Napa Valley Film Festival Awards Go to ‘Stuck,’ ‘Skid Row Marathon’

The Napa Valley Film Festival has awarded “Stuck” with the narrative feature prize, which included a cash prize of $10,000 presented by Meadowood Napa Valley, while “Skid Row Marathon” took the doc award with a $10,000 prize.

Giancarlo Esposito and Amy Madigan star in “Stuck,” a musical about strangers stuck on a N.Y. subway train. “Skid Row” marathon is about a Los Angeles judge who starts a running club for the homeless population.

Though the area was ravaged by massive wildfires just a few weeks ago, festival organizers made the difficult decision to continue and make donations to those affected by the fire.

Festival co-founder and artistic director Marc Lhormer said: “It has been a tough road getting to this year’s festival, but what a perfect way to celebrate great storytelling in all its forms and to showcase the strength and resilience of our Napa Valley community.”

In all 128 films unspooled at various venues in the Napa Valley from Nov. 8-12.

Feature and narrative directors took part in an artists-in-residence program at Meadowood Napa Valley where they stayed for six nights and had opportunities to join master classes and network with their peers as well as enjoy nightly winemaker dinners.

“We commend the festival for selecting a group of diverse and beautiful films. It has been our honor and pleasure to do our part to support this fantastic festival,” said Gren Wells, Jonathan Robinson and Dierk Sindermann, members of the Documentary Shorts Jury.

“In addition to the strength of the individual works, we were incredibly impressed as a jury by the truly outstanding programming,” said juror Lissa Gibbs. “It was reassuring to know that each film submitted was so expertly considered and curated.”

Full list of winners:
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature presented by Italics Winegrowers, and with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley, goes to “Stuck.”
Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature presented by John Anthony Vineyards, and with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley, goes to “Skid Row Marathon.”
Jury Award for Best Screenplay presented by Darioush goes to “The House of Tomorrow.”
Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast presented by Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley goes to “The Boy Downstairs.”
Jury Award for Best Narrative Short presented by Rombauer Vineyards goes to “The Dam.”
Jury Award for Best Documentary Short presented by Grgich Hills Estate goes to “The Tables.”
Jury Award for Best Lounge Feature presented by Duckhorn Portfolio goes to “Quest.”
Jury Award for Best Lounge Short presented by Acumen Wines goes to “The Arrival.”
Special Jury Award – For Depth and Grace in Documentary Filmmaking presented by Castellucci Napa Valley goes to “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin.”
Special Jury Award – Best Breakout Performance in a Lounge Feature Film presented by Materra Cunat Family Vineyards goes to Mackenzie Davis for her work in the film “Izzy Gets the F— Across Town.”

Audience Awards:
Audience Award for Favorite Actor presented by Tamber Bey Vineyards goes to Gregory Kasyan for his work in the film “Quest.”
Audience Award for Favorite Actress presented by Davis Estates goes to Olivia Holt for her work in the film “Class Rank.”
Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Feature presented by The Hess Collection goes to “Skid Row Marathon.”
Honorable Mention goes to “40 years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie.”
Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Short presented by Reynolds Family Vineyards goes to “Make It Work: The Idea.”
Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Feature presented by VGS Chateau Potelle goes to “Quest.”
Honorable Mention goes to “Stuck.”
Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Short presented by RiverHouse by Bespoke Collection goes to “The Final Show.”
Honorable Mentions go to “Life Boat and Brothers.”
Audience Award for Favorite Short Feature presented by Eleven Eleven Winery goes to “Taming Wild: A Girl and a Mustang.”

View this article at Variety.