2008 Sundance Film Festival
The 2008 Festival furthered its mission of representing international voices by showcasing films from 35 countries, including the first independent feature film ever from Jordan, CAPTAIN ABU RAED. Among the 207 total films from the U.S. and around the world, dramatic features included FROZEN RIVER, SUGAR, and THE WACKNESS along with the documentaries AMERICAN TEEN, MAN ON WIRE, and TROUBLE THE WATER. This year saw a record number of shorts submissions as the Festival's shorts lineup reaffirmed the boundary-pushing possibilities of the genre with MADAME TUTLI PUTLI, I MET THE WALRUS, and SALIM BABA. The Festival website offered more live coverage for audiences to experience the Festival from all over the globe. Each day throughout the Festival a free short was available to watch online, along with other videos and podcasts of highlights from panels to interviews with filmmakers.
Awards
Alfred P. Sloan Prize
Sleep Dealer | Audience Award Documentary
Fields of Fuel |
Audience Award Dramatic
The Wackness | Directing Award Documentary
American Teen |
Directing Award Dramatic
Ballast | Editing Award Documentary
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired |
Excellence in Cinematography Award Documentary
Patti Smith: Dream of Life | Excellence in Cinematography Award Dramatic
Ballast |
Grand Jury Prize Documentary
Trouble the Water | Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
Frozen River |
Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
Aquarium | Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
August 15th |
Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
La Corona (The Crown) | Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
Spider |
Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
Oiran Lyrics | Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
Suspension |
Honorable Mention Short Filmmaking
W. | Jury Prize International Short Filmmaking
Soft |
Jury Prize Short Filmmaking
Sikumi | Jury Prize Short Filmmaking
my olympic summer |
Special Jury Prize Documentary
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo | Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast
Choke |
Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Independence
Anywhere, USA | Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Sleep Dealer |
World Cinema Audience Award Dramatic
Captain Abu Raed | World Cinema Cinematography Award Documentary
Recycle |
World Cinema Directing Award Documentary
Durakovo: Village of Fools | World Cinema Directing Award Dramatic
Mermaid |
World Cinema Documentary Editing Award
The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins | World Cinema Jury Prize Documentary
Man on Wire |
World Cinema Jury Prize Dramatic
King of Ping Pong | World Cinema Screenwriting Award
I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster |
World Cinema Special Jury Prize Dramatic
Blue Eyelids |
Credits
| Eugene Jarecki
Documentary Competition Juror | Heidi Ewing
Documentary Competition Juror |
| Steven Okazaki
Documentary Competition Juror | Annie Sundberg
Documentary Competition Juror |
| Michelle Byrd
Documentary Competition Juror | Quentin Tarantino
Dramatic Competition Juror |
| Mary Harron
Dramatic Competition Juror | Diego Luna
Dramatic Competition Juror |
| Marcia Gay Harden
Dramatic Competition Juror | Sandra
Oh
Dramatic Competition Juror |
| Amir Bar-Lev
World Documentary Competition Juror | Ilda Santiago
World Documentary Competition Juror |
| Leena Pasanen
World Documentary Competition Juror | Shunji Iwai
World Dramatic Competition Juror |
| Lucrecia Martel
World Dramatic Competition Juror | Jason Reitman
Short Film Competition Juror |
| Melonie Diaz
Short Film Competition Juror | Jon Bloom
Short Film Competition Juror |
| Michael Polish
Alfred P. Sloan Prize Juror | John Underkoffler
Alfred P. Sloan Prize Juror |
| Alan Alda
Alfred P. Sloan Prize Juror | Benedict Schwegler
Alfred P. Sloan Prize Juror |
| Evan Schwartz
Alfred P. Sloan Prize Juror | William H. Macy
Awards Ceremony MC |
| Taika Waititi
Awards Ceremony Presenter | Chad Allen
Awards Ceremony Presenter |
| Felicity Huffman
Awards Ceremony Presenter | Jan Schütte
World Dramatic Competition Juror |
Panels
Projects
As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication.
If you have questions or comments, please email archives@sundance.org