Winner: Best of Fest

Art of Recovery

The Art of Recovery is a beautiful love letter from director Peter Young to his neighbors in Christchurch whose resilience and artistic vision helped revitalize the central city after a devastating earthquake destroyed 1800 buildings in the city they called home.  The feature length documentary is an inspiring and poignant reflection on the grassroots efforts and “tactical urbanism” employed to keep the city alive and its spirits up during the rebuilding.  Audience members were inspired by all of the projects chronicled in the film, and noted that feature films could be made on each of those projects.

Winner: Best Feature

Art of Recovery

 

Winner: Best Urban Design Film

Great Streets for Los Angeles

This film from Carter Rubin & Team chronicles the Street Beats project to reimagine the intersection of Crenshaw and Florence as part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets initiative. The film empowers audiences to reimagine, redesign and reclaim their streets to make them safe and hospitable for everyone.

Winner: Best Active Transportation Film

DTLA Street Futures

Karl Baumann’s short film about CicLAvia and other local experiments in reimagining transportation in Los Angeles offers inspiring perspectives on LA’s streets and their potential.

Winner: Best Architecture Film

Through the Place

Daniel Lovering’s feature length documentary about the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation’s effort to preserve the architecture and public spaces of the historic city is a sweeping, beautiful and inspiring story of community engagement and resilience.

Winner: Best Urbanism Sociology Film

Downtown: A New American Dream

Andy Cline’s feature length documentary traces the development of a new American Dream: living in dense, diverse, walkable communities in the center of the city.  The feature provides audiences with plenty of history and reporting on the cultural shift to urban cores.

Winner: Best of Urbanism Filmmaking Challenge

Neighbors

One of the most pressing issues facing the urban environment is the plight of people experiencing homelessness.  Matt Gamboa chose the topic at our NUFF Talks event and worked with the presenter Scott Sale to capture the hope that the Coordinated Entry System (CES) offers in the struggle to end homelessness in Los Angeles.  Watch the film here: Neighbors.

Winner: Best Healthy Cities Film

Nomadic Community Gardens

A nonprofit group in London demonstrates that temporary gardens in empty lots can help build community.

Winner: Best Community Development Film

Julian Price

One man had a clear vision and the means to build up a town, and support its small businesses, artists and local leaders. Julian Price is his name and the title of this 33 minute documentary.  The film chronicles his discovery and courtship of the town, and his lasting influence on the community.  Audiences at the festival were in awe of the influence one man can have when he invests himself to a place over decades and were inspired to invest in their own neighborhood starting today.

Honorable Mentions:

Cycling Without Age: FINN

People of all ages have a need to physically interact with the world in an intimate way. Audiences were moved by Finn’s celebration of the “freedom to feel the wind in your hair.”

Finding America: The Fresh Prince of Anacostia

This short film profiles Kymone Freeman, who is the programming director of We Act Radio station in Anacostia. He’s using the station to promote local culture and perspective in the face of the onslaught of gentrification and displacement.  Audiences were endeared to Kymone’s movement and eager to learn and to listen!

Velo Visionaries: Alicia Tapia

Audiences appreciated seeing bicycles in a new way: as an agent of community outreach and economic development.

At the Corner of Change

Audiences enjoyed this new perspective on a Portland neighborhood and how transportation options can help preserve the integrity of the neighborhood and community.

Denver Almost Has One of the World’s Greatest Public Squares

This short YouTube film has caught the attention of planners in Denver and is affecting change.  Audiences were encouraged by the possibility that films can renew conversation about planning.