2005 Sundance Award Winners

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR AMERICAN AND WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY AND DRAMATIC FILMS

Park City, UT - The winners of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Independent Feature Film Competition, the World Cinema Competition, and the Audience Awards were announced tonight at the closing award ceremony in Park City, Utah. The awardwinning films were selected by distinguished jurors in the categories of American Documentary, American Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary and World Cinema Dramatic. In addition, Audience Awards were bestowed on films within each of these categories based on the results of ballots cast by Festival filmgoers. The Festival is the premier showcase for American independent film, is an important new platform for international independent film, and screens films that embody risk-taking, diversity, and aesthetic innovation.

"We have been really pleased with how the broad spectrum of dramatic and documentary films have played in the Festival this year, and these awards recognize that range of genre, style of storytelling and original aesthetic," said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. "The introduction of World Cinema competition this year not only significantly enhanced the richness and diversity of the program, but it brought to the Festival filmmakers from around the world, thereby nurturing a truly international cultural exchange among artists that is at the heart of Sundance."

The American Documentary Grand Jury Prize was given to WHY WE FIGHT, written and directed by Eugene Jarecki. The American Dramatic Grand Jury Prize was presented to FORTY SHADES OF BLUE, directed by Ira Sachs and written by Michael Rohatyn and Ira Sachs. The World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize was given to SHAPE OF THE MOON (The Netherlands), directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich and written by Leonard Retel Helmrich and Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich. The World Cinema Dramatic Jury Prize was presented to THE HERO (Angola/Portugal/France), directed by ZÈzÈ Gamboa and written by Carla Baptista.

- more - The American Documentary Audience Award was presented to MURDERBALL, a film directed by Henry-Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro. The American Dramatic Audience Award winner is HUSTLE & FLOW, written and directed by Craig Brewer. The Audience Awards are sponsored by Volkswagen of America, and are given to a documentary and a dramatic film in Competition or American Spectrum, as voted by Film Festival audiences. The World Cinema Documentary Audience Award was presented to SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMŠO DALLAIRE (Canada), directed by Peter Raymont. The World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award was presented to BROTHERS (Denmark), directed by Susanne Bier. The World Cinema Audience Awards are given to both an international dramatic and documentary film in World Cinema Competition as voted by Film Festival audiences.

The American Directing Award recognizes excellence in directing for dramatic and documentary features. The Documentary Directing Award went to Jeff Feuerzeig, director of THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON. The Dramatic Directing Award was presented to Noah Baumbach for THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. The American Excellence in Cinematography Award honors exceptional photography in both a dramatic and documentary film at the Festival. Gary Griffin for THE EDUCATION OF SHELBY KNOX from the Documentary Competition and Amelia Vincent for HUSTLE & FLOW from the Dramatic Competition received the 2005 Cinematography Awards.

The American Dramatic Jury presents the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for outstanding achievement in writing. The 2005 prize was given to Noah Baumbach for THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. The award is sponsored by the Utah Film Commission.

The American Documentary Jury bestowed a Special Jury Prize for Editing to MURDERBALL, directed by Henry-Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro and edited by Geoffrey Richman and Conor O' Neill, and a Special Jury Prize to AFTER INNOCENCE, directed by Jessica Sanders.

The American Dramatic Jury presented Special Jury Prizes for Acting to Amy Adams, for her performance in JUNEBUG, and to Lou Pucci, for his performance in THUMBSUCKER. The Dramatic Jury also awarded Special Jury Prizes for Originality of Vision to Miranda July, who wrote, directed, and acted in ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, and to Rian Johnson, who directed BRICK. The World Cinema Documentary Jury presented Special Jury Prizes to THE LIBERACE OF BAGHDAD (United Kingdom), directed by Sean McAllister, and to WALL (France/Israel), directed by Simone Bitton. The World Cinema Dramatic Jury presented a Special Jury Prize to LIVE-IN MAID (Argentina/Spain), directed by Jorge Gaggero. The Shorts Jury presented the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking to FAMILY PORTRAIT, directed by Patricia Riggen. The Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking was given to WASP (United Kingdom), directed by Andrea Arnold. The Shorts Jury also awarded a special recognition to BULLETS IN THE HOOD: A BED-STUY STORY, directed by Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard. The Shorts Jury awarded Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking to ONE WEEKEND A MONTH, directed by Eric Escobar; RYAN (Canada), directed by Chris Landreth; SMALL TOWN SECRETS, directed by Katherine Leggett; TAMA TU (New Zealand), directed by Taika Waititi; and VICTORIA PARA CHINO, directed by Cary Fukunaga.

