See Which Films Wooed the Sundance Audience

Out of 128 features screened, «Giving Voice» resonated with festivalgoers the most, and received the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance 2020. Directed by James D. Stern and Fernando Villena, the documentary centers around high-stakes August Wilson Monologue Competition for the young theater students. The creators admitted in an interview, that they wanted to make a documentary that’s much more than a competition film, aiming to show how one of America’s preeminent playwrights August Willson still is contemporary to high-school students.

«Giving Voice» is James Stern’s seventh documentary that he has directed. Among his other works is the Oscar shortlisted documentary «Every Little Step», and his most recent film «American Chaos». For Fernando Villena, who worked as an editor for 18 years, «Giving Voice» is his second feature as a director.

Runners-up and close contenders for the Festival Favorite Award include Boys State, On the Record, Welcome to Chechnya, Crip Camp, The Fight, The Reason I Jump, Uncle Frank and more.

The 2021 Sundance Film Festival will run from Jan. 21 to Jan. 31. 

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在2020年圣丹斯电影节展映的128部影片中，最能引起观众共鸣，荣获本届电影节最受欢迎奖的影片是《发声》（Giving Voice）。这部纪录片由James D. Stern和Fernando Villena执导，剧情围绕众多年轻戏剧学生参加竞争激烈的奥古斯特·威尔逊独白比赛（August Wilson Monologue Competition）展开。影片的主创人员在一次采访中透露，他们想要拍一部比竞赛片更有深度的纪录片，旨在向大众展示美国最杰出的剧作家之一奥古斯特·威尔逊对新一代高中生的影响。

《发声》是James D. Stern导演的第七部纪录片。他的其它作品还包括奥斯卡入围电影《舞台上的每一步》（Every Little Step）以及他的最新影片《美国喧嚣》（American Chaos）。而另一位导演Fernando Villena此前做了长达18年的编辑，《发声》是他导的第二部作品。

虽说《发声》荣获电影节最受欢迎奖，但其他有力竞争者的作品也十分优秀，其中包括《男孩国度》（Boys State）、 《记录在案》（On the Record）、 《欢迎来到车臣》（Welcome to Chechnya）、 《残疾夏令营》（Crip Camp）、 《斗争》（The Fight）、 《我想飞进天空》（The Reason I Jump）、 《和弗兰克叔叔上路》（Uncle Frank）等等。

据悉，2021年圣丹斯电影节的举办将于1月21日持续到1月31日。