Oneota Film Festival announces its 2016 film awards

The Oneota Film Festival is announcing its 2016 juried award winners.

"Sons of Jacob Synagogue" captured the Walter Ordway Best of Fest Documentary Feature award and its accompanying $300 prize.  Directed by Francesca Soans and Robert Neymeyer, the film examines the history and struggles of a small Jewish community in Waterloo,

"Poverty Inc." by Gary Null received honorable mention recognition in the documentary feature category.

Also recognized was "The Simple Gift of Walnut Grove," which captured the Walter Ordway Best of Fest Documentary Short award and its $200 prize. Directed by John Richard, the film sheds light on a father-son relationship forged under the harsh conditions of an early Midwestern settlement.

Yu Cheng-Chu's animated short about extinction, "Farewell," received the $50 prize for Best Student Animated Film. "Couleur," by Kristen Pileri and Kate Coffey, earned honorable mention recognition in the student animation category.

Luther College alumna Emily Tope took home the Best Student Documentary Short award and its $50 prize for "American Storytellers," a film about Robert Wolf's Free River Press.

Three films—"Racing to 500" by Rob Smith, "Five" by Mahshad Afshar, and "Kuyu (The Well)" by Selman Naca—earned honorable mention recognition in the student documentary short category.

"The Keys to Our Mind," a film about early-onset dementia by Shaun Sykes and Ross Owen Williams, captured the $50 prize for Best Student Narrative Short.

"Radical Grace," by Rebecca Parrish, took top honors for the non-juried 2016 OFF Members' Choice Award. "This Changes Everything" by Avi Lewis and "All the Time in the World" by Suzanne Crocker tied for second place, while "Valentino's Ghost" by Michael Singh captured third place.