AFI DOCS Presented by Audi Award Winners

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AFI DOCS presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) announced today its distinguished Audience Award winners, culminating a five day festival including the screening of 53 films representing 30 countries in iconic DC locations on the National Mall and Penn Quarter area as well as at the historic AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. 

The Festival hosted over 19,000 attendees, including 845 filmmakers, film subjects, journalists, industry, esteemed panelists and special guests, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, LETTERS TO JACKIE director Bill Couturie, AFI Trustee Emerita Ina Ginsburg, Bipartisan Policy Center President Jason Grumet, Attorney General Eric Holder, White House Staffer Frances Anne Holuba, Senator Robert Menendez, Academy^® Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, HERBLOCK producer George Stevens Jr. and Pulitzer Prize Winner Jose Antonio Vargas.

The Festival encompassed a full day of "Catalyst Sessions" exploring Immigration, Education, Intellectual Property and the Role of Humor in Politics.  The Festival also hosted an inaugural Public Policy Engagement Program, which connected over 52 filmmakers with influential policy makers in the halls of Congress, at a Film and Politics Boot Camp, as well as in conversations with Administration officials about ways to collaborate for positive social change around shared issue areas. 

This year's Audience Award for Best Feature went to THE NEW BLACK directed by Yoruba Richen.  The film examines how African-American voters have become bitterly divided on the issue of gay marriage because of homophobia rampant in one of the pillars of the African-American community – the church.  Focusing on the fight for marriage equality in Maryland, it argues that this hot-button issue is a matter of civil rights.

This year's Audience Award for Best Short went to SLOMO directed by Joshua Izenberg.  The film asks what would really happen if you quit your lucrative job and just did what you wanted all day, like subject John Kitchin, a doctor who traded his medical practice for rollerblades and sandy beaches, and explores the neurological and spiritual joys of slow acceleration.

"While this was a transformational year for the Festival with an expanded footprint into the heart of Washington, DC, at our core remains a commitment to celebrating the best in the documentary form," said Sky Sitney, Festival Director.  "The tremendous enthusiasm and response to the film program and its related panels surpassed even our highest expectations. Congratulations to our award winning filmmakers who have set the bar even higher for all future years."

The 2013 edition of AFI DOCS marks the historic return of the American Film Institute to Washington, DC, where its creation was announced in the White House Rose Garden in 1965.

Best of Fest screenings were held on Monday at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, including AFTER TILLER, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY, BEST KEPT SECRET, THE CRASH REEL, GIDEON'S ARMY, GOD LOVES UGANDA, LET THE FIRE BURN, LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, OUR NIXON, MCCULLIN, MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS, THE NEW BLACK and RUNNING FROM CRAZY.

About AFI DOCS presented by Audi
AFI DOCS presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) is an internationally recognized event that honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world.  Now in its 11th year, the festival is embarking on a transformational chapter in its history with an expansion into landmark Washington, DC venues and with the AFI Catalyst Sessions which serve as stimuli for national public discourse and an opportunity to engage our nations leaders with filmmakers striving to shine a light on the greatest issues of today.  The festival historically has attracted over 27,000 documentary enthusiasts, policy-makers and thought leaders.  Visit AFI.com/AFIDOCS and connect on twitter.com/AFIDOCS, facebook.com/AFIDOCS and youtube.com/AFI.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is America's promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.  AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.  AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award – the highest honor for a career in film – now in its 41st year; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI's 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI Fest presented by Audi, AFI Docs presented by Audi and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world renowned AFI Conservatory, renowned for the quality of its instructors and speakers, and its notable alumni. 

For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

About Audi 
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles.  AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally.  Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S.  Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products, facilities and technologies.  Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

SOURCE American Film Institute