Sundance Film Festival 2023 has been an absolute gem of an event this year.
We at Monsters and Critics have viewed over 20 films, and somehow some of these winners we missed during the early part of the festival.
We still have more to come–and the festival has not yet concluded–but some of the films we have watched this week were honored today. Movies such as Magazine Dreams and Slow were honored for different categories.
The major Grand Jury Prize went to A Thousand and One. The movie that impressed Sundance’s audience was The Persian Version. That film won the Audience Award in the drama category and was honored with a screenwriting award.
The Festival Favorite Award went to Radical, a movie that has the educational spirit of Dead Poets Society.
But the list is huge, and there are so many winners for the year. Read the full list of Sundance 2023 winners below.
Grand Jury Prizes
U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
A Thousand and One
U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Scrapper
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
The Eternal Memory
Festival Favorite Award
Radical took home the prize for this category. The film itself was a foreign language film about an educator (Eugenio Derbez) in Mexico with an unorthodox approach to providing his students with education. It is quite clear why it took home the prize as it is both a crowd-pleaser and a statement that potential can be nurtured in the harshest of environments.
The film is also based on a true story.
Audience Awards
Audience Award: U.S. Documentary
Beyond Utopia
Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Shayda
Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic
The Persian Version
Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
Audience Award: NEXT
KOKOMO CITY
Jury Awards for categories of Editing, Screenwriting, and Directing
Directing Award: U.S. Documentary
A Still Small Voice
Director: Luke Lorentzen
Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic
The Accidental Getaway Driver
Director: Sing J. Lee
Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
Director: Anna Hints
Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Slow (check out our review)
Director: Marija Kavtaradze
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic
The Persian Version
Director and screenwriter: Maryam Keshavarz
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary
Going Varsity in Mariachi
Editor: Daniela I. Quiroz
Special Jury Awards
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble
Theater Camp
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
Magazine Dreams (Read our review)
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting
Lio Mehiel
Movie: Mutt
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Clarity of Vision
The Stroll
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Freedom of Expression
Bad Press
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
Fantastic Machine
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Verite Filmmaking
Against the Tide
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
Animalia
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Cinematography
Mami Wata
Cinematographer: Lílis Soares
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Best Performance
Rosa Marchant
Movie: When It Melts
Next Innovator Award Presented by Adobe
This award was presented to KOKOMO City. The movie’s synopsis is described as “Four Black transgender sex workers explore the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves while confronting issues long avoided.”
Short Film Award Winners– Presented by Shutterstock
Short Film Grand Jury Prize presented by Shutterstock
When You Left Me On That Boulevard
Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction presented by Shutterstock
Rest Stop
Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction presented by Shutterstock
The Kidnapping of the Bride
Short Film Jury Award: Animation presented by Shutterstock
The Flying Sailor
Short Film Jury Award: Non-Fiction presented by Shutterstock
Will You Look At Me
A Short Film Special Jury Award, International: Directing presented by Shutterstock
Valeria Hofmann
Movie: AliEN0089
A Short Film Special Jury Award, U.S: Directing presented by Shutterstock
Jarreau Carrillo
Movie: The Vacation
Previously Given Awards
2023 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
This category is for a standout film about science or technology. The Pod Generation took home the win. A very clever movie about babies being grown in egg-shaped pods, starring Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Amazon Studios Fiction Award
The Starling Girl
Amazon Studios Non-Fiction Award
It’s Only Life After All
Adobe Mentorship Award for Non-Fiction
Mary Manhardt
Adobe Mentorship Award for Fiction
Troy Takaki
NHK Award
Olive Nwosu
Project title: Lady
Stars Collective Imagination Awards
Two awards were given to Tamara Shogaolu for 40 Acres; Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari, and Andres Perez-Duarte for the project Block Party; and finally, Vanessa Keith was awarded for the project Year 2180.
Stay tuned for more Sundance Film Festival 2023 coverage at Monsters and Critics.