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Home · Entertainment

Black Women Take Home Top Directing Awards At Sundance Film Festival

Traditionally, big wins at Sundance Film Festival leads to greater exposure for projects and the creators behind them. 
Black Women Take Home Top Directing Awards At Sundance Film Festival
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
By Keyaira Boone · Updated November 4, 2020

Three of the top jury prizes at this year’s Sundance Film Festival were presented to Black women. Filmmakers Radha Blank, Garrett Bradley and Maïmouna Doucouré each walked away with coveted directing awards for their submissions. They were each featured in three separate high-profile categories. 

Black Women Take Home Top Directing Awards At Sundance Film Festival
Radha Blank appears in The 40-Year-Old Version by Radha Blank, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Eric Branco. All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.

Blank’s The 40-Year-Old Version won U.S. Dramatic competition prize. She is the second Black woman to receive the award (Ava DuVernay was the first when she won for 2012’s Middle of Nowhere). Bradley’s Time won in the U.S. Documentary competition and Doucouré’s Cuties won in the World Cinema Dramatic competition. Traditionally, Sundance Film Festival success leads to greater exposure for projects and the creators behind them. 

According to Variety, Blank was genuinely surprised when the grand jury panel of Ethan Hawke, Wash Westmoreland and Rodrigo Garcia presented her with the prize. She reportedly gave an impromptu speech intended to prevent other creatives from allowing ageism to discourage them. “Anybody who feels there’s an expiration on a passion, f— that shit. If it’s in you to be a rapper, a parent, a director in your 40s, do that sh–,” she said. Later, she posted on Instagram that she was “still processing.”

View this post on Instagram

Still processing. But clear enough to say…….we did it mommy! #lookma #carolsdawta #fyov #grateful

A post shared by Radha Blank (@radhamusprime) on Feb 2, 2020 at 12:29am PST

Bradley’s Time, a film is about the impact of a lengthy sentence on people on both sides of the prison system, FaceTimed with its subject, Fox Rich, from the stage. She is the first Black woman to ever win in the U.S. Documentary category.

View this post on Instagram

Best birthday ever 🎂🥂 Thank you Sundance! My heart is so full 🙏🏽🖤🙏🏽 (double T!) @foxandrob @sundanceorg

A post shared by Garrett Bradley (@garrettgarrettbradleybradley) on Feb 1, 2020 at 10:49pm PST

Doucouré used her moment to take a well-timed jab at those who suggested her womanhood might obscure her artistic point of view. 

“I want to say I’m here more feminine than ever, and I’ve just won this wonderful prize at Sundance with my first film. As Oprah Winfrey says, ‘You become what you believe.’ Ladies, just believe, and we will become.”

Congratulations ladies!

TOPICS:  Garrett Bradley Maïmouna Doucouré Radha Blanks sundance Sundance Film Festival
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