HIFF27 Audience Awards Announced

All the votes have been counted, and the audience has spoken!
In addition, our first-ever Zicherman Family Foundation Screenwriting Award was presented on Closing Night.

Congratulations and thank you to all of our filmmakers! 


Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

THE TWO POPES, directed by Fernando Meirelles


Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE, directed by Ric Burns


Audience Award for Best Short Film

FIRE IN PARADISE, directed by Drea Cooper & Zackary Canepari


Zicherman Family Foundation Screenwriting Award

WAVES, directed by Trey Edward Shults


In addition, Trey Edward Shults, writer and director of HIFF’s Closing Night Film WAVES, received the inaugural Zicherman Family Foundation Screenwriting Award. This $10,000 award is presented to an early-career screenwriter who has demonstrated singular vision and dedication to their craft. This award seeks to both celebrate their current work and encourage the development of future projects.


“Filmgoers were captivated by the dynamic performances and historic moments in religious history of THE TWO POPES, the exploration of extraordinary neurologist and storyteller Oliver Sacks in OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE, and the gripping recount of the terrifying wildfires in Butte County, California in FIRE IN PARADISE,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent. “We are proud to have screened all the films in this year’s program for our audiences out East and share such a strong slate of cinema.”

Full list of HIFF27 Award Winners