By Lucy Spicer
In a cinematic landscape teeming with sequels, remakes, and reboots, indie films by risk-taking artists are a breath of fresh air. Projects made with bold, original vision stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on their audiences. For that reason, juries at the Sundance Film Festival have been compelled to recognize such projects with special awards over the years. We’ve curated a list of some of those award-winning films below.
Read on to learn more about these imaginative projects, which include a lyrical documentary following Black residents of an Alabama county, a musical horror story about two mermaids in Poland, a thrilling high school neo-noir, an absurd comedy set in a Chinese former factory town, and much more.
Brick — 2005 Sundance Film Festival
Writer-director Rian Johnson’s feature debut stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as high schooler Brendan Frye, who receives a cryptic phone call from ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin) mentioning a “bad brick.” Determined to get to the bottom of Emily’s mysterious predicament, Brendan begins investigating and discovers a drug ring and a cast of characters straight out of a classic noir detective story. Inspired by Johnson’s love of Dashiell Hammett novels, Brick premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it won one of two special jury prizes for originality of vision. Check here for viewing options.
Me and You and Everyone We Know — 2005 Sundance Film Festival, supported by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program
In writer-director Miranda July’s feature debut, interconnected vignettes depict a group of individuals seeking — or running from — human connection. July plays Christine, an aspiring video artist who feels a romantic spark with Richard (John Hawkes), a recently separated father of two working as a shoe salesperson. Meanwhile, Richard’s younger son, Robby (Brandon Ratcliff), is talking to strangers online, and 14-year-old Peter (Miles Thompson) catches the eye of two teenage girls in the neighborhood. Me and You and Everyone We Know premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision Dramatic. Check here for viewing options.
In Between Days — 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Partly based on director So Yong Kim’s experiences as an immigrant, In Between Days follows teenage Aimie (Jiseon Kim) as she attempts to adjust to her new life in Toronto after leaving Korea with her mother. One comfort is her friendship with Tran (Taegu Andy Kang). But when Aimie begins to feel more for him, miscommunications and Tran’s tendency to orbit more Americanized girls result in tensions between the two. In Between Days premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Independent Vision Dramatic. Check here for viewing options.
Advantageous — 2015 Sundance Film Festival, supported by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program
In the not-too-distant future, Gwen (Jacqueline Kim, who also co-wrote the film) is the face of the Center for Advanced Health and Living, a company that offers revolutionary cosmetic procedures. When Gwen’s professional — and financial — future becomes uncertain, she volunteers for an experimental procedure to ensure that her daughter Jules (Samantha Kim) will be provided for and can attend a prestigious school. Directed and co-written by Jennifer Phang, this insightful sci-fi feature won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Check here for viewing options.
The Lure — 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Picture this: Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, but it’s a 1980s-set musical horror film. Enter director Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s genre-bending The Lure, which stars Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszańska as Silver and Golden, a pair of mermaid sisters who begin performing at a nightclub in Poland. Golden can’t quite keep her bloodthirsty siren instincts in check, but Silver is more drawn to the human world, falling in love with a handsome bass player (Jakub Gierszał). But as the classic fairy tale warns, there are consequences for mermaids whose love goes unrequited. The Lure premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Unique Vision and Design. Check here for viewing options.
Motherland — 2017 Sundance Film Festival, supported by Sundance Institute’s Producers Program
Director Ramona S. Diaz’s vérité approach drops the audience in the middle of a bustling maternity hospital in the Philippines — one of the busiest such facilities in the world. This intimate documentary examines both the calm and the chaos, the routine and the miraculous that coexist as doctors and families move through this remarkable space. Diaz’s Motherland premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Commanding Vision. Check here for viewing options.
Free and Easy — 2017 Sundance Film Festival
In a gray former factory town in northern China, an ensemble of characters go about their days, unaware that things aren’t what they seem. A stranger with hidden motives (Zhang Zhiyong) arrives selling mysterious soap, while two inept policemen (Zhang Xun and Yuan Liguo) attempt to close a case. Elsewhere, a Buddhist monk (Xu Gang) offers enlightenment for purchase. Director Jun Geng’s dry, absurdist comedy premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematic Vision. Check here for viewing options.
