Documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto was named the 2009 recipient of the True/False Film Festival’s True Vision Award for her body of work that includes more than 14 films. The only award given at the annual festival, the True Vision Award is presented each year to a filmmaker whose work shows a dedication to the creative advancement of the art of nonfiction filmmaking.
The Films of Kim Longinotto
Known for tackling controversial subjects and exploring sensitive political, social, and human issues in her work, Longinotto has received many other awards as well. Her most recent documentary, Rough Aunties, won the Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and was screened at True/False Film Festival. A Women Make Movies release, the film, which was shot on-location in South Africa, will be broadcast on HBO later in the year.
Additional films by Longinotto include: Sisters In Law (2005) winner of a 2008 Peabody Award and two Cannes awards; Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go (2007) winner of the Special Jury Prize at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam; The Day I Will Never Forget (2003), and the multiple award-winning Gaea Girls (2000). During May 2009, The Museum of Modern Art in New York will recognize Longinotto’s career in a film retrospective.
True/False Film Festival
Longinotto attended the True/False Film Festival to accept her award. Now in its sixth year, this Columbia, Missouri-based festival, which screened two of her films this year, ran from February 26 through March 1, 2009. The festival highlights documentary works that creatively approach contemporary subjects and explore various form of nonfiction filmmaking. Events include debates, field trips, parties, screenings, and special events. Longinotto represents the first woman director to receive the Festival’s True Vision Award. Previous recipients include Alex Gibney, Brett Morgen, Kirby Dick, Stephen Marshall, and Bruce Sinofsky.
Longinotto Films at True/False Film Festival
Gaea Girls (2000)
- Women struggle through physical pain and mental anguish in order to train for a Japanese wrestling team.
- Directors: Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams
- Run Time: 104 minutes
- Genre: Documentary, Color
- Awards Won: Documentary Award – Special Mention at the 2000 American Film Institute Fest; Silver Hugo Award for Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival (2000).
Rough Aunties (2008)
- A group of women protect and care for the neglected and abused children of Durban, South Africa.
- Director: Kim Longinotto
- Run Time: 103 minutes
- Genre: Documentary, Color
- Awards Won: Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival for World Cinema -- Documentary.
Women Make Movies
Longinotto’s films are distributed by Women Make Movies (WMM), a company that focuses on independent films by and about women. The Women Make Movies collection has more than 500 films including director Nirit Peled’s Say My Name rapper documentary, director Pilar Prassas’s exploration of same-sex marriage legalization in the film In Sickness and In Health, and the work of Gracie award-winning Ellen Spiro (Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars).
For more information about documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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