Each year, the Common Good International Film Festival gives several awards. The Audience Award has audience members vote for their favorite feature film. The Whitehead award, also called the Common Good Film Award, is chosen by a special jury who determines which film best meets the selection criteria.
Our 2023 Award Winners!
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- Riceboy Sleeps (Canada/S. Korea) Director Anthony Shim
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- Riceboy Sleeps (Canada/S. Korea) Director Anthony Shim
- Award for Best Short Film
- Eating the Silence (Switzerland) Directors Joël Jent and Ali Al-Fatlawi
Previous Award Winners
2022 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- Black Bauhinia (United Kingdom) Director Malte Philipp Kaeding
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- Terror and Hope: The Science of Resilience (USA) Director Ron Bourke
- Award for Best Short Film
- Ourselves in Stories (USA) Director Marjee Chmiel
2021 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- Kuessipan (Canada) Director Myriam Verreault
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- Invisible Hand (USA) Directors Melissa A. Troutman and Joshua B. Pribanic
- Award for Best Short Film
- In Lorton’s Darkroom (USA) Director Karen Ruckman
2020 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- Binti (Belgium/Netherlands) Director Frederike Migom
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- One Last Deal (Finland) Director Klaus Härö
- Award for Best Short Film
- I Am Skylar (Canada) Director Rachel Bower
2019 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- Nosotros (Spain) Director Felipe Vara de Rey
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- Close-Knit (Japan) Director Naoko Ogigami
- Special Award for Artistic Excellence
- Loving Vincent (Poland/United States) Directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman
- Special Award for Ecological Responsibility
- Dreaming of a Vetter World (United States) Director Bonnie Hawthorne
2018 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film
- The Dark Horse (New Zealand) Director James Napier Robertson
- Audience Award for Feature Film
- My Love, Don’t Cross That River (South Korea) Director Mo-young Jin
- Honorable Mention
- The Breadwinner (Ireland) Director Nora Twomey
2017 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film: VIVA (Cuba) Director Paddy Breathnach
- Audience Award: VIVA (Cuba) Director Paddy Breathnach
2016 Awards
- Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement: Everywhere and Forever: Mahler’s Song of the Earth (USA) Director Jason Starr
- Whitehead Award for Best Feature Film: Marie’s Story (France) Director Jean-Pierre Améris
- Audience Award: Marie’s Story (France) Director Jean-Pierre Améris
2015 Awards
- Jury Award: Corazon de Leon (Argentina) Director Marcos Carnavale
2014 Awards
- Jury Award: Shun Li and the Poet (Italy) Director Andrea Segre
- Audience Award: Touch of the Light (Taiwan) Director Jung-chi Chang
- Audience Award: English Vinglish (India) Director Gauri Shinde
2013 Awards
- Jury Award: Your Beauty is Worth Nothing (Austria) Director Huseyin Tabak
- Audience Award: Dearest (Japan) Director Yasuo Furuhata
- Audience Award: Almanya (Germany) Director Yasemin Samdereli
2012 Awards
- Jury Award: Gold and Copper (Iran) Director Homayoun Assadian
- Best Documentary: Crime After Crime (USA) Director Yoav Potash
2011 Jury Award
- Troubled Water (Norway) Director Erik Poppe
2010 Jury Award
- Departures (Japan) Director Yojiro Takita
2009 Jury Award
- The Visitor (USA) Director Thomas McCarthy
2008 Jury Award
- Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (Hong Kong/China/Japan) Director Yimou Zhang
2007 Jury Award
- Tsotsi (United Kingdom/South Africa) Director Gavin Hood
2006 Jury Award
- The Syrian Bride (France/Israel) Director Eran Riklis
2005 Jury Award
- The Barbarian Invasions (Canada) Director Denys Arcand
2004 Jury Awards
- Best Feature Film: Gaz Bar Blues (Canada) Director Louis Bélanger
- Best Film Short: Aftershock (France) Director Michael Bergmann