We Live in
Public,
Push, Rough Aunties and The Maid (La Nana)
Earn Top Jury Prizes;
Audience Favorites Feature Afghan
Star, An Education, The Cove and Push
Park City, UT–The jury and audience award-winners of the 2009
Sundance Film Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing
Awards Ceremony hosted by actor Jane Lynch in Park City, Utah. Films
receiving jury awards were selected from the four categories: U.S. Dramatic
and Documentary Competition and World Dramatic and Documentary Competition.
Films in these categories were also eligible for the 2009 Sundance Film
Festival Audience Awards. The U.S. Audience Awards presented by Honda were
announced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The World Cinema Audience Awards were
announced by Benjamin Bratt. Highlights from the Awards Ceremony can be
seen on the Sundance Channel, the Official Television Network of the 2009
Sundance Film Festival, beginning Sunday, January 25, as well as on the
official Festival website, www.sundance.org/festival.
Jury Prizes in Shorts Filmmaking were awarded to
American and international short-form films on Tuesday, January 20.
Other awards recognized at the ceremony included the Sundance/NHK
International Filmmakers Award, created to honor and support emerging
filmmakers with their next screenplays, and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize,
awarded to a film which excels in addressing compelling topics in science
or technology.
"This has been a truly remarkable year for Sundance in
ways even we did not fully predict. We opened the Festival with animation
and closed with science fiction, and in between showcased some of the best
films we've ever seen," said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film
Festival. "People ask us how independent film has evolved over the past 25
years and the answer is, quite simply, it's better."
"We knew this would be an historic year, given our
anniversary and the inauguration," said John Cooper, Director of
Programming, Sundance Film Festival. "But I have to say that adding to the
excitement and experience was the selection of truly high quality films in
this year's competition. We were blown away and so were audiences."
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival Juries consisted of:
U.S. Dramatic Competition:, Virginia Madsen, Scott
McGehee, Maud Nadler, Mike White and Boaz Yakin; U.S. Documentary Competition: Patrick Creadon, Carl
Deal, Andrea Meditch, Sam Pollard and Marina Zenovich; World Dramatic
Competition: Colin Brown (U.S.), Christine Jeffs (New
Zealand) and Vibeke Windeløv (Denmark); World Documentary Competition: Gillian Armstrong
(Australia), Thom Powers (U.S.); Hubert Sauper (France); Shorts
Competition: Gerardo Naranjo, Lou Taylor Pucci and Sharon
Swart; The Alfred P. Sloan Prize: Fran Bagenal, Rodney Brooks,
Raymond Gesteland, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Alex Rivera.
For the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length
films were selected including 91 world premieres, 16 North American
premieres, and 5 U.S. premieres representing 21 countries with 42
first-time filmmakers, including 28 in competition. These films were
selected from 3,661 feature- length film submissions composed of 1,905 U.S.
and 1,756 international feature-length films.
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival Award
Winners:
The Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary was
presented to We Live in
Public,directed by Ondi Timoner. The
film portrays the story of the Internet's revolutionary impact on human
interaction as told through the eyes of maverick web pioneer, Josh Harris,
and his transgressive art project that shocked New
York.
The Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic was
presented to Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire, directed by Lee
Daniels and written by Damien Paul. The film tells the redemptive story of
Precious Jones, a young girl in Harlem struggling to overcome tremendous
obstacles and discover her own voice.
The World Cinema Jury Prize:
Documentary was presented to Rough
Aunties, directed by Kim Longinotto. Fearless, feisty and unwavering, the
'Rough Aunties' protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten
children of Durban, South Africa. United Kingdom
The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was
presented to The Maid (La Nana), directed by Sebastián Silva. When
her mistress brings on another servant to help with the chores, a bitter
and introverted maid wreaks havoc on the household.
Chile
The Audience Awards are presented to both a
dramatic and documentary film in four Competition categories as voted by
Sundance Film Festival audiences. The 2009 Sundance Film Festival Audience
Awards are presented by Honda.
The Audience Award presented by Honda: U.S.
Documentary was presented to The Cove, directed by Louie
Psihoyos. The horrors of a secret cove nestled off a small, coastal village
in Japan are revealed by a group of activists.
The Audience Award presented by Honda: U.S.
Dramatic was presented to Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire,
directed by Lee Daniels and written by Damien Paul. The film tells the
redemptive story of Precious Jones, a young girl in Harlem struggling to
overcome tremendous obstacles and discover her own voice.
The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was
presented to Afghan Star, directed by Havana Marking. After 30 years
of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has come to television in Afghanistan:
millions are watching and voting for their favorite singer. Marking's film
follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk their lives
to sing. Afghanistan/United Kingdom
The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was
presented to An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig from a
screenplay by Nick Hornby. In the early 60s, a sharp 16-year-old with
sights set on Oxford meets a handsome older man whose sophistication
enraptures and sidetracks both her and her parents.United Kingdom
Directing Awards recognize excellence in directing for dramatic
and documentary features.
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was
presented to El General
and
director Natalia Almada. As great-granddaughter of President Plutarco
Eliás Calles, one of Mexico's most controversial revolutionary figures,
the filmmaker paints an intimate portrait of Mexico.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented
to Sin Nombre, written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
Filmmaker Fukunaga's first-hand
experiences with Mexican immigrants seeking the promise of the U.S. form
the basis of this epic Spanish-language dramatic thriller.
