Awards Reflect Eclectic Santa Fe Festival

A feature film about three middle-aged buddies on a road trip, a documentary about a pageant with a talent competition that includes butchering a sheep, and an animated feature set in Iran were among the winners at the 8th Annual Santa Fe Film Festival on Saturday night.

Held at the Lensic Theater, a refurbished 1920s movie palace, the awards were co-hosted by Santa Fe residents Ali MacGraw and Raoul Trujillo. Presenters included past film festival winner Alan Arkin and actor Wes Studi, who both live in the area.

The best in festival award went to "Persepolis" from writers/directors Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, an animated coming-of-age feature adapted from Sartrapi's graphic novel "Made In France" but set in Iran.

Actor/director D.B. Sweeney's off-beat buddy film, "Two Tickets To Paradise" was given the best independent spirit award. Best documentary went to "The Ballad Of Esequiel Hernandez" about an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot in 1997 by Marines on the U.S.-Mexico border in Redford, Texas.

2"Jump," a documentary about a team of youngsters in a high-level jump rope competition was given the audience choice award.

The best indigenous award went to "Miss Navajo." The film, directed and produced by the son of Miss Navajo of 1966, follows a determined young woman on her quest for the title which focuses on knowledge of tribal customs and history.

The evening also included a special New Mexico Women In Film career achievement tribute to Shirley MacLaine, which featured a video retrospective of the Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe-winning actress. Accepting her award, MacLaine spoke about her love for Santa Fe and her commitment to its growing film industry.

The multi-talented Alan Cumming was given the Maverick award for an eclectic career that includes roles in blockbusters like the "Spy Kids" franchise, Julie Taymor's surreal rendering of "Titus" on film, and Showtime's "The L Word" and Sci-Fi channel's "The Tin Man" on television. The Scottish star is also an activist for gay rights, a noted theater actor, an author, and an entrepreneur with his own fragrance line. His solo directorial debut, the dark comedy "Suffering Man's Tragedy," was screened at the festival earlier in the day.

Husband and wife filmmakers John Bailey and Carol Littleton were Luminaria tributees for his work as a director of photography on such films as "The Big Chill," "Groundhog Day," and "Ordinary People" and for her work as an editor on a filmography that includes "E.T.," "Silverado," and "The Manchurian Candidate."

Russian documentary filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya and Canadian documentarian Alanis Obomsawin were also honored with Luminaria tributes for their career achievements. Goldovskaya is known for her groundbreaking film about Stalin's gulags "Solovky Power." Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki Nation has been making films since the 1960s about issues impacting native communities. Her latest film, "Gene Boy Came Home," about an Abenaki man who served in Vietnam, was among her films screened at the festival.

Eighth Annual Santa Fe Film Festival Award Winners