AIFF 2010: Best of the Fest - Wild Hunt Got Stolen

The Wild Hunt was awarded the Golden Oosikar* as the Best Feature in the Anchorage International Film Festival. (I don't agree with the choice, but that's besides the point.)

Stolen was awarded the Golden Oosikar as the Best Documentary. I didn't manage to see it during the Festival, so I was looking for when it was going to play in Best of the Fest.  It wasn't there.  I'm planning a post on my picks for the best films in the various categories, but how can I choose if I can't see the one that won best documentary?  (I'm pleased with some choices, disagree with others.)

Here's the explanation from Rand Thornsley:  There are only eight slots for Best of the Fest.  They have to make difficult choices.  Factors that were considered:

• Audience votes
• Number of times it was shown in the festival

Not only was Stolen missing - it was shown twice and it didn't do well in the audience voting - so was The Wild Hunt which won Best Feature from the judges, for the same reasons.  Exporting Raymond, which was runner up for Audience Choice Award also isn't in the Best of the Fest, though Full Disclosure is.  Both were only screened once.  However, Full Disclosure got Honorable Mention for Documentary both from the judges and from the Audience Choice votes.

Exporting Raymond was a special selection (invited to be screened) while Full Disclosure was submitted and selected as one of the Documentaries in Competition.  (Rand didn't mention this distinction, but it makes sense that submitted films should edge out invited films.)  I'll definitely have more to say about Exporting Raymond and I'm hoping to find a way to see Stolen before I pick my favorite documentaries.  Stolen is about human trafficking in Africa - not a warm and fuzzy subject, but Full Disclosure is also a difficult subject - Marines in Iraq.  But Americans feel more connected to that topic I think.



*The only reference online to Oosikar refers to the awards given at the Anchorage International Film Festival. An oosik, as every Alaskan knows, is the penile bone of a walrus. You can see these Alaskan Oscars in the picture.