AV Rockwell’s A Thousand And One Wins Top Prize at Sundance Film Festival
A Thousand And One, written and directed by AV Rockwell, won the top prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
the film received the US Grand Jury Prize: Drama, praised by the jury for its “shades and tenderness”.
Set in 1990s New York City, the film tells the story of a homeless single mother who tries to kidnap her six-year-old son from a foster care facility and forge a living. new.
The film stars Teyana Taylor, Will Catlett, Josiah Cross, Aven Courtney and Aaron Kingsley Adetola.
Close
AV Rockwell, director of One Thousand and One, an official selection of the American Drama Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of the Sundance Institute | Gioncarlo Valentine’s photo
In 2021, the Grand Jury Prize: Drama went to Coda, which won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
One of Coda’s stars, Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, is one of the drama judges at the 2023 Sundance film festival, along with Jeremy O Harris and Eliza Hittman.
In their statement, the judges wrote: “I have never seen a life like mine with such nuance and tenderness.
“I walked out of the theater and cried in front of people I barely knew because this movie got into my guts and pulled from it all the emotions I’ve learned to hide in these spaces.
“As a jury, we know that it is impossible to produce honest, painful, and fearless work with a strict commitment to emotional truth born of oppressive circumstances.
“We are honored to be awarded the Grand Prize of the American Jury: Drama for the Thousand and Ones.”
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, directed and produced by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson, was awarded the US Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.
The judges said the film focuses on “a unique, unrepentant voice and through her story it captures the collective experience”.
Video of the day
“The strong directorial vision illuminates the joy and raw reality of the Black experience,” they said, adding that it was also “damn funny.”
Close
Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, star of Coda, was one of the judges for the US Grand Jury Prize: Drama (PA)
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival is back as a live event this year in Park City, Utah.
It had a total of 111 feature films and 64 short films – selected from 15,856 entries – screened.
Joana Vicente, executive director of the Sundance Institute, said: “This year’s festival has been an extraordinary experience.
“Artists participating in the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a spirit of urgency and dedication to excellence in the independent film industry.
“Today’s award winners highlight the most impressive achievements of our program in this current moment in the art of cinema.”
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/av-rockwells-a-thousand-and-one-wins-top-prize-at-sundance-film-festival-42316915.html AV Rockwell’s A Thousand And One Wins Top Prize at Sundance Film Festival