As the 23rd Annual Philadelphia Film Festival came to a close this weekend, the Philadelphia Film Society released the names of the festival’s prize-winning films. Awards are annually handed out to the best narrative, documentary and short films screening in competition at the Philadelphia Film Festival, as well as spotlight awards on features produced locally or made by local talent.

Taking away the festival’s Grand Jury Prize was Peter Strickland’s lesbian BDSM drama The Duke of Burgundy (read our review). Also receiving honors from the jury were the French-made Girlhood, which took away the Special Jury Prize, and the British action-thriller ’71 (read our review) whose director Yann Demange won the jury’s Best Director Prize with his work on his debut feature film.

The Pinkenson Award for Local Feature, named after the Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office Sharon Pinkenson, was bestowed upon Crescendo! The Power of Music, director Jamie Bernstein’s documentary examining El Sistema, a youth orchestra program for at-risk children. Other films highlighted by the Pinkenson Award included Listen Up Philip’s Honorable Mention for Innovation in Storytelling (dir. Alex Ross Perry), and Tomorrow We Disappear (dir. Adam Weber and Jimmy Goldblum) with an Honorable Mention for World Vision.

Jesse Moss’ powerful documentary The Overnighters (read our review) won the festival’s Best Documentary Prize while the animated Port Nasty (dir. Rob Zywietz) won Best Short and The Cut (dir. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles) received an Honorable Mention for Best Live Action Short.

It’s been 15 years since Theodore Melfi last made a feature film, Winding Roads. While that movie featured a young pre-Party Down/Parks & Recreation Adam Scott, his newest endeavor St. Vincent has a bevy of notable actors lead by its star Bill Murray, and continuing through Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts and others. As the film begins its rollout in the United States, Melfi has been festival hopping, most recently stopping by the Opening Night of the Philadelphia Film Festival. On the red carpet, he spoke with WayTooIndie about what inspired the new project, the environment he likes to create on set, and calling Bill Murray’s 1-800 number.

Read the full interview below or watch part of it in the embedded video, also below.

Could you tell me about where the idea to write this film came from?

Eight years ago my oldest brother passed away and he left an eight-year-old daughter, and my wife & I adopted her. We moved her from Tennessee to Sherman Oaks, California, and we put her into a Catholic school, Notre Dame High School, and in her sophomore year, in her world religion class, she got a homework assignment to find a Catholic saint that inspired her and find someone in her real life that mimicked the qualities of that saint. She picked St. William of Rochester, the patron saint of adopted children, and she picked me. That’s the genesis of the story, whereby a young kid named Oliver chooses a drunk Bill Murray as a saint.

So inspired by real-life events?

Yeah, it’s a true story.

Did you write this with the idea being you would ultimately direct it as well?

Oh yeah. I was going to direct it from the beginning whether I had to do it 50 cents or a 100 million, it doesn’t matter I was going to do it no matter what.

You ended up getting Bill Murray in the movie. He’s a little notorious to track down, I was wondering what the process was like to getting him to star in the film?

That’s too long a story. That’s like 10 minutes long. But basically, I’ll tell you this, Bill Murray doesn’t have an agent or a manger, he has a 1-800 number. So you just call the 1-800 number and if he likes what you have to say he calls you back.

So you were one of the lucky call backs?

One of the lucky call backs, yeah.

What was it like to work with such him, being such an iconic star?

You know, Bill’s so spontaneous, so free, and so in the moment. You got to be prepared and ready for anything he’ll do, whatever he’ll do. It was truly inspirational working with him, one of the greatest actors in the world, of our time, so it was just awesome.

You also worked with a couple underrated funny women in Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts, what was the experience like of working with them?

Melissa and Naomi, again just like Bill, they’re the best actors in the world. So free, so ready to go, so dedicated, I don’t know it was just a dream come true to have Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy in the same movie, and then you add Naomi Watts that’s even more [of a dream come true]. There’s Chris O’Down, and Terrence Howard, so it’s like having an all-star cast right off the bat. Everyone was kind of free, we had a good time.

Is that something important to you, to have an easy-going atmosphere on the set?

You know, stress is like death to comedy, so you can’t stress out. We had a lot of parties, a very free set. Very loose, very fun. It was hot in Brooklyn but we had a good time.

Did any movies in particular inspire this story aside from the true events?

My favorite movie of all time is It’s a Wonderful Life, where a guy who doesn’t think he has any value in his life learns he has lots to value. So that had a lot of meaning to me and the film Up. It’s one of my favorite movies, too. About a curmudgeonly guy who takes a boy scout under his wing. So those two movies.

