
2022 AWARD WINNERS

BEST LONG DOCUMENTARY
CLASS OF COVID-19
DIRECTOR BY JON BRICK
Class of COVID-19 explores the challenges facing educators, students, and families during the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Issues such as the inequities in school resources, student activism during the pandemic, and struggles with mental health come to light. This thought-provoking film introduces us to Nicole, a teacher battling severe health challenges who continued to teach from her hospital bed, and Stephen, a high school history teacher helping students navigate the complex issues of racial and social justice. The film also follows three Black, female-identifying high school students who take on leadership roles in the Black Lives Matter movement.

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
MY EMPTY CHAIR
DIRECTED BY ANDREW TOMLINSON
DARNELL SINGLETON
When two top U.S. Treasury Executives set out to steal a $100 million contract from Jerroll Sanders, a Black CEO, things didn’t go the way they planned.

BEST LONG NARRATIVE
REMEMBER ME:
THE MAHALIA JACKSON STORY
DIRECTED BY DENISE DOWSE
"Remember Me" is a biopic on the life of Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, her rise and challenges in the music industry, her unbreakable bond with Dr. Martin Luther King and her dramatic impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

BEST SHORT NARRATIVE
SHADOWS OF THE
DUST
DIRECTED BY ALI MATLOCK
A couple's weekend getaway to view a once in a lifetime celestial event devolves into a series of inexplicable occurrences

BEST SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM
SONS OF TOLEDO
DIRECTED BY MONTY COLE
After receiving the early morning news of his younger brother’s murder, a mourning barber pushes through the muddy waters of grief to find the courage to do the impossible - give his brother one last cut.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
DIGGING FOR LIFE
DIRECTED BY JOAO QUIEROGA
After receiving the early morning news of his younger brother’s murder, a mourning barber pushes through the muddy waters of grief to find the courage to do the impossible - give his brother one last cut.

BEST OF TENNESSEE FILM
SPIN
DIRECTED BY BRANDI NICOLE, JEN WEST
Joy, a woman who finds baking is her happy place, swirls an assembly line of cupcakes. When her boss tells her there's a customer who's ordered one with extra sprinkles, she proudly carries it out to find an adorable 5-yr-old anxiously waiting. Having a way with children, they instantly connect.
Until.
The girls' father comes from the back and Joy turns to see a familiar face that's an unwelcome blast from the past. A slight panic attack ensues and as she tries to keep calm her mind is flooded with complicated memories, leading her to a startling realization.

BEST OF FESTIVAL
MY EMPTY CHAIR
DIRECTED BY ANDREW TOMLINSON
DARNELL SINGLETON
When two top U.S. Treasury Executives set out to steal a $100 million contract from Jerroll Sanders, a Black CEO, things didn’t go the way they planned.

FOUNDERS AWARD
BONNIE BLUE:
James Cotton's Life in the Blues
DIRECTED BY BESTOR CRAM
Born in 1935 on Bonnie Blue plantation in Tunica, Mississippi, apprenticing with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin’ Wolf, and schooled by Muddy Waters, James ‘Super Harp’ Cotton became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock ‘n roll. Orphaned at nine, Cotton’s journey tracks America’s history and his story is one of empowerment during a time when the weight of racial inequity made the journey seem impossible. Bonnie Blue – James Cotton’s Life in the Blues is a unique portrait of an era and its impact today. Cotton’s music made history; his musical voice was unique, and the blues were never the same.