Sundance 2017 Award Winners
Another Sundance Film Festival has drawn to a close. With a lot of great films, this year’s jury had a tough job to do. Diego Buñuel, Julie Goldman, Robert Greene, Susan Lacy, Larry Wilmore, Gael García Bernal, Peter Dinklage, Jody Hill, Jacqueline Lyanga, Jeannine Oppewall, Nai An, Sonia Braga, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Carl Spence, Marina Stavenhagen and Lynette Wallworth had the task of deciding which of the 119 feature films that played were deserving of awards. Here are some of your award winners:
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a891D5_bGY4
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore. U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — Blair's a festival favorite; as an actor, he's appeared in director Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin and Green Room, both festival darlings. Now he's snagged the top prize for writing and directing this story of what happens when a depressed woman is burglarized an decides she's going to track down the thieves, with a little help from her idiot neighbor. Things go awry. The film stars Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy, Devon Graye.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
Dina. U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — The story of a relationship between a Walmart door-greeter and a eccentric suburban woman. It's an unconventional love story.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
Last Men in Aleppo. Denmark, Syria (Director: Feras Fayyad) — After five years of war in Syria, Aleppo’s remaining residents prepare themselves for a siege. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud, founding members of The White Helmets, have remained in the city to help their fellow citizens—and experience daily life, death, struggle and triumph in a city under fire.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
The Nile Hilton Incident. Sweden, Germany, Denmark (Director and screenwriter: Tarik Saleh) — In Cairo, weeks before the 2011 revolution, Police Detective Noredin is working in the infamous Kasr el-Nil Police Station when he is handed the case of a murdered singer. He soon realizes that the investigation concerns the power elite, close to the President’s inner circle. Cast: Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Mohamed Yousry, Yasser Ali Maher, Ahmed Selim, Hania Amar.
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary
Chasing Coral. U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic
Crown Heights. U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ruskin) — When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend, Carl King, devotes his life to proving Colin’s innocence. Adapted from This American Life, this is the incredible true story of their harrowing quest for justice. Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha, Natalie Paul, Bill Camp, Nestor Carbonell, Amari Cheatom.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower. U.S.A. (Director: Joe Piscatella) — When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language). Mexico, Netherlands (Director: Ernesto Contreras, Screenwriter: Carlos Contreras) — The last two speakers of a millennia-old language haven’t spoken in 50 years, when a young linguist tries to bring them together. Yet hidden in the past, in the heart of the jungle, lies a secret concerning the fate of the Zikril language. Cast: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, Eligio Meléndez, Manuel Poncelis, Fátima Molina, Juan Pablo de Santiago, Hoze Meléndez.
For the full list, click here.
