San Diego Film Festival

Notability at Festival

2016 Jeffrey Lyons hosted with co-host Ben Lyons

Opening Film: Other People

World Premieres: The Late Bloomer (dir. Kevin Pollak), Citizen Soldier, House of Norway, Railway Spine and Dead Draw.

North American Premieres: Neither Wolf Nor Dog and Chasing Robert Baker

US Premieres: Denial (Rachel Weisz), Trespass Against Us (Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson), Burn Your Maps (Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay) and Spain's The Cliff (Acantilado).

2015 Jeffrey Lyons hosted with co-host Ben Lyons.

Opening Film: Septembers of Shiraz (US Premiere)

World Premiere: Diablo starring Scott Eastwood,

North American Premiere Go With Me,

US Premiere Youth.

2014 Jeffrey Lyons is host. Films include Reese Witherspoon's Wild

2013 film critic Jeffrey Lyons, is added as festival host and the honorary jury chairman. Ben Lyons, entertainment reporter, is co-host.

2012 marked the first-ever film festival tribute and retrospective of award-winning director Gus Van Sant's work. Films in the retrospective included: Good Will Hunting, Milk, To Die For, and My Own Private Idaho. Erik Wahl made an art to pay tribute to the director.

Under the Festival's new leadership and capital more talent and a more prominent slate of films were added including the Weinstein Company's "Silver Linings Playbook" (starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro) and "The Sapphires". Also on the film slate were "Quartet" (Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut starring Maggie Smith), "Seven Psychopaths" (directed by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken), "Grassroots" (directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal), and "The Oranges" (featuring Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester and Allison Janney).

Award-winning world premieres at the 2012 festival included The Story of Luke and Red Line.

Changes in 2012 included a new "Native American Voices" category focused on Native American films and filmmakers. The program launched with the feature film Shouting Secrets and documentary film Thick Dark Fog. A Native American Voices filmmaker panel included actors Saginaw Grant and Ruben Chato.

The current festival leadership took over in 2012, Dale Strack, Chairman and CEO; Kevin Leap, President; Tonya Mantooth, Vice President; Patti Judd, Vice President. The Festival was founded in 2001 by Robin Laatz (event planner) and Karl Kozak (indie filmmaker).

Awards

2016 Competition and Audience Choice Award Winners

Breakthrough Documentary In Utero

Best Narrative Feature So B. It

Chairman’s Award Citizen Soldier

Breakthrough Feature Po

Best International Film Julieta

Best Documentary Political Animals

Kumeyaay Eagle Award Te Ata

Best Military Film Railway Spine

Best Comedy The Late Bloomer

Best Narrative Short Bon Voyage

FESTIVAL AWARDS

Gregory Peck Award Annette Bening"

Cinema Vanguard Award Kate Beckinsale

Rising Star Award Jason Mitchell

Auteur Award Simon Helberg

2015 Competition and Audience Choice Award Winners

Best Narrative Feature Diablo

Best Documentary India's Daughter

Best Foreign Victoria

Best Short Sub Rosa

Best Animation Soar

Best Family Film Operation: Neighborhood Watch!

Best Military Film No Greater Love

Kumeyaay Award For Blood

Chairman’s Award Kidnap Capital

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best Feature Moments of Clarity

Best Documentary Return To Dak To

Best Short Gunfighter

Best Gala He Named Me Malala

FESTIVAL AWARDS

Cinema Vanguard Award Adrien Brody

Reframed Humanitarian Award Geena Davis

Rising Star Award John Boyega

Auteur Award Brit Marling

Chris Brinker Award Jack Robbins

2014 Competition and Audience Choice Award Winners

Best Narrative Feature Where the Road Runs Out

Best Documentary Waiting for Mamu director Thomas Morgan

Best Foreign Feature Schimbare

Best Narrative Short The Bravest and the Boldest

Best Animated Film Dam Keeper

Kumeyaay Award Sycuan Our People. Our Culture. Our History.

