Sundance 2009 Award Winners

The 2009 Sundance Film Festival closed Saturday night with an awards show hosted by Spring Breakdown‘s Jane Lynch. Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 500 Days of Summer announced the U.S. Audience Award while la MISSION‘s Benjamin Bratt announced the World Cinema Audience Awards.

Director Geoffrey Gilmore closed the festival with the following words, ”This has been a truly remarkable year for Sundance in ways even we did not fully predict. We opened the Festival with animation and closed with science fiction, and in between showcased some of the best films we’ve ever seen. People ask us how independent film has evolved over the past 25 years and the answer is, quite simply, it’s better.”

The following are the winners:

GRAND JURY PRIZE: U.S. DOCUMENTARY
“We Live in Public,” directed by Ondi Timoner

GRAND JURY PRIZE: U.S. DRAMATIC
“Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire,” directed by Lee Daniels and written by Damien Paul

WORLD CINEMA JURY PRIZE: DOCUMENTARY
“Rough Aunties,” directed by Kim Longinotto

WORLD CINEMA JURY PRIZE: DRAMATIC
“The Maid” (“La Nana”), directed by Sebastián Silva

AUDIENCE AWARD presented by Honda: U.S. DOCUMENTARY
“The Cove,” directed by Louie Psihoyos

AUDIENCE AWARD presented by Honda: U.S. DRAMATIC
“Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire,” directed by Lee Daniels and written by Damien Paul

THE WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: DOCUMENTARY
“Afghan Star,” directed by Havana Marking

THE WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: DRAMATIC
“An Education,” directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby

DIRECTING AWARD: U.S. DOCUMENTARY
“El General“, director Natalia Almada

DIRECTING AWARD: U.S. DRAMATIC
“Sin Nombre,” written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

THE WORLD CINEMA DIRECTING AWARD: DOCUMENTARY
“Afghan Star,” directed by Havana Marking

WORLD CINEMA DIRECTING AWARD: DRAMATIC
“Five Minutes of Heaven,” directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert

WALDO SALT SCREENWRITING AWARD
Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for “Paper Heart”

WORLD CINEMA SCREENWRITING AWARD
“Five Minutes of Heaven,” directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert

U.S. DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARD
“Sergio,” directed by Greg Barker and edited by Karen Schmeer

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARD
“Burma VJ,” directed by Anders Østergaard and edited by Janus Billeskov Jansen and Thomas Papapetros

EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: U.S. DOCUMENTARY
“The September Issue,” cinematographer: Bob Richman

EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: U.S. DRAMATIC
“Sin Nombre,” cinematographer: Adriano Goldman.

WORLD CINEMA CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: DOCUMENTARY
“Big River Man,” cinematographer: John Maringouin

WORLD CINEMA CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: DRAMATIC
“An Education,” cinematographer: John De Borman.

A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ORIGINALITY
“Louise-Michel,” directed by Benoit Delépine and Gustave de Kervern

A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: DOCUMENTARY
“Tibet in Song” directed by Ngawang Choephel

A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTING
Catalina Saavedra, “The Maid” (“La Nana”). Chile

A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: U.S. DOCUMENTARY
“Good Hair,” directed by Jeff Stilson

A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE
“Humpday,” directed by Lynn Shelton

A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTING
Mo’Nique, “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire“