©Mary Kay Mickiewicz of Charlie McDonald Photography
HunkyDory_TomasPais
The 8th Annual Naples International Film Festival (NIFF) opened at Artis—Naples on Thursday, October 27th and closed in a spectacular way. NIFF hosted a well-deserved awards ceremony with closing night film, Colin Hay: Waiting for my Real Life, that was joined by director Nate Gowtham and star Colin Hay, former lead singer of Men at Work, for an insightful Q&A. Then on to a sold out closing night party graced with the evenings special guest, Grammy Award winning musician Colin Hay, who performed to a packed and very enthusiastic crowd of fans at Blue Martini. The evening was generously sponsored by Seminole Casino Hotel.
“NIFF programmed a very diverse slate of movies this year, and it was great to see our community discover and embrace the powerful social impact films in particular. These inspirational films connect us with real people, and the world around us. They remind us of the power of the human spirit,” said Festival Director Jon Fitzgerald
The Festival screened 39 significant independent films including narratives, documentaries and shorts over three days with festival-goers turning in their ballots after each screening. At the closing night event on October 30th, these seven major awards were given.
Audience Award: Short Film Phil's Camino Director Annie O'Neil http://philscamino.com
Audience Award: Narrative Hunky Dory Director Michael Curtis Johnson http://www.naplesfilmfest.com/hunky-dory/
Audience Award: Documentary The Rebound Director Shaina K Allen http://www.reboundthefilm.com
Neapolitan Award Learning to See: The World of Insects Director Jake Oleman http://www.learningtoseefilm.com
Rising Star Award Fare Director Thomas Torrey http://www.faremovie.com
Indie Spirit Award The Other Kids Director Chris Brown http://www.theotherkidsmovie.com
Grand Prize Operator Director Logan Kibens http://www.naplesfilmfest.com/operator