‘CODA’ Takes Top Awards at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival
A few days after “CODA” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and set a festival acquisition record — bought by Apple Studios for $25 million, beating last year’s record $17.5 million (and sixty-nine cents) for “Palm Springs” — the film took home even more accolades. During a virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday night, Sian Heder’s debut feature film was awarded the grand jury prize, audience award, a special jury award for best ensemble and award for best director in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
In the documentary category, Questlove’s festival-opening “Summer of Soul” took the grand jury prize and audience award, and Natalia Almada took the directing award for her social media doc “Users.” And in the world cinema dramatic competition, Blerta Basholli’s debut feature “Hive” took the top three awards.
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Read on to see a list of 2021 Sundance Award winners (and read about 12 of the most exciting films to premiere during the mostly virtual festival this year):
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize: “CODA”
Audience Award: “CODA”
Directing: Sian Heder, for “CODA”
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, for “On the Count of Three”
Special Jury Award for Best Actor: Clifton Collins Jr., for “Jockey”
Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble: The cast of “CODA” (Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant and Marlee Matlin)
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize: “Hive”
Audience Award: “Hive”
Directing Award: Blerta Basholli, for “Hive”
Special Jury Award for Acting: Jesmark Scicluna, for “Luzzu”
Special Jury Award for Creative Vision: “One for the Road,” directed by Baz Poonpiriya
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, for “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Audience Award: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directing: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, for “Writing With Fire”
Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker: Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, for “Cusp”
Special Jury Award for Nonfiction Experimentation: Theo Anthony, for “All Light, Everywhere”
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: Editors Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno, for “Homeroom”
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize: “Flee”
Audience Award: “Writing With Fire”
Directing Award: Hogir Hirori, for “Sabaya”
Special Jury Award for Vérité Filmmaking: Camilla Nielsson, for “President”
Special Jury Award for Impact for Change: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, for “Writing With Fire”
NEXT Awards Presented by Adobe
NEXT Innovator Prize presented by Adobe: Dash Shaw, for “Cryptozoo”
Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe: Marion Hill, for “Ma Belle, My Beauty”
More From the Eye:
Here Are the Nominees for the 52nd Annual NAACP Image Awards
Awards Season Heats Up With the National Board of Review Honorees
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