Harlem International Film Festival

Harlem International Film Festival
LocationHarlem, New York City, New York
Founded2005
Festival dateSeptember
LanguageEnglish
Websiteharlemfilmfestival.org

The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) is an annual five-day film festival in Harlem, New York.[1] The first festival took place in 2005.[2] Michael Franti's I Know I'm Not Alone was named Best International Documentary at the festival that year.[3] The short film Eme Nakia was selected to be screened at the 2006 festival.[4] Also that year, The Hip Hop Project produced by Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis was named Best Documentary Film.[5] Nigerian film Anchor Baby was named Best Film at the 2010 festival and won another award there as well.[6] Omoni Oboli was named Best Actress that year.[7] Najat Jellab's short film The Projectionist premiered at the 2013 festival.[8] The festival named Vanessa L. Williams Best Actress one year.[9] Short film In The Field, directed by Matthew Hope, was screened at the festival one year.[10]

Harlem International Film Festival 2024 award winners[11]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Valley of Exile
Best World Film When Morning Comes
Best Documentary Return to Your Corner
Best World Documentary Three (Extra)Ordinary Women
Audience Award One Person, One Vote?
Best Director Stakes is High Jean-Pierre Caner
Best Documentary Director FIREFLY: The Tay Fisher Story Christopher Nostrand
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Playing Through Balbinka Korzeniowska
Best Actress As if it’s True Ashley Ortega
Best Actor My Last Best Friend Eric Roberts
New York Vision Award Skate Night
Best Short Narrative I Promise You Paradise
Best Short Short Pen, Again
Best Short Documentary How to Sue The Klan
Harlem Spotlight (Feature Narrative) What Somalia Wants
Harlem Spotlight (Feature Documentary) Sing! Fight! Sing! Fight! From Leroi To Amiri
Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative) Speak Up Brotha!
Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary) Interception: Jayne Kennedy • American Sportscaster
Uptown Award (Narrative) Bronx Park Thunder
Uptown Award (Documentary) The Book of Days
Best Youth Short (Narrative) Project: KLB2
Best Youth Short (Doc) Little Sahara
Best Animation A Cow In The Sky
Best Experimental Film For Those That Lived There
Best Music Video Null Island – Cyano Sun Suite
Winning Webisode Vibrations: Offerings
Best Virtual Reality Nirwana Gold
Winning Feature Screenplay Black Mountain Joe Villanti
Winning Short Script Ryan Fenson-Hood No Rules Radio

Harlem International Film Festival 2023 award winners[12]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Blow Up My Life
Best World Film Illyricvm
Best Documentary Ricochet
Best World Documentary King of Kings
Audience Award The Right to Read
Best Director Honor Student Tamika Miller
Best Documentary Director Blind Eye Artist Ashwin Chaudhary
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Stronghold Julia Camara
Best Actress Our Father, the Devil Babetida Sadjo
Best Actor Our Father, the Devil Souleymane Sy Savané
Best Production The Way to Happiness
New York Vision Award Orange and the Blues
Best Short A Mukbang to Remember
Best Short Short Visiting Day
Best Short Documentary John Leguizamo Live at Rikers
Harlem Spotlight In Search of Bengali Harlem
Uptown Award (Feature Film) In the Weeds
Uptown Award (Short Film) The Obituary of Jasper James
Best Youth Film The Lake Merritt Monster
Best Animation There is Exactly Enough Time
Best Experimental Film Harlem is Nowhere
Best Music Video Winter in Pluto
Winning Webisode Closet B!tch
Best Virtual Reality Thank You for Sharing Your World
Winning Feature Screenplay A Man Called White Randy Hines
Winning Short Script 1918 Jenna Brister

Harlem International Film Festival 2022 award winners[13]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Never Better
Best World Film The Ugly Truth
Best Documentary Stateless
Best World Documentary Girls for Future
Audience Award Love is in the Legend
Best Director Maya and Her Lover Nicole Sylvester
Best Documentary Director Ushiku Thomas Ash
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Blurring the Color Line Crystal Kwok
Best Actress Never Better Sofia Bryant
Best Actor Broken Blooms Jeric Gonzales
Best Production Person Woman Man Camera TV
New York Vision Award Leveling Lincoln
Best Short Black Rainbow
Best Short Short Wildcat
Best Short Documentary When I Get Grown – Reflections of a Freedom Rider
Harlem Spotlight Cinema and Sanctuary – Hans Richter & America’s First Documentary Film School
Uptown Award (Feature Film) My Mother’s Son
Uptown Award (Short Film) If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin
Best Youth Film En Avant
Best Animation Peek-a-Boom
Best Experimental Film Black Love Manifesto
Best Music Video Enough
Winning Webisode Lost/Found
Best Virtual Reality Stories of Home
Winning Feature Screenplay A Black Tribute and a Red Scare
Winning Short Script My Town

