Twin Cities Film Fest Awards Finalists

The Twin Cities Film Fest unveiled more than 15 finalists for its top awards Thursday, many of which are still set to stream during the event’s final weekend. Among the contenders for the 2023 Best Feature Film Award are the new Alexander Payne comedy The Holdovers, the acclaimed Cord Jefferson satire American Fiction and the locally-filmed adaptation Downtown Owl.

Other notable finalists this year include Giovanni Fumu’s Abroad, Lee Hirsch’s The First Class, Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers and Rudy Valdez’s moving short film Translators.

Actor Bill Murray is again serving as a special guest judge for this year’s Comedy Shorts Award. Murray will be choosing his favorite comedic short from the three finalists listed below.

This year’s TCFF slate, which marks the fourth “hybrid” catalog of selections since the onset of the pandemic, continues to both stream online at TwinCitiesFilmFest.org and screen in person at St. Louis Park’s Showplace ICON Theatres and Kitchen at The Shops at West End, in St. Louis Park, through Saturday evening. Streaming passes can be used 24/7 and remain available for the festival’s final days.

See the complete list of 2023 awards finalists below; for more information on the films and to purchase tickets for the final streams and screenings, visit TwinCitiesFilmFest.org:

2023 TCFF FINALISTS

Best Feature Film Award: Abroad, directed by Giovanni Fumu; All of Us Strangers, directed by Andrew Haigh; American Fiction, directed by Cord Jefferson; Dealing With Dad, directed by Tom Huang; Downtown Owl, directed by Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe; and The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne.

Best Short Film Award: Boifriend, directed by Rebecca Marquardt and Lane Michael Stanley; Cardiff, directed by Sarah Smith; EITR, directed by Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller; Happy New Year Jamie Morgenstern, directed by Ben Wang; and Little Anna, directed by J. Batzli.

TCFF’s Indie Vision Award: Dealing With Dad, Downtown Owl, The First Class, Hundreds of Beavers, No Right Way, and Patrick and the Whale.

TCFF Indie Vision Legacy Award: Terrence Howard

Fun Is Good Bill Murray Comedy Shorts Award: Bin Day, directed by Ryan Neil Butler; Blonsh, directed by James Werner; and South Pasadena 3, directed by Brian Farrell.

TCFF Changemaker Award (Health Care Disparities): Dr. Yeng Yang, HealthPartners