And just like that, it’s awards day! We’re here at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, for the much-anticipated 2026 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony. We’re so excited to share the results as voted by our illustrious jurors, as well as the winners of the audience awards.
Join us in congratulating these exceptional artists on their amazing contributions to independent film!
FESTIVAL FAVORITE
The Festival Favorite Award was presented to American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Josephine
Jury citation: For the depth and nuance of storytelling. For the delicate and elegant execution of a challenging subject matter. The skilled direction of performance from the cast. The humanistic view of the filmmaker and how they withheld judgment of those dealing with the impact of victimization. This filmmaker offered an empathetic view into the many different ways we as humans cope and try to set the wrongs right.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Josef Kubota Wladyka for Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!.
Jury citation: For bringing us into a creative world that allowed us to explore love, loss, and grief through dance with deep emotion and surprising joy and laughter. We will carry Rinko Kikuchi’s performance in our hearts and thank this film for reminding us that when magical realism works, it is truly a feat to behold.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Liz Sargent for Take Me Home
Jury citation: For modeling a different way to tell a story. This is a movie that embraced the truth of the moment on set, necessitating the filmmaker be fully present to shift, reflect, and trust her vision in order to capture the miracle that she did.
The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature was presented to Stephanie Ahn for Bedford Park
Jury citation: For inviting us into a world we’ve never seen depicted on film and daring to share the very personal, the filmmaker upended all of our assumptions of a story told with depth and skill.
The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to The Friend’s House is Here
Jury citation: For delivering performances that each of us could find ourselves in, revealing a story that is frighteningly universal. The ensemble injects the world with gravity, love, and humor and shows us the way community and connection are often our key to survival.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Nuisance Bear
Jury citation: This film tells an enormous story with great drama, beauty, and verve and powerfully confronts the realities of climate change, the tensions between Indigenous tradition and Western capitalist encroachment, and the complexities of humanity’s relationship with the natural world. It also features a standout sequence that is, like the film itself, humorous, terrifying, and unforgettable. Of all the documentaries we saw, this one was the least … polarizing. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary goes to Nuisance Bear.
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to J.M. Harper for Soul Patrol
Jury citation: With remarkable intelligence and resourcefulness and an elegant attention to cultural context, this filmmaker achieves a skillful balance of archival footage, vivid reenactments, and troubling hallucinations. In doing so, he makes palpable the trauma of Black Americans who have never gotten due recognition for their sacrifices in war. The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary goes to J.M. Harper for Soul Patrol.
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Matt Hixon for Barbara Forever
Jury citation: Drawing on an artist’s deep archive of original work and forming exquisite connections between history and biography, art, and life, this intimate and expansive portrait gives a pioneering figure in queer experimental filmmaking her rightful due. The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary goes to Matt Hixon for Barbara Forever.
The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change was presented to The Lake
Jury citation: This environmental crisis story is a probing and provocative look at the interdependency of science and faith and the power of individuals and communities to avert disaster by working together. We were moved and encouraged by its vision of people working across political divides. A Special Jury Award for Impact for Change goes to The Lake.
The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence was presented to Who Killed Alex Odeh?
Jury citation: This engrossing and surprising true crime saga begins as an investigation into an unsolved murder and, with great procedural rigor, excavates a nefarious history about America’s role in suppressing justice for a Palestinian American family. The Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence goes to Who Killed Alex Odeh?.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Josephine
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με)
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to One In A Million
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild]
NEXT AWARDS
The NEXT Innovator Award, Presented by Adobe was awarded to The Incomer
Jury citation: This award goes to a boldly original comic fable that blends folklore with formal playfulness. Deadpan humor, animation, and myth collide — proof that fearless invention can be both uproarious and deeply humane.
The NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression, Presented by Adobe was awarded to TheyDream
Jury citation: For fully exploring multiple filmmaking techniques, blending craft and emotion to tell a personal story of those often overlooked — more importantly with loving humor and brutal honesty.
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Shame and Money
Jury citation: For his powerful and unique portrayal of human dignity in contemporary Kosovo that universally resonates. A sensitive filmmaker who masterfully draws the audience into the daily struggles of a family. For his deep empathy for his characters in a crucial moment in which they are beginning again, the World Cinematic Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic goes to Shame and Money.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Andrius Blaževičius for How to Divorce During the War
Jury citation: For his immense talent and steady hand in a darkly comedic film about life in times of war, this director’s subtle observation holds a mirror to our contradictions without neglecting the humanity of his characters. The Directing Award goes to Andrius Blaževičius for How to Divorce During the War.
The World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Filipiñana
Jury citation: With stunning visual command and sensitivity to the setting, the filmmaker thoughtfully evokes a world where characters languish. Through its static form, the filmmaker highlights insidious tension between luxury and labor. The Special Jury Award for Creative Vision goes to Filipiñana.
