White Shadow wins at EEFF

White Shadow has won the Best Feature award at this year’s East End Film Festival (EEFF).

Noaz Deshe’s debut feature is set in Tanzania and, focusing on a young albino, is an exploration of folk religion.

The film was chosen by a jury comprising of EEFF’s director-in-residence Sebastian Hofmann, Screen International chief film critic Mark Adams, BFI director of partnerships Eddie Berg, English photographer and video artist Gillian Wearing and screenwriter Peter Straughan.

Deshe will be invited to the festival in 2015 as director-in-residence.

In addition, Tom Berninger’s Mistaken for Strangers was named Best Documentary by a jury comprising British film-makers Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard, director Emad Burnat, documentary film-maker Tristan Anderson and BBC Storyville’s Shanida Scotland.

The inaugural Accession Award, championing the art of cinematography, was judged by Barry Ackroyd and awarded to Jonathan Fairburn’s Soho Cigarette. As a result, the film’s cinematographer Gavin Northover has won a complete cinematography package from camera rental company One Stop Films.

Jessica Habie’s Mars at Sunrise won Best Feature Soundtrack, while Graham Fitzpatrick’s Colours and Adam Greves’ The Day My Fish Died scooped Best UK Short (with a prize of £3,000 of post production services from Prime Focus) and Short Film Audience Award, respectively.

The 13th edition of the festival screened over 100 features and around 80 shorts, with guests including Hugh Grant, Clive Owen and Ron Perlman.