America Minaya in a scene from Accelerating America, a documentary by Timothy Hotchner that won the grand prize for best feature documentary at the 12th Rhode Island International Film Festival, which ended Sunday. The film follows three students from the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program, an independent public school. Because of the film, Minaya has reconnected with adults at UCAP who were close to her and still want to try to help her. The two other students featured in the film, Jason Levesque and Yazmine Lopez, have graduated.

The 12th Rhode Island International Film Festival has announced its awards for the 2008 event, which closed Sunday.

Best Short

GRAND: Gone Fishing, Chris Jones, director, United Kingdom.

First: New Boy, Steph Green, director, Ireland.

Second: Absolutely Positive, Kate Brown, director, Netherlands.

Best Feature

GRAND: The Full Picture, Jon Bowden, director, U.S.

First: This Beautiful City, Ed Gass-Donnelly, director, Canada.

Tied with: Tobiro No Muko (Left Handed), Laurence Thrush, director, Japan.

Second: Wherever You Are, Rob Margolies, director, U.S.

Best Feature Documentary

GRAND: Accelerating America, Timothy Hotchner, director, U.S.

First: The Wrecking Crew, Denny Tedesco, director, U.S.

Tied with: Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Tennis Shoes, Peter Rosen, director, U.S.

Second: Small Voices, Heather Connell, director, U.S./Cambodia.

Best Documentary Short

GRAND: Trip to Hell & Back, Stu Maddux, director, U.S.

First: Swim Lessons: The Nick Irons Story, Alex Houston, director, U.S.

Second: Art in Darkness, Naomi Wise, director, U.S./Canada.

Directorial Discovery Award

Ancestor Eyes, Kalani Queypo, director, U.S., and The Graduates, Ryan Gielen, director, U.S.

International Discovery Award

GRAND: Romans 12:20, The Shammasian Brothers, directors, United Kingdom.

First: Sotto Il Mio Giardino, Andrea Lodovichetti, director, Italy.

Second: The Pond, Sonja Phillips, director, United Kingdom.

Tied with: Spielzeugland (Toyland), Jochen Alexander Freydank, director, Germany.

RIIFF Director’s Choice Award

Next Floor, Denis Villeneuve, director, Canada.

Helping Hand, International Humanitarian Award

Hakim, Ismail Sahin, director, Germany/Tanzania.

Providence Film Festival

GRAND: Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, Nancy Porter, director, U.S.

First: Commit to the Line, Rachelle Dermer, director, U.S./Canada.

Second: Inside the Outside, Leigh Medeiros, director, U.S.

Editing

GRAND: Blackspot, Ben Hawker, director, New Zealand.

First: Satellites & Meteorites, Paul Mullen (picture editor); Rick Larkin, director, United Kingdom.

Tied with: My Inventions, Tony Dean (picture editor); Robert Holbrook, director, Canada.

Screenplay

GRAND: Model Rules, Marlyn Mason, screenwriter; Ray Nomoto Robison, director, U.S.

First: Chasing the White Dragon, Kathilynn Phillips, screenwriter/director, U.S.

Second: The Drummer, William Block, screenwriter/director, U.S.

Best Experimental

GRAND: eclipse, Mark Lapwood, director, India/Australia/New Zealand.

First: Tongue of the Hidden, David Anderson, director, United Kingdom.

Tied with: Ikigai, Brian Quigley, director, Canada/Japan.

Second: Kataude, Akemi Tachibana, director, Japan.

Alternative Spirit

GRAND: Bi the Way, Brittany Blockman/Josephine Decker, directors, U.S.

First: The Back Room, Greg Ivan Smith, director, U.S.

Tied with: Karl Rove, I Love You, Dan Butler/Phil Leirness, directors, U.S.

Best Soundtrack

GRAND: Crazy, Rick Bieber, director, U.S.

First: Of All the Things, Jody Lambert, director, U.S./Philippines.

Second: I Can Tell the World, Jody Lambert, director, U.S.

Best Original Score

GRAND: The Flyboys, music by Lisle Moore, U.S.

First: Varmints, music by Johann Johannson, United Kingdom.

Second: Victory la Maquina, music by Javier Romanos & José Antonio Pérez García, Spain.

Kidseye International Film Festival

KidsEye (films made for kids)

GRAND: Anita’s Africa, Beverley Reid, director, Canada/Uganda.

First: Mandy & Lester, Lena Beug, director, U.S.

Second: Red Sneakers, Michele Meek, director, U.S.

KidsEye (films made by kids)

GRAND: tiny pillows …, Joseph Procopio, director, Canada.

Best Comedy Short

GRAND: Bill, John Salcido, director, U.S.

First: Parachute, Lucas Fleischer/Paul Grellong, directors, U.S.

Second: Speed Dating, Crystal Liu, director, U.S.

Tied with: Struck, Taron Lexton, director, U.S.

Best Animation

GRAND: Varmints, Marc Craste, director, United Kingdom.

First: This Way Up, Adam Foulkes/Alan Smith, directors, United Kingdom.

Second: El Mono, Hyeseung Lee, director, U.S.

New England Student Film Festival

Best Undergraduate Student

GRAND: Lover Boy, Zia Anger, director, U.S.

First: No Wind, No Waves, Julian Anthony Higgins, director, U.S.

Best Graduate Student

GRAND: Haber, Daniel Ragussis, director, U.S.

First: The Wall, Michael Lloyd Green, director, U.S.

Tied with: The Replacement Child, Justin Lerner, director, U.S.

Best Acting

GRAND: Leaving Barstow, Kevin Sheridan, U.S.

First: Happy New Year, Michael Cuomo, U.S.

Second: Plainview, Ryan Driscoll, U.S.

Best Cinematography

GRAND: Zum Dritten Pol (The Third Pole), Denis Ducroz, Germany/France/Nepal /Switzerland.

First: Megalopolis, Roberto Cimatti, U.S./Pakistan/Brazil/Egypt/Japan/China/Italy.

Second: Janey Mary, Seamus Deasy, Ireland.

Special Jury Prize

Certifiably Jonathan, Jim Pasternak, director, U.S.

Vortex Sci-Fi & Fantasy

GRAND Sci-Fi: Afterville, Fabio Resinaro/Fabio Guaglione, directors, Italy.

First Prize Sci-Fi: H5N1, Roberto De Feo, director, Italy.

GRAND Fantasy: Hugo, Nicholas Verso, director, Australia.

First Prize Fantasy: The Secret Adventures of the Projectionist, Max Sacker, director, Germany.