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During March 5th-9th, 2009, 142 filmmakers from 15 countries made short non-fiction films with the assigned theme of "Hope and/or Fear." The 13 finalists premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on May 9th where the Jury Winners were announced, including the P.O.V. Award, the DER Award, and Best Film. Check out the list of winners below.

Best Film (Selected by Doc Challenge Jury at Hot Docs)
$1,000 Cash Award, Automatic Inclusion In Best Of DVD, Free Registration In 2010
Forty Foot
Team: An Lar
City/Country: Dublin, Ireland
Genre: Historical
Theme(s): Hope and Fear
Team Leader: Leticia Agudo

American Documentary | P.O.V. Award (Selected by P.O.V. Programming Staff)
$1,000 Cash Award And Featured On POV Website
A Healing Art
Team: Fly on the Wall
City/Country: Seattle, Washington, USA
Genre: Art
Theme(s): Hope and Fear
Team Leader: Ellen Frick

Documentary Educational Resources (DER) Award (Selected by DER Staff)
$1,000 Cash Award and Distribution Consultation by DER
The Greasy Pole
Team: Gloucester to Gloucester Films
City/Country: Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
Genre: Sports
Theme(s): Hope and Fear
Team Leader: Mike Pallazola

Best Directing
Lorelei Lee
Team: First Touch Films
City/Country: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Fear

Best Editing
Dark Material
Team: Reel Grrls
City/State/Country: Seattle, Washington, USA
Genre: Art
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Cinematography
Fragile Ground
Team: Polar Star Films
City/Country: Barcelona, Spain
Genre: Experimental
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Original Score
Lorelei Lee
Team: First Touch Films
City/Country: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Fear

Best Soundtrack
Ghosts
Team: Shed Collective
City/Country: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Genre: Experimental
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of Theme
Dark Material
Team: Reel Grrls
City/State/Country: Seattle, Washington, USA
Genre: Art
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

BEST USE OF GENRE AWARDS

Best Use of Art Genre
Nagashima
Team: Takashi Sugimoto
City/Country: Lisbon, Portugal
Genre: Art
Theme(s): Hope

Best Use of Character Study Genre
The Violin Maker
Team: Frenetic Productions
City/Country: Seattle, Washington, USA
Theme(s): Hope

Best Use of Experimental Genre
Fragile Ground
Team: Polar Star Films
City/Country: Barcelona, Spain
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of First Person Genre
The Art of Softness (Available for viewing soon.)
Team: Big Punch Media
City/Country: Toronto, ON, Canada
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of Historical Genre
Forty Foot
Team: An Lar
City/Country: Dublin, Ireland
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of Music Genre
In My Hands (Available for viewing soon.)
Team: Gotanda
City/Country: Berlin, Germany
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of Nature Genre
Pipe Dream
Team: Mirror
City/Country: Portland, Oregon, USA
Genre: Nature
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of Social Issue/Political Genre
Lorelei Lee
Team: First Touch Films
City/Country: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Fear

Best Use of Sports Genre
The Greasy Pole
Team: Gloucester to Gloucester Films
City/Country: Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
Genre: Sports
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

SPECIAL JURY AWARDS

Honorable Mention by Hot Docs Jury
Time Well Spent
Team: JAGS
City/Country: Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Hope and Fear

Best Use of 3D
Propoganda in 3D (Available for viewing soon.)
Team: Blue Zula
City/Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Fear

Best Use of Graphics
Speak Your Mind (Available for viewing soon.)
Team: Blue Party Films
City/Country: Bend, Oregon, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Theme(s): Hope and Fear