Exciting news from the 26th Annual Sarasota Film Festival! Sundance films took home the top prizes this year. The documentary ‘Sugarcane’ by Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat won the top nonfiction award. It’s about the abuse and death of Indigenous children at a Canadian school. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was later acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films.
The jury praised ‘Sugarcane’ for bravely tackling the trauma of First Nations students at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in British Columbia. Another Sundance documentary, ‘Porcelain War’ by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev, received a special mention. It’s a portrait of Ukrainian artists-turned-soldiers.
In the narrative category, ‘Thelma’ by Josh Margolin won the top prize. The film follows 93-year-old Thelma Post as she seeks justice after falling victim to a phone scam. The jury praised it for celebrating age and featuring powerful performances by June Squibb and Richard Roundtree. The Independent Visions award went to Arthur Egel’s ‘Art Thief,’ while ‘Lessons’ by Shawn Butcher won best narrative short and ‘ALOK’ by Alex Hedison won best documentary short.
The festival also honored Liam Jordan’s ‘Into the Spotlight: The Jake Ilardi Story’ with the audience award for best local feature. The festival concluded with a screening of ‘The Listener’ directed by Steve Buscemi and produced by Buscemi and Wren Arthur.
Sarasota Film Festival President Mark Famiglio expressed pride in showcasing the finest films and welcoming filmmakers from around the world.