The World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary
was presented to Afghan Star, directed by Havana Marking. After
30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has come to television in
Afghanistan: millions are watching and voting for their favorite singer.
Marking's film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they
risk their lives to sing. Afghanistan/United
Kingdom
The World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic was
presented to Five Minutes of Heaven, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert. Two men from the same town but from
different sides of the Irish political divide discover that the past is
never dead. United Kingdom/Ireland
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was presented
to Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for Paper Heart. Even though
performer Charlyne Yi doesn't believe in love, she bravely embarks on a
quest to discover its true nature - a journey that takes on surprising
urgency when she meets unlikely fellow traveler, actor Michael
Cera.
The World Cinema Screenwriting Award was
presented to Five Minutes of Heaven, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert. Two men from the same town but from
different sides of the Irish political divide discover that the past is
never dead. United Kingdom/Ireland
The U.S. Documentary Editing Award was
presented to Sergio. Directed by Greg Barker and edited by Karen Schmeer,
the film examines
the role of the United Nations and the international community through the
life and experiences of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N.'s High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
The World Cinema Documentary Editing Award was
presented to Burma VJ. Directed by Anders Østergaard and edited by
Janus Billeskov Jansen and Thomas Papapetros. The film takes place in
September 2007 as Burmese journalists risk life imprisonment to report from
inside their sealed-off country. Denmark
The Excellence in Cinematography Awards honor
exceptional cinematography in both dramatic and documentary categories.
The Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S.
Documentary was presented to The September Issue. With
unprecedented access, director R.J. Cutler, cinematographer Bob Richman and
their crew shot for nine months to capture editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and
her team preparing the 2007 Vogue September issue, widely accepted
as the "fashion bible" for the year's trends.
The Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S.
Dramatic was presented to Sin Nombre, written and directed by
Cary Joji Fukunaga. Cinematographer: Adriano Goldman. Filmmaker Fukunaga's first-hand experiences with Mexican immigrants
seeking the promise of the U.S. form the basis of this epic
Spanish-language dramatic thriller.
The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary
was presented to Big River
Man, John
Maringouin's documentary about at an overweight, wine-swilling Slovenian
world-record-holding endurance swimmer who resolves to brave the mighty
Amazon in nothing but a Speedo. U.S.A./United Kingdom
The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic
was presented to An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig from a
screenplay by Nick Hornby. Cinematographer: John De Borman.
In the early
1960s, a sharp 16-year-old girl with sights set on Oxford meets a handsome
older man whose sophistication enraptures and sidetracks both her and her
parents. United Kingdom
A World Cinema Special Jury Prize for
Originality
was presented to Louise-Michel, directed by Benoit Delépine and
Gustave de Kervern, about a group of disgruntled female French factory
workers who, after the factory abruptly closes, pool their paltry
compensation money to hire a hit man to knock off the corrupt executive
behind the closure. France
A World Cinema
Special Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Tibet in Song directed by Ngawang Choephel.
Through the story
of Tibetan music, this film depicts the determined efforts of Tibetan
people, both in Tibet and in exile, to preserve their unique cultural
identity. Choephel served six years of an 18-year prison sentence for
filming in Tibet. Tibet
A World Cinema
Special Jury Prize for Acting was presented to Catalina Saavedra for her portrayal
of a bitter and introverted maid in The Maid (La Nana).
Chile
A Special Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary was presented to Good
Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson, in which comedian Chris Rock travels
the world to examine the culture of African-American hair and
hairstyles.
A Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Independence
was presented
to Humpday, Lynn Shelton's farcical comedy about straight male
bonding gone a little too far.
A Special Jury Prize for Acting
was
presented to Mo'Nique for her portrayal of a mentally ill mother who both
emotionally and physically imprisons her daughter in Push: Based on the
novel by Sapphire.
The 2009 Jury Prize in U.S. Short Filmmaking
was awarded
to: Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The jury
also presented the International Jury Prize in International Short
Filmmaking to Lies, directed by Jonas Odell. Honorable
Mentions in Short Filmmaking were presented to The Attack of the
Robots from Nebula-5, directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra; Protect You +
Me, directed by Brady Corbet; Western Spaghetti, directed by
PES; Jerrycan, directed by Julius Avery; Love You More,
directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, I Live in the Woods, directed by Max
Winston, Omelette, directed by Nadejda Koseva; and Treevenge,
directed by Jason Eisener.
As announced on Friday, Adam, directed by
Max Mayer, is the recipient of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Prize.
The Prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award to the filmmaker provided by
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is presented to an outstanding feature film
focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist,
engineer or mathematician as a major character.
Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting
Corporation) on Thursday announced the winners of the 2009 Sundance/NHK
International Filmmakers Awards honoring and supporting emerging
filmmakers–one each from the United States, Japan, Europe and Latin America. The winning
filmmakers and projects for 2009 are Diego Lerman, Ciencias Morales (Moral
Sciences) from Argentina; David Riker, The
Girl, from the United States; Qurata Kenji, Speed Girl
from Japan; and Lucile
Hadzihalilovic, Evolution from France.
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