Awards for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival were handed out on Friday morning, with the Dylan O’Brien-fronted dark comedy “Twinless” taking home the audience award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category. The film, which received a warm response upon its debut at the beginning of the festival, hails from writer/director/co-star James Sweeney and follows two strangers who meet in a twin bereavement support group. O’Brien also won a special jury award for acting for his work in the film.
Writer/director Hailey Gates’ comedy “Atropia” won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category, scoring top honors for a film that started life as a documentary. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Alia Shawkat as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility who falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent. Callum Turner, Chloe Sevigny and Tim Heidecker co-star.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary category went to Brittany Shyne’s “Seeds,” which explores Black generational farmers in the South. In her positive review, TheWrap critic Ronda Racha Penrice called the film a “visual love letter to the Black, rural South.”
The audience award for documentary went to “André Is an Idiot, “ which follows a man who’s dying because he didn’t get a colonoscopy.
Elsewhere “The Perfect Neighbor” filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir won the directing award in the U.S. Documentary category for her shocking film that uses police bodycam footage to tell the deadly story of Florida’s Stand Your Ground laws. “Ricky” filmmaker Rashad Frett won the directing award for U.S. Dramatic, while “Sorry, Baby” writer/director/star Eva Victor won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in U.S. Dramatic for her acclaimed feature debut.
The awards come as this year’s Sundance has been slower in acquisitions. Only two films have sold so far: Neon picked up the Midnight title “Together,” while Netflix acquired the Joel Edgerton drama “Train Dreams.”
This year’s Festival jury included: Reinaldo Marcus Green, Arian Moayed, and Celine Song for the U.S. Dramatic Competition; Steven Bognar, Vinnie Malhotra, and Marcia Smith for the U.S. Documentary Competition; Ava Cahen, Wanuri Kahiu, and Daniel Kaluuya for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition; Daniela Alatorre, Laura Kim, and Kevin Macdonald for the World Cinema Documentary Competition; Kaniehtiio Horn, Maggie Mackay, and Kibwe Tavares for the Short Film Program Competition; and Elijah Wood for the NEXT section.
See the full list of winners below.
GRAND JURY PRIZES
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Atropia / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Hailey Gates, Producers: Naima Abed, Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Lana Kim, Jett Steiger) — When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance. Cast: Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker, Jane Levy. World Premiere.
Jury citation: For its singular directing, writing, and vision, this timely and timeless first feature was both hilarious and damning in its portrayal of the theater of war. Its biting criticism of American imperialism and boundary-pushing storytelling led all three of the jurors to unanimously award the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic to Atropia by Hailey Gates.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Seeds / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brittany Shyne, Producers: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon) — An exploration of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land. World Premiere.
Jury citation: It is our great honor to award the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary to a truly special film that evokes and illustrates all that we come to Sundance to discover — a new voice with something powerful, rich, and poignant to say. From its directing, cinematography, and dreamlike immersion, this film takes us deep inside an essentially overlooked pocket of our country, whose residents struggle to hold onto their heritage as their way of life has come under threat. The fact that this is the filmmaker’s feature debut speaks to the arrival of an exciting new talent in documentary. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary goes to Seeds.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) /India, U.K., Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, Producers: Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli, Naren Chandavarkar, Sidharth Meer) — Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress. Cast: Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, Jayshri Jagtap. World Premiere.
Jury citation: This is the great modern love story. To say it’s an honor to award this tender film is an understatement. We cried, we laughed, and we wished to be loved in the same way. It is exactly what the world needs right now. This authentic point of view opens the door to an intimate language we all understand. We feel the humming heartbeat of the main character’s inner life, and when it bursts, it wraps us with its sweetness. We award the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic to Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears).
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) / Iran, Germany, U.S.A., Netherlands, Qatar, Chile, Canada (Directors and Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni) — As the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi aims to break long-held patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara’s intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil. World Premiere.
Jury citation: This beautiful and nuanced portrait shows us a fearless eccentric who confronts male-dominated society when she runs for office in a remote Iranian village. Her determination, warmth, and humor and the way her story is told left us in awe. We are proud to present the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary to Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار).
NEXT INNOVATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY ADOBE
The NEXT Innovator Award Presented by Adobe was awarded to Zodiac Killer Project / U.S.A., U.K. (Director and Producer: Charlie Shackleton, Producers: Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing) –– Against the backdrop of sunbaked parking lots, deserted courthouses, and empty suburban homes — the familiar spaces of true crime, stripped of all action and spectacle — a filmmaker describes his abandoned Zodiac Killer documentary and probes the inner workings of a genre at saturation point. World Premiere. Documentary.
