Detective Noir ‘Man From Reno’ and Debra Granik’s ‘Stray Dog’ Take Home Top Honors at LAFF
Shipra Harbola Gupta
At an intimate ceremony held in the festival lounge, the Los Angeles Film Festival announced the winners in this year’s awards categories.
Detective noir “Man From Reno” and “Stray Dog,” a documentary about a Vietnam veteran and his friends, took home the festival’s top honors: Narrative Award (For Best Narrative Feature) and Documentary Award (For Best Documentary).
The jury praised how “Man From Reno” examines “barriers of age, language and success, set against a noir plot line infuses a pop energy into the well observed portrayal of its unique characters.”
READ MORE: LAFF Review: Pepe Serna is a Standout in Ambiguous Detective Noir ‘Man from Reno’
Similarly, Debra Granik‘s “Stray Dog” — her first film since the 2010 release of the Academy Award nominated drama “Winter’s Bone” — was called “a beautifully crafted observational portrait that addresses, with love, empathy and humor, some of the issues we struggle with as a country today, such as PTSD, immigration and poverty.”
The LA Muse Award, also given out by the jury, was awarded to Damian John Harper’s neo-realist drama “Los Angeles,” about the complexities of the Zapotec community in Oaxaca.
All three jury awards include a $5,000 unrestricted cash prize for the recipients.
For the full list of winners, see below:
- Best Performance in the Narrative Competition: The Ensemble Cast of “Recommended by Enrique”
- Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: “The Young Kieslowski”
- Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: “Meet the Patels”
- Audience Award for Best International Feature: “Someone You Love”
- Award for Best Narrative Short Film: “The Runaway”
- Award for Best Documentary Short Film: “The Queen”
- Award for Best Animated/Experimental Short Film: “Butter Lamp”
- Audience Award for Best Short Film: “The Gunfighter”
- Audience Award for Best Music Video: “Turn Down for What: Lil Jon and DJ Snake”