BONUS CONTENT! Watch a brief interview with the child star of St. Vincent, Jaeden Lieberher:

Consistently bringing in a wide array of compelling new films from unique voices of cinema, the 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival announced its packed new lineup and schedule yesterday. Bookended by beloved movie stars delivering awards-worthy performances, the festival opens with Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s vividly imagined Birdman on Thursday, October 16th and closes with Jean-Marc Vallée’s heart-wrenching Wild. Through 11 days, the Philadephia Film Festival will locally premiere more than 100 features and shorts from 28 countries.

“I think we’re really on the verge of some big years for cinema,” begins the festival’s Artistic Director Michael Lerman. “This festival will showcase the first steps in these innovative new directors.”

Beyond the buzzed about Centerpiece screenings (which includes The Good Lie, St. Vincent, Laggies, and the Toronto International Film Festival Audience Award winner The Imitation Game), Philly’s screenings includes programs like “Greater Filmadelphia” (with work from Philadelphia’s home grown talent), “Masters of Cinema” (movies from world-renowned filmmakers), and “The Graveyard Shift” (horror, action, and anything weird), providing a variety of options for audiences of all tastes.

The Philadelphia Film Festival’s “PFF On Us” program continues in 2014 with free tickets available for all the films featured in the “American Independents” and “Documentary Showcase” film categories. These selections include I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story, Glass Chin, Kumiko the Treasure Hunter & Point and Shoot.

Tickets to these free screenings and more information about the 23rd annual Philadelphia Film Festival is available at the Philadelphia Film Society’s website: filmadelphia.org.

2014 Philadelphia Film Festival Full lineup

Opening Night Film
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, USA

Closing Night Film
Wild, Director Jean-Marc Vallée, USA

Centerpiece Screenings
The Good Lie, Director Philippe Falardeau, USA.
The Imitation Game, Director Morten Tyldum, USA, UK
Laggies, Director Lynn Shelton, USA
St. Vincent, Director Theodore Melfi, USA

American Independents
Presented by the Lincoln Motor Company: Featuring powerful new voices in American cinema, these fresh, gritty films explore a variety of subjects through the filmmaker’s uncompromising vision. All films in this series are a part of the “PFF On Us” free ticketing program.

Big Significant Things, Director Bryan Reisberg. 2014, USA
Glass Chin, DirectorNoah Buschel, USA
Imperial Dreams, Director Malik Vitthal, USA
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, Director David Zellner, USA
Man From Reno, Director Dave Boyle, USA, Japan
The Mirage, Director Kyle Roper, USA
Wild Canaries, Director Lawrence, Michael Levine, USA

Cinema Down
From the land that brought us Mad Max, Moulin Rouge! and Driving Miss Daisy comes brave new work from veteran and budding Australian voices alike

52 Tuesdays, Director Sophie Hyde, Australia
Charlie’s Country, Director Rolf de Heer, Australia
The Infinite Man, Director Hugh Sullivan, Australia
The Mule, Director Angus Sampson, Tony Mahony, Australia

Documentary Showcase
Presented by 500 Walnut: Comprising the best in documentary filmmaking, these compelling films feature everything from stirring character studies to fascinating looks at current global issues.

Art and Craft, Director Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, co-directed by Mark Becker, USA
Ballet 422, Director Jody Lee Lipes, USA
The Great Invisible, Director Margaret Brown, USA
I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story, Director Chad Walker, Dave LaMattina, USA
The Immortalists, Director David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg, USA
Mudbloods, Director Farzad Sangari, USA
The Overnighters, Director Jesse Moss, USA
Point and Shoot, Director Marshall Curry, USA
This Time Next Year, Director Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman, USA

From the Vaults
Film history comes alive as it was meant to be seen – on the big screen. Come see old favorites bigger than life once again

Blue Velvet, Director David Lynch, USA
Capote, Director Bennett Miller, USA
Mulholland Drive, Director David Lynch, USA
The Straight Story, Director David Lynch, USA
To Have and Have Not, Director Howard Hawks, USA
Wild at Heart, Director David Lynch, USA

The Graveyard Shift
Horror, action, suspense, and the downright weird, these films will keep you awake during the graveyard shift.

A Hard Day, Director Seong-hun Kim, South Korea
Housebound, Director Gerard Johnstone, New Zealand
In Order of Disappearance, Director Hans Petter Moland, Norway
It Follows, Director David Robert Mitchell, USA
Revenge of the Green Dragons, Director Andrew Lau, Andrew Loo, USA
V/H/S: Viral, Director Marcel Sarmiento, Nacho Vigalondo, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Gregg Bishop, USA, Spain

Greater Filmadelphia
Presented by Philadelphia Gas Works: Featuring work from some of our finest homegrown filmmakers, this category brings our city and its talent to the big screen.