U-T San Diego Award Where the Road Runs Out

Chairman’s Award Hornet’s Nest

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best Studio Feature The Imitation Game

Best Feature Cas & Dylan

Best Documentary Waiting for Mamu

Best Short Sure Thing

Best Foreign Noble

FESTIVAL AWARDS

Visionary Filmmaker Award Eli Roth

Gregory Peck Award Alan Arkin

Cinema Vanguard Award Beau Bridges

Chris Brinker Award John Hill

Excellence In Acting Michelle Monaghan

Virtuoso Award Alison Pill

Courage Award Tyler King

American Legacy Award Saginaw Grant

2013

Best Narrative Feature Autumn Blood director Marcus Blunder

Best Documentary Feature Of Kites & Borders director Yolanda Pividal

Best International Feature The German Doctor director Lucia Puenzo

Best Short Drama Solidarity director Dustin Brown

UT San Diego Award - Best Feature Film Winter in the Blood director Alex Smith & Andrew J. Smith

Chairman's Award Chez Upshaw director Bruce Mason

Audience Award - Best Studio Feature 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen

Audience Award - Best Feature Brahmin Bulls director Mahesh Pailoor

Audience Award - Best Documentary Lion Ark director Tim Phillips

Audience Award - Best Documentary Alekesam director Jason Bergh

Visionary Filmmaker Award Judd Apatow

Emerging Producer Award Justin Nappi

Chris Brinker Award Shaun Kosta, The Republic of Two

Humanitarian Award Mariel Hemingway Presented by Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital

2012

Best Narrative Feature The Story of Luke director Alonso Mayo

Best Documentary Feature A Sister's Call director Kyle Tekiela & Rebecca Schaper

Best Comedy Feature 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom director & writer Jordan Roberts

Best Foreign Feature Best Little Whorehouse in Rochdale director Ian Vernon

Best Short Drama Cherry Wave director Carey Willams

Best Short Comedy The Hiccup director Matt Smukler

Best Screenplay Below Zero writer Signe Olynyk

UT San Diego Award - Best Feature Film Red Line (2012 film) director Robert Kirbyson

Chairman's Award Tony Tango director Manolo Celi

Audience Award - Best Studio Feature Silver Linings Playbook

Audience Award - Best Feature Shouting Secrets

Audience Award - Best Documentary Not Yet Begun To Fight

Jury's Award - Best Comedy Crackers short film: writer, director, producer Gregory Principato

2011

Best Narrative Feature East Fifth Bliss director Michael Knowles

Best Documentary Semper Fi: Always Faithful director Tony Hardmon & Rachel Libert

Best Short Film It Takes Balls, director Benoit Lach

Best San Diego Film Repeat After Me director Bryan Bangerter

Best Screenplay I Rid of Me written by James Westby

Best Actor John Turturro Somewhere Tonight

Best Actress Rachel Boston The Pill

Audience Choice Award Feature Like Crazy director Drake Doremus

Audience Choice Award Documentary The Highest Pass director Jon Fitzgerald

2010

Best Feature Film A Little Help Michael J. Weithorn

Best Feature Film Nowhere Boy Sam Taylor-Wood

Best Documentary Waiting for Superman Davis Guggenheim

Best Short Film Touch Jen McGowan

Best Actor The Kane Files: Life of Trial, Drew Fuller

Best Actress Norman Emily VanCamp

Audience Award Best Documentary Waiting for Superman Davis Guggenheim

2009

Best Actor Formosa Betrayed James Van Der Beek

Best Actress Like Dandelion Dust Mira Sorvino

Best Screenplay The Job Shem Bitterman

Best Short Film True Beauty This Night Peter Besson

Best Music Video Reilly (band) Sunlight David Altrogge

Best Documentary American Harmony Aengus James, Colin King Miller

Best Narrative Feature Formosa Betrayed Adam Kane

Audience Award Jesse's Story