Sundance 2023 Announces Award Winners: ‘Radical,’ ‘A Thousand and One,’ ‘The Persian Version,’ ‘Kokomo City’ Among Winners

The Sundance Film Festival — which concludes tomorrow — has seen a great reception in Park City, its first in-person event since 2020. The festival has been getting buzz even for those who haven’t attended, showing a strong showing that Sundance is back in business. For example, one film that showed at the festival, “Fair Play” by Director Chloe Domont, has been picked up by Netflix in a $20 million streaming deal, and another — “Flora and Son” — has attracted several bidders, reports Variety. 

What is great about festivals like Sundance is that they give not only critics and award bodies the chance to pick their favorites, but audiences too. 

According to Sundance, the jury and audience-awarded prizes amplify the fearless and dynamic stories across sections. ‘Grand Jury’ prizes were awarded to “A Thousand and One” (U.S. Dramatic), “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” (U.S. Documentary), “Scrapper” (World Cinema Dramatic), and “The Eternal Memory.” (World Cinema Documentary). Additionally, the ‘NEXT Innovator Award’ presented by Adobe was awarded to “Kokomo City.”

For the audience awards, Sundance reports that “Radical” was granted the ‘Festival Favorite Award.’ Audience Awards for films in competition were presented by Acura to “The Persian Version” (U.S. Dramatic) and “Beyond Utopia” (U.S. Documentary). Presented by United Airlines, “Shayda” (World Cinema Dramatic) and “20 Days in Mariupol” (World Cinema Documentary) also won. “Kokomo City” won the audience award for ‘NEXT.’

A Success for All Involved

Said Joana Vincente, CEO of the Sundance Institute, “This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience. The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film. Today’s award winners highlight our programs’ most impressive achievements in the current moment of cinematic arts. I hope you will join me in congratulating our winners, as well as thanking all artists across sections for sharing their stories with the Sundance community.”

We at The Movie Buff have had a great time covering the festival (our coverage will continue for the next few days as we wrap up highlights and the short programs), and are glad we have got to take part. I’m beyond pleased that “Shayda” received an Audience Award (it was one of my favorites of the festival), and the buzz created by other films show the power and necessity of film festivals across the globe. 

You can find the full list of winners of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival below. 

Festival Favorite Award

“Radical” (Dir. Christopher Zalla)

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Grand Jury Prize: “A Thousand And One” (Dir. A.V. Rockwell)

Audience Award: “The Persian Version” (Dir. Maryam Keshavarz)

Directing Award: Sing J. Lee (for “The Accidental Getaway Driver”)

Jury Award: Creative Vision: “Magazine Dreams” (Dir. Elijah Bynum)

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Maryam Keshavarz (for “The Persian Version”)

Special Jury Award — Acting: Lio Mehiel (for “Mutt”)

Jury Award — Ensemble : “Theater Camp” (Dirs. Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman)

U.S. Documentary Competition 

Grand Jury Prize: “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” (Dirs. Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson)

Audience Award: “Beyond Utopia” (Dir. Madeleine Gavin)

Directing Award: Luke Lorentzen (for “A Still Small Voice”)

Special Jury Award — Clarity of Vision: “The Stroll” (Dirs. Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker)

Special Jury Award — Freedom of Expression: “Bad Press” (Dirs. Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler)

Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: Daniela I. Quiroz (for “Going Varsity in Mariachi”)

World Cinema Documentary Competition

Audience Award: “20 Days in Mariupol” (Ukraine) (Dirs. Mstylav Chernov)

Grand Jury Prize: “The Eternal Memory” (Chile) (Dir. Maite Alberdi)

Directing Award: “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (Estonia/France/Iceland) (Dir. Anna Hints)

Special Jury Award — Verite Filmmaking: “Against the Tide” (India) (Dir. Sarvnik Kaur)

Special Jury Award — Creative Vision: “Fantastic Machine” (Sweden/Denmark) (Dir. Axel Danielson)

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Audience Award: “Shayda” (Australia) (Dir. Noora Niasari)

Grand Jury Prize: “Scrapper” (UK) (Dir. Charlotte Regan)

Directing Award: Marija Kavtaradze (for “Slow” (Lithuania/Spain/Sweden)

Special Jury Award — Creative Vision: “Animalia” (France/Morocco/Qatar) (Dir. Sofia Alaoui)

Special Jury Award — Best Performance: Rosa Marchant (for “When it Melts” Belgium/Netherlands)

Special Jury Award — Cinematography: Lílis Soares (for “Mami Wata” (Nigeria)

NEXT

Audience Award: “Kokomo City”  (Dir. D. Smith)

Innovator Award: “Kokomo City” (Dir. D. Smith)

Short Film Awards

Grand Jury Prize: “When You Left Me On That Boulevard “ (U.S.A., Dir. Kayla Abuda Galang)

Jury Award — US Fiction: “Rest Stop” (Dir. Crystal Kayiza)

Jury Award — Directing, International: Valeria Hofmann (for “AliEN0089,” (Chile)

Jury Award — Directing, U.S.: Jarreau Carrillo (for “The Vacation”)

Jury Award — Animation: “The Flying Sailor” (Dirs. Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, Canada)

Jury Award — Nonfiction: “Will You Look At Me” (China, Dir. Shuli Huang)

Jury Award — International Fiction: “The Kidnapping of the Bride” (Germany, Dir: Sophia Mocorrea)

Previously Announced Winners 

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: “The Pod Generation” (Dir. Sophie Barthes)

Amazon Studios Nonfiction Award : Jess Devaney (for “It’s Only Life After All”)

Amazon Studios Fiction Award: Kara Durrett (for “The Starling Girl”)

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction: Mary Manhardt

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction: Troy Takaki

Sundance/NHK Award : Olive Nwosu (for “Lady”) 

Sundance Institute | Stars Collective Imagination Awards:

Tamara Shogaolu (for “40 Acres”)

Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari, and Andres Perez-Duarte (for “Block Party Bodega”)

Vanessa Keith (for “Year 2180)

Gayle Stevens Volunteer Award: Carlos Sanchez

Sundance Film Festival concludes tomorrow, January 29th, 2023. Follow us for continuing dispatches, reviews, capsules, and wrap-ups.