WINNERS OF THE 2021 DUMBO FILM FESTIVAL
2021 GRAND BRIDGE AWARD
BEST FILM OF THE YEAR

MAURICE HINES: BRING THEM BACK
directed by John Carluccio
Duration: 01:34:00
Director: John Carluccio
Producers: John Carluccio, Tracy E. Hopkins, Debbie Allen, Charles Randolph-Wright, Ron Gillyard
Writer: Tracy E. Hopkins
Cast: Maurice Hines, Gregory Hines, Chita Rivera, Debbie Allen, Mercedes Ellington
An intimate portrait of an outspoken showman who with humor and grace has navigated the highs and lows of a seven-decade career, and a complex relationship with his superstar brother.
BEST IN CATEGORY AWARDS
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

MATERNA
directed by David Gutink
Duration: 01:45:30
Director: David Gutnik
Producers: Liz Cardenas, Emily McEvoy
Writers: David Gutnik, Jade Eshete, Assol Abdullina
Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Lindsay Burdge, Jade Eshete, Assol Abdullina, Rory Culkin, Sturgill Simpson, Michael Chernus, Cassandra Freeman, Kara Young
A closely observed psychological portrait of four women, whose lives are bound together by an incident on the New York City subway.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

YES I AM – THE RIC WEILAND STORY
directed by Aaron Bear
Duration: 01:02:00
Writer: Wade Laurels
Cast: Bill Gates, Zachary Quinto, Gil Bar-Sela
A film that chronicles the life of Ric Weiland. The unsung hero of Microsoft and trailblazer for the LGBTQ community, Ric’s bequeathed $65 million dollars to the Pride Foundation to support gay rights and HIV research.
BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

DISCIPLE
directed by Sebastian LaCause
Duration: 00:23:06
Producers: Rozanne Morrison, Think Beter Films, Light Layer Productions
Cast: Sebastian LaCause
A different kind of coming out. When a young moody Millennial reveals his HIV status in a queer support group, it sends Poe, a not so traditional gay priest who mentors the group, in search of his own inner truth.
BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

LIZARD
directed by Akinola Davies
Duration: 00:18:27
Producer: Rachel Dargavel
Writer: The Davies Brothers
Cast: Pamilerin Ayodeji
An 8-year-old girl with an ability to sense danger gets ejected from Sunday school service. She unwittingly witnesses the underbelly in and around a Mega Church in Lagos.
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

WHEN I’M HER
directed by Emily Schuman
Duration: 00:15:00
Producers: Emily Schuman
Michael was a ballet prodigy with a stellar career ahead of him. He transformed into a Russian ballet instructor named Madame Olga as a way to both embrace himself as an artist and reconcile with the trauma from his past.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL

OUR MINE
directed by Shayna Strype
Duration: 00:10:27
Producers: Heather Henson, Sam Koji Hale, Alex Griffin, Jessica Simon
Writer: Shayna Strype
Cast: Shayna Strype
In this eco-feminist tragicomedy, a female body is utilized as the set and characters. OUR MINE is the story of a mine collapse from the perspective of the mountain and explores the futile human urge to see ourselves as above nature rather than intrinsically part of it.
BEST ANIMATION

CHLOÉ VAN HERZEELE
directed by Anne-Sophie Girault and Clémence Bouchereau
Duration: 00:16:47
Producers: Anne-Sophie Girault, Clémence Bouchereau
Chloé, an old lady, organizes screenings in an underground space. She shows a journalist her galleries where her collection of silver films is stored. Through the descent, we dive with her in her altered world.