‘Josephine,’ ‘Nuisance Bear’ take top prizes at Sundance Film Festival

Photo: Amanda Kelso at Awards at The Ray

PARK CITY, Utah — ‘Josephine’ and ‘Nuisance Bear’ took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival’s awards ceremony Jan. 30, with both films earning Grand Jury Prizes and audience recognition for their nuanced storytelling and urgent environmental themes.

The Festival Favorite Award was presented to American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, which also won the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.

In the US Dramatic Competition, the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Josephine “for the depth and nuance of storytelling. For the delicate and elegant execution of a challenging subject matter. The skilled direction of performance from the cast. The filmmaker’s humanistic view and their withholding of judgment toward those dealing with the impact of victimization. This filmmaker offered an empathetic view into the many different ways we as humans cope and try to set things right,” as the jury stated. This film also won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic.

The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Josef Kubota Wladyka for Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!.

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Liz Sargent for Take Me Home.

The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature was presented to Stephanie Ahn for Bedford Park.

The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to The Friend’s House is Here.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Nuisance Bear. The jury cited “this film tells an enormous story with great drama, beauty, and verve and powerfully confronts the realities of climate change, the tensions between Indigenous tradition and Western capitalist encroachment, and the complexities of humanity’s relationship with the natural world. It also features a standout sequence that is, like the film itself, humorous, terrifying, and unforgettable. Of all the documentaries we saw, this one was the least … polarizing.

The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to J.M. Harper for Soul Patrol.

The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Matt Hixon for Barbara Forever.

The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change was presented to The Lake, the environmental crisis story about the Great Salt Lake.

The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence was presented to Who Killed Alex Odeh?

The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines, was awarded to HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με).

The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines, was awarded to One In A Million.

The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild]. The filmmaking team—two brothers—weren’t present to accept their award, as winners aren’t informed in advance. Before embarking on the project, they asked a group of Michigan tribes: “Are you sure you want us to tell this story?” In addition to interviews and documentary footage, the film used computer graphics to visualize how Indigenous people perceive the world and how their ancestors remain part of it.

The NEXT Innovator Award, presented by Adobe, was awarded to The Incomer.

The NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression, presented by Adobe, was awarded to TheyDream.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Shame and Money.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Andrius Blaževičius for How to Divorce During the War.

The World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Filipiñana.

The World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble was presented to LADY.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to To Hold a Mountain.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes for One In A Million, which also won the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary.

The World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance was presented to Everybody To Kenmure Street.

The World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact was presented to Birds of War.

The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry for The Baddest Speechwriter of All. The jury stated, “This film implores us to take action with a message that is timeless and timely. Through the eyes of its subject, we find that one of the most important moments in modern history has a new perspective. For its portrait of a strong-willed, hilarious, compassionate man and the instrumental role he played in kicking ass, nonviolently, against division and hate, the Short Film Grand Jury Prize goes to The Baddest Speechwriter of All.”

The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to Lily Platt for Crisis Actor.

The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to Will Niava for Jazz Infernal.

The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to Arielle C. Knight for The Boys and the Bees.

The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to Stephen P. Neary for Living with a Visionary.

The Short Film Special Jury Award: Creative Vision was awarded to Don Hertzfeldt for Paper Trail.

The Short Film Special Jury Award: Acting was awarded to Noah Roja and Filippo Carrozza for The Liars.