Doc.Sydney 2023 Award Winners Announced!

 

The 2023 edition of the Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival took place in wonderful company at Palace Central in Chippendale, home to new release films, international and local art-house cinema. We'd like to thank all of our guests for coming out and enjoying two evenings of independent documentary cinema, hosted by film industry veteran John Samaha.

 

The official selection included 23 wonderful films hailing from Australia, Italy, Canada, USA, Ukraine, France, Taiwan, the UK, China, Portugal, Luxembourg, Russia, and Sweden. (This year's new online section, the OFF ON Selection, remains available for streaming until 23 May, more info on the website!)re

 

We are pleased to share with you today the 2023 Doc.Sydney award winners, chosen by the jury panel.

 

Best Feature Documentary Film: KILL ME IF YOU CAN (ITALY) BY ALEX INFASCELLI. “The story of Raffaele Minichiello, a 19-year-old marine of Italian descent and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, who was responsible for the first oceanic plane hijacking in history, aboard a TWA flight from Los Angeles to Rome on Halloween of 1969, and whose true story was the inspiration for the 1980s action film Rambo.”

 

Best Short Documentary Film: THE MECHANICS OF FLUIDS (FRANCE) BY GALA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ. “In 2018, an incel called Anathematic Anarchist posted a suicide letter on Reddit entitled "America is responsible for my death". The Mechanics of Fluids is an attempt to find answers to his words. A virtual drift through the internet in search of his digital traces that ends up being an inner journey between our connected solitudes.”

 

Best Super Short Documentary Film: WALKING GENTLY ON THE EARTH (AUSTRALIA) BY GUIDO PEZZ. “The story of Annie Smithers; a chef based in Lyonville, Australia whose life is dedicated to having a positive impact on the environment by treading as lightly as possible on the ground beneath her feet.”

 

Best Experimental Documentary Film: RE-MEMBERING: MEDITATION ON A TRIPTYCH (SWEDEN) BY AMRA HECO. “A chance encounter with discovered video footage from 1983 of the Bosnian town Tesanj triggers unexpected emotions as the filmmaker recognizes her grandfather who died in the 90's during the war. This opens old wounds, but also creates an opportunities for healing.”

 

Best Underground Documentary Film: IF I HAD THE LONGEST ARMS (AUSTRALIA) BY JOSHUA KHOURY. “A family growing up and moving out over 4 generations and 75 years. A work of bricolage using home media taken from 1947 to 2022, recorded on audio cassettes, 8mm film, mini-DVs, and digital video, the film depicts successive generations as they move from Southern Rhodesia to South Africa to Zimbabwe, to England, the USA, and finally Australia.”

 

Best Australian Documentary Film: WIRE IN HIS BLOOD (AUSTRALIA) BY MATT DEAVIN. “This story is about the Ltyentye Apurte born artist, David Wallace. From a young age David made 'bush toys' for himself and the children of his community, made from recycled materials such as fencing wire, scrap metal and copper from old motors. David's work provides a detailed record of his life and experiences working the land, station and community life throughout central Australia. The accurate and minute detail in each piece, reflect his experiences of travelling and working the land. This film details David's life and his ongoing struggle with with Kidney disease, which forces him to be on dialysis 3 x times a week. With the closest machine 120km away in Alice Springs, David is forced to be away from his family and his wires.”

 

Congratulations!

 

We'd like to thank Palace Cinemas and Tarkovski Agency for their amazing continued support.

 

A new Call for Entries for Doc.Sydney 2024 has been launched on FilmFreeway, submit your film now: https://filmfreeway.com/DocSydney.

 

See you next year!