GlobeDocs Film Festival Announces the 2022 Audience Award Winners

October 18, 2022 (Boston, MA) – The GlobeDocs Film Festival announced the winners of the 2022 Audience Awards. LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES, directed by Jesse Short Bull & Laura Tomaselli, won Best Documentary Feature and the Best Documentary Short Film was awarded to RAISING THE FLOOR, directed by Sabrina Aviles.

Each year, film goers at the festival have the opportunity to vote for the best feature length documentary and the best short documentary. Audience members had an extensive list of films to choose from, totaling 35 films that included 20 feature-length and 15 short films.

LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES chronicles the historical and long-standing battle of the Oyate to reclaim control of the sacred land and birthplace of the Lakota people known as the Black Hills. Directed by Jesse Short Bull & Laura Tomaselli and produced by Benjamin Hedin and Phil Pinto, the documentary is a searing testament to the strength of the Oyate who have survived removal, exploitation, and genocide – and whose best days are yet to come.

On the other side of the landscape, RAISING THE FLOOR is a 30-minute short created by filmmakers Sabrina Aviles and Jenny Alexander that follows a successful pilot food assistance program launched in the majority Latinx city Chelsea, Massachusetts during the Covid-19 global pandemic. Showing as part of the GlobeDocs Local Shorts: Sharing Our World program, the short film highlighted the important decisions of city leaders to support a community in crisis.

"I'm inspired that these stories about local activism and challenging historical oppression resonated with this year's GlobeDocs audience. It is a privilege to share these unique perspectives, and to help bring further awareness of the struggles and successes of these marginalized communities," said Lisa Viola, Director of Programming for GlobeDocs.

Additionally, filmmakers from around the globe joined in celebrating their work and these diverse stories, engaging in thoughtful discussions with the GlobeDocs audiences and Boston Globe journalists. Guests of the festival included: GlobeDocs Audience Award-winning LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES directors Jesse Short Bull & Laura Tomaselli; GOOD NIGHT OPPY director Ryan White; RETROGRADE director Matthew Heineman; Sinéad O'Shea, director and co-producer of PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS; Kathlyn Horan, director and producer of THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER: FEATURING BRANDI CARLILE; NO TIME TO FAIL directors and producers Sara Archambault and Margo Guernsey; and Lizzy Gottlieb, director of the festival's Closing Night Film TURN EVERY PAGE.

GlobeDocs concluded its second in-person and virtual run this past Sunday, October 16th. This year's lineup highlighted important stories in the non-fiction film world curated by Lisa Viola, Director of Programming for GlobeDocs. This year's films put global, national and local perspectives at the forefront, covering a range of topics including activism, science and technology, culture, healthcare, politics, the arts, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Cross Insurance presented GlobeDocs 2022, with supporting sponsors including Monster, New England Aquarium, Ghost Tequila, and Barbados Tourism Marketing INC. To learn more about the festival, go to Globe.com/filmfest.

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