Italian Paolo and Vittorio Taviani won the Berlinale’s Golden Bear on Saturday for their black and white drama “Caesar Must Die.”

The semi-documentary pic centers on inmates of the Rebibbia maximum security prison in Rome who stage Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”

The Taviani brothers said the film was neither a documentary film nor a feature film, but rather something new, and a real look at prisoners serving life sentences.

The fest’s international jury spread prizes far and wide, with the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix going to Bence Fliegauf’s Hungarian pic “Just the Wind,” which offers a stark look at racially motivated violence.

German helmer Christian Petzold picked up the Silver Bear for best director for his East German drama “Barbara,” about an East German doctor who is harshly reprimanded for wanting to leave the GDR.

Rachel Mwanza took the actress Silver Bear for “War Witch,” about a girl soldier trying to survive in an African civil war. The Silver Bear for best actor went to Mikkel Boe Folsgaard for Nikolaj Arcel’s “A Royal Affair,” which also picked up the Silver Bear for Best Script for Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg.

Cinematographer Lutz Reitemeier won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for his work in Wang Quan’an’s Chinese drama “White Deer Plain.”

Miguel Gomes’ Portuguese black and white drama “Tabu” nabbed the Alfred Bauer Prize, which is awarded to works of “particular innovation.”

“I don’t quite understand winning a prize for innovation because I set out to make an old-fashioned film,” quipped Gomes as he accepted the award.

The jury awarded a Special Mention Silver Bear to Ursula Meier’s Swiss drama “Sister,” about a poor boy who steals from wealthy tourists at Swiss ski resort in order to survive.

Boudewijn Koole’s Dutch Generation Kplus screener “Kauwboy,” about a young boy who adopts a motherless baby bird, won the Best First Feature Award. Emin Alper’s “Beyond the Hill,” a Turkish-Greek drama that unspooled in Forum, took First Feature Special Mention.

Complete list of winners:

Golden Bear for Best Film

‘Caesar Must Die,’ by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

Silver Bear, The Jury Grand Prix

‘Just the Wind,’ by Bence Fliegauf

Silver Bear, Best Director

Christian Petzold for ‘Barbara’

Silver Bear, Best Actress

Rachel Mwanza for ‘War Witch’

Silver Bear, Best Actor

Mikkel Boe Folsgaard for ‘A Royal Affair’

Silver Bear, Outstanding Artistic Achievement

Lutz Reitemeier, cinematographer, for ‘White Deer Plain’

Silver Bear, Best Script

Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg for ‘A Royal Affair’

Alfred Bauer Prize

‘Tabu,’ by Miguel Gomes

Special Prize Silver Bear

‘Sister,’ by Ursula Meier

Best First Feature Award

‘Kauwboy,’ by Boudewijn Koole

Best First Feature Award Special Mention

‘Beyond the Hill,’ by Emin Alper

International Short Films

Golden Bear

‘Rafa,’ by Joao Salaviza

Silver Bear

‘The Great Rabbit,’ by Atsushi Wada

Special Mention

‘Licuri Surf,’ by Guile Martins

Generation Kplus

Crystal Bear for Best Film

‘Arcadia,’ by Olivia Silver

Special Mention

‘Just Pretended to Hear,’ by Kaori Imaizumi

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film

‘Julian,’ by Matthew Moore

Special Mention

‘Bino,’ by Billie Pleffer

Generation 14plus

Crystal Bear for Best Film

‘Night of Silence,’ by Reis Celik

Special Mention

‘The Crown Jewels,’ by Ella Lemhagen

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film

‘Meathead,’ by Sam Holst

Special Mention

’663114,’ by Isamu Hirabayashi

International Jury Generation Kplus

Grand Prix Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for Best Film

‘Kauwboy,’ by Boudewijn Koole

Special Mention

‘Gattu,’ by Rajan Khosa

Teddy Awards

Best Feature Film

‘Keep the Lights On,’ by Ira Sachs

Best Documentary Film

‘Call Me Kuchu,’ by Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright

Best Short Film

‘Loxoro,’ by Claudia Llosa

Teddy Jury Award

‘Jaures,’ by Vincent Dieutre

Made in Germany — Perskpektive Fellowship

Annekatrin Hendel for ‘Disco’

Dialogue en Perspektive

‘This Ain’t California,’ by Marten Persiel

The Turkish film Night of Silence from director Reis Celik has won the Crystal Bear for best film screening in the Berlin Film Festival’s Generation 14plus sidebar.

The drama focuses on an arranged marriage between a 14-year-old bride and a man recently released from prison after serving a sentence for two honor killings. Celik’s film takes place within the single room where the couple meet on their wedding night.

“We were deeply touched by the brilliant actors in this year’s winning film,” said the Generations youth jury announcing their decision Friday. “They let us take part in the feelings of two people who are imprisoned by family traditions which do not leave any space for their own decision making and needs.”

The Generations jury gave special mention to the Swedish drama The Crown Jewels from director Ella Lemhagen. The magic realist thriller stars Alicia Vikander and Bill Skarsgard.

In the short-film categories, Meathead from New Zealand director Sam Holst won the Crystal Bear for best short, and 663114 from Japanese helmer Isamu Hirabayashi received a special mention.

The winners were honored at a ceremony in Berlin Friday night.

The 27th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced the winners of the 2012 festival competition at a Press Conference and Brunch, Sunday morning at the famed Fess Parker’s Resort Santa Barbara. To the delight of patrons and industry professionals, the festival’s 27th season continued the tradition of presenting purely exceptional films, spanning genres and topics that surpass anything before. Throughout the 11 days, cinephiles from around the globe packed the theaters of State Street, creating one of the most vivacious periods the area has ever seen.
 
