ArtsCultureEntertainmentNewsTop StoryUS

‘In the Summers’ & ‘Porcelain War’ win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival

“In the Summers,” an affecting, years-spanning drama about a complicated parent-children relationship, nabbed the Grand Jury prize at the 40th Sundance Film Festival, while the top honor for documentary went to “Porcelain War,” about a Ukrainian couple who craft fragile, intricately painted ceramics while war rages around them.

Quick Read

  • Grand Jury Prize: “In the Summers,” a drama about a complex family relationship, won the Grand Jury prize at the 40th Sundance Film Festival.
  • Top Documentary Honor: “Porcelain War,” depicting a Ukrainian couple’s life amid war, received the top documentary award.
  • Directorial Debuts Honored: Both winning films marked the directorial debuts of Alessandra Lacorazza and the team of Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev.
  • Diverse Themes and Recognition: Lacorazza dedicated her win to diverse communities, while Bellomo highlighted the bravery of Ukrainians.
  • International Awards: “Sujo” and “A New Kind of Wilderness” won in the world cinema categories.
  • Audience Awards: “Daughters” and “Dìdi” received audience awards for U.S. documentary and dramatic film, respectively.
  • Netflix Acquisition: The streaming giant acquired “Ibelin,” a film about the online life of a Norwegian gamer.
  • Variety of Winners: Other winners included “Girls Will Be Girls,” “Little Death,” and “Kneecap.”
  • Streaming Availability: Award-winning films are available for streaming on the Sundance website.
  • Past Sundance Successes: Previous winners like “Past Lives,” “CODA,” and “Minari” went on to receive Oscar nominations and wins.
  • High-Profile Films: This year’s festival featured notable entries like Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence.”
  • Significant Sales: “A Real Pain” and “It’s What’s Inside” were among the top sales at the festival.

The Associated Press has the story:

‘In the Summers’ & ‘Porcelain War’ win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival

Newslooks- (AP)

“In the Summers,” an affecting, years-spanning drama about a complicated parent-children relationship, nabbed the Grand Jury prize at the 40th Sundance Film Festival, while the top honor for documentary went to “Porcelain War,” about a Ukrainian couple who craft fragile, intricately painted ceramics while war rages around them.

This image released by Sundance Institute shows Residente, right, in a scene from “In The Summers” by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. (Sundance Institute via AP)

Those two awards, announced Friday in Park City, Utah, both honored directorial debuts. “In the Summers,” written and directed by Alessandra Lacorazza, poetically follows an imperfect father and his daughters over nearly two decades. Lacorazza also won for directing.

“To the queers, to the Latin, to the immigrants, this is for you,” said Lacorazza, a Colombian American filmmaker whose film is set in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

This image released by Sundance Institute shows scene from “Porcelain War” by Slava Leontyev and Andrey Stefanov, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Com[petition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. (Slava Leontyev and Andrey Stefanov/Sundance Institute via AP)

“Porcelain War,” which follows last year’s “20 Days in Mariupol” as a Sundance documentary prize-winner that captures the war in Ukraine, was made by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev.

“This award is because of the bravery of the people of Ukraine,” said Bellomo. “And this award is for the beauty of the people of Ukraine.”

This image released by the Sundance Institute shows a scene from “Daughters” by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. (Sundance Institute via AP)

“Sujo,” about an orphaned boy trying to escape the grip of Mexican cartel violence, took the Grand Jury prize for world dramatic cinema. “A New Kind of Wilderness,” about a Norwegian family living off the grid, won the jury award for world documentary.

This image released by Sundance Institute shows Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio Samudio, left, and Sasha Calle in a scene from “In The Summers” by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. (Sundance Institute via AP)

The Festival Award, voted on by Sundance audiences, went to “Daughters,” Natalie Rae and Angela Patton’s moving documentary following four girls as they prepare for a special daddy-daughter dance with their imprisoned fathers. “Daughters” also won the audience award for U.S. documentary.

Harper Steele, left, and Will Ferrell attend the premiere of “Will & Harper” at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Sean Wang’s “Dìdi,” a coming-of-age film about a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, took the audience award for U.S. dramatic film. “Dìdi” also won a juried award for its ensemble.

Pedro Pascal, a cast member in “Freaky Tales,” is seen through a photographer’s arm as he poses at the premiere of the film at Eccles Theatre during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

“Ibelin,” which was acquired by Netflix out of Sundance, won the audience award for world cinema documentary and a juried award for Benjamin Ree’s direction. The film follows the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. Only after his death did his parents discover how widely known and celebrated Steen was online for his personal blog and via World of Warcraft.

Sebastian Stan attends the premiere of “A Different Man” at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Girls Will Be Girls,” about a Himalayan boarding school, won the audience award for world cinema drama. The Darren Aronofsky-produced “Little Death,” starring David Schwimmer as a TV writer, won the NEXT Innovator award. The NEXT audience award winner was the Irish drama “Kneecap,” about a Belfast rap trio, co-starring Michael Fassbender.

Kieran Culkin, left, and Jesse Eisenberg attend the premiere of “A Real Pain” at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Award winners are available to stream on the festival’s website through the close of Sundance on Sunday.

Sundance winners often go on to be some of the most acclaimed films of the year. Last year’s festival produced Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” nominated for best picture and best screenplay on Tuesday by the Academy Awards. Other Sundance titles to reach the Oscars include 2022 best picture-winner “CODA,”“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” and “Minari.”

Sam Zuchero, second from right, and her husband Andy Zuchero, right, co-writers and co-directors of “Love Me,” pose with cast members Kristen Stewart, left, and Steven Yeun at the premiere of the film at Eccles Theatre during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The 40th edition brought high-profile films including Jesse Eisenberg’s well-received “A Real Pain,” starring him and Kieran Culkin; the Will Ferrell, Harper Steele road trip “Will & Harper”; and the emotional documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.”

FILE – The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre appears during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 28, 2020. The 2024 Sundance Film Festival runs through Jan. 28. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)

This year, “A Real Pain,” which also picked up a screenwriting award for Eisenberg, was among the top sales, selling for $10 million to Searchlight Pictures. Neon acquired Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story “Presence.” And the buzzy horror thriller “It’s What’s Inside” sold to Netflix for $17 million.

Read more entertainment news

Previous Article
Lawmakers: Biden must seek authorization before further strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels
Next Article
Jury says Donald Trump must pay $83.3 Million to E. Jean Carroll

How useful was this article?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this article.

Latest News

Menu