Sundance 2020 awards presented!

As we already wrote in the nominations, as many as 128 films were in the game. It is an impossible mission to single out all the winners, as there were as many as 28 categories, 28 awards were distributed to great films. Sundance is a festival that boasts authors' films, not blockbusters. That's why apart from the awards themselves, the organizers are proud of the impressive figures, which show the diversity Sundance encourages and is proud of. After all, here's an interesting statistic, so you can see for yourself that the figures stand firmly on the side of diversity that this festival encourages and embraces.

Of the 28 prizes awarded tonight to 25 films – comprising the work of 29 filmmakers – 12 (48%) were directed by one or more women; 10 (40%) were directed by one or more people of color, and 2 (8%) were directed by a person who identifies as LGBTQ+. Impressive figures, right?

As far as interesting things are concerned, there are always there. Let's just highlighted a few things before moving on to the prize winners themselves. After long and productive eleven years, John Cooper is no longer the Director of the Sundance Film Festival. The new Director is Tabitha Jackson, who has been the Director of the Institute's Documentary Film Program for the past six years. Tabitha Jackson is dedicated to independent artists and filmmakers. She has experience in a team that has run the Sundance Festival for years. So, nothing much will change after the Director of the Festival is replaced.

It is rumored that Netflix, which has by far the highest number of titles at this year's Sundance Festival, would screen a documentary about Taylor Swift - Miss Americana right after the awards ceremony. That would be great. After all, fans can't wait to see the documentary that opened the Sundance Festival 2020. Apart from Netflix, there are plenty of stories at the Festival about Hulu and Apple + movies. So OTT platforms ( streaming media services ) are at the forefront. Things are changing. Maybe we get the first Oscar to end in a Netflix showcase soon? Animated film Klaus just picked up the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film. And the chances of a mafia epic The Irishman, are not too small. Maybe this is the year of Netflix, who knows? And now to list the award winners!

U.S. Dramatic

Minari
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung

U.S. Documentary

Crip Camp
Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht

World Cinema Dramatic

Identifying Features (Sin Senas Particulares)
Directed by Fernanda Valadez

World Cinema Documentary

The Reason I Jump
Jerry Rothwell

Next

I Carry You With Me
Directed by Heidi Ewing

GRAND JURY PRIZES

U.S. Dramatic

Minari
Director: Lee Isaac Chung

U.S. Documentary

Boys State
Directors: Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine

World Cinema Dramatic

Yalda, A Night For Forgiveness
Director: Massoud Bakhshi

World Cinema Documentary

The Reason I Jump
Director: Jerry Rothwell

DIRECTING

U.S. Dramatic

The 40-Year-Old Version
Director: Radha Blank

U.S. Documentary

Time
Director: Garrett Bradley

World Cinema Dramatic

Cuties
Director: Maïmouna Doucouré

World Cinema Documentary

The Earth Is Blue As An Orange
Director: Iryna Tsilyk

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award

U.S. Dramatic: Edson Oda for Nine Days

Next Innovator Prize

I Carry You With Me
Director: Heidi Ewing

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast

Charm City Kings
Director: Angel Manuel Soto

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Auteur Filmmaking

Shirley
Director: Josephine Decker

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Neo-Realism

Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Director-writer: Eliza Hittman

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing

Welcome to Chechnya
Editor: Tyler H. Walk

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Innovation in Non-fiction Storytelling

Dick Johnson Is Dead
Director: Kirsten Johnson

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker

Feels Good Man
Director: Arthur Jones

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking

The Fight
Directors: Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, Eli Despres

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting

Ben Whishaw
Surge

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking

This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection
Director-writer: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Screenplay

Fernanda Valadez, Astrid Rondero
Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares)

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling

The Painter And The Thief
Director: Benjamin Ree

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography

Mircea Topoleanu and Radu Ciorniciuc
Acasa, My Home

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing

Mila Aung-Thwin, Sam Soko, Ryan Mullins
Softie

Gayle Stevens Volunteer Award

Devon Edwards

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

Alfred P. Sloan Prize

Tesla
Directed by Michael Almereyda

SHORT FILMS

Grand Jury Prize

So What if the Goats Die (France/Morocco)
Directed by Sofia Alaoui

U.S. Fiction

-Ship: A Visual Poem
Directed by Terrence Daye

International Fiction

The Devil’s Harmony (UK)
Directed by Dylan Holmes Williams

Non-Fiction

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens
Directed by Matthew Kilip

Animation

Daughter (Czech Republic)
Directed by Daria Kashcheeva

Acting

Sadaf Asgari, in Exam (Iran)
Directed by Sonia K. Hadad

Directing

Michael Arcos, Valerio’s Day Out (U.S./Colombia)