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Circle Award

The Circle Award is a juried competition of selected films deserving of increased recognition. Films in competition were selected by the festival's Programming Committee and the winner will be determined by a jury of accomplished film professionals. The winner of the Circle Award competition will receive a cash prize.

The Circle Award is named in honor of Ted and Jim Pedas, founders of Washington's Circle Theatres, which set the standard for innovative quality film programming.

Films selected for this year’s competition are:

The Award Jury consists of:

  • Susan Barocas, Competition Coordinator
  • Alberto Casciero, Dean, Learning Resources Division, UDC
  • Manjula Kumar, Smithsonian Institution
  • Catherine Wyler, Producer

Filmfest DC Audience Award

Filmfest DC will present two awards: one to the feature film and one to the documentary voted the most popular by our audience.

Ballots will be available after each screening.

All award winners will be announced on Closing Night.

Join the Washington, DC Film Society! Go to dcfilmsociety.org for more information.

Busboys and Poets First Feature Award

One of the most important contributions of a film festival is to introduce new filmmakers to the world, and to cultivate, showcase, and encourage these new talents. Filmfest DC is pleased to present the Busboys and Poets First Feature Award for the best first films in the festival. The winner will be selected by a jury of experts and a cash prize will be awarded. This competition is made possible through a contribution by Busboys and Poets, one of Washington's most innovative restaurants and community gathering places.

Films selected for this year’s competition are:

The Award Jury consists of:

  • Felix Angel, Former Curator, Inter-American Development Bank
  • Peggy Parsons, Curator, Department of Film Programs, National Gallery of Art

Signis Award

The SIGNIS jury will present an award to the film judged by its jury to best illuminate and celebrate what it means to be human in a diverse and challenging world.

  • Guido Convents, Secretary of Cinema Desk of Signis World Brussels; President of Afrika Filmfestival in Leuven (Belgium), and film historian.
  • Frank Frost, film and television producer; President of SIGNIS Catholic Communicators Forum
  • Mary Frost, President of Frank Frost Productions; Treasurer of CINE
  • Gregory Schenden, SJ, Movie Moments of Grace at Holy Trinity Georgetown
  • Marjorie Suchocki, professor emerita Claremont University; Director of Whitehead Film Festival


Past Filmfest DC Audience Award Winners

  • 2013: Feature: Touch of the Light, Chang Jung-Chi - Taiwan, Hong Kong
    Documentary: Who Cares?, Mara Mourão - Brazil
  • 2012: Feature: Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau - Canada
    Documentary: Marley, Kevin MacDonald - UK
  • 2011: Feature: The Hedgehog, Mona Achache - France
    Documentary: The Green Wave, Ali Samadi Ahadi - Germany
  • 2010: Soundtrack for a Revolution, Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman - USA
  • 2009: Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love, Chai Vasarhelyi - Senegal, France, Egypt, USA
  • 2008: Katyn, Andrzej Wajda - Poland
  • 2007: The Cats of Mirikitani, Linda Hattendorf - USA
  • 2006: Music Is My Life, Politics My Mistress: Oscar Brown Jr., donnie l. betts - USA
  • 2005: Innocent Voices, Luis Mandoki - Mexico
  • 2004: Paper Clips, Joe Fab and Elliot Berlin - USA and
    Dance Cuba: Dreams of Flight, Cynthia Newport, Barbara Kopple and Boris Ivan Crespo - USA
  • 2003: Together, Chen Kaige - China/South Korea
  • 2002: The Ballad of Bering Strait, Nina Gilden Seavey - USA/Japan and
    The Tunnel, Roland Suso Richter - Germany
  • 2001: Himalaya, Eric Valli - France/Switzerland/UK and
    Lumumba, Raoul Peck - France/Belgium/Germany/Haiti
  • 2000: Genghis Blues, Roko & Adrian Belic - USA
  • 1999: Buena Vista Social Club, Wim Wenders - Germany/USA
  • 1998: Windhorse, Paul Wagner - USA
  • 1997: Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo - Japan
  • 1996: Celestial Clockwork, Fina Torres - France/Venezuela and
    W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices, Louis Massiah - USA
  • 1995: The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Maria Maggenti - USA

Circle Award Winners

  • 2013: The Deep, Baltasar Kormákur - Iceland
    Special Jury Award: Shun Li and the Poet, Andrea Segre - Italy
  • 2012: Facing Mirrors, Negar Azarbayjani - Iran
    Special Jury Award: Found Memories, Julia Murat - Brazil, Argentina, France
  • 2011: A Brand new Life, Ounie Lecomte - South Korea, France
  • 2010: Zero, Pawel Borowski - Poland
    Special Jury Award: Autumn Adagio, Tsuki Inoue - Japan
  • 2009: Snow, Aida Begic - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, France, Iran
    Special Jury Award: The Necessities of Life, Benoit Pilon - Canada
  • 2008: Paloma's Delight, Nadir Mokneche - Algeria, France
    Special Jury Award: La Zona, Rodrigo Plá - Spain, Mexico
  • 2007: Red Road, Andrea Arnold – United Kingdom, Denmark
  • 2006: October 17, 1961, Alain Tasma - France
    Special Jury Award: Three Times, Hou Hsiao-Hsien - Taiwan
  • 2005: The Hero, Zeze Gamboa - Angola

Signis Award

  • 2013: The New World, Jaap van Heusden - Netherlands
    Special Commendations: Paris Under Watch, Cédric Jimenez - France and La Playa DC, Juan Andrés Arango - Colombia
  • 2012: The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Robert Guediguian - France
    Special Commendation: Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau - Canada
  • 2011: Bardsongs, Sander Francken - The Netherlands
  • 2010: Saviors in the Night, Ludi Boeken - France
  • 2009: Departures, Yojiro Takita - Japan
    Special Commendations: The Necessities of Life, Benoit Pilon - Canada and
    Kabei, Yoji Yamada - Japan

CrossCurrents Foundation Justice Matters Award

  • 2013: Fire in the Blood, Dylan Mohan Gray - India
  • 2012: Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, Pamela Yates - USA
  • 2011: Crime After Crime, Yoav Potash - USA
  • 2010: The Balibo Conspiracy, Robert Connolly - Australia

Busboys and Poets First Feature Award

  • 2013: Check Mate, José María Cabral - Dominican Republic
  • 2012: Abu, Son of Adam, Salim Ahmed - India


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