Commented SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling,“Each year, SBIFF strives to feature film from all ranges of the ‘cine-spectrum’. Successfully building upon this tradition of excellence, the lineup for the 27th edition of the festival showcased a particularly captivating yet challenging collection of works. With even more broadly accessible crowd pleasers and premiere films distinguished by their master of storytelling, theaters filled to the brim screening after screening.”
 
The Jury for the 2012 SBIFF included:  actor/comedian Dave Koechner; actor/director Brad Hall; actor/writer W. Earl Brown; actor Anthony Zerbe and his wife Arnette Zerbe; SBIFF originator Phyllis de Picciotto; director Glenn Jordan; actor Tim Matheson; and writer/ director Perry Lang.
 
The winning films are as follows:
 
The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema, given to a unique independent feature that has been made outside mainstream Hollywood, went to UP THERE, directed by Zam Salim, about Martin, whois stuck in a dead-end job, welcoming the newly departed into the afterlife. All he dreams of is going “up there,” and he attempts to cope with his death by keeping his nose clean and minding his own business. But all this is thrown into disarray when, in order to track down an errant lost soul.   Winner received a Panavision camera package worth $60,000.
 
A special Jury Prize for Artistic Distinction was awarded to BARRYMORE, directed by Erik Canuel and starring Christopher Plummer, to acknowledge Mr. Plummer’s superb performance, Mr. Luce’s remarkable play and Mr. Canuel’s adaptation and uncanny ability to capture the play (originally directed by Gene Saks) in a completely original piece of cinematic art.
 
The Best International Film Award went to FREE MEN, directed by Ismael Ferroukhi about an Algerian Muslim immigrant who joins the French Resistance to save Algerian Jews.
 
The Nueva Vision Award for the best Spanish/Latin American film was awarded to FOUND MEMORIES, directed by Julia Murat.  A young photographer finds a forgotten ghost town where only a handful of old people live, and changes their lives forever.
 
The jury awarded an Honorable Mention to THE RUMBLE OF THE STONES (El Rumor de las Piedras), directed by Alejandro Bellame Palacios.   Venezuela’s official submission for the Academy Awards, Rumble of the Stones is a heartfelt and compelling portrait of the enduring power of a mother’s love against the backdrop of the social problems of modern-day Venezuela
 
Best Documentary Film Awardwent to PRETTY OLD, directed by Walter Matteson.  Pretty Old follows four diverse women, ages 67 to 94, competing in the 30th year Anniversary of the Ms. Senior Sweetheart Beauty Pageant in Fall River, Massachusetts, exploring what it truly means to “age beautifully.”
 
The Cinema Nouveau Award went to HEAT WAVE (Apres Le Sud),directed by Jean-Jacques Jauffret.  Based on a true story, HEAT WAVE offers up a story from intersecting points of view where different destinies cross paths and are reunited by a tragic event.
 
Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film Under 30 Minutes went toL TRAIN, directed by Anna Musso.  Executive produced by Alexander Payne, L TRAIN is the story of Sunny, a teenaged African American girl commuting through an inner city winter – an existence that injects a negativity into her long days.
 
Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film went to THE MISSING KEY, directed by Jonathan Nix.  In a richly re-imagined Venice of the early 1920s, young composer Hero Wasabi must compete against the unscrupulous Count Telefino in the prestigious Abacus Scroll musical competition.
 
The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award Sponsored by The Fund for Santa Barbara for a documentary film that addresses social justice issues also went to DIRTY ENERGY, directed by Bryan Hopkins, which tells the personal story of those directly affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill and who are now struggling to rebuild their lives amidst the economic devastation and long-term health risks.  Winner receives $2500.
 
The Audience Choice Award, sponsored by the SB Independent, went to STARBUCK, directed by Ken Scott, about a former sperm donor who discovers he’s the father of 533 children, 142 of whom have filed a class action lawsuit to determine the identity of their biological father, known only by the pseudonym Starbuck.
 
The results of the 10-10-10 filmmaking competition will be announced at the closing night festivities.
 
The festival closes tonight with the West Coast Premiere of Where Do We Go Now? directed by Nadine Labaki.   Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this anti-warcomedy offers a wildly creative take on the intractable religious conflict in a remote village.  Fed up with mourning their husbands and sons, the women of thevillage, where Christians and Muslims live side by side, concoct inventive schemes to prevent sectarian violence from further corrupting their loved ones. To quash interreligious conflicts, the women are not above sabotaging the village’s sole television, colluding with the priest and imam, nor enlisting a busload of sexy Ukrainian strippers to distract their men.  Through Labaki’s wonderfully insightful comic eye, Where Do We Go Now? confronts the hard truths of afractured society, offering an alternate vision of transcendence and unity.  The Closing Night film is sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent.

Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, NEXT <=> and other special awards of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by Parker Posey in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.

“Every year the Sundance Film Festival brings to light exciting new directions and fresh voices in independent film, and this year is no different,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. “While these awards further distinguish those that have had the most impact on audiences and our jury, the level of talent showcased across the board at the Festival was really impressive, and all are to be congratulated and thanked for sharing their work with us.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “As we close what was a remarkable 10 days of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, we look to the year ahead with incredible optimism for the independent film community. As filmmakers continue to push each other to achieve new heights in storytelling we are excited to see what’s next.”

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards presented this evening were:

The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Charles Ferguson to:

The House I Live In / U.S.A. (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong and what is the path toward healing?

The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Justin Lin to:

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry.

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Nick Fraser to:

The Law in These Parts / Israel (Director: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz) — Israel’s 43-year military legal system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories unfolds through provocative interviews with the system’s architects and historical footage showing the enactment of these laws upon the Palestinian population.

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Julia Ormond to:

Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se Fue a Los Cielos) / Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain (Director: Andrés Wood, Screenwriters: Eliseo Altunaga, Rodrigo Bazaes, Guillermo Calderón, Andrés Wood) — A portrait of famed Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes. Cast: Francisca Gavilán, Thomas Durand, Luis Machín, Gabriela Aguilera, Roberto Farías.

