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Feels Good Man took home the Best Feature-Length Documentary award. (Courtesy of LIFF)

The 2020 Lighthouse International Film Festival announced its award winners on Sunday afternoon, June 21, in a virtual ceremony.Not surprisingly, films that dealt with Americas racial crisis did well.

The Subject, directed by Lanie Zipoy, won the Best Narrative Feature competition, beating out Her Name Was Jo, Milkwater, A Case of Blue and 1986. The scripted feature is about a documentary filmmaker who had success with his last film, which caught the murder of an African American teen on tape. Now someone else is videotaping his every move, threatening his idyllic life.

A timely film that explores the complex issue of race in America, greatly acted not only by Jason Biggs but the entire cast, wrote the judges. A very compelling story, well told of a very conflicted character.

Feels Good Man took home the Best Feature-Length Documentary award. Directed by Arthur Jones, it follows Matt Furie, who created the indie comic character Pepe the Frog. Pepe was appropriated as a symbol of the alt-right movement, and the film follows Furie as he attempts to regain control of his creation, confronting far-right-wing personalities such as Richard Spencer and Alex Jones. Feels Good Man competed against Higher Love, The Long Haul, No Fear No Favor and Shoot to Marry.

We were impressed by the arc of the story, wrote the judges, the storys relevance, high stakes, and broad appeal. What impressed us most was how the filmmaker visualized Matt Furies jouney paralleled Pepes jouney and how their lives intersected. This of course concluded with Matt killing Pepe in order to redeem a part of himself.

Lost In Traplanta, directed by Mathieu Rochet, took home the Episodic competition honors. This French and Belgian production was filmed in Atlanta and tells the story of Larry, a slightly whimsical Frenchman who explores the music scene in Atlanta, where Trap, a subgenre of hip hop that originated in the southern United States, rules the roost. In his acceptance speech, Rochet declared, Everybody in France is looking at you.

The Shorts competitions are always hard fought because of sheer numbers. This year no fewer than 59 were shown virtually.

The Best Short-Documentary award went to Ashes to Ashes, directed by Taylor Rees and Renan Ozturk. It was practically a shoo-in in an age of racial tensions, considering it centers around Winfred Rembert, the only living survivor of a lynching, and Shirley Whitaker, who is on a mission to memorialize the forgotten 4,000 African Americans lynched during the Jim Crow era.

The level of the short films is equivalent to the level of cinema documentary that you can see in feature films, opined the judges. We wanted to give the award to a film we felt is even more outstanding, especially dealing with such an important topic right now in the U.S. and in the world, but also doing so in such a sensitive and interesting way.

Ashes to Ashes also won the Social Impact award.

Many parts of American history are hidden from us and now, better late than never, is time to educate ourselves, to know the history, to learn from the mistakes, not to shy away from them, and Ashes to Ashes shows personal stories we had no idea about, said the judges. We are grateful to the filmmakers of this documentary, for reminding us that movies do not only make us laugh, cry, escape to other worlds, but educate us.

The Best Short Narrative Film category was topped by White Eye, directed by Tomer Shushan. A man finds his stolen bicycle and it now belongs to a stranger. In his attempts to retrieve the bicycle, he struggles to remain human.

Tomer Shushan, already awarded with SXSW Grand Jury Award, made a heartbreaking story about African refugees in Israel and how important to stay human, be compassionate, and to not follow your ego, but your heart and soul, said the judges.

Empty, directed by Vic Pater of Middletown High School, took the Student Films competition, beating out 14 other entries. The Convergence, directed by Noah Lipsitz of Pennsylvanias Lower Merion High School, was rewarded with an honorable mention.

By using poetic language, the narration of the film was lyrical, wrote the judges of Paters film. The animations moved beautifully along with the narration, making the piece feel dreamlike. The films ability to highlight mental illness through various metaphors of bugs and animals allowed for the audience to understand a different perspective and way of life.

The Jennifer Snyder Bryceland Award, with its $3,500 special prize, went to Why Is We Americans? directed by Udi Aloni and Ayana Stafford-Morris.

The 2020 prize is proudly awarded to Why Is We Americans? an intimate and inspiring window into the poetic, progressive, and complex world of the renowned Baraka family and their revolutionary relationship with the city of Newark, New Jersey, said the judges. An insightful and layered film that would be an important and necessary story to tell at any point in time, Why Is We Americans? is even more timely and essential in todays world.

Chip Parham, who has volunteered with the LIFF for a decade and who coordinated the shorts competitions this year, won the festivals Volunteer Award. Beach Haven Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis won this years Community Award.R.M.

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And the 2020 Lighthouse International Film Festival Award Winners Are - The SandPaper