(BPI) PARK CITY, Utah--Tony Bui's "Three Seasons," a lyrical debut film set in modern Vietnam, became the first feature in the history of the Sundance Film Festival to win both the grand jury prize and the audience award.
In addition, the October Films release starring Harvey Keitel won the prize for Lisa Rinzler's stunning cinematography. It was only the second time that a dramatic feature has won three prizes at the fest. In 1997, the urban youth drama "Hurricane" also won three prizes.
Since the audience award was introduced in 1989, the choice of the Sundance jury and Sundance filmgoers has been split. Last year, the jury prize went to urban drama "Slam," while Miramax's Native American slice-of-life "Smoke Signals" won the audience award.
This year's directing prize went to Eric Mendelsohn for his elliptical black-and-white drama "Judy Berlin." The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was shared by two coming-of-age yarns written by first-time directors: Audrey Wells' "Guinevere" and Frank Whaley's "Joe the King."
The filmmakers trophy went to Gavin O'Connor's Southern drama "Tumbleweeds," which was picked up by Fine Line last week.
Actor Steve Zahn received a special award for his performance as a loopy ex-con in Mark Illsley's rip-roarin' comedy "Happy, Texas," which Miramax acquired last week in an eight-figure bidding war. In addition, the jury presented a special prize for distinctive filmmaking vision to Scott King's World War II-era black comedy "Treasure Island."
Chris Smith's "American Movie," the often hilarious portrait of a high school drop-out and self-taught filmmaker who yearns to be Milwaukee's answer to George Romero, won the grand jury prize for best documentary. The film was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics.
The audience prize for documentary went to Roko Belic's "Genghis Blues," which chronicles blues legend Paul Pena's visit to Tuva (located between Siberia and Mongolia) to explore the ancient art of throat singing.
Barbara Sonneborn won the documentary directing prize for "Regret to Inform," an account of women affected by the Vietnam War. Emiko Omori's cinematography was acknowledged, both for "Regret to Inform" and for her own "Rabbit in the Moon," a documentary about second-generation Japanese American survivors of World War II internment camps.
The documentary jury presented the freedom of expression award to Stanley Nelson's "The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords" and the filmmakers trophy to Jon Else's "Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle," which goes backstage at the San Franscisco Opera.
In addition, a special jury prize went to Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgan's documentary "On the Ropes," about a year in the lives of three young boxers.
The audience award for world cinema was split between the German chase film "Run Lola Run," a Sony Classics release, and the French Holocaust drama "Train of Life."
The jury prize for Latin American cinema went to Mexican director Alejandro Springall's account of a grieving mother, "Santitos." Cuban director Fernando Perez, who won a prize in 1996 for "Madagascar," claimed a special jury award this year for "Life Is to Whistle."
The jury prize for shorts went to Mark Osborne's "More," with a special award to Michael Burke's "Fishbelly White."
Honorable mentions in the shorts division went to James Cox's "Atomic Tabasco," Nicole Cattell's "Come Unto Me: The Faces of Tyree Guyton," Jarl Olsen's "Devil Doll/Ring Pull," Corky Quakenbush's "A Pack of Gifts, Now" and Philip Holahan's "Stubble Trouble."
Thom Geier/THR