MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE, MOSS BEACH, and More Win 2023 Lower East Side Film Festival Awards

The 13th annual Lower East Side Film Festival has announced the winners of its highly anticipated event showcasing a diverse range of innovative and compelling films from around the world.

The top prize for Best of Fest was awarded to the sci-fi romantic comedy, Molli and Max in The Future, directed by Michael Lukk Litwak and starring Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari. The film played to a sold-out theater in Village East Cinema's historic Jaffe Auditorium.

In discussing the Best of Fest win, Litwak said, "My first short screened at LESFF in 2014 and it quickly became one of my favorite film festivals. Not only do they have great taste in their programming but the whole organization is a well-oiled, lovingly-crafted machine that goes above and beyond to create a community of independent New York filmmakers. The LESFF team has built something really special and we couldn't have asked for a better hometown premiere."

Other notable winners include the Audience Award, which went to Armon Mahdavi's directorial debut and the world premiere of the narrative feature, Moss Beach, and THE NEIGHBORHOOD Award, which recognized the poignant feature documentary about gentrification, There Goes The Neighborhood, directed by Ian Philips.

"This year's festival had record attendance numbers with sold-out screenings across our program. We could feel that our audience is hungrier than ever for the innovative storytelling, unique movie-going experiences, and tight-knit community atmosphere that has always been at the heart of LESFF," said festival director, Roxy Hunt.

The festival closed with the groundbreaking documentary from HBO Films, Great Photo, Lovely Life, directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth Anderson, which won the coveted Best Feature prize.

This year's esteemed jury featured a talented group of industry professionals, including Tina Satter (Writer/Director Reality, This Is A Room), Dan Perlman (Writer/Director/Actor of Showtime's Flatbush Misdemeanors), Abhay Sofsky (Editor - The Last Dance), Heather Burns (Actor - Manchester By The Sea, Miss Congeniality), Matt FX (DJ, Producer, Music Supervisor, Chef), Halavah Sofsky (Director/Producer Live @ The Apartment, Alec Baldwin's Love Ride), and Ajay Naidu (Actor - We Crashed, The Good Nurse, Dr. Death).

The full list of awards is as follows:

Best Feature Film

Great Photo, Lovely Life - Directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth Anderson

Best Narrative Short Film

Donkey - Written and Directed by Matt Kazman

Best Animated Short Film

Well Wishes My Love, Your Love - Written and Directed by Gabriel Gabriel Garble

Best Documentary Short Film

A Crack In The Universe - Directed by Brandon Bloom

The LESFF Audience Award

Moss Beach - Written and Directed by Armon Mahdavi

The LESFF Neighborhood Award

There Goes THE NEIGHBORHOOD - Directed by Ian Philips

Best of Fest

The L.E.S. Prix D'Or - Molli and Max in the Future - Written and Directed by Michael Lukk Litwak

Additional highlights from the festival include an interactive screening of Dazed & Confused, hosted by comedians Jordan Carlos and Phoebe Robinson, and a conversation on the evolving ethics of documentary filmmaking with panelists Jon Kasbe (Sophia, The Deep End), Suzanne Hillinger (Moneyshot: The PornHub Story) and Jon Bardin (Head of Nonfiction at Story Syndicate - Harry & Meghan, Britney vs Spears).

With a compelling lineup of films and special events, the Lower East Side Film Festival 2023 once again demonstrated its commitment to showcasing the best in independent cinema. For more information on the festival and its winners, please visit the official website at www.lesfilmfestival.com.