Winners Announced
for Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

Leading the pack of winners for the 2007 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival was Shelter, for both the Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Feature and the Jury Award for Best New Director, Jonah Markowitz. The jury recognized Markowitz "for his ability to depict, with sympathy, the complexities of contemporary struggles with class, sexuality, and responsibility," according to a statement released Tuesday.

More than 10,000 people visited the 10-day festival of parties, discussion, and film. The event boasted showing 150 narrative features, documentaries, local films, and shorts.

Below is the list of winners in their categories:

Jury Awards

Best Narrative: The Witnesses, Andre Techine, director

Honorable Mention: The King and the Clown, Jun-ik Lee, director

Best New Director: Jonah Markowitz, Shelter

Best Documentary: Railroad All-Stars, Chema Rodriguez, director

Honorable Mention: Jerusalem Is Proud to Present, Nitzan Gilady, director

Best Local Film: Blood on the Flat Track: The Rise of the Rat City Roller Girls, Lainy Bagwell and Lacey Leavitt, directors

Honorable Mention: We Are GLBTQ, Derek Himeda, director

Best Short Film: Pariah, Dee Rees, director

Honorable Mention: My First Time Driving, Rebecca Feldman, director

Most Innovative Short Film: Salt, Campbell Farquhar, director

Honorable Mention: Rock Pockets, Trevor Anderson, director

Audience Awards

Favorite Narrative Feature: Shelter, Jonah Markowitz, director

Favorite Documentary: Jerusalem Is Proud to Present, Nitzan Gilady, director

Favorite Local Film: Blood on the Flat Track: The Rise of the Rat City Roller Girls, Lainy Bagwell and Lacey Leavitt, directors

Favorite Boy Short: A Trip to Prague, Neil Ira Needleman, director

Favorite Girl Short: Pariah, Dee Rees, director (The Advocate)