Harlem International Film Festival 2021 award winners[14]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Voodoo Macbeth
Best World Film Reflection
Best Documentary 100 Years from Mississippi
Best World Documentary Queens of the Revolution
Audience Award Coogan's Way
Best Director Sundays in July Joseph E. Austin II
Best Documentary Director Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me Abby Ginzberg
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker All on a Summer's Day Avril E. Russell
Best Actress Voodoo Macbeth Inger Tudor
Best Actor Kalel, 15 Elijah Canlas
Best Production Voodoo Macbeth
New York Vision Award Full Circle
Best Short Baby
Best Short Short Before I Knew
Best Short Documentary Anthony Crawford - The Man the South Forgot
Harlem Spotlight The Drop Shot
Uptown Award First Move
Best Youth Short I'm Ready
Best Animation Gon, the Little Fox
Best Experimental Film Summer in Hindsight
Best Music Video Skyrocket
Winning Webisode Praize
Best Virtual Reality Hominidae
Winning Feature Screenplay Ella, Witnessing
Winning Short Script Survival as a Ghostwriter

Harlem International Film Festival 2020 award winners[15]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Haingosoa
Best World Film Omar and Us
Best Documentary Thumbs Up for Mother Universe
Best World Documentary Opeka
Audience Award The Patterson
Best Director Thin Skin Charles Mudede
Best Documentary Director El Susto Karen Akins
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker The Subject Lanie Zipoy
Best Actress Iska Ruby Ruiz
Best Actor Waiting Khalid Ahmed
Best Production Before the Fire
New York Vision Award #like
Best Short Little Brother
Best Short Short W
Best Short Documentary Finding Elijah
Harlem Spotlight Frederick Douglass Boulevard AKA Food & Drink Boulevard AKA F.D.B.
Uptown Award Sundays at the Triple Nickel
Best Youth Short Shine & Shade
Best Animation Malakout
Best Experimental Film Bubble
Best Music Video On My Mind
Winning Webisode Before We Wrap
Best Virtual Reality Reconstruct: Five Confederates and a Tennis Player
Winning Feature Screenplay The Ambassador of Love
Winning Short Script Channel Bibi

Harlem International Film Festival 2019 award winners[16]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Wheels
Best World Film Doing Money
Best Documentary The Last American Colony: One Man’s Revolution
Best World Documentary Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World
Audience Award Strive
Best Director Katrina’s Dream Mirko & Dario Bischofberger
Best Documentary Director Madagasikara Cam Cowan
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Boy Genius Bridget Stokes
Best Actress Strive Joi Starr
Best Actor Goliath Sven Schelker
Best Cinematography No Way Out
New York Showcase Award Decade of Fire
Best Short 83 Days
Best Short Short The Highbridge
Best Short Documentary The Man of the Trees
Harlem Spotlight (Feature) When Harlem Saved a King
Uptown Award (Feature) Seaman and 207
Uptown Award (Short) Chevere con Salsa
Best Youth Short We the Children
Best Animation Substance
Best Experimental Film Salt Water
Best Music Video Ice Moon
Winning Webisode Gray Ground
Best Virtual Reality The Negro Building VR Experience
Winning Feature Screenplay Harlem Fever
Winning Short Script Woke?

