Tribeca Film Festival’s audience awards go to ‘Here Alone’ and ‘The Return’

The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival has announced the winners of the coveted Audience Awards. The festival attendees selected “Here Alone,” directed by Rod Blackhurst, as the narrative winner and “The Return,” directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, as the documentary winner.

“It’s great to see audiences finding and supporting a true discovery film like ‘Here Alone’ and the powerful and affecting documentary ‘The Return,’” Genna Terranova, the festival’s director, said Saturday night in announcing the awards. “While very different films, both highlight the resilience of the human spirit.”

“Here Alone,” written by David Ebeltoft, follows a human community ravaged by a virus. It stars Lucy Walters, Gina Piersanti, Adam David Thompson and Shane West.

“The Return,” written by De la Vega, Galloway and Greg O’Toole, shines light on how prisoners who had made peace with life sentences reintegrate into society after California’s controversial “three strikes” law was modified in 2012.

Each film’s team took home a cash prize of $10,000.

The contest’s runners-up were “Children of the Mountain,” directed by Priscilla Anany, for the narrative audience award and Midsummer in Newtown,” directed by Lloyd Kramer, for the documentary audience award.

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