2024 BIFFy Award Winners!
And thank you to…
Our BIFF 2024 Honorary Chair
Dave Luebke
In the heart of Beloit, a city enriched by its vibrant community and cultural heritage, the Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced a moving tribute to a man whose life embodied the spirit of service, education, and leadership. David Luebke, a cherished advocate for education, a revered community leader, and a passionate lover of Beloit, has been posthumously named the Honorary Chairperson for the 2024 festival. This honor comes in recognition of his profound impact on the community and his unwavering support for the arts and education.
Power of Film Award
Love and a Major Organ
Directed by Kim Albright
After that first BIFF event in 2006 we realized that we had unleashed something truly significant. As you well know, film can be a potent force. It can make people laugh, it can make people cry. It can touch them deep inside and make them look at the world in a whole new light.
As its name suggests, this award was created to spotlight that awesome power. It is given to a film that shares with the world a powerful, life-changing message. The winner this year absolutely fits this description.
Best Narrative Feature
Shudderbugs
Directed by Johanna Putnam
Best Documentary Feature
One With The Whale
Directed by Pete Chelkowski & Jim Wickens
Best Narrative Short
The Day Of
Directed by Umar Malik
Best Documentary Short
David Again
Directed by Adam Elliot
Best Music Video
Eaten
Directed by Andrew Paul Davis
BIFF Year ‘Round
People’s Choice Award
Two Lives in Pittsburgh
Directed by Brian Silverman
For weeks throughout the year, our film audience gathers to pre-view and review selected BIFF-eligible films. Together they select a winner before BIFF even starts.
Best Regional Film
Narratives & Documentaries
Awakening Wanda
Directed by Joel P. Sacramento
Josh Burton Award
For Creative Excellence
All The Wrong Ingredients
Directed by Nicholas Livanos
A very special friend of BIFF was Josh Burton, who we lost in 2007. As a professional actor, Josh had a successful career on Broadway but returned home to become a driving force in the Greater Beloit arts community. He entertained countless local audiences both as an actor and as a producer as he helped create a professional summer theater company in residence at Beloit College.
In that spirit, the Josh Burton Award acknowledges a film deserving of recognition for bringing something truly special to the stage, or in this case, the screen.
Executive Director’s Award
Afterglow
Directed by Nathan Sill
President’s Award
Each Lovely Thing
Directed by Paloma Nozicka