The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura, was presented by Mike Birbiglia to:

The Invisible War / U.S.A. (Director: Kirby Dick) — An investigative and powerfully emotional examination of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, the institutions that cover up its existence and the profound personal and social consequences that arise from it.

The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura, was presented by Mike Birbiglia to:

The Surrogate / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ben Lewin) — Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist in an iron lung, decides he no longer wishes to be a virgin. With the help of his therapist and the guidance of his priest, he contacts a professional sex surrogate to take him on a journey to manhood. Cast: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy.

The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was presented by Edward James Olmos to:

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN / Sweden, United Kingdom (Director: Malik Bendjelloul) — Rodriguez was the greatest ‘70s US rock icon who never was. Hailed as the greatest recording artist of his generation he disappeared into oblivion – rising again from the ashes in a completely different context many miles away.

The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented by Edward James Olmos to:

Valley of Saints / India, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Musa Syeed) — Gulzar plans to run away from the war and poverty surrounding his village in Kashmir with his best friend, but a beautiful young woman researching the dying lake leads him to contemplate a different future Cast: Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, Mohammed Afzal Sofi, Neelofar Hamid.

The Best of NEXT <=> Audience Award, Presented by Adobe Systems Incorporated, was presented by Tim Heidecker to:

Sleepwalk With Me / U.S.A. (Director: Mike Birbiglia, Screenwriters: Mike Birbiglia, Ira Glass, Joe Birbiglia, Seth Barrish) — Reluctant to confront his fears of love, honesty, and growing up, a budding standup comedian has both a hilarious and intense struggle with sleepwalking. Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, James Rebhorn, Cristin Milioti.

The U.S. Directing Award: Documentary was presented by Fenton Bailey to:

The Queen of Versailles / U.S.A. (Director: Lauren Greenfield) — Jackie and David were triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America – a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot palace inspired by Versailles – when their timeshare empire falters due to the economic crisis. Their story reveals the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream.

The U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic was presented by Lynn Shelton to:

Middle Of Nowhere / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ava DuVernay) — When her husband is incarcerated, an African-American woman struggles to maintain her marriage and her identity. Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Touissaint, Edwina Findley.

The World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary was presented by Jean-Marie Teno to:

5 Broken Cameras / Palestine, Israel, France (Directors: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi) — A Palestinian journalist chronicles his village’s resistance to a separation barrier being erected on their land and in the process captures his young son’s lens on the world.

The World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic was presented by Alexei Popogrebsky to:

Teddy Bear / Denmark (Director: Mads Matthiesen, Screenwriters: Mads Matthiesen, Martin Pieter Zandvliet) — Dennis, a painfully shy 38-year-old bodybuilder who lives with his mother, sets off to Thailand in search of love. Cast: Kim Kold, Elsebeth Steentoft, Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard, David Winters, Allan Mogensen.

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was presented by Anthony Mackie to:

Safety Not Guaranteed / U.S.A. (Director: Colin Trevorrow, Screenwriter: Derek Connolly) — A trio of magazine employees investigate a classified ad seeking a partner for time travel. One employee develops feelings for the paranoid but compelling loner and seeks to discover what he’s really up to. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni.

The World Cinema Screenwriting Award was presented by Richard Pena to:

Young & Wild / Chile (Director: Marialy Rivas, Screenwriters: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutiérrez, Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Sepúlveda) — 17-year-old Daniela, raised in the bosom of a strict Evangelical family and recently unmasked as a fornicator by her shocked parents, struggles to find her own path to spiritual harmony. Cast: Alicia Rodríguez, Aline Kuppenheim, María Gracia Omegna, Felipe Pinto.

The U.S. Documentary Editing Award was presented by Kim Roberts to:

DETROPIA / U.S.A. (Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) — The woes of Detroit are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base. This is the dramatic story of a city and its people who refuse to leave the building, even as the flames are rising.

The World Cinema Documentary Editing Award was presented by Clara Kim to:

Indie Game: The Movie / Canada (Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky) — Follow the dramatic journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.

The Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary was presented by Tia Lessin to:

Chasing Ice / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Science, spectacle and human passion mix in this stunningly cinematic portrait as National Geographic photographer James Balog captures time-lapse photography of glaciers over several years providing tangible visual evidence of climate change.

The Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented by Amy Vincent to:

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry.

The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary was presented by Jean-Marie Teno to:

Putin’s Kiss / Denmark (Director: Lise Birk Pedersen) — 19-year-old Marsha is a model spokesperson in a strongly nationalistic Russian youth movement that aims to protect the country from its enemies. When she starts recognizing the organization’s flaws, she must take a stand for or against it.

The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic was presented by Alexei Popogrebsky to:

My Brother the Devil / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Sally El Hosaini) — A pair of British Arab brothers trying to get by in gangland London learn the extraordinary courage it takes to be yourself. Cast: James Floyd, Saïd Taghmaoui, Fady Elsayed.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for an Agent of Change was presented by Heather Croall to:

Love Free or Die / U.S.A. (Director: Macky Alston) — One man whose two defining passions are in conflict: An openly gay bishop refuses to leave the Church or the man he loves.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance was presented by Heather Croall to:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry / U.S.A., China (Director: Alison Klayman) — Renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has garnered international attention as much for his ambitious artwork as his political provocations and increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing was presented by Cliff Martinez to:

Andrea Sperling and Jonathan Schwartz for Smashed and Nobody Walks

• Smashed / U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Susan Burke, James Ponsoldt) — Kate and Charlie are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and… drinking. When Kate decides to get sober, her new lifestyle brings troubling issues to the surface and calls into question her relationship with Charlie. Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally.
• Nobody Walks / U.S.A. (Director: Ry Russo-Young, Screenwriters: Lena Dunham, Ry Russo-Young) — Martine, a young artist from New York, is invited into the home of a hip, liberal LA family for a week. Her presence unravels the family’s carefully maintained status quo, and a mess of sexual and emotional entanglements ensues. Cast: John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga, Justin Kirk.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting was presented by Cliff Martinez to:

The Surrogate / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ben Lewin) — Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist in an iron lung, decides he no longer wishes to be a virgin. With the help of his therapist and the guidance of his priest, he contacts a professional sex surrogate to take him on a journey to manhood. Cast: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy.

