Past Festivals: 2003
Ninety young filmmakers representing 35 countries from around the world submitted films for the biennial festival held Oct. 25-31, 2003, in New York.
The ISFF plenary panel focused on the theme of "Silenced: International Perspectives on Censorship," bringing students, artists, and faculty together for an international dialogue on film which has been categorized as "censored" according to various political, cultural, and or socio-political standards.
Costas Gavras, acclaimed director of Z, Amen, Missing, Mad Dog City and The Music Box; Kathleen Cleaver, executive producer of the Black Panther Film Festival; Bruni Burres, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and St. Clair Bourne, writer, producer, and director of A Great and Mighty Walk, Half Past Autumn, served as panelists. Each examined the role and impact of various types of direct and indirect censorship and the subsequent impact on audiences, the artist and the work.
Winners
The Tisch School of the Arts presented awards to international film directors at the closing night ceremony, Oct. 31, 2003, at the Cantor Film Center.
1st Prize
A $6,000 cash prize and an opportunity to screen at the Kodak American Pavilion at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
Cristian Nemescu, C-Block Story
Romania's National University of Drama and Film
2nd Prize
A $3,000 cash prize and an opportunity to screen at the Kodak American Pavilion at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
JP Valkeapää, The Fall
Finland's University of Art and Design
A $2,000 cash prize and an opportunity to screen at the Kodak American Pavilion at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
Yon Motskin, The Cutman
NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
Best Cinematography Award
Kodak film stock
Jason Toisher, Ash Wednesday
Australian Film, Television and Radio School
Judges
NYU Faculty Judges
Sheril Antonio
Karl Bardosh
Arnold Baskin
Yvette Biro
Boris Frumin
Laszlo Santha
Festival Jury
María Marta Antin,
University of Buenos Aires
Michal Bregant,
National Film Archives, Prague
Phyllis Dannhauser,
University of Witwatersrand
Karen McCann,
University of Hong Kong
Cristina Marx,
German Film and Television Academy Berlin
Judd Ne'eman,
Tel-Aviv University
Nicholas Oughton,
Queensland College of Art
Nenad Puhosvki,
The Academy of Dramatic Art, Croatia