Winners of the 2024 Annual Stony Brook Film Festival
presented by Island Federal
2024 FESTIVAL WINNERS
MEDIHA
2024 Grand Prize
Iraq - 90 min
Directed by Hasan Oswald (Higher Love). Written by Hasan Oswald and Mediha Alhamad.
With Mediha Alhamad.
Anyone who has watched Hasan Oswald’s Higher Love knows that his images of hope and resilience are hard-won, and this documentary is no exception. Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl who has recently returned from ISIS captivity, uses the camera as a tool to process her trauma while rescuers continue to search for her missing family members. In the aftermath of the Yazidi Genocide, she confronts her past and her perpetrators while searching for words that explain the unexplainable with poise, perseverance, and maturity. This mind-staggering film is an inspirational portrayal of survivors and those who have risked their lives to save them.
In Arabic, English, Kurdish and Turkish, with subtitles. Produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Annelise Mecca, Stephen
Nemeth, Hasan Oswald, and Alexander Spiess. Edited by Kaitlyn Plum. Director of Photography: Hasan Oswald and Mediha Alhamad. A Love World Media production, from The Film Collaborative.
Watch the trailer here.
THE STRANGERS' CASE
2024 Jury Award for Best Feature
New York Premiere
Jordan - 103 min
Written and directed by Brandt Andersen.
With Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy (The Intouchables, Yao), Ziad Bakri, and Constantine Markoulakis.
When tragedy strikes Amira’s family in Aleppo during an intense civil war, the veteran surgeon flees with her daughter on a journey that will impact the lives of others they come into contact with, including a disillusioned Syrian soldier, a poet on the run with his family, a tough smuggler with a young son at home, and a haunted Coast Guard Captain searching for stranded refugees off the coast of Greece. The breathless pace keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, while its wide-ranging story manages to capture the individuals with complexity and dignity. A film you will remember long after it is over.
Produced by Brandt Andersen, Ossama Bawardi, Ryan Busse, and Charlie Endean. Edited by Jeff Seibenick. Director of Photography: Jonathan Sela. A Philistine Films and SPACE + ART Entertainment production from WME Independent.
Watch trailer here.
WHERE WE BELONG
2024 Jury Award for Best Short
New York PremiereUnited Kingdom - 15 min
A film by Madoka Belda Yamamoto.
A young woman trying to reconnect with her grandmother visiting from Japan discovers the presence of her dead grandfather is closer than ever.
In Japanese and English, with subtitles.
Watch the trailer here.
DAUGHTER OF THE SUN
2024 Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award
New York Premiere
Canada - 108 min
Written and directed by Ryan Ward.
With Nyah Perkin, Ryan Ward (AmeriKa), Lennox Leacock, Courtney Sawyer, Ryan Giesen
and Laura Mac.
This beautiful one-of-a-kind feature, filmed on location in Manitoba, Canada, feels like it wandered straight out of the adventurous, independent cinema scene of the 70s. A 12-year-old girl travels across the country with her father, Sonny, a wounded soul who, on the surface, seems to struggle with Tourette Syndrome. But his outward condition hides something more powerful that is both frightening and wonderful. A story told with patience and poetic magical realism, their journey takes them into a small nomadic community with many secrets. From the talented team that brought us AmeriKA and Healer, with stellar performances from teens Nyah Perkin and Lennox Leacock.
Produced by Mackenzie Leigh. Edited by Mackenzie Leigh and Ryan Ward. Director of Photography: Graig Range. A Memory Pill and Heart Shaped Movies production.
Watch the trailer here.
MASTERGAME
Hungary - 91 min
Directed by Barnabás Tóth.
Written by Barnabás Tóth, Tibor Fonyódi and Stefan Zweig.
With Károly Hajduk (Those Who Remained), Pál Mácsai, Gergely Váradi, Varga-Járó Sára, Bori Péterfy.
Hungary, November 1956: While a young couple attempts to evade authorities on a mysterious train filled with strange passengers, government agents are also trying to torture a Catholic priest into revealing the whereabouts of invaluable church relics being smuggled out of the country. But when a man who looks like that same priest appears on the train, engaged in a high-stakes chess game, it becomes evident that something far more intriguing is afoot. Director Barnabás Tóth and actor Károly Hajduk of Those Who Remained reteam for this twisty film-noir thriller.
In Hungarian, with subtitles.
Produced by Máté Szabó and János Szurmai. Edited by Károly Szalai. Director of Photography: Másik Szöke András. A Sparks production from the National Film Institute of Hungary.
Watch the trailer here.
AUDREY'S CHILDREN
2024 Dr. Gabriel Sara Humanitarian Award
United States - 116 min
Directed by Ami Canaan Mann. Written and produced by Julia Fisher Farbman. Produced
by Bradley Gallo and Michael Helfant.
With Natalie Dormer, Jimmi Simpson and Clancy Brown.