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Artistic Vision was presented by Clara Kim to:

Can / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Rasit Celikezer) — A young married couple live happily in Istanbul, but their decision to illegally procure a child threatens their future together. Cast: Selen Uçer, Serdar Orçin, Berkan Demirbag, Erkan Avci.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize for its Celebration of the Artistic Spirit was presented by Richard Pena to:

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN / Sweden, United Kingdom (Director: Malik Bendjelloul) — Rodriguez was the greatest ‘70s US rock icon who never was. Hailed as the greatest recording artist of his generation he disappeared into oblivion – rising again from the ashes in a completely different context many miles away.

The inaugural Short Film Audience Award, Presented by Yahoo!, based on online voting for nine short films that premiered at the Festival and are currently featured on Yahoo! Screen, was presented to:

The Debutante Hunters (Director: Maria White) — In the Lowcountry of South Carolina a group of true Southern belles reveal their more rugged side, providing a glimpse into what drives them to hunt in the wild.

The following awards were presented at separate ceremonies at the Festival:

The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking was awarded to: FISHING WITHOUT NETS / U.S.A. (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey). The Jury Prize in Short Film, U.S. Fiction was presented to: The Black Balloon / U.S.A. (Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie). The Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction was presented to: The Return (Kthimi) / Kosovo (Director: Blerta Zeqiri, Screenwriter: Shefqet Gjocaj). The Jury Prize in Short Film, Non-Fiction was presented to: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom / U.S.A. (Director: Lucy Walker). The Jury Prize in Animated Short Film was presented to: A Morning Stroll / United Kingdom (Director: Grant Orchard). A Special Jury Award for Comedic Storytelling was presented to: The Arm / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis). A Special Jury Award for Animation Direction was presented to: Robots of Brixton / United Kingdom (Director: Kibwe Tavares).

The winning directors and projects of the Sundance Institute | Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, in recognition and support of emerging independent filmmakers from around the world, are: Etienne Kallos / Vrystaat (Free State) (South Africa); Ariel Kleiman / Partisan (Australia); Dominga Sotomayor / Tarde Para Morir Joven (Late To Die Young) (Chile); and Shonali Bose / Margarita. With a Straw (India).

The Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker Award, honoring and supporting emerging filmmakers, was presented to Jens Assur, director of the upcoming film Close Far Away.

The inaugural Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award for a completed feature film was presented to The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk. The in-process feature film award was presented to Solar Mamas, directed by Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief. Each project received $25,000.

The inaugural Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producer’s Award and $10,000 grant was presented to Dan Janvey and Josh Penn for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

The Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prizes, presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character, were presented to Robot & Frank, directed by Jake Schreier and written by Christopher Ford, and Valley of Saints, directed and written by Musa Syeed. The two films will split the $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival Jurors were: U.S. Documentary Competition: Fenton Bailey, Heather Croall, Charles Ferguson, Tia Lessin, Kim Roberts; U.S. Dramatic Competition: Justin Lin, Anthony Mackie, Cliff Martinez, Lynn Shelton, Amy Vincent; World Cinema Documentary Competition: Nick Fraser, Clara Kim, Jean-Marie Teno; World Cinema Dramatic Competition: Julia Ormond, Richard Pena, Alexei Popogrebsky; Alfred P. Sloan Award: Tracy Day, Helen Fisher, Dr. Robert J. Full, Gwyn Lurie, Alex Rivera; Short Film Competition: Mike Judge, Dee Rees, Shane Smith.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival presented 117 feature-length films, representing 30 countries by 45 first-time filmmakers, including 24 in competition. These films were selected from 4,042 feature-length film submissions composed of 2,059 U.S. and 1,983 international feature-length films. 91 films at the Festival were world premieres. The Short Film Program was comprised of 64 short films selected from a record 7,675 submissions.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs through January 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. A complete list of films and events is available at www.sundance.org/festival.

The Sundance Film Festival bestowed its awards Saturday night during a ceremony in Park City.

World Cinema Jury Special Prize, Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

World Cinema Documentary Editing: Indie Game: The Movie, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky

World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: The Law in These Parts, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz, director

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize:, Can, Rasit Celikezer, director

World Cinema Cinematography Award, Drama: David Raedeker, My Brother the Devil

World Cinema Cinematography Award, Documentary: Lars Skree, Putin’s Kiss

World Cinema Directing Award, Documentary: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, 5 Broken Cameras

Shorts Audience Award: The Debutante Hunters, Maria White, director

World Cinema Audience Award: Searching for Sugar Man

Audience Award, U.S. Documentary: The Invisible War

Audience Award, U.S. Dramatic: The Surrogate

Special Jury Prizes, U.S. Documentary: Love Free or Die and Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing: Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling, Smashed and Nobody Walks

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting: The Surrogate

Excellence in Cinematography, U.S. Documentary: Chasing Ice

Excellence in Cinematography, U.S. Dramatic: Beasts of the Southern Wild

U.S. Documentary Editing Award: Detropia

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Safety Not Guaranteed, Colin Trevorrow

The festival previously announced the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Films nod went to Robot and Frank and Valley of Saints.

