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Award Winners

The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival is honored to announce the Festival Award winners presented on October 10, 2015 at the Film Festival Awards ceremony.
Best Short Film
Alzheimer’s: A Love Story
Directed by Amanda Le, Monica Petruzzelli, Gabe Schimmel, Riani Singgih
 
Best Cinematography
Music of Survival: The Story of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus
Directed by Orest Syshko
 
Emerging Filmmaker Award
Mother Kuskokwim
Directed by Tim Guthrie
 
Best Feature Film
Hip Hop-eration
Directed by Bryn Evans
 
Best International Film
 Landfill Harmonic
Directed by Juliana Penaranda-Loftus, Grad Allgood and Graham Townsley
 
Best Social Awareness Film
 Two Barns
Directed by Haim Hect
 
Best Local Film
Move On
Directed by Ted Sikora
 
Best Human Spirit Film
Queen Mimi
Directed by Yaniv Rokah
 
Audience Choice Award
I Want to be a King
Directed by Mehdi Ganji
 
Rotary of the Chagrin Valley Service Above Self Award
Angel of Nanjing
Directed by Frank Fernando and Jordan Horowitz 
 
and the David Ponce Award for Best of the Festival…
Among the Believers
Directed by Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi; Produced by Jonathan Goodman Levitt and Hemal Trivedi; Written by Jonathan Goodman Levitt.

Award Winners
2016

The 2016 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival received over
500 film submissions from nearly 50 countries.  
76 amazing films from 24 countries were selected to be featured.

We had 11 different awards categories and are proud and honored
to announce the Award Winners, as presented at the
Festival Awards Ceremony on October 8th, 2016.
David Ponce Best of the Festival 
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race and America
Directed by Matthew Ornstein
 
Mary Lerner Human Spirit Award
Hollywood Shorties
Directed by Ryan Steven Green
 
Emerging Filmmaker Award
Following Seas
Directed by Tyler Kelley and Araby Williams
 
Best Feature Documentary
Women Outward Bound
Directed by Maxine Davis
 
Best Short Documentary
Last Day of Freedom
Directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
 
Best International Documentary
Kandahar Journals
Directed by Louie Palu
 
Best Local Documentary
Good Luck Soup
Directed by Matthew Hashiguchi
 
Best Environmental Documentary
Atlantic
Directed by Risteard O'Domhnaill
 
Best Social Awareness Documentary
Off the Rails
Directed by Adam Irving
 
Best Student Documentary
Kansuksa
Directed by Bryce Cyrier
 
Rotary of the Chagrin Valley "Service Above Self" Award
Kilimanjaro Warriors
Directed by Bevan B. Bell
​
Award Winners Home
2016 Award Winners
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