After 10 days of film premieres and deals, the awards for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival were handed out over the weekend where Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" swept all the top prizes.
"The Birth of a Nation" received a standing ovation at the conclusion of its screening and was sold for a record-breaking $17.5 million to Fox Searchlight, as HNGN previously reported. The film, which centers on slave rebellion leader Nat Turner, also had offers from The Weinstein Company, Paramount, Sony and a Netflix offer of $20 million.
"Making films is a very, very difficult thing and often you're left on your own wondering why you're doing what you're doing," said Parker when he took the stage to claim the night's top prize, according to CNN. "Thank you Sundance for creating a platform for us to grow, in spite of what the rest of Hollywood is doing."
"The Birth of a Nation" marked the fourth time a film went home with all the top prizes, according to ABC News. The film followed 2013's "Fruitvale Station," the 2014 film "Whiplash" and last year's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl."
Check out the complete list of winners below:
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: "The Birth of a Nation"
Audience Award: "The Birth of a Nation"
Directing: Daniel Scheinart and Daniel Kwan, "Swiss Army Man"
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Chad Hartigan, "Morris From America"
Special Jury Award: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, "As You Are"
Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance: Joe Seo, "Spa Night"
Special Jury Award for Individual Performance: Markees Christmas, "Morris From America"
Special Jury Award for Individual Performance: Melanie Lynskey, "The Intervention"
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: "Weiner"
Audience Award: "Jim: The James Foley Story"
Directing Award: Roger Ross Williams, "Life, Animated"
Special Jury Award for Editing: Penny Lane and Thom Stylinski, "NUTS!"
Special Jury Award for Social Impact: Dawn Porter, "Trapped"
Special Jury Award for Writing: Robert Greene, "Kate Plays Christine"
Special Jury Award for Verite Filmmaking: Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe, "The Bad Kids"
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: "Sand Storm"
Audience Award: "Between Sea and Land"
Directing Award: Felix van Groeningen, "Belgica"
Screenwriting: Ana Katz and Ines Bortagaray, "Mi amiga del parque"
Special Jury Award for Acting: Vicky Hernandez and Manolo Cruz, "Between Sea and Land"
Special Jury Award for Unique Vision and Design: Agnieszka Smoczynska, "The Lure"
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: "Sonita"
Audience Award: "Sonita"
Directing Award: Michal Marczak, "All These Sleepless Nights"
Special Jury Award for Editing: Mako Kamitsuna and John Maringouin, "We Are X"
Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Pieter-Jan De Pue, "The Land of the Enlightened"
Special Jury Award for Debut Feature: Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel, "When Two Worlds Collide"
OTHER AWARDS
Next Audience Award: "First Girl I Loved"
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: "Embrace of the Serpent"
