2009 Official Selections and Award Winners

The Yosemite Film Festival proudly announces the award-winning films of the 2009 Festival.

Grand Jury Award: The Miracle
 Saturday, October 24th - 4:50 PM
In confession to her priest, Tekki Lomnicki, a little person, reveals how she dishonored her mother on a trip to Lourdes twenty-seven years before. In Tekki’s memory, her dramatic birth, her sometimes painful relationship with her mother, Sister Thecla (a storytelling nun), Saint Bernadette, her rambunctious family, little league baseball, high school musical comedy, the romantic Paris of her dreams, and the fateful trip to Lourdes, all live again. But it will take all Tekki’s courage, humor and imagination to face the truth about her life and what happened at Lourdes if she is to win a chance at redemption.
Best Feature: The Crimson Mask
Saturday, October 24th - 10:00 AM
Two desperate men, from different worlds, find themselves unwitting pawns in an ancient ritual. Greed, Lust, Pride, Anger, and Envy have consumed the lives of Thomas Caine, a seemingly wealthy businessman, and Parker, a down on his luck pro wrestler. Both are overwhelmed with insurmountable debts and struggling to break free by any means. As their lives quickly unravel, so does an age-old secret conspiracy that leads the two men down a deadly path of redemption.


Best Foreign Film: Karearea: the pine falcon
Saturday, October 24th - 3:55 PM
Wildlife photographer George Chance spent the 1970's following and studying the New Zealand Falcon; now some thirty years later he is suffering from ill health and going blind. Filmmaker Sandy Crichton gets ever closer to a remarkable wild population of falcons as he attempts to realize George's dream by adding movement to his photographs.




Best Documentary: Guerrilla Midwife
Saturday, October 24th - 8:00 PM
Guerrilla Midwife Follows Ibu Robin Lim into the trenches of her work. From Bali, where hemorrhage after childbirth is a leading cause of death, into the Tsunami disaster zone in Aceh, where her battle is fought with only one weapon, love. In this culturally mesmerizing, heart-wrenching documentary, you will discover why we must reinvent our protocols for pregnancy and childbirth in order to preserve our Planet’s Humanity.



Best Director: Bicycle Dreams (Stephen Auerbach)
Saturday, October 24th - 6:05 PM
They are seekers, madmen, and angels hell-bent on riding across America on a bicycle in less than ten days. Eager to push their bodies to the limit, they set out on a daunting 3000-mile odyssey. But what begins as the adventure of a lifetime is transformed in an instant when tragedy strikes the race. These voyagers discover what is truly at stake as they pedal on, praying for the deliverance only the finish line can bring.



Best Screenplay: Old Grace
Saturday, October 24th - 1:00 PM
When Jack Leland's son, Jeff, began to get consumed by the world of Civil War reenactments, Jack chose to tolerate it.  That is until it hurt someone. When Jeff accidentally dies during one of those very reenactments, Jack cannot contain his shame and anger. And so, Jack decides to deal with the loss in the only way his pride will allow.

Best Actor: The Line (Art Bonilla)
Saturday, October 24th - 1:00 PM
Alvaro Nuñez has crossed the border many times, but this time is different: his son Omar is coming with him to live and work in the U.S. For Danny Jackson the Arizona borderland is home, although since his mother left he has been struggling to adjust to life there. The Line follows these fathers and sons as they attempt to rebuild their relationships under new circumstances, an endeavor made even more important by the high stakes of life at the border.



Best Actress: I Am That Girl (Grace Rowe)
Saturday, October 24th - 2:10 PM
I AM THAT GIRL is the story of Maxine, an anti-typical Asian American woman who lives a life of partying, funded by her eighty-thousand dollar credit card debt that she pays for by working at her ten-dollar-an-hour desk job. Desperate for affection, Maxine grabs hold of 'Noodle,' an enigmatic wanderer on his way to the Sierras, and convinces him to take her on his road trip where she discovers the beauty of nature.



Best Short Film: True Beauty This Night
Saturday, October 24th - 1:00 PM
Last night Rhett Somers, so far scraping by on good luck or just plain old ignorance, met the love of his life. He's sure of it. She doesn't know. Now the only thing left to do is convince her that she's the one. Not an easy feat considering how they met.






Best Nature Film: Milking the Rhino
Saturday, October 24th - 11:30 AM
The Maasai tribe of Kenya and Namibia's Himba are two of Earths oldest cattle cultures in the midst of upheaval. Emerging from a century of "white man conservation" that turned their land into game reserves and fueled resentment towards wildlife, they are now vying for a piece of the wildlife-tourism pie. Charting the collision of ancient ways and Western expectations, MILKING THE RHINO tells intimate, hopeful and heartbreaking stories of people facing deep cultural change.


Best Animation: Skylight
Saturday, October 24th - 9:15 PM
An animated mock documentary about the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world.







Best Children's Film: Elephants
Saturday, October 24th - 1:00 PM
Kay Grey is a young girl growing up in an entirely grey house in a totally grey world with very very grey parents. But then her house gets infested with ELEPHANTS. They can’t be seen against the grey walls, and crash around in the middle of the night. Kay's unloving parents make her paint the house with brilliant colours, so that they can see these pests. But when Kay corners the Elephants, they become friends and she decides to help them...



Best Music Video: City of Noise
Saturday, October 24th - 4:50 PM
Follow a man as he competes against different realities of himself for a magic treasure chest. The Summerlads 'City of Noise' music video takes you through a maze of rooms and crosses portals that bridge space and time.






Special Jury Award: Winded
Saturday, October 24th - 1:00 PM
'Winded' is a music video for the rock band Rockchild that tells the story of a frustrated relationship where the guy is not sure if he wants to stay with the girl, given her various flaws and offenses, but expresses uncertainty about the relationship that is unresolved in the song and in the story.  The 'Winded' video explores a common point in many relationships where a decision must be made: Does the good outweigh the bad?


Special Jury Award: The Magic Rabbit
Saturday, October 24th - 9:15 PM
The blind girl faces many difficulties in her daily life. Her only friend is a rabbit doll in her imagination. One day, she finds she can see things clearly. The rabbit doll is gazing her on the street.







Special Jury Award: Green Tunnel

Actors Showcase Winner: Clown's Lament

Best Student Film: Vitruvius’ Toybox
 
Best Experimental Film: Caught in Paint

Special Jury Award: The Spam Job

Special Jury Award: Hummingbird Magic