If cultural historians were to happen upon a time capsule containing the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Day One lineup of films, they’d have a comprehensive overview of the breadth and depth of high quality independent filmmaking programmed into this year’s Festival. What’s more, this diverse array of works by established and up-and-coming talents would offer a microcosmic snapshot of the state of our society at large – its passions and preoccupations as well as cultural and creative sensibilities.

Because we don’t yet live in a space-age world where it’s possible for one human to see two movies at the same time – hey, few could have ever predicted we’d have talking maps or the toothpaste pump, so don’t rule it out – we dispatched our crack team of writers to attend each Day One screening. The following mosaic of ideas and impressions exchanged at each of the five events provides a tantalizing taste of what promises to be a Festival as entertaining as it is enlightening.

The Queen of Versailles

By Bridgette Bates

“We’re in a period of immense change,” remarked Robert Redford at the world premiere of Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles, which opened the U.S. Documentary competition last night. During the three years that Greenfield worked on The Queen of Versailles, the film and its subject changed immensely. The film follows the obscenely rich Siegel family – David, a Florida time-share mogul, and his wife Jackie, a former Mrs. Florida, and their herd of children and pets – and their in vain attempts to build America’s largest house modeled after Louis XIV’s palace – or more accurately, a Las Vegas imitation of monarchic French architecture. Early scenes of this doc unfold as an artfully crafted episode of “Real Housewives.” But the autumn of 2008 comes around, with the Wall Street crash and ensuing real estate bubble bust and quickly turns the story on its crowned head.

At the film’s Q&A, Greenfield responded to questions about the story’s tonal shift. “It becomes more of a tragedy or human drama as the family deals with this crisis,” she said, adding that the film transforms into “an everyman story.” Even as we begin to feel some (albeit mixed) sympathy for the Siegel’s downfall amid all its conspicuous consumption and disconnection from reality, a profoundly melancholic sense of a sliding scale of dreams gradually emerges, creating the film’s most compellingly universal subtext. From moments with the Siegel’s immigrant staff, who share the hardships of living away from their real homes in the hopes of providing for their families, to scenes of empty office spaces signifying the thousands of layoffs in David’s once thriving business, we are tenderly reminded how dreams, big or small, are relative to the individual and yet vital to all.

Jackie, in all her beauty queen glory, attended last night’s premiere to watch her dreams deferred on screen for the first time. Standing in solidarity, a friend of Jackie’s asked the director if the film could be re-edited to reflect the Siegel’s financial recovery. Despite the presumptuousness of the ask – or the fact that it missed the point of the film – it was oddly heart-warming to know there was still a dreamer in the house.

Searching for Sugar Man

By Claiborne Smith

 At the World Premiere of Searching for Sugar Man at the Library Theatre, Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul seemed a little overwhelmed. He first found out six years ago about the mysterious story of Rodriguez, a supremely talented musician who recorded two albums in the early 70s that were promptly ignored by all of America. In this country, as he was rumored to be dead after setting himself on fire at a concert, Rodriguez’s anti-establishment songs and indelible, authentic lyrics made him one of South Africa’s most popular musicians. His albums were passed around among friends during the apartheid era, if they weren’t first confiscated by government censors. Bendjelloul has been working on the film for four years and sitting at an editing bay for the last two. So to have his film out in the world for the first time and screening for a packed audience was, as he said at the premiere, “very emotional.”

It’s impossible to report the news from last night’s screening without revealing one of the mysteries solved in Searching for Sugar Man: Rodriguez appeared at the Q&A after the screening (to a standing ovation), which means that Rodriguez did not, in fact, light himself on fire at a concert. He’s been living a quiet life as a construction worker in Detroit. But anyone upset by having the beans spilled here should take heart in the fact that there’s a deeper mystery in Searching for Sugar Man. It’s an enigma Bendjelloul explores, but one that would be near impossible for any director to entirely solve – how Rodriguez, ignored in his homeland, could so stoically endure that abandonment while not knowing – or receiving profit from – the fact that he is a national hero in South Africa. Elliptical, reserved, bemused, and shrouding himself in mystery, Rodriguez didn’t finish all of his sentences at the Q&A last night. You got the sense that he wasn’t being cryptic because he was nervous or had stagefright; but rather because he’s an artist whose experience has taught him to ruefully understand the value of keeping it close to the chest.

Wish You Were Here

By Eric Hynes

The Aussie invasion continues unabated— or even invited, for that matter. At the Library Theatre on Thursday night, the Festival launched this year’s World Dramatic Competition with an Opening Night world premiere of Wish You Were Here, the latest film from a gathering wave of accomplished Australian Indies. Kieran Darcy-Smith’s debut feature comes to the Festival just two years after David Michod’s Animal Kingdom took home the World Dramatic Competition Jury Prize. Both films star the ruggedly alluring Joel Edgerton, who was on hand to present the film with a dapper but nervous Darcy-Smith (“I’m having kittens here,” he said before the film, “It’s hard to speak”) along with the principal cast and crew.

The story of a family man whose world starts crumbling around him after a double-date getaway to Cambodia ends with his companion’s mysterious disappearance, Wish You Were Here was the product of several layers of close collaboration. Darcy-Smith co-wrote the script with his wife and lead actress, Felicity Price, and developed the story and film in participation with the other members of Blue-Tongue Films – Edgerton and brother Nash’s rough and tumble collective, which produced two previous Festival shorts, Spider and I Love Sarah Jane as well as Bear screening in this year’s Festival.

“We’ve always read each other’s work,” Price said, “And Joel and Nash have always read Kieran’s work. So when we started writing the project together, it wasn’t a complete unknown. We knew how we could help each other, what each other’s strengths were, and could build a writing team. It’s a great process because you’re living and breathing the film the whole time. You’re changing nappies, going for walks, driving the car—and you’re talking about it the whole time.” Darcy-Smith concurred. “I’d jump into bed with her again in a heartbeat,” he said, drawing laughs.