The 2005 American Documentary Competition Jurors are Jean-Philippe Boucicaut, Gail Dolgin, Steve James, Jehane Noujaim and Stacy Peralta.

The 2005 American Dramatic Competition Jurors are Chris Eyre, Vera Farmiga, John C. Reilly, B. Ruby Rich and Christine Vachon.

The 2005 World Cinema Documentary Competition Jurors are Miriam Cutler, Jean Perret and Penny Woolcock.

The 2005 World Cinema Dramatic Competition Jurors are Antonia Bird, Mike Goodridge and Fernando LeÛn de Aranoa.

The 2005 Shorts Jurors are Ernest Hardy, Connie White, and Sam Green.

The Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award was created to honor and support emerging filmmakers with their next screenplays - one each from the United States, Europe and Latin America - who possess the originality, talent and vision to be celebrated as we look to the future of international cinema. The winning filmmakers and projects are: Catalin Mitulescu, HOW I SPENT THE END OF THE WORLD from Europe; Rodrigo Moreno, THE MINDER from Latin America; Richard Press, VIRTUAL LOVE from the United States; and Mipo Oh, YOMOYAMA BLUES from Japan.

The film that received the 2005 Alfred P. Sloan Prize is GRIZZLY MAN, directed by Werner Herzog. The Prize carries a $20,000 cash award and is designed to increase the visibility of outstanding independent films on science and technology and to showcase the work of emerging filmmakers tackling compelling topics in science.

This year's Alfred P. Sloan selection committee includes Miguel Arteta, Shane Carruth, Lawrence Krauss, Peggy LeMone and John Underkoffler.

Festival Sponsors
The 2005 Sundance Film Festival's sponsors help sustain the Sundance Institute's year-round programs to support independent artists, inspire risk-taking and encourage diversity in the arts. This year's Festival community includes: Presenting SponsorsóEntertainment Weekly, Volkswagen of America, Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Company; Leadership SponsorsóAmerican Express, Andersen Windows and Doors, Cingular Wireless, Delta Air Lines, DirecTV, Intel Corporation, and Sundance Channel; Sustaining SponsorsóAdobe Systems Incorporated, Aquafina, Blockbuster Inc., CESAR Food for Small Dogs, Moviefone, The New York Times, Park City Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, Sony Electronics, Inc., Starbucks Coffee Company, Stella Artois, Turning Leaf Vineyards, and Utah Film Commission.

Sundance Film Festival
Long known as a celebration of the new and the unexpected, the Sundance Film Festival puts forward the best in independent film from the U.S. and from around the world. Each year, the Festival draws 30,000 people from 27 countries and presents a ten-day program of more than 200 films to an audience of directors, writers, producers, actors, film aficionados, and industry leaders. Highlights from the 2004 Sundance Film Festival were the award-winning films DIG!, Primer, Maria Full of Grace, and Down to the Bone, and the critically acclaimed films Control Room, Napoleon Dynamite, The Motorcycle Diaries, Super Size Me, Tarnation, and Garden State.

The Festival also presents a series of Panel Discussions that bring together film artists, industry representatives, critics, journalists and the public for debate and discussion of contemporary film topics. The Festival features a variety of special venues in Park City: the Filmmakers Lodge, a gathering place for both narrative and documentary filmmakers; the Music CafÈ which showcases emerging musicians; and the Sundance Digital Center, the Festival's forum to view and learn about new filmmaking technology.

Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is dedicated to the development of artists of independent vision and the exhibition of their new work. Since its inception, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for filmmakers and other artists. Sundance Institute conducts national and international labs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, writers, and theatre artists. The annual Sundance Film Festival, a major program of Sundance Institute, is held each January and is considered the premier showcase for American and international independent film. The Institute supports nonfiction filmmakers through the Documentary Film Program by providing year-round support through the Sundance Documentary Fund and a series of programs that nurture their growth, encourage the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling, and promote the exhibition of documentary films to a broader audience. Through its various programs, the Feature Film Program supports emerging screenwriters and filmmakers as they work on their next projects. Through the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, the Institute is committed to invigorating the national theatre movement with original and creative work and to nurturing the diversity of artistic expression among theatre artists. The Film Music Program is dedicated to supporting and nurturing emerging film composers, as well as having an impact on how independent filmmakers approach music. The Institute also maintains The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a unique archive of independent film.