Crescendo! The Power of Music, Director Jamie Bernstein, USA
Happy Valley, Director Amir Bar-Lev, USA
Listen Up Philip, Director Alex Ross Perry, USA
Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere, Director Dave Jannetta, USA
Teacher of the Year, Director Jason Strouse, USA
Tomorrow We Disappear, Director Jimmy Goldblum, Adam Weber, USA

Masters of Cinema
Presented by Comcast: These new films exemplify the masterful work of world-renowned filmmakers as they continue to thrill and inspire audiences with cutting-edge features.

Clouds of Sils Maria, Director Olivier Assayas, France, USA
Goodbye to Language 3D, Director Jean-Luc Godard, France
Mommy, Director Xavier Dolan, Canada
Two Days, One Night, Director Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium, France
Winter Sleep, Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey, France, Germany

New French Films
The birthplace of cinema, France continues to produce some of the best movies in the world with films that are funny, daring, sexy and uniquely French.

Breathe, Director Mélanie Laurent, France
Girlhood, Director Céline Sciamma, France
Hippocrates, Director Thomas Lilti, France
Love at First Fight, Director Thomas Cailley, France
This Is My Land, Director Tamara Erde, France

Sight and Soundtrack
Presented by Sweat Fitness: Featuring rockumentaries, musician biopics and films that are centered on the unifying power of music.

Beyond the Lights, Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, USA
Deep City: The Birth of the Miami Sound, Director Dennis Scholl, Marlon Johnson, Chad Tingle, USA
The Last Five Years, Director Richard LaGravenese, USA
Someone You Love, Director Pernille Fischer Christensen, Denmark, Sweden
Song One, Director Kate Barker-Froyland, USA
Traitors, Director Sean Gullette, Morocco
Tu Dors Nicole, Director Stéphane Lafleur, Canada

Spanish Language Stories
Presented by Southwest Airlines: Offering gripping stories and unique perspectives, these Spanish-language films explore a multitude of subjects ranging from the culturally specific to the universal.

10,000 Km, Director Carlos Marques-Marcet, Spain, USA
Güeros, Director Alonso Ruizpalacios, Mexico
Los Ángeles, Director Damian John Harper, Mexico, Germany
Manos Sucias, Director Josef Wladyka, USA, Colombia

Spotlights
Presented by Philadelphia Magazine: Highly-anticipated movies from some of the biggest names in the industry, these films shine a spotlight on top talent from around the world.

Big Hero 6, Director Don Hall, Chris Williams, USA
Creep, Director Patrick Brice, USA
Escobar: Paradise Lost, Director Andrea Di Stefano, France, Spain, Belgium
Faults, Director Riley Stearns, USA
Gabriel, Director Lou Howe, USA
Life Partners, Director Susanna Fogel, USA
Love, Rosie, Director Christian Ditter, UK, Germany

World Narratives
Presented by 6ABC: Explore the world through film with this diverse selection of international cinema that features distinct perspectives and images from around the globe.

Beloved Sisters, Director Dominik Graf, Germany, Austria
Cracks in Concrete, Director Umut Dağ, Austria
The Duke of Burgundy, Director Peter Strickland, UK
Force Majeure, Director Ruben Östlund, Sweden
Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem, Director Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi, Elkabetz, Israel, France, Germany
Human Capital, Director Paolo Virzì, Italy
Run, Director Philippe Lacôte, Ivory Coast, France
Stations of the Cross, Director Dietrich Brüggemann, Germany, France
The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Director Isao Takahata, Japan
Titli, Director Kanu Behl, India
The Tribe, Director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine
Villa Touma, Director Suha Arraf, Palestine
The Way He Looks, Director Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil
When Animals Dream, Director Jonas Alexander Arnby, Denmark
Xenia, Director Panos H. Koutras, Greece, France, Belgium

Short Films
12 Years of DFA: Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic, Director Max Joseph, USA
130919 * A Portrait of Marina Abramović, Director Matthu Placek, USA
8 Bullets, Director Frank Ternier, France
After School, Director Guillaume Renusson, France
Astigmatismo, Director Nicolai Troshinsky, Spain
The Chaperone, Director Fraser Munden, Neil Rathbone, Canada
Chevette 83, Director Luis Oliva, Canada
The Cut, Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Canada
High Ground, Director Geoff Bailey, USA
Inside the Mind of Colin Furze, Director David Beazley, UK
Marilyn Myller, Director Mikey Please, USA, UK
Me + Her, Director Joseph Oxford, USA
The Obvious Child, Director Stephen Irwin, UK
Port Nasty, Director Rob Zywietz, UK
Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns, Director Joe Callander, USA
A Town Called Panic: The Christmas Log, Director Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, France, Belgium
The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, Aged 33 & 3/4, Director Steve Baker, Australia
Watch Out, Director Joshua Stewart, USA
The Way, Director Max Ksjonda, Ukraine
Yearbook, Director Bernardo Britto, USA