John Paul DeJoria’s ‘Good Fortune’ Wins Best of Fest Award at 23rd Sedona International Film Festival

“A Plastic Ocean” Adds Audience Choice to Director’s Choice Award

SEDONA, Ariz. - Good Fortune, the rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story of one of the world’s most celebrated entrepreneurs, John Paul DeJoria – founder of Paul Mitchell Professional Hair Products and Patron tequila – won the Best of Fest Award at the 23^rd annual Sedona International Film Festival.

Good Fortune, the Audience Choice Award for both Best of Fest and Best Documentary, tells the story of DeJoria, the son of Greek immigrants and a pioneer of “conscious capitalism” who uses his business to make the world a better place. DeJoria also received the Sedona International Film Festival Global Humanitarian and Philanthropist Award.

A Plastic Ocean, a full-length documentary exploring the fragile state of our oceans and the alarming truth about plastic pollution, which was named the Director’s Choice for Best Documentary Film, also won the Audience Award for Best Environmental film.

Blood & Glory, an inspired-by-real-events narrative feature about a South African man whose character exceeds his imagination, and Wild Prairie Rose, the story of a woman who returns to her rural hometown to care for her ailing mother and falls in love with a deaf man, tied for Best Feature Drama.

Grand Unified Theory, a Canadian narrative feature about a brilliant astrophysicist’s family whose meltdown sets in motion a hilarious series of events that mirror his radical theories of the behavior of the universe, was named Best Feature Comedy.

Slipaway, a narrative feature that tells the story of an eclectic elder with good intentions but extreme measures, received the Heart of the Festival Award.

Also during the festival, Cloris Leachman received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other Audience Choice Award winners were:

Best Foreign Film: Under the Same Sun
• Animated Film: Wabooz
• Student Short: A Children’s Song
• Short Film - Drama: All The Marbles
• Short Film - Comedy: Rated
• Documentary Short: Edges

The full list of Director’s Choice and Audience Choice Awards includes:

2017 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best of Fest: Good Fortune
Best Feature Comedy: Grand Unified Theory
Best Feature Drama: (TIE) Blood & Glory and Wild Prairie Rose
Best Foreign Film: Under the Same Sun
Animated Film: Wabooz
Student Short: A Children’s Song
Short Film - Drama: All The Marbles
Short Film - Comedy: Rated
Environmental: A Plastic Ocean
Documentary: Good Fortune
Documentary Short: Edges
Heart of the Festival Award: Slipaway

2017 SPECIAL FESTIVAL AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement: Cloris Leachman
Global Humanitarian and Philanthropist: John Paul DeJoria

2017 DIRECTORS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Best Animated Film: Curpigeon
Best Short Film: The Train
Best Student Short Film: Icarus
Best Documentary Feature: A Plastic Ocean
Best Short Documentary: Joshua Tree: Threatened Wonderland
Best Environmental Film: Death By Design
Best Foreign Film: Frantz
Best Feature DRAMA: The Sandbox
Best Feature COMEDY: Burn Burn Burn
Best Humanitarian Film (narrative): Under the Same Sun
Best Humanitarian Film (documentary): No Limits
Best Independent Spirit (narrative): Halfway to Zen
Best Independent Spirit (documentary): Perfume War
Best Independent Spirit (short): Bardo
Bill Muller Excellence in Screenwriting Award: 29+1
Marion Herrman Excellence in Filmmaking: SCORE: A Film Music Documentary