Jury citation: I really loved each of these totally original films, but one truly stood out in its innovation, its structure, its wild pivot from its original inspiration, the brilliant and hilarious 16mm panning and zooming location shots, and its funny and insightful commentary on the very kind of film it was originally meant to be. There is no film like it, and with that, I am thrilled to present the NEXT Innovator Award to Zodiac Killer Project.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Twinless / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: James Sweeney, Producer: David Permut) — Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance. Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to André is an Idiot / U.S.A. (Director: Anthony Benna, Producers: André Ricciardi, Tory Tunnell, Joshua Altman, Stelio Kitrilakis, Ben Cotner) — André, a brilliant idiot, is dying because he didn’t get a colonoscopy. His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity, send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to DJ Ahmet /North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia (Director and Screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovski, Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska) — Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love — a girl already promised to someone else. Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet, Selpin Kerim, Atila Klince. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to Prime Minister / U.S.A. (Directors: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz, Producers: Cass Avery, Leon Kirkbeck, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Katie Peck) — A view inside the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, capturing her through five tumultuous years in power and beyond as she redefined leadership on the world stage. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to East of Wall / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Kate Beecroft, Producers: Lila Yacoub, Melanie Ramsayer, Shannon Moss) –– After the death of her husband, Tabatha — a young, tattooed, rebellious horse trainer — wrestles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing refuge for a group of wayward teenagers on her broken-down ranch in the Badlands. Cast: Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public.
JURY AWARDS FOR DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING, and EDITING
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Geeta Gandbhir for The Perfect Neighbor / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Geeta Gandbhir, Producers: Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee) — A seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida escalates into deadly violence. Police bodycam footage and investigative interviews expose the consequences of Florida’s “stand your ground” laws. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: The Directing award goes to a filmmaker of remarkably disciplined vision who turns creative constraints into cinematic power ,creating a searing indictment of “stand your ground laws.” The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary goes to Geeta Gandbhir for The Perfect Neighbor.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Rashad Frett for Ricky / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Rashad Frett, Screenwriter: Lin Que Ayoung, Producers: Pierre M. Coleman, Simon TaufiQue, Sterling Brim, DC Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Josh Peters, Mark Steele) — Newly released after being locked up in his teens, 30-year-old Ricky navigates the challenging realities of life post-incarceration, and the complexity of gaining independence for the first time as an adult. Cast: Stephan James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Titus Welliver, Maliq Johnson, Imani Lewis, Simbi Kali, Andrene Ward-Hammond. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: For holding the audience’s hand through each of the intimate and compelling moments of a young man navigating the first days out of the byzantine U.S. prison system, we award the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic to Rashad Frett for Ricky.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Mstyslav Chernov for 2000 Meters to Andriivka / Ukraine (Director and Producer: Mstyslav Chernov, Producers: Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath) — Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: For his extraordinarily brave and sensitive film about a single battle in the Russia-Ukraine war, a film with images of shocking and unforgettable beauty and delicate character portraits, the Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary goes to Mstyslav Chernov for 2000 Meters to Andriivka.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Alireza Khatami for The Things You Kill /Turkey, France, Poland, Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alireza Khatami, Producers: Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Michael Solomon) — Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance. Cast: Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: We could not stop talking about this film. It made us curious and deeply invested in the characters and their rich journey. This effortless, streamlined film does not sacrifice its depth of subject even while dealing with toxic masculinity and the everyday darkness of the soul. This director was masterful in their precision, they were profound yet restrained, and their robust vision pushes us to want more, think more, and do more to be better humans. For this reason we award the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic to Alireza Khatami for The Things You Kill.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Eva Victor, Producers: Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) — Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least. Cast: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: For its stunning honesty, moving sense of humor, and an authentic portrait of a young woman living in the aftermath of her sexual assault, we award the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award to Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby.
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Parker Laramie for André is an Idiot / U.S.A. (Director: Anthony Benna, Producers: André Ricciardi, Tory Tunnell, Joshua Altman, Stelio Kitrilakis, Ben Cotner) — André, a brilliant idiot, is dying because he didn’t get a colonoscopy. His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity, send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: The nuanced edit of this film allows the audience to see the beauty and humor of our final years. With its larger-than-life protagonist, André is an Idiot allows you to laugh, breathe, and travel through a long and emotional journey with melody, rhythm, and grace. The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary goes to Parker Laramie for André is an Idiot.
