Congratulations to all the filmmakers, directors, producers and participants!

Your 2022 KWFF Award Winners Are:

Golden Conch Award Winners
Golden Conch Award for Best Foreign Language Feature – BROKER, directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu
Golden Conch for Best Florida Feature – PATH OF THE PANTHER, directed by Eric Bendick
Golden Conch for Best LGBTQ Feature – CLOSE, directed by Lukas Dhont
Golden Conch for Best Documentary Feature – GOOD NIGHT OPPY, directed by Ryan White
Golden Conch for Best Narrative Film – THE INSPECTION, directed by Elegance Bratton

KWFF Critics Award – LAST FLIGHT HOME, directed by Ondi Timoner

The KWFF Critics Award was chosen by Alissa Wilkinson of Vox.com. David Fear of Rolling Stone, Eric Hynes of the Museum of the Moving Image, Tomris Laffly of Variety, and Shirrel Rhoades of the Key West Citizen.

A diverse collective of filmmakers led the short film award winners. The fest assembled a revered jury of industry leaders to judge the 11th edition of the five-day showcase and summit, highlighted by Chicago Fire Co-Producer Daniele Bernstein, Late Night with Seth Meyers Associate Producer and Michigan native Amanda Cowper, and Florida industry leaders.

Awards included Best Live Action Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, and Best Florida Short Film. Two student filmmakers received the Kimberly Peirce Student Filmmaker Scholarship presented by the Diana King Foundation. Winners were announced during the Key West Film Festival Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 19th.

Here are the five jury award-winning short films:

Best Live Action Short – Legs, directed by Celine Cotran, starring Downton Abbey‘s Laura Carmichael (pictured above)

Best Documentary Short – Freedom Swimmer, directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire 

Best Florida Filmmaker Short – Noche del Infierno, directed by Andrew Reid

Best Florida Student Filmmaker Short – Azulejos, directed by Maria Paula Arboleda 

Best World Student Filmmaker Short – Refrigerate After Opening, directed by Kevin Ung

Emmy Winners and Arts Advocates Highlight the Jury

The jury included Hell’s Kitchen Producer Eric Rudnick, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit actor Mouzam Makkar, and Emmy Winning documentary producer Matthew Mills. Rounding out the jury were award-winning director and former Sundance Film Festival Programming Associate April Wright, Omeleto Head of Programming Kat Ascharya, Australian arts advocate Augusta Supple, Second City and AMAW Los Angeles veteran Sommer Austin, Comedian Erick Esteban, and Key West Film Festival alumni filmmakers Rose Schimm and Jared Wright.

Florida industry leaders on the jury include Film Commissioner for St. Petersburg Clearwater, Tony Armer, University of Miami’s Margaret Cardillo, University of South Florida’s Mark Schimmel, and Key West Filmmaker John Cunningham.