16 Days in China (USA)

directed by Martin Atkins

From the Awards Ceremony: "We enjoyed--it's like, I
remember the CBGB days and the Max's Kansas City days in New York. When I was watching this film, I remembered those days, it sort of reverberated. There's a lot of different groups in this film, and I enjoyed all of them. It was such a discovery. I think this film deserves to be pushed a little because it's pushing something which is music in a new country, in a country that is not a rock'n'roll country, and it has a cultural connection that is not official, but it should be exploded and dealt with. I think there is a lot of things
that are going to happen in China one of these days that are better than what's going on now, and that's important."

CIMMfest's jury will give awards in each of five categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, and Music Video. The jury will also award Special Jury Awards for those films they believe stand out from rest.

Punching the Clown (USA)

directed by Gregori Viens

From the Jury: "The plot seems simple enough - singer-songwriter takes a stab at making it in Hollywood - but what distinguishes this artistic quest is a very well-written and caustically-insightful script. Director Viens' story of a satirical folk troubadour is adept at commenting on the price of fame, while making fun of itself in the process. Once more, the songs are little mirrors of the film itself."
"It's a real American story that we enjoyed. It had something--it had a good screenplay, the way it's done, and it has this edge to it. You remember the film after you watch it, and that says a lot."

Contact usinfo@cimmfest.org+1 773 234-CIMM(2466)

Appassionata (Germany)

directed by Mirko Echghi-Ghamsari

From the Jury: "With estimated casualties exceeding 1.5 million, the 1942-1943 Battle of Stalingrad was the
bloodiest battle in history. Yet director Echghi Ghamsari uses this grim setting to present a moving, well-shot vignette of human connection through music. A soldier's frightful life and death moments are superseded by a burning desire to tickle the ivories on a found piano. Yet will the sudden emergence of a fellow music fan be the signal of his salvation, or demise?

Fresh Off the Boat (Australia)

directed by Katrina Lucas

From the Jury: "Best Documentary Short Subject to Fresh Off the Boat, directed by Katrina Lucas, for its incisive exploration of the unique generation and cultural gap between immigrants and their children, an inspiring message about how music can be a force for social change, made with a fresh and clean style that transcends the hip hop music scene it portrays.

Gnarls Barkley - "Going On" (USA)

directed by Wendy Morgan

From the Awards Ceremony: "it also has a message. It's also pop--what can I say, I liked it! We all liked it.
Everybody said instantly, 'that's the best one.'"

But We Have the Music (France)

directed by Shanti Masud

From the Awards Ceremony: "It's not afraid of its own concept. In other words the filmmaker just decides to do something and then goes for it. The soundtrack is really great, the filmmaking is in super-8 so it has a real great grain to it. I think it's real cinema. We looked at it and wondered which category does it fit into. So we thought this is a category of the love that all of us
have for this music that we've grown up with and heard over the radio. And this film is just people listening to music.

From the Jury: "Like walking around a sublime stills gallery. The fimmaker appears to do so little yet says so much. Less is more. Stop."

The Life and Death of Gotel Botel (Israel)

directed by Daniel Sivan

Awarded what the Jury deemed "The Special Glam Rock Jury Award"
From the Jury: "Glam Rock Award to The Life and Death of Gotel Botel directed by Daniel Silvan because throwing away all rules and conventions is better than making a film that has a beginning, middle and end but not the juice to really tell the rage and insanity lingering, in this case, in the director's demented heart."

Cherubino (Canada)

directed by Paola Marino

From the Awards Ceremony: "A very odd film, it has a great intelligence and a sense of humor, it's like an intellectual music film. It's really well done, and it was a pleasure to watch this film. So we decided to give it a special jury award."