Monday, January 31, 2011

Like Crazy and How to Die in Oregon take Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance

2011 Sundance Film Festival Winners...

Long distance love story Like Crazy wins the grand jury prize for best drama on Saturday's penultimate day of the festival, with How to die in Oregon – which follows the real-life decisions of terminally ill women to end their lives, picking up the best documentary award.

Like Crazy stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones and was directed by Drake Doremus. Jones is the British student who falls for Yelchin's American 'Jacob' but, after overstaying her visa, is kept apart from her new found love by beauracracy and they must strive to somehow find a way back to each other. Felicity Jones has also scooped the special jury prize for her work in the film.

Best documentary winner How to die in Oregon has been collecting praise for it's unflinching and sensitive capturing of a difficult, heartfelt subject. Beginning with a scene of a terminally ill cancer patient's last moments after a barbituate overdose (Oregon legalised assisted suicide in 1994 for those diagnosed with less than six months to live), the film has won over the audiences and judges at Sundance with it's gentle and understanding approach. Director Peter Richardson and his crew followed multiple women as they wrangled with the decision to end their own lives.

Winners of the main awards...

Grand Jury Prize Documentary: How to Die in Oregon, dir. Peter Richardson.
Grand Jury Prize Drama: Like Crazy, dir. Drake Doremus.
World Cinema Jury Prize Documentary: Hell and Back Again, dir. Danfung Dennis.
World Cinema Jury Prize Drama: Happy, Happy, dir. Anne Sewitsky.
Special Jury Prize Drama: Another Earth, dir Mike Cahill.
Special Jury Prize Documentary: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, dir. Constance Marks.
World Cinema Special Jury Prize Drama: Tyrannosaur, dir. Paddy Considine.
World Cinema Special Jury Prize Documentary: Position Among The Stars, dir. Leonard Retel Helmrich.

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