The 2021 Sundance Film Festival concludes Tuesday night with a virtual awards ceremony to honor the projects that have won the best jury awards in the festival’s competition categories. Comedian Patton Oswalt presents the event – “or as I know it at Sundance, discount Giamatti,” he joked when he opened the show. Winners will be updated here throughout.
As with so many other live events, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Sundance to drastically change the way the 2021 festival, which traditionally takes place over ten days, in Park City, Utah. Instead, the full festival lasts for six days this year, and along with performances in Park City, the festival has been virtually hosted, as well as drive-ins, theaters and cultural institutions across the country, including Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Ohio, New York, Texas and Puerto Rico.
The biggest winner in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition was ‘Hive’, which won three awards with the grand jury award, audience award and directing. From director Blerta Basholli, the film follows a single parent who is struggling to survive after her husband disappeared during the war in Kosovo.
The NEXT category awarded the audience award, presented by Shira Haas, to ‘My Belle, My Beauty’, about the unexpected reunion of two women in France who were formerly polyamorous lovers; and the Innovator Award for Animated Fantasy, “Cryptozoo.”
The full list of winners will be updated below as announced.
American DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize:
Public award: “CODA”
Directed by: Siân Heder, “CODA”
Waldo Salt Screenplay Award: Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, “On the Count of Three”
Special jury prize for best actor: Clifton Collins Jr., “Jockey”
Special jury prize for best ensemble: The cast of “CODA” (Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant and Marlee Matlin)
American Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize:
Public award: “Summer of Soul (… or, when the revolution could not be broadcast)”
Directed by: Natalia Almada, “Users”
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno, “Homeroom”
Special jury prize for emerging filmmaker: Parker Hill, Isabel Bethencourt, “Cusp”
Special jury prize for non-fiction experimentation: Theo Anthony, “All Light, Everywhere”
WORLD DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: “Basket”
Public award: “Basket”
Directing Award: Blerta Basholli, “basket”
Special jury prize for acting: Jesmark Scicluna, “Luzzu”
Special jury prize for creative vision: ‘One for the Road’, Baz Poonpiriya
WORLD BATTLE DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: “Flight”
Public award: “Write with fire”
Directing Award: Hogir Hirori, “Sabaya”
Special jury prize for Vérité film production: Camilla Nielsson, “President”
Special jury prize for impact for change: Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh, “Writing With Fire”
OTHER AWARDS
NEXT audience price: Marion Hill, “My Belle, My Beauty”
FOLLOWING Innovator Award: Dash Shaw (director), Jane Samborski (animation director), “Cryptozoo”
Alfred P. Sloan Film Prize: Alexis Gambis, “Son of Monarchs”
Sundance Institute / Amazon Studios Narrative Features Producer Award: Natalie Qasabian, “Run”
Sundance Institute / Amazon Studios Producer Award for documentary functions: Nicole Salazar, “Philly DA”
Sundance Institute NHK Award: Meryam Joobeur, “Motherhood”