Harlem International Film Festival 2018 award winners[17]

Award Film Winner
Best Film The Best of All Worlds
Best World Film Elvis Walks Home
Best Documentary My Tourette’s
Best World Documentary Retracing Jeneba
Audience Award The Rainbow Experiment
Best Director Mandela’s Gun John Irvin
Best Documentary Director The Jazz Ambassadors Hugo Berkeley
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Incarcerated Rhythm Indrani Kopal
Best Experimental Film The Silent Eye
Best Actress The Best of All Worlds Verena Altenberger
Best Actor Mandela’s Gun Tumisho Masha
Best Cinematography Sayakbay
New York Showcase Award Write When You Get Work
Harlem Spotlight (Feature) The Breeding
Harlem Spotlight (Short) Congo Cabaret
Best Short Hold Me Down
Best Short Documentary Home Street Home
Best Youth Short Blacked Out
Best Animation Two Balloons
Best Music Video Stand Down
Winning Webisode A Whole New Irving
Winning Feature Screenplay The Other Side Alexandra Farias
Winning Short Script Crushing Simbi Kali

Harlem International Film Festival 2017 award winners[18]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Krotoa
Best World Film Groom’s Block
Best Documentary Garden of the Peaceful Dragon
Best World Documentary Servant or Slave
Audience Award Curtsy, Mister
Best Director Moscow Never Sleeps Johnny O’Reilly
Best Documentary Director The Land Beneath Our Feet Sarita Siegel & Gregg Mitman
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker NANA Serena Dykman
Best Actress Ordinary People Hasmine Killip
Best Actor Ordinary People Ronwaldo Martin
New York Showcase Award Day After Day
Harlem Spotlight (Documentary) The Speech
Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative) Search Party
Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary) A Girl Can Dream… Bre Scullark
Best Experimental Film White Face
Best Short Dem Dem!
Best Short Short Hello, Malcolm
Best Short Documentary The Sara Spencer Washington Story
Best Youth Short Documentary Statement of Truth
Best Youth Short Cocoa Butter Short
Best Animation Trip to the Stars
Best Music Video Iridescence
Winning Webisode The New Adventures of Brobot Johnson
Winning Feature Screenplay Ghost Patriot Todd Wise
Winning Short Script Eleventh Earl of Getzford Jess Grant

Harlem International Film Festival 2016 award winners[19]

Award Film Winner
Best Film Children of the Mountain
Best World Film Hear the Silence / Höre Die Stille
Best Documentary I Go Back Home – Jimmy Scott
Best World Documentary Nuclear Neighbour
Audience Award Thirsty
Best Director Good Grief Brandon Ford Green
Best Documentary Director Rigoberta Menchú Tum – Daughter of the Maya Dawn Engle
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker For Kibera! Kati Juurus
Best Cinematography The Sister
Best Editing West Coast
Best Actress Children of the Mountain Rukiyat Masud
Best Actor Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in It Mdou Moctar
Best Ensemble Cast 42 Seconds of Happiness
Most Remarkable Young Person on Screen Two Worlds Laura Gontarczyk
Jonas and the Backyard Circus Jonas Laborda
Kojo Kojo Roney
Good Funk Leonay Shepherd
Thrive Matthew Whitaker
New York Showcase Award H.O.M.E.
Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary) By Jamal Joseph
Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative) World’s Not For Me
Harlem Spotlight (Feature) Good Funk
Harlem Spotlight (Documentary) Daddy Don’t Go
Best Experimental Film The Sky Over Berlin of My Childhood
Best Youth Feature The Remnant
Best Youth Short Documentary Out of the Ashes
Best Youth Short Let’s Stay Together
Top Ten Best Shorts A Beautiful Day
Any Day Now
Boat People
MBFF
Neurophreak
Princess Eun Hwa
Shen
The Frozen Eye
The Telegram Man
Ugly
Best Short Documentaries Do You Hear What I Hear?
One Day at a Time
Soul City
Best Short Shorts L’Encenedor Quàntic
The Crip Who Loves Yoga
Thrive
Best Animation Sisters
The Night Witch
Best Music Video Bangers
Dove
Winning Webisode (Narrative) Everything I Did Wrong in My 20s
Winning Webisode (Documentary) My Life Offline
Winning Feature Script Riding on Duke’s Train Ken Kimmelman & Mick Carlon
Winning Short Script Run, My Dear Marjory Kaptanoglu

Harlem International Film Festival 2015 award winners[20]