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Dylan O’Brien for Twinless / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: James Sweeney, Producer: David Permut) — Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance. Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: For portraying two roles in one fearless performance, coupled with an immersive and seamless character study of a set of twins, we award Dylan O’Brien the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting in Twinless.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to Plainclothes / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Carmen Emmi, Producers: Colby Cote, Arthur Landon, Eric Podwall, Vanessa Pantley) — A promising undercover officer assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies orders when he falls in love with a target. Cast: Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia, Christian Cooke, Gabe Fazio, Amy Forsyth. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Jury citation: For their complex performances that stayed with us until the riveting final frames and for painting the delicate tale of a police officer hiding his sexuality in the ’90s, we award the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast to Plainclothes.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling was presented to Selena y Los Dinos / U.S.A. (Director: Isabel Castro, Producers: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, J. Daniel Torres, David Blackman, Simran Singh) — Selena Quintanilla — the “Queen of Tejano Music” — and her family band, Selena y Los Dinos, rose from performing at quinceañeras to selling out stadium tours. The celebration of her life and legacy is chronicled through never-before-seen footage from the family’s personal archive. World Premiere.
Jury citation: This award goes to a film that transported us to a specific time and place, evoking themes of family, heritage, love, and adolescence. The power of the story speaks to the essential nature of the archive — employed in this film to chart the emergence of a once-in-a-generation talent. The winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling goes to Selena y Los Dinos.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award was presented to Life After / U.S.A. (Director: Reid Davenport, Producer: Colleen Cassingham) — In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the “right to die,” igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what happened to Bouvia. World Premiere.
Jury citation: This Special Jury Award goes to a film that asks profound, unsettling questions about life and death, individual autonomy vs public policy, and what defines — and who determines — the quality of an individual life. The filmmaker’s unflinching approach forces us to examine our assumptions about a person’s right to die… and live. The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award goes to Life After.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Georgi M. Unkovski for DJ Ahmet /North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia (Director and Screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovski, Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska) — Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love — a girl already promised to someone else. Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet, Selpin Kerim, Atila Klince. World Premiere.
Jury citation: World cinema gives us access to a depth of emotion, diversity of characters, and meaningful journeys that are not limited by borders. Our guiding principle was hope and light, and the films in this section have a strong sense of courage and vulnerability. We found all this and more in this film’s progressive characters and distinct tone. For this reason we have chosen to award the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision to Georgi M. Unkovski for DJ Ahmet.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing was presented to Two Women / Canada (Director: Chloé Robichaud, Screenwriter and Producer: Catherine Léger, Producer: Martin Paul-Hus) — Violette is having a difficult maternity leave. Florence is dealing with depression. Despite their careers and families, they feel like failures. Florence’s first infidelity is a revelation. When having fun is far down the list of priorities, sleeping with a delivery guy could be revolutionary. Cast: Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Laurence Leboeuf, Félix Moati, Mani Soleymanlou, Sophie Nelisse, Juliette Gariépy. World Premiere.
Jury citation: For its courageous exploration of female desire, its joyful and comedic tone, and its fearless, complex characters with awakened sexuality — this film exudes freshness, rhythmic editing, and impossible wit. We award the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing to Chloé Robichaud and Catherine Léger for Two Women.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award was presented to Mr. Nobody Against Putin/Denmark, Czech Republic (Director and Screenwriter: David Borenstein, Producer: Helle Faber) — As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school. World Premiere.
Jury citation: For the courageous act of documenting the insidious origins of propaganda in Russian schools and for showing us how easy it is to use misinformation to manipulate, the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award goes to Mr. Nobody Against Putin.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression was presented to Coexistence, My Ass! / U.S.A., France(Director and Producer: Amber Fares, Screenwriter and Producer: Rachel Leah Jones, Screenwriter: Rabab Haj Yahya, Producer: Valérie Montmartin) –– Comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi creates a personal and political one-woman show about the struggle for equality in Israel/Palestine. When the elusive coexistence she’s spent her life working toward starts sounding like a bad joke, she challenges her audiences with hard truths that are no laughing matter. World Premiere.
Jury citation: For showing us how to have a challenging conversation with humor and humanity and for having the courage to say things others cannot, the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression goes to Coexistence, My Ass!.
A NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Joel Alfonso Vargas, Producer: Paolo Maria Pedullà) –– Rico’s summer is a mix of chasing girls and hustling homemade cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach, the Bronx. But when Destiny, his teenage girlfriend, crashes at his place with his family, it’s only a matter of time before his carefree days come spiraling down. Cast: Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, Nathaly Navarro. World Premiere. Fiction.
Jury citation: I’d like to acknowledge a film with characters that really drew me in, who are filled with heart and fire: a hopeless central character who can’t seem to get his shit together, a young teen who embraces an unexpected pregnancy, a sister who can’t deal with her brother’s idiocy, and a mother who fiercely loves her family. These actors brought the reality, comedy, and love of these characters to delightful, vibrant life, so it’s my pleasure to bestow the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast to Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo).