In 2022, the Stony Brook Film Festival created an inaugural prize in honor of Dr. Gabriel Sara, who worked wonders in cancer at Mount Sinai by treating patients with dignity through song, dance, and teaming up with some of the most caring individuals in healthcare. He went on to play himself in the film opposite Catherine Deneuve. This year, the festival hosted a sneak preview of a film that's having its official premiere this fall, but Stony Brook Film Festival was able to host it as a non-competing sneak preview of the film. The film AUDREY'S CHILDREN tells the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, who brought new treatments to pediatric cancer patients in the US and went on to co-found The Ronald McDonald House. "When I reached out to Gabriel Sara in Lebanon to tell him we were bestowing this award toAudrey's Children, he was overjoyed, saying that Audrey Evans is a legend in cancer research and treatment and he so wished he could be here to present the first GABRIEL SARA HUMANITARIAN AWARD since creating it in his name to AUDREY'S CHILDREN," announced Festival Director Alan Inkles from the Awards stage. One of the film's Producer's, Bradley Gallo, was in attendance to accept the award on behalf of his team. The film was not in competition with any of the other 35 films in the festival. Still, the jury felt it deserved recognition because of the groundbreaking story it tells, the unmatched heroism of the real-life characters, and the unbelievable humanitarian efforts of Dr. Audrey Evans. Audrey's Children will premiere this fall.
RUNNING ON SAND
2024 Audience Award for Best Feature
Israel - 104 min
Directed by Adar Shafran.
Written by Yoav Hebel, Sarel Piterman, and Assaf Zelicovich.
With Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, and Zvika Hadar.
A refugee living in Israel, facing deportation back to Eritrea, where he fears for his life, makes a run for it at the airport, only to be mistaken for an up-and-coming Nigerian soccer player who was recently signed to a professional Israeli team. Seizing the opportunity this change of identity can bring him, he plays along despite the absence of any real soccer talent. While he does his best to stay out of the game, he befriends his new teammates and the charmingly unconventional daughter of the team owner. You will cheer this confident crowd-pleaser.
In Hebrew and English, with subtitles.
Produced by Roni Abramowsky, Moshe Edery, and Adar Shafran. Edited by Arik Lahav-Leibovich. Director of Photography: Daniel Miller. A Firma Films production from Picture Tree International and Go2Films.
Watch the trailer here.
MIMESIS
2024 Audience Award for Best Short - Tie
World Premiere
United States - 20 min
A film by Zach Finger.
A struggling actor with an alcohol addiction auditions for the role of a therapist whose patient is an alcoholic. From Long Island native Zach Finger. At 20-years-old, Zach is the second youngest filmmaker to receive this award in our 29-year history.
Watch the trailer here.
ON THE PATHS AWAKENED
2024
Audience Award for Best Short - Tie
France - 110 minutes
A film by Axel Dahan.
During WWII, under the German occupation in France, two French teenagers are recruited by the Resistance. At 19-years-old, Axel is the youngest filmmaker to win an award in our 29-year history.
In French, with subtitles.
Watch the trailer here.
ONE MILLION MINUTES
2024 Closing Night Feature
U.S. Premiere
Germany - 124 minutes
Directed by Christopher Doll. Written by Monika Fäßler, Tim Hebborn, Malte Welding,
and Ulla Ziemann.
With Karoline Herfurth (Sweethearts, Texts for You, Berlin 36), Tom Schilling, Pola Friedrichs, and Hassan Akkouch.
Vera and Wolf Küper are already struggling to navigate work and family stress, when their world is shaken by news that their daughter has a motor disorder diagnosis. They realize that the only way to save their marriage and give their eldest the attention she needs is to leave it all behind. They head to Thailand expecting an idyllic new life on the beach, which proves more difficult than imagined. Compromises come slowly, and further tweaks to the work-life balance, plus another change of environment—Iceland!— don't make it any easier.
In German, with subtitles.
Produced by Christopher Doll and Lothar Hellinger. Edited by Alexander Dittner and Laura Wachauf. Director of Photography: Andreas Berger. A Hellinger/Doll Filmproduktion. Erfttal Film, and Warner Bros. production.
Watch the trailer here.
IF
2024 Closing Night Short
East Coast Premiere
India - 26 min
A film by Tathagata Ghosh.
After a woman is separated from her true love due to an arranged marriage by her conservative father, her mother tries to help her find a way forward.
In Bengali, with subtitles.
Watch the Trailer here.
THE BLONDE BOY FROM THE CASBAH
2024 Opening Night Feature
U.S. Premiere
France - 126 min
Using his own autobiographical book with the same title as the source, Alexandre Arcady intertwines both past and present in this highly original masterpiece. After a long absence, fictional filmmaker Antoine Lisner returns to his childhood home in Algeria to screen his film about his life before the war, which forced him to flee France with his family at 13. Accompanying Lisner is his 13-year-old son, who serves as a witness to his father’s conflicted memories. Meanwhile, we also see this very childhood being played out—in his memory or perhaps in his film. Arcady employs this fictionalized version of very personal events to recreate his childhood with gentle humor and abundant grace while reaching for a deeper and more complex truth.
In French, with subtitles.
Produced by Alexandre Arcady and Diane Kurys. Edited by Manuel De Sousa. Director of Photography: Gilles Henry. A New Light Films and Alexandre Films production from Studio Canal+ and The Festival Agency.
Watch the Trailer here.
CHAUNCEY
2024 Opening Night Short
United States - 11 min.
A film by Reilly Anspaugh & Daniel Rashid.
Zoe is afraid to introduce her new boyfriend to her old stuffed animal. Daniel Rashid (Almost Winter, Hit Friends) returns to SBFF in this hilarious and heartwarming tale.
Watch the Trailer here.
For 2024 Stony Brook Film Festival News & Press click here.