Home EUROPE! Hub@Sundance Sundance Film Festival 2026: And the winners are…

Sundance Film Festival 2026: And the winners are…

To Hold a Mountain by Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Eva Kraljeviċ

The awards of the 42nd Sundance Film Festival were handed out January 30th. Docmakers were competing in World Documentary Competition and U.S. Documentary Competition, as well as for a number of Audience Awards.

WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARDS

  • World Cinema Grand Jury Prize -Documentary: Winner: To Hold a Mountain / Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček)
  • World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact: Birds of War / U.K., Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici)
  • World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance: Everybody To Kenmure Street / U.K. (Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry
  • Directing Award – World Cinema Documentary: Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes for One In A Million / U.K. (Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer)

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

  • U.S. Grand Jury Prize – Documentary: Nuisance Bear / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer)
  • U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence: Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen)
  • Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: Matt Hixon for Barbara Forever / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brydie O’Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens)
  • Directing Award – U.S. Documentary: J.M. Harper for Soul Patrol / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender)
  • U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change: The Lake / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes

AUDIENCE AWARDS

  • Audience Award – World Cinema Documentary: One In A Million / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer)
  • Audience Award – U.S. Documentary: American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak)
  • Audience Award – NEXT: Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano)

OTHER DOC AWARDS

  • Short Film Jury Award – Nonfiction: The Boys and the Bees / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Arielle C. Knight, Producer: Sean Weiner)
  • Sundance Institute Producers Award for Nonfiction, presented by Amazon MGM Studios: Dawne Langford for Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producers: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen)