Girl Asleep has claimed the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
Rosemary Myers’ coming-of age story received high praise from the jury, who said it was “stylish, quirky but substantive, and with every frame filled with evocative and hilarious detail” and that it was a “truly original, theatrical, and impeccably choreographed” feature debut. The SIFF is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in the North American cinema calendar, and this year screened more than 400 films over its 25-day run. Girl Asleep beat stiff competition to win the prize, including fellow Australian entrant Holding the Man. Having recently locked in numerous lucrative international distribution deals, this comes as yet another award for the acclaimed South Australian film from Myers and Windmill Theatre. Set for a domestic release in September and with multiple festival screenings to come, it would seems the stars have aligned for the local film to achieve substantial success. Described by Variety as an “unholy blending of Napoleon Dynamite and Where the Wild Things Are”, Girl Asleep is set in the atypical backdrop of 1970s suburban Australia and follows 14 year old Greta Driscoll’s increasingly journey into adolescence and high school life. Her being thrust into an unfamiliar and increasingly surreal world epitomises the difficulties of growing up and self-realisation. Other winners at the SIFF include the heartwarming family drama Captain Fantastic, which picked up Best Film and Gleason, a documentary focussing on an ex-NFL player’s battle with disability and ALS, which won Best Documentary. Read our review of Girl Asleep here girlasleepfilm.com
