THE KING'S SPEECH Takes Top Prize at Hamptons International Film Festival

Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is expected to be an awards-favorite this year and easily grab one of the ten Best Picture nomination slots at this year's Oscars. The film has already won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film centers on King George VI (played by Colin Firth) working with a speech therapist (played by Geoffrey Rush) to overcome his stammer and speak effectively to his country during wartime.

This past weekend, the film picked up the audience award at the 18th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival. Other winners at the festival included Jill Andresevic's documentary Love, Etc., Aaron Schock's Circo, and Alice Nellis' Mamas & Papas. Hit the jump for the full list of winners. The King's Speech is due out on November 26th.

Here's the press release and full list of winners:

THE KING’S SPEECH, LOVE ETC. and BORN SWEET

TAKE AUDIENCE AWARDS AT

THE 18^TH ANNUAL HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 7^TH- 11^TH

MAMAS AND PAPAS Wins Golden Starfish Award

CIRCO Takes Documentary Prize

East Hampton, NY (October 10^th, 2010) – The Hamptons International Film Festival announced tonight their audience, jury and special prizes at their awards ceremony. Tom Hooper’s THE KING’S SPEECH and Jill Andresevic’s LOVE ETC. take the audience awards honored tonight among the film industries finest.

MAMAS AND PAPAS, directed by Alice Nellis, was selected by the jury as the winner of The Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award. The Documentary Golden Starfish went to Aaron Schock’s CIRCO.

MAMAS AND PAPAS also took home the Zicherman Screenplay Award. Another winner in the Narrative category, Xavier Dolan’s HEARTBEATS took the Kodak Award for Best Cinematography. The festival’s Brizzolara Family Conflict and Resolution Award was presented to Lisa Gossel’s MY SO CALLED ENEMY.

Special awards went to THE HOUSE OF SUH, directed by Iris Shim, which was the winner of the Investigation Discovery Award for Excellence in Journalism, and NO TOMORROW, directed by Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth, which took the inaugural Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice. The 2^nd Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award went to Cam Archer’s SHIT YEAR.

National Public Radio’s Bonnie Grice presented awards this evening at East Hampton’s Guild Hall, along with New York Film Critics John Anderson, Armond White, David Edelstein and Jurors Carter Burwell and Amir Bar-Lev.

Also announced this evening were the Babelgum jury award winners, who were awarded cash prizes. The Jury Award Winners screened during the festival as part of the festival’s focus on Animation, which included a partnership with the Babelgum Animatron Animation festival.

“Our festival brought such a variety of films to our audience in the Hamptons and this year’s winners reflect the diversity of voices that we strive to highlight. As we continue to host more and more film lovers from around the world, we are grateful for the support of the Hampton’s community as the foundation of the festival”, says Executive Director Karen Arikian. “There has been a very special feeling around this year’s festival and we have the filmmakers to thank for that”, says Director of Programming David Nugent. Their films have delighted, charmed and challenged our audiences and we are honored that they shared their visions with us.”