"The Camden 28" received both the jury and audience awards for Best Documentary at the 15th annual
Philadelphia Film Festival on April 11, 2006.
In fact, the film received the highest audience rating of any film in the festival (and there were 231 films from 43 countries).
"The Camden 28 has distinguished itself as the first film ever to win both the jury and the audience award. That's quite a distinction,"
said Thom Cardwell, executive director of the Philadelphia Film Society, which sponsors the festival.
No film in any category has won both a jury prize, which is determined by panels who judge films on artistic and technical merits,
and an audience prize, which is based on votes by viewers.
In accepting the awards, director Anthony Giacchino said, "It's an honor to have been part of the festival and to have
the film shown with so many other good documentaries … I'd like to thank everybody who came to see the film and voted for it
and the people of South Jersey who really made the film possible because it was done on a very low budget. It took 10 years to make,
and they basically provided the funds through fundraisers."
"The Camden 28," which premiered at the Philadelphia Film Festival, will next be shown at the Human Rights Watch International
Film Festival - New York,
which will take place from June 8 to 22, 2006.
