Sundance. Awards.

There's been quite a bit of grumbling to be heard from Park City lately, so at least the final night offered a dash of drama: "Two new American independent films swept both jury and audience awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival this year, a first in the history of this twenty-two year-old festival recognized as the most important in the United States." All indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez forgot to add is the exclamation mark. But he's got the full story and the full list, leading, of course, with those big winners:

• Quinceañera, directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, taking both the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Audience Award: Dramatic.

• And God Grew Tired of Us, directed by Christopher Quinn, awarded both the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and the Audience Award: Documentary.

More winners:

• World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary: In the Pit, written and directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo.

• World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic: 13 (Tzameti), written and directed by Géla Babluani.

• World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary: De Nadie, directed by Tin Dirdamal.

• World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic: No. 2, written and directed by Toa Fraser.

• Documentary Directing Award: James Longley for Iraq in Fragments. Longley also picked up an Excellence in Cinematography Award, along with Tom Richmond for Right at Your Door, and an award for Documentary Film Editing, which he shares with Billy McMillan and Fiona Otway.

• Dramatic Directing Award: Dito Montiel for A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, which also picked up a Special Jury Prize for the Best Ensemble Performance.

• Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award: Hilary Brougher for Stephanie Daley.

• Special Jury Prize: Documentary: American Blackout, directed by Ian Inaba, and TV Junkie, directed by Michael Cain and Matt Radecki.

• Special Jury Prize: Dramatic: In Between Days, directed by So Yong Kim.

• Special Jury Prizes: World Cinema Documentary: Into Great Silence, directed by Philip Groening, and Dear Pyongyang, directed by Yonghi Yang.

• Special Jury Prize: World Cinema Dramatic: Eve & the Fire Horse, directed by Julia Kwan.

• Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking: Bugcrush, directed by Carter Smith, and The Wraith of Cobble Hill, directed by Adam Parrish King.

• Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking: The Natural Route, directed by Àlex Pastor Vallejo.

• Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking: Before Dawn, directed by Bálint Kenyeres, Preacher With an Unknown God, directed by Rob VanAlkemade, and Undressing My Mother, directed by Ken Wardrop.

So. You'd think that'd be that from Park City, but hardly. As I find them, I'll keep adding new reviews to the "Park City Roundup," or, of course, only so long as seems reasonable, and we can all brace ourselves for a week or two of overviews drawn up in the tranquillity of recollection in alt-weekly issues to come.

Posted by dwhudson at January 29, 2006 5:54 AM