The Key West Film Festival announced Thursday that Miami-born filmmaker Ondi Timoner will be presented with the prestigious Golden Key Award for Excellence In Documentary Filmmaking at this year’s festival, which runs from Nov. 12-16.
Timoner, known for her documentaries about "visionaries challenging the status quo," is the only director to have won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize twice, for DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. Both acclaimed films are now part of MoMA's permanent collection. Her recent work, the 2022 film LAST FLIGHT HOME — about her father's end-of-life journey — was Oscar-shortlisted, Emmy-nominated, and earned her the Humanitas Prize.
The festival will showcase two of her latest projects: the feature-length documentary ALL GOD’S CHILDREN and her recent short film, ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN. The short premiered last month at the Telluride Film Festival and focuses on the historic LA fires that claimed her home in Altadena. ALL GOD’S CHILDREN explores an interfaith project dedicated to stopping racism and anti-Semitism.
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Michael Tuckman, Artistic Director of the Key West Film Festival, praised Timoner’s consistent excellence and connection to the island community.
“Ondi is above all a master storyteller, both as a documentarian and narrative filmmaker. She captures truth, honesty and emotion in any story she tells,” Tuckman said in a statement.
Timoner is already a distinguished figure at KWFF, as she is “the only filmmaker to ever win awards for in both documentary and narrative sections at the festival (Maplethorpe in 2018 and Last Flight Home in 2022),” according to Tuckman.
Timoner's extensive filmography also includes the 2024 film THE INN BETWEEN, about the only hospice for the homeless in the U.S., and the scripted feature MAPPLETHORPE: The Director's Cut. She is the founder of Interloper Films, a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Television Academy, and currently chairs the Nonfiction Subcommittee for Special Projects at the DGA.
Previous recipients of the Golden Key Award for Excellence In Documentary Filmmaking include industry giants Sheila Nevins and Erin Lee Carr.
Following the award presentation, Timoner will participate in a discussion about her work spanning the last three decades with Variety’s Addie Morfoot.
The Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration that honors "creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty," and is set to take place in the historic island community from Nov. 12-16.
Visit https://keywestff.com for full program information along with a schedule of events.
