For the first time in recent memory, the Sundance Film Festival recruited just three members each for its competition juries. Even in the context of a virtual festival, that might have been a mistake after one film dominated the Dramatic category winning four awards. In very much a surprise, the crowd-pleasing “Coda” took the Grand Jury-Dramatic, Grand-Jury Audience, Directing (Siân Heder) and a special extra honor for its ensemble.
In the documentary category, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” earned both the Grand Jury Prize – Documentary and Audience Award – Documentary honors.
Siân Heder Talks Sundance Crowd-Pleasing Drama ‘CODA,’ Deaf Culture, Families & More [Interview]
Other winners included Clifton Collins, Jr. for his performance in “Jockey,” “Flee,” “Cryptozoo,” “Hive,” “Cusp” and “Luzzo,” among others.
A complete list of this year’s winners are as follows:
GRAND JURY PRIZES
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, for “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)“
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to: Siân Heder, for “CODA”
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to: Jonas Poher Rasmussen, for “Flee” / Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to: Blerta Basholli, for “Hive” / Kosovo, Switzerland, Macedonia, Albania
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented was presented to: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)“
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented to: Siân Heder, for “CODA”
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to: Blerta Basholli, for “Hive”/ Kosovo, Switzerland, Macedonia, Albania
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, for “Writing With Fire” / India
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was presented to: Marion Hill, for “Ma Belle, My Beauty” / U.S.A.
DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING & EDITING AWARDS
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to: Natalia Almada, for “Users” / U.S.A., Mexico
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to: Siân Header, for “CODA”
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to: Hogir Hirori, for “Sabaya” / Sweden
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to: Blerta Basholli, for “Hive” / Kosovo, Switzerland, Macedonia, Albania
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to: Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, for “On the Count of Three”
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to: editors Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno, for “Homeroom”
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to: the cast of “CODA,” for “CODA”
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Actor was presented to: Clifton Collins Jr., for “Jockey”
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker was presented to: Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, for “Cusp”
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Nonfiction Experimentation was presented to: Theo Anthony, for “All Light, Everywhere”
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Vérité Filmmaking was presented to: Camilla Nielsson, for “President” / Denmark, U.S.A., Norway
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change was presented to: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, for “Writing With Fire” / India
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting was presented to: Jesmark Scicluna, for “Luzzu” / Malta
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision was presented to: Baz Poonpiriya, for “One for the Road: / China, Hong Kong, Thailand
NEXT INNOVATOR PRIZE PRESENTED BY ADOBE
The NEXT Innovator Prize presented by Adobe was presented to: Dash Shaw, for “Cryptozoo” / U.S.A.
SHORT FILM AWARDS
Jury prizes for short filmmaking were awarded at the same ceremony. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Lizard / United Kingdom (Director: Akinola Davies, Jr., Screenwriter: The Davies Brothers). The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to The Touch of the Master’s Hand / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Gregory Barnes. The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to Bambirak / U.S.A., Germany (Director and Screenwriter: Zamarin Wahdat). The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma / U.S.A., Germany, France, Italy (Directors and Screenwriters: Topaz Jones, rubberband.). The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to Souvenir Souvenir / France (Director and Screenwriter: Bastien Dubois). A Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Wiggle Room / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Sam Guest, Julia Baylis). A Short Film Special Jury Award for Screenwriting was awarded to The Criminals / France, Romania, Turkey (Director and Screenwriter: Serhat Karaaslan).
EARLIER SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
The 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented to an outstanding feature film about science or technology, was presented to “Sons of Monarchs.” The filmmakers received a $20,000 cash award from Sundance Institute with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction went to Nicole Salazar, for “Philly D.A.”
The Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction went to Natalie Qasabian, for “Run.”
The Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction went to Juli Vizza, and the Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction went to Terilyn Shropshire.
The Sundance Institute | NHK Award went to Meryman Joobeur, for her film “Motherhood.”
Follow along with all of our coverage of this year’s Sundance Film Festival here.