Producer Angie Fielder said that the Aussie invasion is for real. “The industry is definitely on the up and up. There’s a really great new generation of filmmakers coming through, including the Blue-Tongue guys,” as well as more mainstream fare. “There’s a great mix of commercial work and arthouse work, and that makes for a really healthy industry. It’s an exciting time to make films in Australia.” With this latest film screening all week, it’s a great time to wish you were here at Sundance.

Hello I Must Be Going

By Jeff Hanson

A movie about a hopeless, listless divorcee re-discovering her groove in the arms of a steel-eyed teenage hunk often treads precariously on the precipice of cliché and camp. Yet when the story is thoughtfully crafted by Sarah Koskoff and expertly framed by Sundance veteran Todd Louiso (Love Liza), it quickly sheds itself of any risk of eye-rolling ridicule and instantly becomes an engagingly accessible portrait of real life.

Hello I Must Be Going is a love story in the classically non-classic sense. Yet its reach extends well past the obvious tale of verboten desire; and moves seamlessly through a story of self-realization and courage. Actor Melanie Lynskey couples her formidable talent with an honest vulnerability as Amy Minsky, who is drowning in a sea of pathos brought about by her recent divorce and the incessant criticism of an equally miserable mother, played acerbically by Blythe Danner. Christopher Abbott, a bright newcomer with oodles of appeal, brings surprising wisdom and warmth to his role as the young man who rocks Amy’s world, and subsequently his own.

The film premiered to an enthusiastic opening night audience at the Sundance Film Festival Thursday evening. During the post-screening Q&A, Koskoff reacted warmly to the suggestion that her script was a modern day “coming-of-age story for an adult.” She shyly admitted that the genesis to her screenplay and its main character was born out of her own moments of depression and a realization that her life wasn’t panning out in a way that she, and everyone else, had expected. It just goes to show that the journey to personal reclamation can be a tricky yet rewarding ride, both on screen and off.

Shorts Program I

By Nate von Zumwalt

 Shorts Program I premiered last night at The Egyptian to an exuberant audience and an atmosphere more indicative of a party than a film premiere. The six-film program featured an impressive display of both content and craft, leading with the hilarious “anti-wedding” film Tooty’s Wedding and transitioning into a haunting depiction of Somali pirate life in Fishing Without Nets, a story director Cutter Hodierne felt compelled to tell “because it is the only story you cannot tell.” Next up was Grant Orchard’s cleverly animated A Morning Stroll, a thoughtful and amusing tale portraying a New Yorker’s morning walk in three different eras, and a loss of human values over that time.

In a lineup of such competitive and contrasting artistry, a true “headliner” was noticeably absent. Nevertheless, Johannes Nyholm’s Las Palmas emerged as a crowd favorite, featuring a miniature set that merged claymation, puppetry, and a real life baby (the director’s daughter) with the sartorial taste of a 60-year-old woman—fanny pack and all. Nyholm’s bashful disposition during the Q&A session only further endeared him to the audience as he explained that the film began as a “day in the life documentary” starring his daughter. “It’s still a documentary in a way,” he quips. “She sits around and eats and drinks like she normally does.”

Jill Soloway’s Una Hora Por Favora and Alexis Dos Santos’ Random Strangers rounded out the slate of shorts with two original love stories that creatively capture the times we live in. Soloway’s film stars Michaela Watkins as a single woman who hires a day laborer (Wilmer Valderrama), whom she ends up courting, and Dos Santos’ short chronicles an online relationship in a touching postmodern fashion.

The lineup was artfully designed to follow an overarching narrative, deftly shifting between styles and genres, and providing enough laughs to last the rest of the Festival—not a bad way to ring in the 2012 festivities.

The opening day press conference opened with nothing less than a reference to an American “government in paralysis” – Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford’s allusion to the frustrating inability of the country’s political leaders to compromise with one another.

From that sobering reality, however, Redford, Keri Putnam, the Institute’s Executive Director, and John Cooper, the Director of the Sundance Film Festival, pointed out the ways in which artists contribute to a vibrant culture, and what the Institute is doing to be at the forefront of that culture.

“The happy thing we’re pretty proud of is that here, for this week, we’re going to see work from artists, who even though their work might be reflective of these hard times, there’s not paralysis here,” Redford said. “There are fresh, new stories I’m happy you’re going to get to see.”

Putnam revealed that there are a healthy 27 feature films in this year’s Festival lineup that were supported by one of the Institute’s Labs – year-round workshops that give filmmakers the ability to work on their stories and grow as artists under the guidance of seasoned creative advisors. She also added that a full 30 percent of artists supported by the Institute are international, stressing that the Institute’s vision is a global one.

Festival attendees at last year’s Festival will remember that there were a number of changes in the way the Festival operated. Meanwhile, Cooper noted that the changes to this year’s Festival “aren’t so easy to spot,” because during his leadership, the Festival has moved closer and closer to how he and the rest of the Festival’s programmers think it should function. You’ll find more music programming at this year’s Festival – nightly sessions at the Music Café, added to previous years’ daytime music performances. New Frontier, the Festival program that highlights new ways of storytelling at the intersection of film, art, and new media technologies, has moved to the The Yard (next to The Yard Park & Ride), a more flexible space for the installations, as well as co-exhibiting at Salt Lake Art Center in Salt Lake City. Last year, the Racquet Club Theatre was out of commission; this year, it’s back, though it goes by the moniker MARC (Municipal Athletic and Recreation Center). The Prospector Square Theatre has also been nicely spiffed up.

