by Nathaniel R
Sheila Vand at SundanceWe hope you've been enjoying our coverage of Sundance this year. Our two men on the ground (Murtada and Abe) have already reviewed 10 films. Sundance wraps up next Sunday, February 3rd but we've already got our first bit of award news. A three person jury comprised of Iranian-American actress Sheila Vand (We the Animals, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), Obie award-winning playwright/filmmaker Young Jean Lee, and filmmaker Carter Smith (who won at Sundance 12 years ago for his gay short Bugcrush), have picked the winning shorts of the festival. Six of the seven films honored were by people of color, five were from women, and two from filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ. (Yes, Sundance has made huge diversity efforts these past few years... and they've put their money where their mouth is, both in their film selections and in press badges, even subsidizing minority journalists to combat the inequities in entertainment journalism).
Sundance is an Oscar-qualifying festival which means you might hear about a few of these shorts next year about this time if they're very lucky...
HOW DO SHORTS QUALIFYING FOR OSCAR, YOU ASK? Usually around 100 films (give or take 40 in either director, haha) end up qualifying for each shorts category at the Oscars and to qualify you either have to have a 7 day theatrical release (extremely rare for shorts), or you have to win gold, silver or bronze at the Student Academy Awards (a lot of shorts emerge from filmmaking schools each year), OR you have to win one of 158 qualifying awards at various Academy-approved festivals. We've underlined the awards below which are "Oscar qualifying" because these films are now (presumably) in the mix for next year's longlist with Oscar...
Here are the seven winners from the press release:
Aziza (Syria/Lebanon) 13 minutes
Short Film Grand Jury Prize: Aziza (Director: Soudade Kaadan, Screenwriters: Soudade Kaadan, May Hayek) A dynamic take on the life of Syrian refugees, told through black comedy.
Note: Recent winners of this prize to go on to future glories were World of Tomorrow (2015 Oscar nominee) and Whiplash (2013... which became an Oscar winning feature in 2015) and Short Term 12 (2009... which became an award-winning feature in 2013)
Green (USA) 12 minutes
Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction: Green (Director: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Screenwriters: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Mustafa Kaymak)
Green, an undocumented Turkish pedicab driver, unwittingly draws police attention, endangering his brother, his community, and himself.
Note: Recent winner of this prize to go on to further glory was SMILF (2015... which became the Showtime series)
Dunya's Day (Saudi Arabia/USA) 14 minutes
Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction: Dunya's Day (Director and screenwriter: Raed Alsemari)
Abandoned by her domestic help, Dunya fights to throw the perfect graduation soirée.
Note: Recent winner of this prize to go on to future awards glory was Maman's (2016 César Award)
Reneepoptosis (Japan/USA) 10 minutes
Short Film Jury Award: Animation: Reneepoptosis (Director and screenwriter: Renee Zhan)
Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great joys, sorrows, and mysteries of being Renee.
Note: Recent winner of this prize to go on to future awards glory was Edmond (2015 BAFTA winner)
Ghosts of Sugar Land. (USA) 21 minutes
Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction: Ghosts of Sugar Land (Director: Bassam Tariq)
In Sugar Land, Texas, a group of young Muslim-American men ponder the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS.
NOTE: Before you ask, no, we don't understand why "Jury Award Non-Fiction" isn't one of those qualifying prizes since all the other (non-special) jury awards are. Must be something complicated with Sundance and Oscar's Documentary branch?
Fast Horse (Canada) 13 minutes
Special Jury Award for Directing: Fast Horse (Director and screenwriter: Alexandra Lazarowich)
The Blackfoot bareback horse-racing tradition returns in the astonishingly dangerous Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles with second-hand horses and a new jockey on his way to challenge the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy.
The Minors (USA) 10 minutes
Special Jury Award for Directing: The Minors (Director and screenwriter: Robert Machoian)
A slice of life about a grandpa and his grandsons, the future and the past.