The World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble was presented to LADY
Jury citation: For a film full of depth and texture and with a rhythm all its own, with an electric ensemble cast that brings life and humor and insight to a story about day-to-day challenges and finding safety in unexpected friendships, the Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble goes to LADY.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to To Hold a Mountain
Jury citation: This visually and emotionally stunning film transported us to a remote mountaintop and into the most intimate moments of a family fighting to protect not only their land, but their way of life. The truest example of the power of cinema to make the personal political.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes for One In A Million
Jury citation: Elegantly exploring the ideas of freedom and the importance of home in the aftermath of war, this film impressed us with its sense of scale and decade-long directorial commitment to its participants. It is a beautiful synthesis of one family’s migration across multiple countries as they seek refuge from societal upheaval.
The World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance was presented to Everybody To Kenmure Street
Jury citation: Not your typical social issue film, this documentary utilizes a touch of humor and a wide diversity of perspectives to call upon people to stand up for their neighbors. In a time when xenophobia and authoritarianism are on the rise, the power of collective action here is a global rallying cry.
The World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact was presented to Birds of War
Jury citation: By turning the camera on themselves, the co-directors follow the arc of their own love story as the vehicle for a deeply moving narrative about the complexity of revolution and war. This film showcases the power of journalism through emotion and vulnerability; enduring, bearing witness, and telling one’s own story oftentimes has the most impact.
SHORT FILM AWARDS
The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry for The Baddest Speechwriter of All
Jury citation: This film implores us to take action with a message that is timeless and timely. Through the eyes of its subject, we find one of the most important moments in modern history has a new perspective. For its portrait of a strong-willed, hilarious, compassionate man and the instrumental role he played in kicking ass, nonviolently, against division and hate, the Short Film Grand Jury Prize goes to The Baddest Speechwriter of All.
The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to Lily Platt for Crisis Actor
Jury citation: This short is uniquely brilliant in its ability to balance laugh-out-loud levity with the emotional pain of honest self-reflection. This film is a succinct display of craft in writing, directing, acting, and a deeply insightful depiction of the distorted state of American values today. The Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction goes to Crisis Actor.
The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to Will Niava for Jazz Infernal
Jury citation: This film deeply resonates in a way that lingers long after viewing, powerfully blending evocative atmosphere, gorgeous cinematography, music, and global storytelling influences into a profoundly singular vision. The Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction goes to Jazz Infernal.
The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to Arielle C. Knight for The Boys and the Bees
Jury citation: This film is a beautiful and bold story in which we see two young boys as they are taught what it means to be strong without disregarding feelings, to learn about oneself and our place in nature, and ultimately to understand our capacity to reimagine the lineages we pass down to our children. The Short Film Jury Award for Nonfiction goes to The Boys and the Bees.
The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to Stephen P. Neary for Living with a Visionary
Jury citation: With visuals that so beautifully bring this funny, imaginative, and ultimately heartbreaking story to life, we fell easily into the world of two storied lovers dealing with one of life’s greatest challenges: loss. The detailed yet childlike animation helps bring to life a world only one woman can see and instills levity into this deeply moving story. The Short Film Jury Award for Animation goes to Living with a Visionary.
The Short Film Special Jury Award: Creative Vision was awarded to Don Hertzfeldt for Paper Trail
Jury citation: This film is a meticulous and brilliantly crafted example of how a single idea, which unfolds with vision and ingenuity, can expand our way of seeing the world around us. Beginning with a simple, crayon-drawn line, this bold film transports us on a roving journey of one man’s life, twisting and turning along the way with moments that are at once playful, banal, sincere, and, in the end, deeply moving. The Short Film Special Jury Award for Creative Vision goes to Paper Trail.
The Short Film Special Jury Award: Acting was awarded to Noah Roja and Filippo Carrozza for The Liars
Jury citation: Rarely do you see performances so honest and natural that they blur the line between fiction and nonfiction in their portrayal. For two young actors we look forward to seeing again who have done just that with their performances, we award the Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting to Noah Roja and Filippo Carrozza in The Liars.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED CREATIVE AWARDS
The 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize for an outstanding feature film about science or technology was awarded to In The Blink of An Eye
The Sundance Institute | Amazon MGM Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction went to Dawne Langford for Who Killed Alex Odeh?
The Sundance Institute | Amazon MGM Studios Producers Award for Fiction went to Apoorva Guru Charan for Take Me Home
The Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Nonfiction went to Flavia de Souza, and the Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Fiction went to Mollie Goldstein
The Sundance Institute | NHK Award went to Leo Aguirre for Verano
The Gayle Stevens Award went to Nori Huntsman
