Winner of the RoC® Gold Standard Award for Female Feature Director (Elissa Down) at the 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival, The Black Balloon is about fitting in, discovering love and accepting your family.

When Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) and his family move to a new home and he has to start at a new school, all he wants is to fit in. When his pregnant mother (Toni Collette) has to take things easy, his father Simon (Erik Thomson) puts him in charge of his autistic older brother Charlie (Luke Ford).  Thomas, with the help of his new girlfriend Jackie (Gemma Ward), faces his biggest challenge yet. Charlie’s unusual antics take Thomas on an emotional journey that causes his pent-up frustrations about his brother to pour out - in a story that is funny, confronting, and ultimately heart-warming.

Now playing at the Village East Cinema in New York; for tickets and showtimes, please click here.

The 9th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters’ Lab will take place April 3 - 5, 2009 in East Hampton, New York. Submit your script via Withoutabox beginning December 1.

The Lab develops emerging screenwriting talent by pairing mentors (established writers and creative producers) with up-and-coming screenwriters. The mentors advise in a one-on-one setting while additional daily events bring the participants together with board members, sponsors, the local artistic community, and other friends of the festival. The lab allows accepted screenwriters the chance to improve their script and meet with industry professionals to help find ways to get their scripts made. Recent mentors include Ira Sachs (40 Shades of Blue, Married Life); Jeff Sharp (Producer, You Can Count on Me, Boys Don’t Cry); Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love); Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco); Sabrina Dhawan (Monsoon Wedding, Cosmopolitan) and Lawrence Lasker (Sneakers, War Games). The regular submission deadline is January 9th, and the extended Withoutabox deadline is February 6th.

Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award
TROUBLED WATER (Norway/Sweden, North American Premiere), Dir. Erik Poppe.

Golden Starfish Documentary Feature Award
HERB AND DOROTHY (USA, NY Premiere), Dir. Megumi Sasaki.
Special Jury Recognition: THE RED RACE (China/Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Chao Gan.

Golden Starfish Short Film Award
I AM SO PROUD OF YOU (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Don Hertzfeldt.

Kodak Award for Best Cinematography
VASERMIL (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Mushon Salmona; Cinematographer Ram Shweky.

Zicherman Family Foundation Award For Best Screenwriter
BOOGIE (Romania, North American Premiere) Dir. Radu Muntean; Screenwriters Alexandru Baciu, Razvan Radulescu, Radu Muntean.

Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution
SNOW (Bosnia/ Herzegovina/Germany/France/Iran, US Premiere) Dir. Aida Begic.

RoC® Gold Standard Award for Female Feature Director
Presented to Elissa Down for her film THE BLACK BALLOON (Australia, US Premiere).

Caroline’s Comedy Emerging Talent Award
Presented to Michael Spicer, writer & star of HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE RICHARD GERE.

The Heineken Red Star Award
Presented to Patrick Read Johnson for his film ‘ 77.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology
Presented to Marc Abraham, director of FLASH OF GENIUS

¡Sorpresa!  Youth Film Competition
I WANT MY PARENTS BACK made by a group of 9 teenagers under the guidance of Media Arts Center San Diego Teen Producers program.  Their names are: Argenis Herrera, Euniz Gonzalez, Garrett Hayes, Khirye Rice, Omar Flores, Cody Marshall, Aaron Dominguez, Melly Jenny, Nathan Villalobos.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards
Presented to: AMERICAN DREAM, Dir. Joseph Mann; CLOUDED, Dir. Ajae Clearway; ONE MORE GAME WITH YOU, Dir. Ryan Parma; ROSALIE, Dir. Nicholas Berger; THE HOLLOW TREE, Dir. Patrick Steward.

Golden Starfish Award for Best Young Videomaker
IMAGE OF CONTAMINATION: SAN ANTONIO’S TOXIC TRIANGLE, co-directed by young filmmakers Liz Gonzalez and Antonio Rodriguez from San Antonio, TX.

Lifetime Movie Network Everywoman Filmmaker Award
Presented to Negin Farsad for her film HOT BREAD KITCHEN.

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Presented to TROUBLED WATER (Norway/Sweden, North American Premiere), Dir. Erik Poppe.

Audience Award for Best Documentary
Presented to HERB AND DOROTHY (USA, NY Premiere), Dir. Megumi Sasaki.

Audience Award for Best Short Film
Presented to THE PIG (Denmark, US Premiere) Dir. Dorte Hoegh.

Please note that if your first HIFF Screening is in Southampton, your tickets will be waiting for you at the Southampton Regal Cinema.