Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams have won the inaugural Bright Horizon award at the Melbourne International Film Festival, becoming the first to be honoured with the southern hemisphere’s biggest cash prize for a feature-length film.
Taking home a whopping $140,000 for their first feature film, sci-fi musical Neptune Frost, Uzeyman and Williams surpassed 10 other films in contention for the award, including French filmmaker Lola Quivoron’s Rodeo, Alena Lodkina’s Petrol and Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun.
A scene from Neptune Frost, which clinched the inaugural Bright Horizon award at the Melbourne International Film Festival.Credit:Suppled
Presented at MIFF’s prestigious closing gala – held in-person at The Forum after two years of lockdowns and virtual events – the powerhouse pair accepted via video the title of ‘best film’ on behalf of their team.
Neptune Frost, a futuris glance into the intersection of gender, technology and love, was selected by a jury of four, including cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, actor Shareena Clanton, interactive and documentary filmmaker Lynette Wallworth, and Indonesian-born writer-director Mouly Surya. To assist in their deliberation – which took place on Friday – all judges attended screenings over the festival’s 18 days, as well as talent incubators, film markets and more.
Actor and playwright Anisia Uzeyman.
Clanton, the jury’s president, said Uzeyman and Williams’ work stood out from the rest, noting its subversive themes presented on-screen in a uniquely impactful way.
“By disrupting the colonial gaze and connecting the rising influence of technology in all our lives, this film penetrates deeply into your heart and soul to say that you are not too far disconnected from me,” Clanton said after the deliberations were complete.
“It felt at once absolutely specific, and entirely global.”
Introduced in part to celebrate MIFF’s 70th anniversary, the award was also created to boost the Victorian arts scene post-pandemic, and to further cultivate the state’s global reputation in film. With the support of VicScreen, the prize will be funded by the state government for its first four years.
Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulos applauded the winners of the Bright Horizon award, noting MIFF’s global influence in film and its power to support jobs within Victoria’s creative industries.
“Through this competition we’ve supported MIFF to become one of the leading film festivals in the world, showcasing Victoria as a global screen powerhouse with cutting-edge production facilities, iconic locations and world-class creative talent,” Dimopoulos said.
“Congratulations to all the winners, nominees and participating filmmakers. This landmark competition is a fantastic way to wrap up two weeks of screen brilliance here in Melbourne.”
Neptune Frost took out best film at the Melbourne International Film Festival
The second prize of the night – the Australian Innovation Award – went to director Jub Clerc for their involvement in Sweet As, the dramatic depiction of an Indigenous teenager’s discovery of photography in Western Australia.
Winner: Saul Williams
Funded by Melbourne-based screen technology company Black Magic, Clerc won a handsome $70,000 for their outstanding creativity during the creation of the cinematically picturesque coming-of-age drama.
“This film was more than just ‘sweet’,” Clanton said. “It crossed worlds and intersected certain realities – incredibly difficult to achieve, even for any accomplished filmmaker.
“We are so excited to see what happens next in this filmmaker’s journey, and hope that this award encourages their future filmmaking projects. That it not just inspires more Indigenous women to be central characters in their own stories, but helps show just how resilient and beautiful Indigenous women are.”
The closing gala also featured the re-introduced MIFF Audience Award, selected by festival-goers from a program of over 250 features. Greenhouse by Joost, an ode to global sustainability and directed by Bruce Permezel and Rhian Skirving, was announced the winner.
Congratulating the night’s various winners, MIFF artistic director Al Cossar was impressed by the cinematic standard maintained across the festival’s full program, which included 371 features and shorts.
“MIFF’s Awards are about elevating distinctive, ambitious, bold new voices that deserve and demand a global stage. My congratulations to Neptune Frost’s Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams, and to Jub Clerc, for their incredible work and deserved recognition as our inaugural awards recipients,” Cossar said.
There will be encore screenings of Neptune Frost and Sweet As at The Capitol on Sunday in celebration of their achievements. Session details and tickets are available on miff.com.au.
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