The changes from last year’s Festival operations are minor, but the Festival and Institute’s commitment to independent storytelling is steadfast. Stressing that he thinks Hollywood and indie film are moving stylistically farther and farther apart from one another, Cooper said that judging from the 2012 Festival lineup, the state of independent film is “very healthy – it’s creative – it’s original.” He added, “I think the stories are as diverse as they can be. I think they’re personal and I think they’re a unique perspective on the world we live in.” Every year, people ask him what the themes of the Festival are, he told the audience. “The truth is, they’re aren’t any,” he acknowledged. “Independent film is the theme, so I hope you seek that too.”

.

Italian actor and director Nanni Moretti has been named president of the jury for the 65th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 16-27.

“This is a real joy, an honor and a tremendous responsibility to preside over the jury of the most prestigious festival of cinematography in the world, a festival that is held in a country where film has always been treated with interest and respect,” Moretti, who previously served as a member of the jury at the 50th edition of the festival in 1997, said in a statement released by the festival as part of its announcement.

“As a director, I was always very moved when my films were presented at the Festival de Cannes. I also have very happy memories of my experience as a jury member during the fiftieth anniversary season, and of the attentiveness and passion that went into the jury’s viewing.”

Moretti’s most recent film Habemus Papum (We Have a Pope) played at last year’s Cannes fest. He won the Palm d’Or, the festival’s top prize, in 2001 for The Son’s Room, and was named best director in 1994 for Caro diario (Dear Diary). During the curse of his career, he has presented six films at Cannes.

Working as an actor in most of his own films, Moretti also appeared in the Taviani brothers’ Padre Padrone (Father and Master) in 1977.

Festival president Gilles Jacob said, “When we decided to put Ecce Bombo–a super 8 film!–into Competition when I first arrived in 1978, it was because I had a premonition that Nanni Moretti would soon become NANNI MORETTI. This is what happened and I am so gratified to have had this long and affectionate collaboration.”

Thierry Frémaux, the festival’s artistic director, added: “The festival wanted to celebrate its 65th season with a European jury president. High-spirited and marked by his modernity and intelligence, Nanni Moretti’s films are the incarnation of all the best in cinema over the past thirty years. His work is always evolving and continues to carry the promise of film that engages with the world and with our times.”

In three decades of existence, the name “Sundance” has grown to stand for a cable channel, a film distribution label, two online VOD rental outlets, a chain of theaters and film programs around the country and world.

At first glance, it seems almost unfair to measure a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and developing the best young, cutting-edge films and filmmakers by the value of its name. But the question of Sundance’s brand equity makes sense, considering its fast-growing expansion into new territory at a time when brand identity seems even more crucial to garnering consumer confidence for unknown, untested fare than ever.

“As much as we love and have built the brand IFC, Sundance is one of the very few global film brands, and in terms of independent film, it’s the best known global brand in the world. Everything pales in comparison,” says IFC Entertainment head Jonathan Sehring, who oversees Sundance Selects as one of IFC’s three film labels. Under the Sundance name (which IFC parent company Rainbow Media was able to use after acquiring the Sundance Channel in 2008), IFC releases docs, foreign-language and prestige American fare that’s played any number of festivals — or none at all.

Prestige doesn’t always equal box office success, and while Sundance is known for such breakout low-budget hits as “Little Miss Sunshine,” it’s also been known for films that gain fanfare at the fest but little else. Sony Pictures

Classics co-head Tom Bernard sees its reputation for the latter shifting as popular culture catches up to Sundance’s edgier sensibility.

“Sundance has become sort of a generic word, like Coke for cola or Band-Aid for adhesive strip,” Bernard says. “In the past, a ‘Sundance-type movie’ had a connotation that was ‘not very good’ or ‘really esoteric,’ and I think that’s changed. The ‘Sundance movie’ brand now has the feel of something that’s fiercely independent, that’s going to be new and unique, like ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene.’ It changes monthly, and right now I think the stars are aligned with (what Sundance stands for).”

This year marks the third edition under director John Cooper and programming head Trevor Groth, and the second for Sundance Institute exec director Keri Putnam.

Commercial ventures bearing the fest’s name may have grown in the past three years, but this trio — who maintain clear church-and-state separation between those ventures and the nonprofits they oversee — have arguably fostered a fest as uncompromising to commercial interests as ever: When the competition lineup was announced in December, none of the films had distributors attached.

When it comes to outside ventures and cross promotions, Cooper says the org isn’t promoting Sundance, per se.

“We’re promoting the notion of independent film as viable entertainment,” he says. “When we curate a program, we’re not interested in trying to change perceptions of us. I’m more interested in representing what the filmmakers are doing this year.”

For breaking directors, producers and thesps, being selected to play Sundance can make all the difference in the life of their films, exposing their work to receptive buyers and press, and giving them that special “Sundance film” cachet when the pics eventually reach the marketplace.

Certainly, the brand’s power can be seen in the wannabe starlets eager to pose in front of the Sundance logo on Main Street, or the countless marketers looking to reach the tastemakers attending the fest.

While last year saw a record percentage of fest titles obtain some form of distribution (thanks in part to a growing number of VOD and ancillary release options), the Sundance Institute recently launched initiatives to promote some of its most niche — and possibly least commercial — offerings.

On the front end, Sundance’s year-old partnership with Kickstarter helped the crowdsourcing initiative fund 50 films to the tune of $1.4 million, according to the Institute’s digital initiatives director Joseph Beyer.

On the back end, the Institute’s Artists Services program forged a partnership with New Video that could potentially make any feature ever shown at the fest, brought to its lab or given a grant available to the public via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, Netflix, SundanceNow and YouTube. Filmmakers behind these unreleased or long-lost titles can retain all rights to their work and use Topspin Media marketing tools.

While this push will bring even greater public awareness to the “esoteric” side of Sundance’s historic slate, on the flip side, programs like Sundance Film Festival USA will dispatch directors from nine of the 2012 edition’s most buzzed-about sales titles — including such potentially commercial pics as “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “Arbitrage” and “Bachelorette” — to screen their films in cities around the country during the festival.

