
Lost in Shanghai, an inventor discovers that it takes more than a bright idea to succeed. 

Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast – That Evening Sun
Director: Scott Teems
A ruthless grudge match between two old foes.  Lines are drawn, threats are made, and the simmering tension under the Tennessee sun erupts, inevitably, into savagery.  Cast: Hal Holbrook, Mia Wasikowska, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Carrie Preston


Audience Awards

EMERGING VISIONS
Winner – Motherland
Director: Jennifer Steinman
Six grieving mothers journey to Africa in order to test the theory that “giving is healing.”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner – MINE
Director: Geralyn Pezanoski
After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of pets were rescued and adopted by families around the country, leading to many custody battles. Through these stories, the film examines issues of race, class and animal welfare in the U.S.

NARRATIVE FEATURE
Winner – That Evening Sun
Director: Scott Teems
A ruthless grudge match between two old foes.  Lines are drawn, threats are made, and the simmering tension under the Tennessee sun erupts, inevitably, into savagery. 

24 BEATS PER SECOND
Winner – To Be Announced on Friday, 3/20

LONE STAR STATES
Winner – To Be Announced on Friday, 3/20


Special Jury Awards

SXSW & AIGA AUSTIN MOVIE POSTER AWARD
Best in Show – The Dungeon Masters
Director: Keven Macalester
Designer: David Plunkert, Spur Design, LLC

SXSW / CHICKEN & EGG EMERGENT WOMAN AWARD
Winner – Made in China
Director: Judi Krant
Lost in Shanghai, an inventor discovers that it takes more than a bright idea to succeed.

SXSW WHOLPHIN SHORT FILM AWARD
Winner – Sister Wife
Director: Jill Orschel
In a time when the practices of Mormon fundamentalism offer sensational fodder for the evening news, Sister Wife offers a rare glimpse into the cloistered lifestyle.


Shorts Jury Awards

REEL SHORTS
Winner – Thompson
Director: Jason Tippet
Since second grade Matt and Ryan have shared the bond of speech impediments, weapons, and things that go fast. But as their last days of high school speed by, the two friends find that their go-carts, dirt bikes, and RC cars can’t outrun adulthood.

Special Jury Award – Happy 95 Birthday Grandpa
Director: Gary Huggins
A fleeting memory in five minutes.

ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner – Shaman
Director: Luc Perez
Waiting for the bus on a rainy day in Copenhagen, the old shaman Utaaq sees a rare bird from his past. This makes him reminisce his youth, and a beautiful tale about the forces of nature begins.

Special Jury Award – Sweet Dreams
Director: Kirsten Lepore
A Stalwart cupcake escapes from his native land to discover what lies beyond the sugar skyscrapers and candy-condos.  His violent shipwreck on a foreign shore forces him to adapt to a new lifestyle.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
Winner – Cattle Call
Director: Matthew Rankin & Mike Maryniuk
A high-speed animated documentary about the art of livestock auctioneering.

Special Jury Award – The Idiot Stinks
Director: Helder Sun
Animation, Angst, Media, Martians and Miscommunication.

MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner – Thunderheist, “Jerk It”
Director: That Go-Noel Paul & Stefan Moore

Special Jury Award – Fleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal”
Director: Sean Pecknold

Jury Special Mention – New Pornographers, “Myriad Harbor”
Director: Fluorescent Hill

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
Winner – Performance Evaluation
Director: Breannah Gibson

Special Jury Award – TIE
Fresh Fruit
Director: Edward Kelley & Brenden Cicoria

AND

A Hospital Bathroom
Director: Miguel Johnson