Eyes On The Prize

With only 72 hours left until the announcement of the Festival awards, speculation is running high on what films are in contention for prizes. A Sundance award can be a mixed blessing….it can either help a film that goes undistributed renew interest among buyers or it can be a kiss of death of unreasonably high expectations. Either way, the guessing game of who will win is now the talk of the town.

The Drama Competition is filled with possible contenders. Early favorites include A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS by debut writer/director Dito Montiel, which chronicles his life on the streets of New York City in the 1980s; THE HAWK IS DYING, by writer/director about contemporary alienation with a powerful performance by indie favorite Paul Giammati; PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS, a frothy tri-sexual comedy of manners that is the Sundance feel-good picture of the moment by Maria Maggenti; STEEL CITY, a gritty family drama set in a working class town with excellent performances and a subtle direction by debut helmer Brian Jun; and STEPHANIE DALEY, a strong drama about a teenager’s murder of her baby that is also a critique of sexual education, with powerful performances by Amber Tamblyn and Tilda Swinton, directed by Hilary Brougher. Will the “female” pictures win out over the tough guy pics is anyone’s guess.

Jury members include Joe Bini, an editor of several films with director Werner Herzog, including the prize-winning GRIZZLY MAN; Zana Briski, a producer whose BORN INTO BROTHERS won the Academy Award last year; Andrew Jarecki, the filmmaker whose CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS was a major international festival hit; Miguel Arteta, the director of such previous Sundance hits as CHUCK AND BUCK and THE GOOD GIRL; and Terrence Howard, an actor whose breakout performance in HUSTLE AND FLOW has earned him a Golden Globe nomination and a possible bid for an Oscar this year.

The Documentary Competition is thought to be not as strong as in the past several years. However, several titles are generating awards talk. GOD GREW TIRED OF US (Christopher Quinn) tells the powerful story of young refugees from war-torn

Sudan

who make a new life for themselves in mainstream

America

. IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (James Longley) gives a unique perspective from the point of view of ordinary citizens of a world turned upside down by violence. THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT (Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg) is a riveting tale of the unjust conviction of a young man accused of murder and rape who loses 20 years of his life in prison before DNA evidence proves his innocence. WORDPLAY (Patrick Creadon) chronicles Americans’ obsession with crossworld puzzles and their innate sense of competitiveness in a hilarious and eye-opening way.

Jury members include Alexander Payne, the award-winning director of SIDEWAYS and ABOUT SCHMIDT; Heather Rae, a documentary producer and director; Alan Rudolph, a veteran director of 20 feature films including recent hits AFTERGLOW and THE SECRET LIFE OF DENTISTS; Nancy Schreiber, a much lauded cinematographer of several previous Sundance award winners; and Audrey Wells, a screenwriter of such films as UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and SHALL WE DANCE.

Sandy Mandelberger, Industry Editor

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