Rainier Film Festival Award Winners 2007-2018
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2018 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: Little Pink House, dir. by Courtney Moorehead Balaker
Best Student Film: (Out)caste dir. by Shilipi Shikha Agrawal
Best Short Documentary: Little Rebel dir. by Aimie Vallat
Best Short Narrative: The Undertaker's Son dir. by The Affolter Brothers
Best Feature Documentary: Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey dir. by Dave O'Leske
Best Actor: Brian Groh from Trump's America
Rainier Llama Award: The Adams Family for The Hatred
Audience Favorite: The Secret Life of Muslims dir. by Joshua Seftel
Winners of the 2018 RIFF Pool Tournament: Tonya Skoog and Dalton Lasnier
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2017 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: Halfway to Zen, directed by John Adams & Toby Poser
Best Student Film: "The Tent Village" directed by Nilima Abrams
Best Short Documentary: "The Tables" directed by Jon Bunning
Best Feature Documentary: "Conquering the Cycle" directed by Josh Eisenfeld and Dan Finegol
Best Narrative Short: "Cocked and Locked" directed by May Elbaz Belschner
Best 1st Time Director: "The Dunning Man" directed by Michael Clayton
Rainier Llama Award: "Undue Burden" directed by Gina Pollack
Audience Favorite: "Heart, Baby!" directed by Angela Shelton
RIFF Annual Pool Tournament Results: Through means of questionable method, Andrea Edmondson and Gary Lundgren dethrone former 3 time champion, Win Whittaker.
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2016 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: The Great & The Small, directed by Dusty Bias.
Audience Favorite: "Black Road" directed by Gary Lundgren
Best Foreign Film: "Folklore" directed by João Segall
Best Student Film: "I Hate the Color Red" directed by Jazmin Jamias
Best Feature Documentary: "Mystery of the Arctic Cairn" directed by John Huston
Best Short Documentary: "Present Moment" directed by Aimie Vallat
Best Short Narrative: "Thunder Road" directed by Jim Cummings
Rainier Llama Award: "Gotta Have Heart" directed by Sandi Perlmutter
RIFF Pool Tournament: Winner Currently Under Contention
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2015 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: Imperial Dreams, directed by Malik Vitthal.
Audience Favorite: "Booze Boys & Brownies", directed by Veronica Mannion
Best Student Film: "Diamonds in the Rough", directed by Dominique Carino
Best Documentary: "When Giants Fall", directed by Leslie Griffith
Best Short Documentary: "Riding My Way Back", directed by Robin Fryday & Peter Rosenbaum
Best Short Narrative: "From the Sky", directed by Ian Ebright
The Rainier Llama Award as presented by Warren: "Secret", directed by Tony Fulgham
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2014 RIFF:
Audience Favorite: A Bit of Bad Luck, directed by John Fuhrman
Best Feature Film: "Sand Castles", directed by Clenét Verdi-Rose
Best Student Film: "Sheltered Love", directed by Alex Italics
Best Animated Short Film: "Yearbook", directed by Bernando Britton
Best Documentary: "Finding Hillywood", directed by Leah Warshawski
Best Short Documentary: "Wild New Brave", directed by Oakley Anderson-Moore
Best Short Narrative: "Into the Dark", directed by Lukas Hassel
Best Cinematography: "Yakona", directed by Paul Collins and Anlo Sepulveda
The Rainier Llama Award as presented by Warren: "Sequoia", directed by Andy Landen
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2013 RIFF:
Best Student Film: Jody's Bra, directed by Janine Sides
Best Feature Film: "Isn't it Delicious", directed by Michael Patrick Kelly
Audience Favorite: "Knuckle Jack", directed by John Adams & Toby Poser
Best Documentary: "Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago", directed by Lydia B. Smith
Best Short Documentary: "Sleeping with Siri", directed by Marty Riemer
Best Short Narrative: "Practice Makes Perfect", directed by Vance Malone
Best Director: "Tate Bunker", Little Red
The Rainier Llama Award as presented by Warren: "Free Pie", directed by Caleb Slain
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2012 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: Rumblestrips; John Adams & Toby Poser, Directors
Audience Favorite: "Not that Funny"; Lauralee Farrer, Director
Best Student Film: "Incest! The Musical"; Grant Reed, Director
Best Animated Film: "Kubla Khan"; Joan Gratz, Director
Best Documentary: "Out On a Limb"; Kent Heutink, Director
Best Short Documentary: "Hanuman Airlines"; Hamilton Pevec, Director
Best Short Narrative: "Validation"; Ewen Wright, Director
Best Cinematography: "Masque"; Robert Hatch, Director
The Rainier Llama Award for a Feature: "Sahkanaga"; John Henry Summerour, Director
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2011 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: The Drummond Will; Allan Butterworth, Director
Audience Favorite: "Catching Dreams"; Kevin Flint, Director
Best Student Film: "Mack"; Ben Kadie, Director
Best Animated Film: "Prayers for Peace"; Justin Grella, Director
Best Screenplay: "The Gray Area"; Chapin Hemmingway, Director
Best Documentary: "Taylor Camp"; Robert Stone, Director
Best Short Documentary: "Ride of Mergansers"; Steve Furman, Director
Best Short Narrative: "Something Special"; Kristi Simkins, Director
Best Cinematography: "Kaya"; Tony Leonardo, Director
The Rainier Llama Award as presented by Warren: "Superheroes"; Michael Barnett, Director
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2010 RIFF:
Audience Favorite: Calvin Marshall; Gary Lundgren, Director
Best Student Film: "Melting the Snowman"; Ora Yashar, Director
Best Documentary: "Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle"; Kevin Tomlinson, Director
Best Short Documentary: "Wings of Silver: The Vi Cowden Story"; Mark Bonn, Director
Best Short Narrative: "Hidden in Time"; Edward Roy, Director
Best Feature: "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle"; David Russo, Director
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2009 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: "Spooner"; Drake Doremus, Director
Audience Favorite: "Adopt a Sailor"; Charles Evered, Director
Best Student Film: "Scion"; Michael Rossetti, Director
Best Documentary: "Spirit Warriors"; Randall Wilson, Director
Best Short Film: "Shelter to Sunlight"; Eric Chaney, Director
Best Film By A First-Time Director: "The Crimson Mask"; Elias Plagianos, Director
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2008 RIFF:
Best Feature Film: "The Rat Thing"; Kevin Keresey, Director
Audience Favorite: "The Flyboys"; Rocco DeVilliers, Director
Best Student Film: "Silver Tongues"; Simon Arthur, Director
Best Documentary: "Woven Ways"; Linda Helm Krapf, Directo
Best Short Film: "Verboten"; Martin Keegan, Director
THE FILMS RECEIVING TOP HONORS AT THE 2007 RIFF:
Audience Favorite: "Finding Kraftland"; Adam Shell & Richard Kraft, Directors
Best Student Film: "Nearlife"; John Sobrack, Director
Best Documentary: "Do It For Johnny"; Haylar Garcia, Director
Best Narrative: "Last Stop For Paul"; Neil Mandt, Director
Best Short Film: "See Rock City"; Doug Osman, Director
Honorable Mention Audience Award: "Expiration Date"; Rick Stevenson, Director