congrats

Caran Hartsfield, Tomoko Kana, Lucia Cedron, and Dagur Kari at the Sundance/NHK awards ceremony on Thursday in Park City. Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks/indieWIRE (January 25, 2007)

At a late afternoon reception on Thursday, the Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) announced the four winners of the 2007 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards, selected by an international jury from 12 finalists. The winning filmmakers and projects are: Lucia Cedron for "Agnus Dei" from Latin America; Caran Hartsfield for "Bury Me Standing" from the United States; Tomoko Kana for "Two By The River" from Japan; and Dagur Kari for "The Good Heart" from Europe.

These annual awards were created eleven years ago to "honor and support visionary film directors from four global regions (Europe, Latin America, the United States, and Japan) in realizing their next projects." Each director receives a $10,000 award as well as a guarantee from NHK to purchase the Japanese TV broadcast rights upon completion of their film. Sundance staff will work closely with the recipients throughout the year to provide support and assistance. This year's honorees will be presented their prizes at the Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony on Saturday night.

"Agnus Dei" (Argentina) is a drama about a woman's grandfather who is kidnapped for ransom during the crime wave that took place during Argentina's economic crisis of 2002, while "The Good Heart" (Iceland) follows the story of an ailing bar owner and a young man recovering from a suicide attempt who become friends during their stay in hospital. "Two By The River" (Japan) is the story of an elderly man who has an increasingly hard time caring for his infirm wife until finally, with only memories of their life together to offer solace, he feels compelled to make a very difficult choice. And, "Bury Me Standing" (USA) centers on a random act of violence that triggers a change within a bizarre family dynamic, as each member re-examines the ignored, the hidden and the things left unsaid.

"Our winners' projects represent incredibly unique work by filmmakers from around the world and we are especially proud to be supporting three extraordinary women directors among them this year," commented Alesia Weston, associate director of the Feature Film Program, International in a statement. Michelle Satter, director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program added, "The Sundance/ NHK award is part of the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program which provides year-round creative and strategic support to U.S. and international filmmakers. We are thrilled by the vision and diversity of the winning directors." [Brian Brooks]