For 26 years, the annual SLAMDANCE Film Festival has become the most prestigious and notorious alternative to the Sundance Film Festival, taking place side-by-side in January in Park City, UT. As 2020 begins, Slamdance has announced the winners of its Sparky Awards in Audience, Jury, and Sponsored categories.
“We congratulate the winners of Slamdance 2020 and we celebrate all of our new filmmakers who have shown us that the art of filmmaking is brilliantly alive,” says Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter. “This next generation collectively brings us art formed in risk taking, bravery and the unexpected. It’s not just their characters who are on an adventure. It’s the filmmakers as well and Slamdance will continue to be their companion.”
The 2020 lineup included 16 World, North American, and U.S. premieres, including films from Belarus, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the United States. 11 narrative and 9 documentary features were showcased, all of them feature length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million USD, and without US distribution.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Jury Awards | Narrative Features
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize – Murmur (Dir.: Heather Young)
Honorable Mentions: Residue (Dir.: Merawi Gerima)
Jury Awards | Documentary Features, Documentary Shorts
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize – Higher Love (Dir.: Hasan Oswald)
Honorable Mention – Maxima (Dir.: Claudia Sparrow)
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize – To Calm the Pig Inside (Dir.: Joanna Vasquez Arong)
Honorable Mention: Umbilical (Dir.: Danski Tang) and My Favorite Food is Indian Tacos, my Favorite Drink is Iced Tea and my Favorite Thing is Drumming (Dir.: Derius Matchewan)
Jury Awards – Narrative Shorts
Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Moving (Dir.: Adinah Dancyger)
Honorable Mention: Proof (Dir.: Nishtha Jain, Deepti Gupta)
Jury Awards – Experimental Shorts/ Animated Shorts
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Shooting Stars (Dir.: Magda Jaroszewicz)
Honorable Mention: Meteorite (Dir.: Mauricio Saenz)
Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: The Little Soul (Dir.: Barbara Rupik)
Honorable Mention: Symbiosis (Dir.: Nadja Andrasev)
Slamdance Acting Award:
Obinna Nwachukwu (Residue)
Honorable Mention: Maya Harman (Chubby)
George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner:
Yani Gellman of Greetings, from the Planet Krog!
CreativeFuture Innovation Award:
The Little Soul (Dir.: Barbara Rupik)
The AGBO Fellowship, presented by Joe and Anthony Russo, Award Winner:
Carlota Pereda, (Dir.:PIGGY)
Audience Awards:
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Residue (Dir.: Merawi Gerima)
Audience Award for Documentary Feature: Bastards’ Road (Dir.: Brian Morrison)
Best of Breakouts Audience Award: Shoot to Marry (Dir.: Steve Markle)
