Shaunak Sen’s ‘All That Breathes’ Wins Top Sundance Award
Filmmaker Shaunak Sen says he is “obviously overwhelmed” after his documentary “All That Breathes” won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival. The 2022 edition of the festival, which was held virtually, saw the jury select the best from 84 feature and 59 short films – selected from 14,849 submissions.
The Delhi-based filmmaker’s documentary is set against the “dark” backdrop of the capital’s “wind of apocalypse and escalating violence” and narrates how the two brothers “dedicate their lives to protecting a casualty of turbulent times: The bird known as the black kite”. ,
In an announcement video posted on Saturday from the Sundance Film Festival’s official Twitter account, Sen said he was thrilled to win big. “I am absolutely speechless and utterly grinning… A big part of the film came into existence because of Sundance’s support. I am clearly overwhelmed and thrilled.
“From the whole team to everyone at Sundance, we can’t thank you enough. It feels totally surreal and absurd. I feel like there’s no non-cliche way to say it, but I can’t thank you enough.” Can’t thank you enough,” he said in the video.
The World Cinema Documentary Competition jury consisted of filmmakers Don Porter, Emily Budges and Patrick Gaspard.
In his citation for the 90-minute document, Budges described “All That Breathes” as a “poetic film” that presents an “instant political story”.
“While creating a singular and loving portrait of a hero resisting a seemingly inevitable ecological disaster – with humorous touches punctuated by unsatisfying depictions of the animal kingdom.
“To maintain its mystical tension while confronting the internal conflicts of its characters and the contrasts in spirituality and materialism, we present [World Cinema] Grand Jury Prize for ‘All That Breaths’,” it read.
“All That Breathes” is produced by Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer.
Filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu’s “Nanny”, starring Anna Diop and Michelle Monaghan, won the US Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic while the US Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to filmmakers Ben Klein and Violet Columbus for “The Exiles”.
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Theatrical Presentation to Alejandro Loeza Grisi for “Utama”.
Hollywood star Dakota Johnson-starrer “Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Award: US Dramatic. Directed by Cooper Raff, the film follows a directionless college graduate who bonds with a young mother and her teenage daughter while learning the limits of her new bar mitzvah party-starting gig.
The Festival Favorite Award was presented to director: Daniel Rohr for “Navalny”, a fly-on-the-wall documentary thriller about anti-incumbency Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
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