“ Rosemead ”, “The librarians”, “Sovereign” win prices, Lucy Liu receives the recovery of the Honor of the challenge

He promises to be a award -winning summer for the producer of actress Lucy Liu.

On Saturday evening, Liu received the Rising to the Challenge Prize at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, an honor that “recognizes the artists who defend the narration that breaks the barriers and widens the performance”.

It was not its only night price. His new drama PinkDirected by Eric Lin, won the best story at 11^th Edition of the festival chaired by Geena Davis. Liu produced the film and features “Irene”, a Chinese immigrant who is faced simultaneously with a personal health crisis and the alarming descent of his son in schizophrenia.

“”Pink Capture the terrifying realities of maternity in our contemporary time, “wrote the jury, composed of the filmmaker Marie Jamora (artistic director guest of the Atelier de l’Afi for women) and the filmmaker Bomani J. Story (The angry black girl and her monster). “When culture, society and health care decompose, how can a mother protect her own child? With a powerful performance of the Lucy read often underused, you understand each choice it makes. Director Eric Lin stretches real conversations on the society in which we live through an intimate and flawless film based on real events in the San Gabriel Valley. Great cinema can do. ”

Scroll for the full rewards list.

Speaking with the deadline just before the start of the ceremony, Liu called the Rising to the challenge price “very significant because it is something that concerns diversity and the implementation of stories in the foreground. Knowing that this particular story [Rosemead] is all that is exactly connected and it is therefore aligned in the best possible way. »»

The film was created earlier this month at the Tribeca Festival. Damon Wise de Deadline congratulated Lin and screenwriter Marilyn Fu, writing in her review that they offer to Liu “the head space she needs to offer a calm performance performance, selling us on the despair that pushes Irene to the limits of her always practical mental health.”

In August, Liu will receive Career Achievement Award at Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where Pink will hold his international international.

During the prize ceremony for the film’s film from Bentonville on Saturday evening, Librarians won the best documentary. The film directed by Kim A Snyder and Executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker examine the attempts of librarians in Florida and Texas and elsewhere to fight against the efforts to prohibit books, while facing disadvantaged attacks of the right -wing outs which accused them of evenings.

“This extraordinary film is powerful, opportune and necessary,” wrote the jury composed of the director-productr Kathryn Everett (founder of 5D Studios), James Faust (artistic director, Dallas International Film Festival) and producer-actor Pallavi Sastry (co-director of programming, Isaff). “He puts himself and saddens, with a second missed. The narration does not discriminate in its cover, which makes its points thoroughly, in a frightening, frightening and necessary exploration. These librarians are heroes. “

The inaugural Homegrown price has been SovereignA drama directed by Christian Sweal and produced by Nick Moceri who was partly filmed in Fayetteville nearby.

“Under the visionary direction of Christian Sweal, this daring story is raised by a cast whose performances bring depth and authenticity to each scene,” wrote Joshua Dahlman jurors (Shorts & Mn features program director, Twin Cities Film Festival); Producer Nicole SHIPLY (co-founder and CEO of Safe Space Pictures Foundation) and Claire Taylor (program manager, Seriesfest). “”Sovereign Courageously open a window on one side of American culture which is often difficult to discuss. The film invites viewers to face complex realities with honesty and compassion, arousing significant conversations that persist long after the credit bearing. »»

In a press release, the president of the BFF, Geena Davis, said: “These rewards reflect the passion and motivation of the storytellers, whose work will continue to broaden the perspectives and to engage the public throughout the year. We congratulate our BFF prize winners and we are very grateful to each filmmaker here for their contributions to the success of this year’s BFF! ”

This is the full list of special jury winners and mentions:

Best story