Train film picks up top festival awards

PARK CITY — "The Station Agent," one of the hottest films in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, also became the festival's most highly acclaimed during Saturday night's awards ceremony.

The drama, about a dwarf with a passion for trains, took home three prizes — the Dramatic Audience Award, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award to writer/director Tom McCarthy and a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance to Patricia Clarkson.

Clarkson's award was actually for three competition films — "The Station Agent," "Pieces of April" and "All the Real Girls."

Late last week, "The Station Agent" set off a furious bidding war between several of Hollywood's "art-film" distributors, all vying for its domestic and international distribution rights. Ultimately, Miramax Films was the winner, acquiring it for $1.1 million.

"My Flesh and Blood," a documentary about a woman who cares for 11 special-

needs children, took home a pair of prizes — the Documentary Audience Award and the Documentary Directing Award to Jonathan Karsh.

Grand Jury Prizes were given to "Capturing the Friedmans," a documentary about a family torn apart when the father and a son are accused of a crime, and "American Splendor," a comedy-drama based on the life of comic-book writer Harvey Pekar.

The World Cinema Audience Award was given to "Whale Rider" and Excellence in Cinematography awards went to the documentary "Stevie" (Dana Kupper, Gordon Quinn and Peter Gilbert and the dramatic feature "Quattro Noza" (Derek Cianfrance).

Receiving the festival's Freedom of Expression Award, given each year to a documentary that "informs and educates the public" on social and political issues, was "What I Want My Words to Do to You." And the documentaries "The Murder of Emmett Till" and "A Certain Kind of Death" took home Special Jury Prizes.

New this year in the dramatic competition were two Grand Jury Prizes for Emotional Truth to "All the Real Girls" and "What Alice Found."

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who made a splash at last year's festival with her performance in "Secretary," hosted the ceremony, which was held at the Park City Racquet Club. The event was broadcast, tape-delayed, on the Sundance Channel, which is available to some pay-cable and satellite-television subscribers.