Skip to Content

ANNOUNCING THE 2021 SDAFF AWARD WINNERS

November 6, 2021
Still from Christopher Makoto Yogi’s I Was A Simple Man, 2021 winner of the SDAFF Grand Jury Prize.

 

The 22nd San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) announced the winners of its competition categories at the SDAFF Awards Gala, held virtually on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

Top honors went to I Was A Simple Man for the Grand Jury Prize, Manzanar Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust for Best Documentary Feature, and 7 Days for Best Narrative Feature.

See below for the full list of winners.


 

Asian American Juried Competition

Jurors include Peter X Feng, Keisha N. Knight, Phuong Le, and Meena Nanji

Grand Jury Prize

I Was a Simple Man

Directed by Christopher Makoto Yogi

Best Documentary Feature

Manzanar Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust

Directed by Ann Kaneko

Best Narrative Feature

7 Days

Directed by Roshan Sethi

Best Documentary Short

An Uninterrupted View of the Sea

Directed by Mika Yatsuhashi

Best Narrative Short

Americanized

Directed by Erica Eng

Best Experimental Short

Rumi and His Roses

Directed by Navid Sinaki

Special Jury Mention

To Live Here

Directed by Melanie Dang Ho

 

International Juried Competition

Jurors include Martin Edralin, Kristine Estorninos, Maggie Lee

Best International Short

Lemongrass Girl

Directed by Pom Bunsermvicha

 

Other Awards

Emerging Filmmaker Award

Never Rest/Unrest

Directed by Tiffany Sia

Audience Award

Like a Rolling Stone: the Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres

Directed by Suzanne Joe Kai

More News