Though the public has shaped its idea of the Sundance brand from the Institute’s work across a range of different platforms, insiders note that Robert Redford’s founding vision began with the labs, where the core idea, as Putnam summarizes it, has always been “supporting independent new voices and celebrating creativity on the cutting edge — innovation in the ways stories are told and seen.”

Adds Groth: “As far as the other entities that have the word ‘Sundance’ in them, Redford is always very careful with how that word is used. He knows it began with the Institute, and anyone he lends that name has to be true to its values.”

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival kicks off Thursday in Park City, Utah, where Hollywood agents and distribs will be looking for a fresh crop of indie features and provocative documentaries.

Though last year’s high-profile sales produced mixed results at the box office, a Sundance launch also brings awards attention and potential career boosts down the line: Titles including “Like Crazy,” “Take Shelter,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “Margin Call” garnered Indie Spirit nominations and other kudos and remain in the awards mix. “Margin Call” was one one of the fest’s bigger success stories, taking in more than $5 million at the domestic office and $4-5 million from its game-changing VOD release.

This year’s lineup marks a first in Sundance’s history, as none of the Premiere movies arrive with distribution in place, so there will be plenty of pics to whet buyers’ appetites.

Buyers and sellers alike predict a flurry of activity, especially considering Sundance’s sunnier slate this year, with comedies “Bachelorette” and “Celeste and Jesse Forever” expected to be among the top acquisition titles. Provided audience reception is warm, bidding wars could break out over Stephen Frears’ “Lay the Favorite,” starring Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis and Vince Vaughn, or Rodrigo Cortes’ “Red Lights,” which stars Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Elizabeth Olsen, who returns to Park City after being the toast of last year’s fest.

Each section boasts a lineup full of promising films searching for distribution, but if there’s one group that stands out, it’s the Midnight movies. Sundance has a terrific track record when it comes to its Midnight movie lineup, and this year offers no shortage of possible breakouts, with only one film — “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” — coming to the fest with domestic distribution in place. Other Midnight titles gathering buzz include “V/H/S,” “Grabbers” and “Excision,” which early viewers are calling extremely disturbing.

Outside of the Midnight lineup, Sundance seems to be keeping things light this year.

More acquisition titles gathering steam include Michael Mohan’s “Save the Date” and Jamie Travis’ “For a Good Time, Call…,” written by and starring Seth Rogen’s wife Lauren Miller as well as David Duchovny starrer “Goats” and Julie Delpy’s “2 Days in New York.”

Three films in the Next section are gathering buzz, especially Destin Cretton’s “I Am Not a Hipster,” which Paradigm is selling, and “28 Hotel Rooms,” starring Chris Messina (“Away We Go”).

In the World Documentary Competition, nearly everyone Variety spoke to mentioned “The Imposter,” for which A&E is already onboard. Pic centers on a young Frenchman who convinces a Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who went missing for three years.

Likewise, in the World Dramatic Competition, Kieran O’Rourke’s “Wish You Were Here,” starring rising Aussie thesps Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer, is considered a must-see for festgoers.

Three other films in the lineup have significant commercial aspirations, including Lynn Shelton’s “Your Sister’s Sister,” Andrea Arnold’s “Wuthering Heights” and Gareth Evans’ “The Raid,” which Sony Pictures Classics acquired after it rocked Toronto fest auds. Actioner is already being prepped for an English-language remake by Sony’s Screen Gems label.

The documentary competition includes works by veteran filmmakers such as Eugene Jarecki (“Why We Fight”) and Kirby Dick (“This Film Is Not Yet Rated”), who are offering “The House I Live In” and “The Invisible War,” respectively.

Lauren Greenfield’s “The Queen of Versailles” already stirred up pre-festival controversy with a defamation lawsuit, while “Me @ The Zoo” star Chris Crocker is no stranger to controversy himself, as he’s best known for his impassioned defense of Britney Spears that was viewed online millions of times.

Two other documentaries are provoking interest: Marius A. Markevicius basketball doc “The Other Dream Team,” which chronicles the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic hoops team led by former NBA star Sarunas Marciulionis, and Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes’ “We’re Not Broke,” which examines how major conglomerates wiggle out of paying taxes to the U.S. government.

African-American casts highlight Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer” and Sheldon Candis’ “Luv,” both of which are said to feature potential breakout performances, albeit from thesps of opposing ages. TV veteran Clarke Peters, who played Det. Lester Freamon on HBO’s “The Wire,” stars as a preacher in Lee’s pic, while young thesp Michael Rainey Jr. was discovered after learning to speak fluent Italian for his debut film, “Un altro mondo.”

Sundance regular John Hawkes, who broke out in Miranda July’s “Me and You and Everyone We Know” and went on to star in “Winter’s Bone” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” returns with “The Surrogate,” which also marks the return of Helen Hunt.

Midnight madness

“Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” is the only straight comedy in the Midnight section and was snagged by Magnolia Pictures months before it was accepted into Sundance. While Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareham’s brand of comedy isn’t for everyone, Magnolia will be looking to capitalize on the massive fanbase of the duo’s cult TV show, “Time and Eric’s Awesome Show.”

Four horror films fill out the Midnight lineup, including Katie Aselton’s “Black Rock,” “The Pact,” with Casper van Dien and promising thesp Caitie Lotz; and Ricky Bates’ “Excision.” Pic features an abortion scene rumored to be “controversial,” to say the least.

Anthology film “V/H/S” is perhaps the most buzzed-about entry, though buyers predict it will be a tricky sell despite stemming from the leading names in the next generation of horror, including Ti West (“The Innkeepers”) and “You’re Next” helmer Adam Wingard.

Jon Wright’s horror-comedy “Grabbers” offers the type of high-concept material that could spark remake interest — when aliens invade an island of the coast of Ireland, its inhabitants discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.