Sundance 2011: Afghanistan film takes top world doc prize
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The first major prize at the Sundance Film Festival has been handed out, with Danfung Dennis landing the grand jury prize for world cinema/documentary for his war documentary ‘Hell and Back Again.’ Dennis’ film tells of a U.S. staff sergeant who is wounded in Afghanistan and must readjust to life in North Carolina.
It’s Dennis’ second prize of the night; a few minutes before he won a world cinema cinematography award/documentary.
Also, several minutes before, the jury gave a special prize to Leonard Retel Helmrich’s Jakarate expose ‘Position Among the Stars’ and a directing award to James Marsh for his scientific-exploration ‘Project Nim.’ Marsh won the Oscar documentary award two years ago for his Philippe Petite film ‘Man on Wire.’
The ceremony began when actor Tim Blake Nelson, dressed as a snowflake, kicked off the evening by suggesting to filmmakers 10 ways they can get their film into Sundance. Among the suggestions: ‘Throw in a bunch of sex scenes -- but only between family members.’
--Steven Zeitchik
