And what an eclectic bunch of winners it was. If the 2014 edition of Sundance will go down for anything it will probably be the fact that there were nary a standout, big buzz film in any category, but a lot of niche gems, or important indie director's new works only making mild waves. But one thing was for sure, both audiences and the jury loved Whiplash. Damien Chazelle's story about a jazz drummer and his abusive instructor at a high end music conservatory took home both the U.S. Dramatic Competition Audience Award and Grand Jury Award. Meanwhile, Rich Hill took home the U.S. Documentary Award.
In World Competition categories the meditative yet chilling To Kill A Man, from Chilean director Alejandro Fernández Almendras, nabbed the Dramatic Competition Jury Award, while Return To Homs, a look at the conflict in Syria, took Doc.
Other notable winners include Fishing Without Nets' Cutter Hoderine for best director in U.S. Dramatic Competition, with a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent going to Dear White People director Justin Simien.
Find all the winners below, and be sure to catch even more reviews and news from the fest over the next few days here at ScreenAnarchy.
| U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | Whiplash | |
| U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary | Rich Hill | |
| World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | To Kill a Man | |
| World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary | Return to Homs | |
| Audience Award: U. S. Dramatic presented by Acura | Whiplash | |
| Audience Award: U.S. Documentary presented by Acura | Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory | |
| Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic | Difret | |
| Audience Award: World Cinema: Documentary | The Green Prince | |
| Audience Award: Best of NEXT | Imperial Dreams | |
| Directing Award: U. S. Dramatic | Fishing Without Nets / Cutter Hodierne | |
| Directing Award: U. S. Documentary | The Case Against 8 / Ben Cotner & Ryan White | |
| Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic | 52 Tuesdays / Sophie Hyde | |
| Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary | 20,000 Days on Earth / Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard | |
| Cinematography Award: U. S. Dramatic | Low Down / Christopher Blauvelt | |
| Cinematography Award: U. S. Documentary | E-TEAM / Ross Kauffman & Rachel Beth Anderson | |
| Cinematography Award: World Cinema Dramatic | Lilting / Ula Pontikos | |
| Cinematography Award: World Cinema Documentary | Happiness / Thomas Balmès & Nina Bernfeld | |
| U. S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent | Dear White People / Justin Simien | |
| U. S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Musical Score | Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter / The Octopus Project | |
| U. S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Intuitive Filmmaking | The Overnighters | |
| U. S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Use of Animation | Watchers of the Sky | |
| World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Performance | God Help the Girl | |
| World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematic Bravery | We Come as Friends | |
| Editing Award: U. S. Documentary | Watchers of the Sky | |
| Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary | 20,000 Days on Earth | |
| Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic | The Skeleton Twins / Craig Johnson & Mark Heyman | |
| Screenwriting Award: World Cinema Dramatic | Blind / Eskil Vogt | |
| Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize | I Origins | |
| Short Film Grand Jury Prize | Of God and Dogs | |
| Short Film Jury Award: US Fiction | Gregory Go Boom | |
| Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction | The Cut | |
| Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction | I Think This is the Closest to How the Footage Looked | |
| Short Film Jury Award: Animation | Yearbook | |
| Short Film Special Jury Award for Unique Vision | Rat Pack Rat | |
| Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction | Love. Love. Love. | |
| Short Film Special Jury Award for Direction and Ensemble Acting | Burger | |
| Short Film Audience Award, Presented by YouTube | Chapel Perilous |