"A portrait of a family disintegrating, 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' is both compelling, enraging, and an act of great courage by director Mohammad Rasoulof. Combining deeply felt performances with real footage of contemporary protests in Iran, the winner of the Krzysztof Kieslowski award is a stunning look at resilience in the face of overwhelming political and personal turmoil."

"We the jury have chosen to give the Maysles Brothers' Award for documentary to the film 'Mistress Dispeller' for its insight into a fascinating subculture, and emphasis on the importance of community."

"All of these films are beautiful, personal and truly impressive feats of production. We are so grateful that you've put this work out into the collective conscience. But for its gorgeous direction, stellar cinematography, out of this world performances, and a narrative that is beautifully crafted and full of heart, the jury awards the 2024 American Independent Award to 'Color Book'."

"Desire, love, religion, class, gender, and social structures all come under director Payal Kapadia's close and sensitive gaze. The ensemble's tender and unadorned performances also deserve Special Mention."

"Sean Pecknold has created an inventive and enormously brave look at the universality of loneliness. In this imaginative stop animation, we experience the lack of purpose in life from a vacuum cleaner robot's point of view who meets an old rabbit. Lonely and dreaming of his younger days, the rabbit with the help of the robot, rediscovers his body, and dances for a last time. Deeply poignant, this story helps us to discover what is unknown about our existence, and most importantly, to realize that connecting to someone is what makes life worth living. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short goes to 'Tennis, Oranges'."

"For its delightful search for the irreverent and its darkly humorous depiction of what can make anyone go over the edge, the jury would like to recognize 'Humanity' as the winner of the Student Animated Shorts category."