The Sydney Film festival has announced the winners of the Foxtel Movies Audience Awards for 2017. The wonder Australian comedy ALI’S WEDDING has taken the top prize. As we said in our review, “if you aren’t outright laughing then you’ll probably have a sloppy grin on your face the whole time.” It’s easy to see why this garnered the lion’s share of the 20,000 votes cast through the app-based voting system.
Social media favourite CALL ME BY YOUR NAME came in a close second, with the charming Australian films RIP TIDE and THAT”S NOT ME making for a healthy local representation in the Top 5. One of our favourites, BRIGSBY BEAR, rounded out the top slots on the list.
“The Foxtel Movies Audience Awards are the people’s choice awards, and the winners reflect the most popular films at the Festival,” said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley.
“It is our delight to report that Sydney Film Festival audiences have spoken, with 20,000 votes revealing two Australian films as the winners of the feature and documentary categories in the Foxtel Movies Audience Awards.”
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
1. Ali’s Wedding directed by Jeffrey Walker (Australia) Full Review >>
2. Call Me By Your Name directed by Luca Guadagnino (Italy, France)
3. Rip Tide directed by Rhiannon Bannenberg (Australia) Full Review >>
4. That’s Not Me directed by Gregory Erdstein (Australia) Full Review >>
5. Brigsby Bear directed by Dave McCary (USA) Full Review >>
6. On Body and Soul directed by Ildikó Enyedi (Hungary)
7. God’s Own Country directed by Francis Lee (UK)
8. Sami Blood directed by Amanda Kernell (Sweden, Denmark, Norway)
9. The Woman Who Left directed by Lav Diaz (Philippines)
10. The Wound directed by John Trengrove (South Africa, Germany, The Netherlands, France)
In the Audience Award for Best Documentary category, the Australians accounted for half of the Top 10. Coming out with the highest score was Kate Hickey’s Roller Dreams, about the 1980s roller dance scene at Venice Beach, while The Last Goldfish, Chauka Please Tell Us The Time (filmed in secret on Manus Island), The Opposition and Barbecue coming in close behind.
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
1. Roller Dreams directed by Kate Hickey (Australia)
2. The Last Goldfish directed by Su Goldfish (Australia)
3. Chauka Please Tell Us the Time directed by Behrouz Boochani and Arash Kamali Sarvestani (The Netherlands, Papua New Guinea)
4. The Opposition directed by Hollie Fifer (Australia)
5. Barbecue directed by Matthew Salleh (Australia)
6. The Workers Cup directed by Adam Sobel (UK)
7. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana (Canada)
8. The Farthest directed by Emer Reynolds (Ireland)
9. The Pink House directed by Sascha Ettinger Epstein (Australia)
10. It’s Not Yet Dark directed by Frankie Fenton (Ireland)