Award Film Winner
Best Film America is Still the Place
Best World Film My Life with the King
Best Documentary Adolfo Perez Esquivel: Rivers of Hope
Best World Documentary Zemene
Audience Award Korla
Best Director Wildlike Frank Hall Green
Best Documentary Director American Native Steven Oritt
Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker Behind Some Dark Cloud Chelsea Kane
New York Showcase Award Kensho at the Bedfellow
Best Youth Actress Before the Bomb Sterling Jerins
Best Youth Actor Hagereseb Joseph Smith
Best Actress Wildlike Ella Purnell
Best Actor The Last Saint Beulah Koale
Harlem Spotlight (Short Documentary) Serenity Garden
Harlem Spotlight (Short Narrative) King of Guangzhou
Harlem Spotlight (Feature) Subways
Harlem Spotlight (Documentary) The Beauty That I Saw
Best Cinematography Eventide
Best Youth Feature My Voice, My Life
Best Youth Short Documentary Call Me Joe
Best Youth Short Falling
Top Ten Best Shorts Tom in America
The Dangle
Hagareseb
Before the Bomb
Love Always Eartha
Keeper of the Past
The Bravest, the Boldest
The Story of a Rainy Night
The Yellow Festival
Welcome
Best Short Documentaries Code Oakland
Even The Walls
Sir Shadow
Why We Stay
Best Short Shorts Split End
Unforgiven
Breaking in
Project Brave
I’ve Just Had a Dream
Best Animation Golden Shot
Best Music Video Chops
Winning Feature Script Hell and Hallelujah! Margaret Ford-Rogers & Shaytee Gadson
Winning Short Script The Real Man Cathy Reinking & Darryl Dillard

Harlem International Film Festival 2014 award winners

Award Film Winner
Best Film Kamkam
Best World Film Depois da Chuva
Best Documentary The Cooler Bandits
Best World Doc Brown Bread
Best Director Tempo Girl Dominik Locher
Best Documentary Director You have his Eyes Christopher Wilson
Mira Nair Award For
Rising Female Filmmaker
Redemption Trail Britta Sjogren
Audience Award Children of the Light
Best Experimental Film Duran / Circling
Best Actor Magkakabaung Allen Dizon
101 Chodyangal Minon
Best Actress Love Me Viktoria Spesyvtseva
Best Cinematography Si-o-se Pol Kristian Leschner
Best Short Documentary The Game Changer Indrani Kopal
Best Short Shorts 18 Seconds
Berxen Kulek
La Loteria
One Question
The Devil Goes Down
The Way You Love
Best Short 0.60 MG
Battle Of Island Mound
Fleecing Led Zeppelin
Into The Silent Sea
Kasita
La Donna
The Perfect Sacrifice
Best Animation Le Gouffre
Puggums
Best Youth Feature Flying Paper
Best Youth Short Documentary A Teen's Guide to Understanding and Communicating with People with Autism
Best Youth Short Perfect Day
Best Music Video The Lion
Harlem Spotlight (feature) Know How
Harlem Spotlight (documentary) Changing Face of Harlem
Winning Feature Script The Blacktivist
Winning Short Script Brewster Commons

[21]

Harlem International Film Festival 2013 award winners

Award Film Winner
Best Film Clutter Diane Crespo
Best World Film Tu Seras Un Homme (You’ll Be A Man) Benoit Cohen
Best Documentary Lessons of Hayti Edward J. Harris II and Byron Hunter
Best World Doc Post 9-11: Fear, Anger & Politics Nadia Zouaoui
Best Director Four of Hearts Eric Haywood
Best Documentary Director 16 Acres Richard Hankin
Mira Nair Award For
Rising Female Filmmaker
Bittersweet Monday Jaime Lee
Audience Award Sex, Love & Salsa Adrian Manzano
Best Experimental Film Objects Attack! Rona Mark
Best Actor Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till Mike Wiley
Best Actress Nuwebe Barbara Miguel
Best Cinematography The Passage Alexander Douglas
Best Short Documentary Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution Matthew Vandyke
Best Short Daughter Assia Lakhlif
Empty Paper Bag Majid Sarvini
Farewell Jimmy Sanghyun Kim
Kombra Ali Kamanda
Pillowcase David Lombroso
Sum-ba-kok-jil (Hide ‘n Seek) Hanuk Lee
Sweet, Sweet Country Dehanza Rogers
The Projectionist Najat Jellab
Best Animation Daddy ABC Hamad Alawar
Ed Gabriel Garcia
Best Youth Short Remain Still Armaan Uplekar
Best Music Video Sufferin’ Till You’re Straight David Scheve
Harlem Spotlight (feature) Fight, Dance Sing Kamal Robinson
Harlem Spotlight (short) Happy New Year! Judianny Compress
Winning Feature Script The Rose That Grew From Concrete:
The Story of Tupac Amaru Shakur
Reginald Jackson
Winning Short Script She Was Left Alone Bela Wolf

