'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wins at Sundance

By Sandy Cohen

Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Jan. 28 2012 11:16 p.m. MST

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Actress Quvenzhane Wallis poses with the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic award for the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012.

Danny Moloshok, Associated Press

Summary

A mythical film starring an 8-year-old girl and a documentary about the war on drugs took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival.

PARK CITY, Utah — A mythical film starring an 8-year-old girl and a documentary about the war on drugs took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, and "The House I Live In" won the same award in the U.S. documentary category Saturday in Park City, Utah.

Directed and co-written by 29-year-old first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" follows a girl named Hushpuppy who lives with her father in the southern Delta. The film also won the cinematography prize.

Eugene Jarecki's documentary "The House I Live In" examines the social, human and financial costs of the war on drugs. Jarecki won the same award in 2005 for his documentary "Why We Fight."

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