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Jason Kohl, director of Manda Bala (Send A Bullet)
WINNERS IN ANY LANGUAGE
Accepting the award, Zalla said, “I didn’t prepare anything because I’ve never won anything in my life... for a kid who was once on welfare this is a pretty amazing place to be," Zalla said. "There are people in this country that we decide to call illegal – an illegal human being – and I just don’t get that... so I want to dedicate this film to those who are toiling so hard just to make a living.” The international scope of the U.S. films at the Festival this year was also reflected by the film receiving the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. Jason Kohn’s Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) was selected by the jury from the 16 films in the Independent Film Competition: Documentary for top honors. In Brazil, known as one of the world’s most corrupt and violent countries, Manda Bala follows a politician who uses a frog farm to steal billions of dollars, a wealthy businessman who spends a small fortune bulletproofing his cars, and a plastic surgeon who reconstructs the ears of mutilated kidnapping victims. "I have to single out 2007 Sundance Film Festival, I think, as one of our landmark years,” said Sundance Film Festival Director Geoff Gilmore. “Your films have defined what independent film can be and what independent film will be.” Tallied throughout the 10 days of the Festival, Audience Awards for the Independent Film Competition are given to a dramatic and a documentary film and are presented by Volkswagen of America, Inc. The Audience Award: Dramatic went to Grace is Gone, directed by James C. Strouse. After learning that his wife has been killed in Iraq, a father finds the courage to tell his daughters the news during a quixotic road trip to an amusement park. The Audience Award: Documentary was given to Irene Taylor Brodsky’s Hear and Now. Brodsky tells a deeply personal tale about her deaf parents and their radical decision – after 65 years living together in silence – to undergo cochlear implant surgery, a procedure that could give them the ability to hear. This marks the third year of the Festival’s World Cinema Competition. The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic went to Dror Shaul’s Sweet Mud. The Israeli film tells the story of a young man, Dvir Avni, living on a Kibbutz in the ‘70s who realizes hismother is mentally ill. In this closed community, bound by rigid rules, Dvir must navigate between the kibbutz motto of equality and the stinging reality that his mother has, in effect, been abandoned by the community. The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was given to the Danish film Enemies of Happiness, directed by Eva Mulvad and Anja Al Erhayem. The film reveals how Malalai Joya, a 28-year-old Afghani woman, redefined the role of women and elected officials in her county with her historic 2005 victory in Afghanistan’s first democratic parliamentary election in over 30 years. The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was given to Once, directed by John Carney. The Irish film is a modern-day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard and his Irish band The Frames, the film tells the story of a busker and an immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse, and record songs that reveal their unique love story. David Sington’s British documentary In the Shadow of the Moon received the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. One of the defining passages of American history, the Apollo Space Program literally brought the aspirations of a nation to another world. Awe-inspiring footage and candid interviews with the astronauts who visited the moon provide unparallel perspective on the precious state of our planet. The 2007 Alfred P. Sloan Prize was presented to Dark Matter, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng. The Prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award, is designed to showcase the work of emerging filmmakers tackling compelling topics in science and technology. The other awards given out last night were: Directing Award: Documentary (Independent Film Competition) Directing Award: Dramatic (Independent Film Competition) Excellence in Cinematography Award (Independent Film Competition: Documentary) Excellence in Cinematography Award (Independent Film Competition: Dramatic) Documentary Editing Award (Independent Film Competition) Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (Independent Film Competition: Dramatic) Special Jury Prize (Independent Film Competition: Documentary) Special Jury Prize for Acting (Independent Film Competition: Dramatic) Special Jury Prize for Acting (Independent Film Competition: Dramatic) Special Jury Prize for Singularity of Vision Special Jury Prize (World Cinema Competition: Documentary) Special Jury Prize (World Cinema Competition: Dramatic) Jury Prize: Short Filmmaking Jury Prize: International Short Filmmaking Honorable Mentions: Short Filmmaking
Special Shorts Jury Prize The 2007 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Awards are presented by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award
In the Jury Box: Independent Film Competition: Documentary Independent Film Competition: Dramatic World Cinema Competition: Documentary World Cinema Competition: Dramatic Shorts Competition Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize |
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