[22]

Harlem International Film Festival 2012 award winners

Award Film Winner
Best Film True Bromance Sebastian Doggart (UK, US)
Best World Film A.L.F. Jérôme Lescure (France)
Best Documentary Herman's House (Canada, US) Angad Bhalla
Best World Documentary Not My Life
(Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt,
Ghana, Guatemala, India,
Italy, Romania, Senegal, US)
Robert Bilheimer
Best Director The Talk Man (US) Gene Gallerano
Best Documentary Director Mas Man (Trinidad & Tobago, US) Dalton Narine
Mira Nair Award
for Rising Female Filmmaker
A Gran Plan (Singapore) Sangeeta Nambiar
Audience Award The Glamorous Lie (US)
Best Actor Hombre y Tierra (US) Maurice Ripke
directed by Christian Cisneros
Best Actress A Gran Plan (Singapore) Farida Jalal
directed by Sangeeta Nambiar
Best Short Documentary Check the Rhyme (US) Tim Smoove
Top Seven Shorts
(narrative)
Amos (US) Taylor Maxwell
I Can Smoke? (US) Tony Ducret
Playing Grown Up (Mexico) Javier Solorzano Casarin
Shoot the Moon Alexander Gaeta (US)
The Darkness is Close Behind (US) Sheena Mccann
The Hole (South Korea) Joon Seong Ahn
The Pilgrim & the Private Eye (US) Joel Johnstone
Best Short Shorts
(12 Minutes And Under)
And I on the Opposite Shore (US) Mozell Miley-Bailey
Co Raz Zostalo Zapisane (Poland) Martin Rath
Raise My Hands (Ireland) Frank Kelly
The Future (Australia) Venetia Taylor
The World Outside (US) Zachary Kerschberg
Best Animation The Hopper Alex Brüel Flagstad (Denmark) Wolf Dog Tales Bernadine Santistevan (US)
Best Youth (Feature) Film Brooklyn Bridges (Palestine, US) Fran Tarr
Best Youth Short Cross Court (US) Rafael Cortina
Best Music Video Soldier (US) Cinque Northern
Harlem Spotlight Stonefaced (US) Vivian Ducat
Winning Feature Script Eternal Spring Fist Erik Bernard
Winning Short Script The Tenth Door Michael D. Lies
Screenplay Finalists Hope is Not a Black and White Rainbow Harold Brown
Resilience Lena Slachmuijlder
You Dresses, Me Shoes S. A. Green
Screenplay Semi-finalists Fall Out Michael Gold
In 2 Me U Kimberly Fernandez & Jeanette Villafane
Kingpin R. M. Chepesiuk
Undivided Trevor and Troy Parham

[23]

References

  1. ^ Michael J. Feeney (September 11, 2013). "Harlem International Film Festival to include films about hip hop and 9/11". Daily News. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "Hi-story". Harlem International Film Festival. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Spearhead frontman to play prison show". NME. May 3, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  4. ^ "Sparta's Short Film Trailer: 'Eme Nakia'". Ultimate Guitar Archive. September 5, 2006. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  5. ^ Gregg Goldstein (October 30, 2006). "ThinkFilm backs new 'Project'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  6. ^ Patrice Peck (August 19, 2013). "Lonzo Nzekwe Spotlights African Immigration in "Anchor Baby"". Black Entertainment Television. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  7. ^ Chris Ajaero (August 3, 2011). "The Stars of Nollywood". Modern Ghana. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  8. ^ "The Projectionist Gets US Premiere 9/15". Broadway World. September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  9. ^ Marti Parham (November 20, 2006). "Vanessa Williams Proves that Having the Right Stuff has Paid Off". Jet: 63.
  10. ^ "People news from Nice Shoes, Publicis Mojo and more". Creativity. April 11, 2011. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  11. ^ "2024 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  12. ^ "2023 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  13. ^ "2022 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  14. ^ "2021 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  15. ^ "2020 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  16. ^ "2019 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  17. ^ "2018 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  18. ^ "2017 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  19. ^ "2016 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  20. ^ "2015 Awards – Harlem International Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  21. ^ "2014 Awards". harlemfilmfestival.org. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "2013 Awards". harlemfilmfestival.org. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  23. ^ "2012 Awards". harlemfilmfestival.org. Retrieved July 19, 2016.