"In five deceptively simple minutes, this animated film takes us from a factory in Delaware to the farthest reaches of space, transforming a real event into a delightfully speculative meditation on our place in the universe."

"For its immensely empathetic and measured approach to capturing the workings of a volunteer-run clinic servicing the uninsured and undocumented in Philadelphia. It's a film that's both urgent in its timeliness and warmly human in its approach to the doctors and patients it follows."

"We loved the intimacy, sensitivity and delicacy of this family portrait, and were impressed by the nuanced performance of the young star; and we felt truly immersed in his point of view."

"A superbly directed thriller that explores the current dilemma of the refugee crisis. The film challenges the audience at every turn, implicating the viewer asking them to think what would they do if faced with the same situation."

"We loved this highly inventive and imaginative film. We were completely drawn into Mr Madila's hilarious and wild world."

"This urgently timely story of incarceration and its effects on a family employs a spare animation style and an eloquent metaphor to transform a deeply personal tale into a cinematic language that speaks to us all."

"Energetic and stylish, this film examines the fear and courage implicit in a proclamation of new love. The jury was stuck by this films pacing and use of color and music. Clearly, this student is a filmmaker to watch."

"The winner of the Best of the Fest Award goes to a film that devastated the jury with its portrayal of a family escaping danger. This surprising and incredibly powerful film deftly elicits not just our compassion, but more importantly, our empathy."

"For its honest, haunting and subtly devastating depiction of an emotionally damaged woman struggling to reconnect her body and her soul."

Joint runner up: Alike

Runner-Up

"The jury would also like to give a special mention to a film that in one breathtaking, surprising and hilarious take revealed the extraordinary talent of its writer director and star, Jim Cummings, a filmmaker and actor we are sure we'll be seeing much more of."