An Israeli film and a British film shared top honours in the feature film category when the awards for the Bermuda International Film Festival were announced on Saturday night.

And first-time Bermudian film-maker Choy Aming earned a Special Jury Mention for his short film ‘My Backyard’.

Mr. Aming bounded into the room just in time to accept his award — fresh from a friend’s wedding.

“I literally left him with a drink in his hand,” he told the cheering crowd.

Features jurors Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfuss had high praise for both winning narrative feature films — ‘Sweet Mud’ by Israeli director Dror Shaul and Brit Sean Ellis’ ‘Cashback’.

The long-time Hollywood friends delighted the crowd at the tenth annual BIFF closing party and awards ceremony with their banter as they presented the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Award.

Neither of the film-makers were on hand to accept the prize — which carries a $5,000 award and was donated in the memory of Mrs. Green, who passed away in 1990 of breast cancer at the age of 38, by her husband Peter Green and their sons Andrew and Alexander.

Producer Arthur Rankin stood in for the family at the event.

Ms Fisher said ‘Sweet Mud’, a coming-of-age tale that shatters utopian myths surrounding kibbutzes had a very inventive story.

“I love films that are made from the point of view of children,” she said. “The child in the film has a mentally ill mother, and tried so hard to make his mother okay. When that proved to be impossible, he got away. Ultimately, ‘Sweet Mud’ is a very sad but hopeful film. It is a dark film with a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Dreyfuss said ‘Cashback’ was “had a perfect whimsy” and “didn’t try to become something it was not”.

‘Cashback’ takes us into the world of Ben, a young art student who after being dumped by his girlfriend copes by literally freezing time and the people around him. “The ambition of the film has a narrow niche — and it hit the mark, it did not become unbalanced,” Mr. Dreyfuss said. “It had a strong script, and it was exactly right.”

Mr. Dreyfuss and Ms Fisher were judging eight narrative feature films and also chose to make special mention to the sex scene from the Macedonian film “Does it Hurt? The First Balkan Dogma” by director Aneta Lesnikovska.

In the documentary category, which was judged by documentary film-makers Stanley Nelson and Bermudian Lucy Spurling, ‘The Cats of Mirikitani’ captured the top award.

Directed by Linda Hattendorf, ‘The Cats of Mirikitani’ tells the story of 85-year-old Japanese American street artist Jimmy Mirikitani, who is invited into the filmmaker’s home when the World Trade Centre is attacked.

Originally planned as a short film documenting the four seasons of a homeless man’s life, the film became a beautiful and moving feature as the filmmaker begins to piece together the puzzle of Mr. Mirikitani’s past.

“The film works on many levels to blend history and a story of personal suffering,” Mr. Nelson said of the documentary winner. “From the natural beginning of an unlikely friendship it takes us on a fantastic journey to reaffirm the redemptive power of caring and understanding.”

Mr. Nelson and Ms Spurling also awarded Special Jury Prizes to ‘Beyond the Call’, by director Adrian Belic, and ‘Living With Lew’, by director Adam Bardach. Mr. Belic and Claire Didier, the editor of ‘Living With Lew’, were on hand to accept their awards.

‘Beyond the Call’ is about three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern day knights, who travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth — the front lines of war.

“‘Beyond the Call’ is a spirited tale of three ordinary men and their extraordinary life’s work,” Ms Spurling said. “It shows us that no challenge is too large for these freelance humanitarians — even world poverty.”

Also given special mention was ‘Living With Lew’, which tells the story of Scott Lew, who was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Despite this devastating news and the rapid progression of his disability, Mr. Lew forged ahead and made a choice to make his first feature film, a heartfelt comedy entitled ‘Bickford Schmeckler’s Cool Ideas’.

Over three years, the director Mr. Bardach documented Mr. Lew’s trials and triumphs.

“Through the courage of the subject to face his disease with the constant intrusion of the film crew, the film reveals the simple joys of life and the power to realise one’s ambitions,” said Mr. Nelson of the film.

In the short film category, ‘I Want to be a Pilot’, by Spanish director Diego Quemada-Diez, won the M3 Wireless Bermuda Shorts Award.

Shorts jurors producer Tamara Tarasova, actor Ben Newmark and director Vito Rocco said the film had an important message. ‘I Want to be a Pilot’ tells the story of 12-year-old Omondi, who lives in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya.

He sees planes flying overhead and dreams of becoming a pilot so that he can go far away from the ghetto to escape corruption, poverty, disease and death, and to find a land where his dreams can come true. Mr. Newmark said the film “made us all sit and think”.

Added Mr. Rocco: “The message transcended the specific location of the film.”

The award carries a $3,000 cash prize and since 2005, BIFF has been recognised as a qualifying festival for the Short Film Oscar.

‘I Want to be a Pilot’ will automatically qualify for Oscar consideration, provided the film meets the Academy’s other qualifying criteria. The shorts jurors also chose to honour Mr. Aming and the film-makers of the animated short ‘t.o.m.’ with Special Jury Prizes.

Mr. Aming, a biologist, made ‘My Backyard’ over the period of one year. It explores the diversity of Bermuda’s marine life, featuring Tiger Sharks, Humpback Whales and a host of unusual sea creatures including the inch-long Flamingo Tongue.

“Choy could have made a very beautiful film about fish, but he chose to communicate an environmental message, asking what we are doing to the ocean and its inhabitants,” said Mr. Newmark.

“It is clear that Choy is a passionate filmmaker,” added Mr. Rocco. “For a first film, it was a lot of fun and very educational. We hope he goes on to make more films.”

The jurors also noted that ‘t.o.m.’ — a three-minute animated film about the journey of a young boy, Tom, who wakes up, starts his day, dresses for school, leaves the house, and then removes his sweater, shirt, pants, socks, shoes and underwear — was “very well done”.

Mr. Newmark said it was “short and very funny” while Mr. Rocco praised it as “an original idea — well-executed”.

Also picking up an award on Saturday was ‘A Sunday in Kigali’ which was selected by film-goers for the Bacardi Limited Audience Choice Award, which carries a $3,000 prize.

‘A Sunday in Kigali’ tells a heart-breaking love story against the backdrop of the Rwanda genocide of 1994.

Director Robert Favreau was on hand to accept the award from Vernon Pemberton, Bacardi brands manager for Bermuda Premium Spirits.

Eighty-five films from 32 countries screened at BIFF 2007.