SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards have been announced, with Before I Disappear winning the award in the Narrative Feature Competition and DamNation earning the audience award in Documentary Spotlight.

SXSW announced the Audience Award-winners from the Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic, SXGlobal, Festival Favorites and Design Award categories. The Audience Award for 24 Beats Per Second will be announced on Monday, March 17.

Before I Disappear, which won the audience award from the Narrative Feature Competition, came into SXSW with a fair amount of momentum. Directed by Shawn Christensen, the character study is based off his Oscar-winning short film, Curfew. The movie stars Christensen as Richie, a depressed man who is forced to take care of his eleven-year-old niece, Sophia (Fatima Ptacek). Before I Disappear also stars Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy).

Cesar Chavez, from director Diego Luna, won the Audience Award from Narrative Spotlight. The biopic is about the historic activist Cesar Chavez and stars Michael Pena in the title role, alongside Rosario Dawson and America Ferrera.

Documentary winners include Vessel, from director Diana Whitten, a documentary about a group of women’s rights activists who offer abortions on a boat in international waters off the coast of countries that outlaw abortion in an effort to provide safe alternatives to illegal, and often unsafe, abortions. Vessel also received Special Jury Recognition for Political Courage.

The Documentary Spotlight Audience-Award went to DamNation from directors Ben Knight and Travis Rummel, a documentary exposing the corporate nature and negative environmental effects of dams in the U.S.

DamNation – Trailer from Patagonia on Vimeo.

Full List Of 2014 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Before I Disappear
Director: Shawn Christensen

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Vessel
Director: Diana Whitten

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: DamNation
Director: Ben Knight & Travis Rummel

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: CESAR CHAVEZ
Directors: Diego Luna

VISIONS
Audience Award Winner: Yakona
Director: Anlo Sepulveda & Paul Collins

MIDNIGHTERS
Audience Award Winner: Exists
Director: Eduardo Sánchez

EPISODIC
Audience Award Winner: Silicon Valley
Director: Mike Judge

SXGLOBAL
Audience Award Winner: The Special Need
Directors: Carlo Zoratti

FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Audience Award Winner: The Case Against 8
Director: Ben Cotner & Ryan White

SXSW Film Design Awards

EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN
Audience Award Winner: Big Significant Things
Designer: Corey Holmes

EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Audience Award Winner: True Detective
Designer: Patrick Clair for Elastic

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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