The film is the work of a budding visionary--full of inventive and effective artistry, and a clear sense of where we are going as a celebrity-worshipping society.

This tightly constructed cinematic argument with strong characters puts a human face on scientific research and discovery acknowledging our universal understanding of human failings in our desire to achieve success. In THE BELIEVERS, the filmmakers remind us just how inexact science really is sometimes.

For the sheer beauty, originality and breathtaking scope of its cinematic vision.

Awarded for its extraordinary exploration of cultural dislocation as seen through the eyes of a young man who returns to his Israeli home after a life-changing trip to India, director Shay Levi wisely chooses to avoid obvious melodramatic touches. Instead, he tells the story through nuance and the subtle play of a moving camera. The result is that we are taken into the pained and confused mind of the protagonist yet given enough information to empathize with the people to whom he can no longer relate. The jury wishes to recognize that this achievement is all the more noteworthy because RETURN is the work of a student filmmaker. It gives us hope for a future of challenging and rewarding films from Mr. Levi.

Jessica Mitchell

Jaume Balagueró's gift as a director of thrillers is his way with psychological tension, digging out worrying new ways to describe how the world is simply not ever a safe place to be. In SLEEP TIGHT, not even bed and a little bit of sleep are safe.

The jury found the film to be a treat, full of narrative surprises and delightful tonal shifts, and that rare beast of a film - one where the material design itself (a world covered in fuzzy wool) lends an unmistakable expressivity to the landscape of the film and characters in it. The narrative's tender, scary, and surreal episodes culminate in a fantasy with an unexpected and captivating conclusion.

For images that were achingly beautiful and inventive, and somehow managed to be always perfectly in sync with the confounding universe of the narrative.

Visually stunning, compelling stories with surprising humor and wit edited into an impactful whole to remind us that the past lives on for the next generations. NUMBERED clearly demonstrates the importance of documenting the collective story of the Holocaust and other world genocide.

With a moment of calm daybreak followed by harnesses, ropes, and the calculated preparation of a great heist movie, director Nadav Kurtz drops the audience of his short film PARADISE into a meditation through the perspective of three Chicago window washers. Topically a film about men at work, this documentary incorporates fluid camera movements, beautiful photography, steady editing, and a lovely yet understated guitar soundtrack. The subjects discuss marriage, growing old, death, the afterlife, and teaching the next generation while building inhabitants continue downtown - living, working, playing, and going to Starbucks.

Awarded for its effective mix of a fantastical story with the visual elements of noir, and for a central character whose plight is lovingly conveyed with Keatonesque simplicity. This tale of a dog-faced man who sets out to find his stolen pet fish brilliantly walks the tightrope between magical realism and a dark night of the soul. The fact that there are no missteps is due to its effective mixture of cinematic dexterity and a keen eye for the foibles of human behavior. The jury was particularly impressed by the central performance. Little more than a bodysuit made of crepe, Paul proved to be one of the most fully rounded and emotionally affecting characters that we have seen in a long time.

For being a film of great simplicity and restraint, that nevertheless moved and shocked the jury.

For exploring with great sensitivity the aftermath of atrocities in Algeria and the challenges of reconciliation.

For its unique story of a young office drone who comes to accept the image others have of him, as well as for its ability to effectively and cinematically capture the essence of fable. Mixing black and white imagery, ironic voiceovers and a Buñuelian sense of the absurd, EDMOND WAS A DONKEY is that rare film that delights us with what it has to say as much as how it says it.

Awarded both for its brave style (balancing a digi-folksy aesthetic with a hint of the grotesque), and its effectively shaped narrative. Based on a true story of teenage longing and burgeoning queer identity, the jury found it a touching and an impressive achievement.

For the episode "Jungle Fever"

For the film's art direction, technical mastery, riveting script, compact editing, elegant yet tongue-tied narrator, and a reminder of adolescent and adult struggles for life and love.

For the opening titles

For the episode "See You Later, Masturbator"

For its effective and well-directed use of improvisation to create an intimacy not only between the characters onscreen, but between them and the audience as well.