Hale County This Morning, This Evening — 2018 Sundance Film Festival, supported by Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program
In his feature directorial debut, photographer RaMell Ross paints a nonlinear, lyrical portrait of various Black residents of Hale County, Alabama. By centering everyday moments in the lives of individuals who are so often portrayed in stereotype, Ross creates a deep, artistic epic from the seemingly mundane. Hale County This Morning, This Evening won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Check here for viewing options.
Honey Boy — 2019 Sundance Film Festival
Directed by Alma Har’el and written by Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy jumps between childhood and adulthood for actor Otis Lort (played by Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe). As an adult, Lort is a successful Hollywood actor who must attend rehab following a car accident that occurred while he was intoxicated. In therapy, Lort reflects on his childhood, when his burgeoning acting career was overseen by his abusive father (LaBeouf), a former rodeo clown. Honey Boy premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Vision and Craft. Check here for viewing options.
This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection — 2020 Sundance Film Festival
In the mountainous terrain of Lesotho, 80-year-old widow Mantoa (Mary Twala Mhlongo) is putting her affairs in order as she feels the end of her days closing in. But then comes the news that the residents of her village will be forced to move elsewhere so that a reservoir can be built in place of their home. Mantoa’s will to live returns in force as she rallies her community to stand in defiance. Written and directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection won the World Cinema Special Jury Prize Dramatic for Visionary Filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Check here for viewing options.
Descendant — 2022 Sundance Film Festival
In Margaret Brown’s film, which won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, residents of Africatown in Mobile, Alabama, share their experiences as descendants of people whose history defies erasure. Their ancestors were enslaved Africans brought here in 1860 aboard the Clotilda, the last known ship to illegally transport enslaved people to the U.S. The ship was intentionally destroyed to hide the evidence of its voyage, but the recent discovery of its remains has brought to light a legacy that cannot be buried. Check here for viewing options.
I’ll Be Your Mirror — 2022 Sundance Film Festival
Writer-director Bradley Rust Gray examines the many facets of grief in this quiet but thoughtful film starring Carla Juri as Chloe, a photographer living with the recent loss of her husband. Chloe travels to Japan for work, where she’s shown around by Toshi (played by musician Takashi Ueno), her late husband’s friend. While Chloe feels the constant tug of grief within herself, she is surprised to discover joy in the new relationships she forms in Japan. Gray’s contemplative film won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered under its original title, blood. Check here for viewing options.
The Stroll — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
In this poignant documentary, directors Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker chronicle the history of New York City’s Meatpacking District, as told by the transgender women of color who worked there before the neighborhood acquired its sleek, corporate façade. This project is particularly personal for Lovell, who worked for a decade alongside the sex workers who walked “The Stroll.” The film won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Clarity of Vision at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Check here for viewing options.
Magazine Dreams — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
Writer-director Elijah Bynum explores the rigorous stakes of bodybuilding in his sophomore film starring Jonathan Majors as Killian, an aspiring bodybuilder who goes to extremes to fulfill his dreams of appearing on a magazine cover. As Killian pushes his body to its limits — against the advice of doctors — in his quest to embody an unrealistic, hypermasculine ideal, he must also contend with his emotional volatility, which is hindering him in his earnest desire for human connection. Magazine Dreams premiered at the 2023 Sundance Festival, where the film’s creative team won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision. Check here for viewing options.
And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, this documentary by co-directors Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck traces the history of the camera and how our relationship with images has evolved over the centuries. Both chilling and humorous, the film captures the ever-changing ways we use images and videos to shape our own stories. Check here for viewing options.
Animalia — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
In writer-director Sofia Alaoui’s feature debut, pregnant Itto (Oumaïma Barid) finds herself alone in her opulent house in Morocco when an extraterrestrial event throws her world into chaos. As Itto attempts to reunite with her traveling husband while many in her community scramble to places of worship, she begins to question the cultural and societal structures around which most people have built their lives. Animalia premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision. Check here for viewing options.
