‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ Wins Top Sundance Award

“The House I Live In” takes top documentary prize; “The Invisible War” and “The Surrogate” win top audience awards

The dramatic feature "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and the documentary "The House I Live In" won the top jury prizes at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild," Benh Zeitlin's trippy bayou drama set in South Louisiana and starring a collection of non-actors, was the festival's most buzzed-about film since it debuted on the festival's second day. Fox Searchlight acquired the film earlier this week.

Also read: 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' Rips Through Sundance

Eugene Jarecki's "The House I Live In" is a look at the failures of the U.S. war on drugs. It observes that the policy has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer and destroyed impoverished communities at home and abroad.

Kirby Dick's searing documentary "The Invisible War," about widespread rape in the military, and Ben Lewin's John Hawkes/Helen Hurt drama "The Surrogate" won the top audience awards. "The Surrogate," acquired for $6 million by Fox Searchlight, stars Hawkes as a man confined to an iron lung who hires a professional sex surrogate.

Read also: Military Rape Victims in 'Invisible War' Discuss U.S. Indifference (Video)

Films that received multiple awards at the ceremony in Park City included "The Surrogate," which won the audience award and was also given a special jury prize for its ensemble cast.

"Searching for Sugar Man," the documentary acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, won a World Cinema audience award and a special jury prize. And "Beasts" was honored for its cinematography in addition to winning the top jury prize in the dramatic competition.

Read also: 40 Years Later, Detroit's Bob Dylan Is Discovered in 'Sugar Man'

The complete list of winners:

Grand Jury Prize, Documentary: "The House I Live In"
World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic: "Violeta Went to Heaven"
World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: "The Law in These Parts"

Audience Award, Documentary: "The Invisible War"
Audience Award, Dramatic: "The Surrogate"
World Cinema Audience Award, Documentary: "Searching for Sugar Man"
World Cinema Audience Award, Dramatic: "Valley of Saints"

Best of NEXT Award: "Sleepwalk With Me"
Directing Award, Documentary: Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles"
Directing Award, Dramatic: Ana DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere"
World Cinema Directing Award, Documentary: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, "5 Broken Cameras"
World Cinema Directing Award, Dramatic: Mads Matthiesen, "Teddy Bear"

Waldo Salt Screengwriting Award: Derek Connolly, "Safety Not Guaranteed"
World Cinema Screenwriting Award: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Peirano and Sebastian Sepulveda, "Young & Wild"
Documentary Editing Award: "Detropia"
World Cinema Documentary Editing Award: "Indie Game: The Movie"
Excellence in Cinematography Award, Documentary: "Chasing Ice"
Excellence in Cinematography Award, Dramatic: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Documentary: "Putin's Kiss"
World Cinema Cinematography Award, Dramatic: "My Brother the Devil"
World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Dramatic: "CAN"
World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Documentary: "Searching for Sugar Man"
Special Jury Prize, Documentary: "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" and "Love Free or Die"
Special Jury Prize,  Dramatic: Andrea Sperling and Jonathan Schwartz, "Smashed" and "Nobody Walks"
Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting: "The Surrogate"

Shorts Audience Award: "The Debutante Hunters"

 

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