Beasts rules at Sundance

Bayou set drama takes home top prize

by Amber Wilkinson

The hotly tipped Beasts Of The Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin took home the US dramatic competition prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Eugene Jarecki's documentary about drugs and punishment, The House I Live In was named US documentary winner.

Beasts, which stars non-professionals Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry, tells the bold and beautiful story of a dad and daughter scratching a living in the wilds of Louisiana. With a mythical sweep and cinematography from Brit Ben Richardson, which also merited an award, the film was a popular choice with the awards ceremony crowd.

Jarecki's documenary, meanwhile, considers the burgeoning American prison population and the war on drugs.

British director Lucy Walker won the non-fiction short award for The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom, while British film A Morning Stroll, directed by Grant Orchard, was named the best animated short film and Robots of Brixton by Kibwe Tavares won a special jury award for animation.

The full list of awards is below...

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary The Law In These Parts, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic Violeta Went To Heaven, Andrés Wood

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki

Grandy Jury Prize: Dramatic Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin

The Audience Award: Documentary Invisible War, Kirby Dick.

The Audience Award: Dramatic The Surrogate, Ben Lewin

The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary Searching For Sugar Man

The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic Valley Of Saints

The Best of NEXT audience award Sleepwalk With Me Mike Birbiglia

US Documentary Directing Award: Lauren Greenfield, Queen Of Versailles US

US Dramatic Directing Award: Ava DuVernay, Middle Of Nowhere

The World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary 5 Broken Cameras, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi

The World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed

The World Cinema Screenwriting AwardMarialy Rivas, Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Sepúlveda Camila Gutiérrez for Young And Wild

The Documentary Editing Award Enat Sidi, Detropia

The World Cinema Documentary Editing Award Indie Game: The Movie, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky

The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary Jeff Orlowski, Chasing Ice

The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic Ben Richardson, Beasts Of The Southern Wild

The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary Lars Skree, Putin's Kiss

The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic David Raedeker, My Brother The Devil

US Doc Special Jury Prize Love Free Or Die and Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

A Special Jury Prize: World Documentary Searching For Sugar Man

A Special Jury Prize: World Dramatic Can, Rasit Çelikezer

A Special Jury Prize: Dramatic For producing to Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling for Smashed and Nobody Walks

Ensemble acting Special Jury Prize: Dramatic The Surrogate

Previously announced awards

Alfred P Sloan Award Robot And Frank and Valley Of Saints.

Short Film Audience Award The Debutante Hunters, Maria White

Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking Fishing Without Nets, Cutter Hodierne

Jury Prize in Short Film, US Fiction The Black Balloon, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

The Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction The Return, Blerta Zeqiri

The Jury Prize in Short Film, Non-Fiction The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom

The Jury Prize in Animated Short Film A Morning Stroll, Grant Orchard

A Special Jury Award for Comedic Storytelling The Arm, Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis

Special Jury Award for Animation Direction Robots Of Brixton, Kibwe Tavares

The winning directors and projects of the Sundance Institute Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, in recognition and support of emerging independent filmmakers from around the world Etienne Kallos / Vrystaat (Free State) (South Africa); Ariel Kleiman / Partisan (Australia); Dominga Sotomayor / Tarde Para Morir Joven (Late To Die Young) (Chile); and Shonali Bose / Margarita. With a Straw (India).

The Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker Award, honouring and supporting emerging filmmakers, was presented to Jens Assur, director of the upcoming film Close Far Away.

The inaugural Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award for a completed feature film was presented to The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk.

The inaugural Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producer’s Award and $10,000 grant was presented to Dan Janvey and Josh Penn for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

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