Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet won big awards at the San Diego International Film Festival, winning both the Best Gala Film Award (Jury Award) and the Audience Choice Gala Award. The documentary “Matter of Time,” starring Eddie Vedder, won the Artistic Director Award for its intimate look at a concert performance and the fight to cure a childhood illness.
Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet stars Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare in a drama about the grief and enduring love that inspired one of literature’s greatest works.
Other winners at the fest, which ran from October 15th to 19th, included:
Best Picture: “Aontas” (Ireland)
Artistic Director Award: “Matter of Time”
Best Documentary: “Stand Out: The Ben Cair Story”
Best International Film Award: “Hello Mother” Mongolia
Best Ensemble Award: “Fantasy Life”
Best Comedy: “For Worse”
Best Female Film Series: “The Fisherman” (Ghana)
Best Short Track: “Charmingly Short”
Best Short Documentary Award: “Opening Speech”
Best Short Story: “Sally, buy me some potatoes.”
Best International Short Film Award: “Kong Kong”
Best Animation Award: “Forevergreen”
Best Student Film Award: “Echoes of the Wild”
Viewer’s choice feature: Montenegro’s “Obras”. The film also represents Montenegro in the international feature film Oscar race.
Audience Choice Documentaries: “Stand Out: Ben Cair” and “Quiet Love”
Viewer’s choice short story: “Rise”
“We are so proud to recognize such a diverse and exciting group of filmmakers,” San Diego International Film Festival CEO and Artistic Director Tonya Mantooth said in a statement. “From powerful performances to new voices, this year’s lineup is a reminder of the power of film to move and unite us.”
