The 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival just wrapped up with the final award winners being announced, and for the first time in the history of the festival two Heineken Audience Awards were given to audiences’ choices for the best films. Director Travis Fine’s Any Day Now won the Narrative Award and directors Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez won the Documentary Award with Burn.
“It’s gratifying to see audiences respond so overwhelmingly to these world premiere films,” said Nancy Schafer, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Both films strike uplifting and hopeful notes, and we look forward to them continuing to garner strong audience reaction long after the Festival is over.”
Audiences have been voting for the Heineken Audience Awards throughout the festival, with films in the World Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition, Viewpoints, Spotlight and Cinemania sections eligible to win.
More on Any Day Now:
Any Day Now begins when aspiring singer Rudy (Alan Cumming) pounds on the door to discover his neighbor’s son Marco, a teenager with Down syndrome, left alone by his drug addicted mother with only the blaring stereo to keep him company. Family Services takes Marco, but days later Rudy sees him on the street and brings him home, where Rudy and his closeted district attorney partner Paul (Garret Dillahunt) become the stable family environment Marco has never had. But when authorities discover Rudy and Paul are gay, the men must battle a biased legal system to adopt the child they have come to love as their own.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles and inspired by a true story, Any Day Now is a poignant and occasionally incendiary drama from TFF alum Travis Fine (The Space Between) that addresses gay adoption rights issues that are as relevant today as they were nearly 40 years ago. Augmenting the touching performances from Cumming and Dillahunt is Isaac Leyva, who offers a subtle yet impactful performance as a boy who inspires those around him to fight for what is right when no one else will. Cumming, Dillahunt and Leyva received a standing ovation for their performances at the premiere.
More on Burn:
Burn, executive produced by Denis Leary, introduces audiences to the men and women charged with saving Detroit, the once-roaring city that many have left for dead. With vast stretches of forsaken buildings left as kindling, the highest arson rate in the country, and a budget crisis of epic proportions, the city turns to new Fire Commissioner Donald Austin to shake up the system with hard-line decisions and drastic, often controversial measures. Cautiously regarded by the department as a bombastic outsider, the Detroit native sets out to demonstrate his commitment to helping his hometown rise from the ashes.
Source: Tribeca Film Festival
