PARK CITY, Utah - A story of smuggling immigrants into the United States and a documentary on the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina won top honors at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday.
The grand jury prize for best dramatic film went to Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River," which follows a struggling single mother and a street-smart Mohawk Indian woman who band together to sneak immigrants into the United States, making runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River in an old Dodge Spirit to make ends meet.
The film, which took four years to make, is Hunt's first feature film and stars Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, chalrie McDermott, Michael O'Keefe and Mark Boone Jr.
The grand jury prize for best documentary went to Tia Lessin and Carl Deal for "Trouble the Water."
The autobiographical account of the effect Hurricane Katrina had and continues to have on the people of New Orleans asks how the storm could revolutionize American attitudes about the environment, yet somehow allow those most affected by the storm become refugees in their own country.
"It's a story about survival and hope," said Tia Lessin in accepting the award.
The duo filmmakers engage with native New Orleans filmmaker and musician Kimberly Rivers and her husband Scott in the film, using chilling home footage of Kimberly's hometown before, during and after the storm.
Other films recognized by jurors at the independent festival this year were James Marsh's "Man on Wire," which chronicles French artist Philippe Petit's dance on a wire between the New York Twin Towers that became known as "the artistic crime of the century," and Swedish filmmaker Jens Jonsson's "King of Ping Pong" about a bullied teenager who excels in this quirky sport.
Audiences gave a nod to Josh Tickell's "Fields of Fuel," "The Wackness" by Jonathan Levine, and Amin Matalqa's "Captain Abu Raed" -- the first feature film to come out of Jordan in 50 years.
"May we work together to create a green and sustainable planet for our children," said Tickell. "Make fuel, not war," added his producer Greg Reitman.
Nanette Burstein received a best documentary director award for her "American Teen," which follows four seniors at an Indiana high school to capture a snapshot of Midwestern life.
Lance Hammer won best director for his drama "Ballast." Frenchman Nino Kirtadze ("Durakovo: Village of Fools") and Russian filmmaker Anna Melikyan ("Mermaid") also got directing nods.
Alex Rivera and David Riker ("Sleep Dealer"), and Samuel Benchetrit ("I Always Wanted to be a Gangster") were recognized for their outstanding screenwriting talents.
Joe Bini won an editing award for "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," a documentary that revisits the famous filmmaker's flight from US justice 30 years ago. Irena Dol also won for editing "The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins."
Other films that were recognized included: "Patti Smith: Dream of Life"; "Recycle"; "Blue Eyelids"; "Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo"; "Anywhere USA"; and "Choke".
amc/mk
01/27/2008 04:36 GMT