
“From Military Fatigues to Festival Spotlight: Alia Shawkat’s Star Turn Captivates Sundance”
In a triumphant fusion of style and substance, the provocative comedy “Atropia” emerged as the crown jewel of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with indie darling Alia Shawkat delivering a tour-de-force performance that left the Park City elite spellbound. Draped in the complex layers of an Iraqi-American actress navigating the surreal terrain of military role-playing, Shawkat brings her signature effortless cool to this nuanced commentary on contemporary warfare.
Director Hailey Gates, fashion’s favorite multi-hyphenate, orchestrates this masterful debut with the same precision one might expect from a couture atelier. The result? A piece that’s both zeitgeisty and destined for the cultural archive.

While the festival maintained its characteristically understated ambiance, the marketplace proved selective, with only two standouts securing deals: the chicly disturbing “Together,” featuring our perennial style crush Alison Brie alongside Dave Franco, and the nostalgia-drenched “Train Dreams” with the ever-dashing Joel Edgerton.
The festival’s other darling, “Twinless,” starring Dylan O’Brien (in what can only be described as a career-defining performance), captured hearts and the audience award, proving that in the world of independent cinema, authentic storytelling never goes out of style.
Here are the rest of the top awards. For a complete list of winners, including short films and special jury prizes, go to sundance.org.
Grand Jury Prizes
U.S. Dramatic Competition: “Atropia”
U.S. Documentary Competition: “Seeds”
World Cinema Dramatic Competition: “Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)”
World Cinema Documentary Competition: “Cutting Through Rocks”
Next Innovator Award: “Zodiac Killer Project”
Directing, U.S. Dramatic: Rashad Frett, “Ricky”
Directing, U.S. Documentary: Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor”
Directing, World Cinema Dramatic: Alireza Khatami, “The Things You Kill”
Directing, World Cinema Documentary: Mstyslav Chernov, “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic: Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, U.S. Documentary: Parker Laramie, “André Is an Idiot”
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Dylan O’Brien, “Twinless”
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast: “Plainclothes”
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling: “Selena y Los Dinos”
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: “Life After”
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision: Georgi M. Unkovski, “DJ Ahmet”
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing: “Two Women”
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression: “Coexistence, My Ass!”
NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast: “Mad Bills to Pay”
Audience Awards
U.S. Dramatic Competition: “Twinless”
U.S. Documentary Competition: “André Is an Idiot”
World Cinema Dramatic Competition: “DJ Ahmet”
World Cinema Documentary Competition: “Prime Minister”