SALT LAKE CITY – When the 2020 film awards season kicked off Wednesday with the announcement of Golden Globe nominees, the Sundance Film Festival also closed the first major event of the new film year.
On Tuesday evening the awards were presented for the Sundance festival in 2021. The festival, which was held virtually online for the first time, started Thursday and ends today.
The winners of this year’s Grand Jury Prize for this year’s Sundance were ‘CODA’, which took the top prize in the American drama competition ‘Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’ in the American Documentary Competition ‘ , Hive “in World Cinema Dramatic Contest and” Flee “in World Cinema Documentary Contest.
“This was not a ‘virtual’ festival, it was a real festival and the power of these artists and their work made it so,” said Tabitha Jackson, director of Sundance Film Festival, in a press release Tuesday. “It has been a privilege to help this work meet new audiences and enter the culture with such fanfare, especially now that it is harder than ever to break through the noise.”
“CODA,” “Summer of Soul,” and “Hive” also took home audiences awards, as well as the Indian documentary “Writing With Fire” and the drama “Ma Belle, My Beauty.” The full list of awards can be found at this link.
In addition to all the accolades, “CODA” also brought home the bacon – Apple’s $ 25 million acquisition of the movie broke the previous record for Sundance’s largest deal. That was previously owned by the Andy Samberg comedy “Palm Springs,” which sold to Neon and Hulu at the festival last year for a reported $ 22 million.
Keri Putnam, CEO of the Sundance Institute, also praised the creative work shown at this year’s film festival.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see people come together to connect and discuss exciting new work, and it’s a resounding confirmation that great, independent stories lead to rich conversations,” said Putnam.
Here’s a rundown of the rest of the deals reported by Sundance so far this year.
‘Ailey’
Distributor Neon picked up the documentary “Ailey,” which is about dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, for an undisclosed fee, the Hollywood Reporter said. It is directed by Jamila Wignot.
‘CODA’
“CODA,” Sian Heder’s drama about a child of deaf adults who is the only hearing member of her family, went for a record $ 25 million at Sundance, according to Variety. Apple Studios won the rights to distribute the film after a bidding war between several other major distributors, Variety reported.
‘Cryptozoo’
According to Variety, Dash Shaw’s eclectic adult animated movie has been sold to Magnolia Pictures. The film follows two lovers who run to the forest for a date and stumble across a park full of fantasy creatures. It features voice acting from Lake Bell, Michael Cera and Zoe Kazan.
‘Flee’
Neon’s second pickup from Sundance this year is the animated documentary “Flee”. It was sold to Neon in a partnership with Participant for a seven-figure deal, according to Deadline. Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, “Flee” documents the story of an Afghan refugee of persecution and escape.
‘Jockey’
Clifton Collins Jr. received a Sundance Special Jury Award for Best Actor for “Jockey,” which was sold to Sony Pictures Classics, according to Deadline. Collins plays an aging horse racer who reconciles with his deteriorating health when he encounters a novice rider who claims to be his long-lost son.
‘Playing with sharks’
National Geographic Documentary Films bought the distribution rights to the documentary “Playing With Sharks”, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film features Australian conservationist and filmmaker Valerie Taylor.
‘Better’
Visit Films acquired the rights to distribute the neo-noir “Superior,” with two twin sisters meeting under mysterious circumstances, according to Screen Daily.
Deals closed before the festival started
- “A Glitch In The Matrix”: Magnolia Pictures announced it had acquired the documentary, which explores simulation theory, late last year, according to The Wrap.
- “The Most Beautiful Boy In The World”: Juno Films acquired the North American distribution rights to this documentary, Deadline reported. The film documents the life of former child actor Björn Andrésen.
- Prisoners of the Ghostland: RLJE Films will release Nicolas Cage’s wacky action film, according to The Wrap. The distributor previously released the arthouse titles “Mandy” and “Color Out Of Space”, both of which also include Cage.
- “Together Together”: Bleecker Street acquired distribution rights to the comedy, which stars Ed Helms and Patti Harrison, according to Variety.
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Jacob Klopfenstein