2019 was another stellar year for SAGindie at Sundance. Our annual sojourn in Park City, Utah, saw the continuation of a few traditions: movie-watching, party-going, and staying warm with the aid of whiskey. Okay, our official tradition was hosting brunches for the moviemakers and performers at the fest: the 22nd Annual SAGindie Actors Only Brunch (hosted by Tim Daly, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lil Rel Howery, Imani Lewis, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Wendell Pierce, and Roger Guenveur Smith) and the 22nd Annual SAGindie Filmmakers Luncheon (hosted by Samantha Buck, Justin Chon, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Kyra Sedgwick, and Marie Schlingmann). Thanks to our hosts and to everyone else who was able to come hang and eat with us!
For more about our time in Park City, see our staff‘s favorite films, recaps, and all of the 2019 Sundance award-winners below.
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Eliza (who might be a Satanist now?)’s Favorites:
Hail Satan?
Untitled Amazing Johnathan Documentary
Shorts Program 1
Colin’s Favorites:
The ones I saw and liked:
- Share (very powerful, BUT, every time I told someone I saw Share, they responded, “The singer? Why is she here?” and that got very frustrating)
- Sundowners
- Big Time Adolescence
- The Death of Dick Long
The ones I didn’t see (bummer!) but am glad landed distribution deals:
- Brittany Runs a Marathon (thanks to Amazon for buying it!)
- Untitled Amazing Johnathan Documentary (thanks to Hulu for buying it!)
- Blinded by the Light (thanks to New Line for buying it!)
- Hail Satan? (thanks to Magnolia Pictures for buying it!)
- The Nightingale (thanks to IFC Films for buying it!)
Shefali’s Favorites:
This is so hard because I saw so many movies at Sundance. 10 to be exact. Okay so maybe this is just me bragging a little bit!
But of all the movies I did see the ones that stood out to me the most were:
- Late Night – Pheonomical script by Mindy Kaling and performances from both her and Emma Thompson. It felt like an episode of The Office or The Mindy Project in the sense that there was never a dull moment and even the emotional scenes were filled with comedic one-liners and really great take downs of the patriarchy.
- The Last Black Man in San Francisco – Being on the side of immigrants who have invaded San Francisco to profit from the tech industry and have largely contributed to the gentrification of the entire area, this film is an extremely important reminder of what was there first. The cinematography, script, and acting were stunning.
- The Farewell – I really loved the entire ensemble! And Awkwafina, stepping into her first leading role in a drama.
- Blinded by the Light – Really got me wanting to listen to Bruce Springsteen’s entire discography. Also, very exciting to see a young southeast Asian character in a leading role!
- Honorable mentions: Hala, Ms. Purple, Luce, Brittany Runs a Marathon
2019 Sundance Film Festival Winners:
Grand Jury Awards – Dramatic
- U.S. Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic: Clemency
- Directing Award – U.S. Dramatic: Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
- Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – U.S. Dramatic: Pippa Bianco, Share
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Vision and Craft: Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Collaboration: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting: Rhianne Barreto, Share
- World Cinema Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic: The Souvenir
- Directing Award – World Cinema Dramatic: Lucía Garibaldi, The Sharks
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality: Makoto Nagahisa, We Are Little Zombies
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Krystyna Janda, Dolce Fine Giornata
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Monos
Grand Jury Awards – Documentary
- U.S. Grand Jury Prize – Documentary: One Child Nation
- Directing Award – U.S. Documentary: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, American Factory
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency: Always in Season
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker: Liza Mandelup, Jawline
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing: Apollo 11
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Midnight Family
- World Cinema Grand Jury Prize – Documentary: Honeyland
- Directing Award – World Cinema Documentary: Mads Brügger, Cold Case Hammarskjöld
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for No Borders: Midnight Traveler
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact and Change: Honeyland
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Honeyland
Grand Jury Awards – Shorts
- Short Film Grand Jury Prize: Aziza
- Short Film Jury Award – U.S. Fiction: Green
- Short Film Jury Award – International Fiction: Dunya’s Day
- Short Film Jury Award – Non-Fiction: Ghosts of Sugar Land
- Short Film Jury Award – Animation: Reneepoptosis
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing: Fast Horse
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing: The Minors
Audience Awards
- Audience Award – U.S. Dramatic: Brittany Runs a Marathon
- Audience Award – U.S. Documentary: Knock Down the House
- Audience Award – NEXT: The Infiltrators
- Audience Award – World Cinema Dramatic: Queen of Hearts
- Audience Award – World Cinema Documentary: Sea of Shadows
Additional Awards
- Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- NEXT Innovator Prize: The Infiltrators
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Awards – Feature Film: Carly Hugo and Matt Parker
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Awards – Documentary Film: Lori Cheatle
- Sundance Institute/Netflix Open Borders Fellowship: Talal Derki; Chaitanya Tamhane and Tatiana Huezo
- Sundance Institute/NHK Award: Planet Korsakov
Congrats to all of the award-winners!
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THE 2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL?
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