"CODA" big winner at 2021 Sundance Film Festival

"CODA," a touching coming-of-age dramedy about a young girl in conflict with her deaf parents and brother as she attempts to pursue singing — a talent they cannot fully appreciate — received top honors at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

The film received the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Drama, as well as the Audience Award, a director's award for Siân Heder and a special jury award for its ensemble cast, which includes Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Eugenio Derbez and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo.

"CODA" (an acronym for Child Of Deaf Adults) also set a record last week when worldwide distribution rights were picked up by Apple Studios for $25 million — the highest sum ever for a film premiering at Sundance.

Other award-winners announced Tuesday evening were the "Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)," a rousing documentary featuring never-before-seen concert footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson; "Flee," which incorporates animation in its story of an Afghan minor emigrating to Denmark; and "Hive," a drama about a Kosovo woman whose husband's disappearance during the war continues to upend her life.

Audience Awards were also given to "Writing With Fire," a documentary about the first Indian newspaper written and edited by women, and the romantic drama "Ma Belle, My Beauty," about a polyamorous triangle reuniting.

A special jury prize for U.S. Best Actor was awarded to Clifton Collins, Jr., playing an aging jockey who meets an aspiring rider who claims to be his son, in "Jockey." Jesmark Scicluna, a non-actor who gives a riveting performance in "Luzzu" as a struggling Maltese fisherman who goes to work for the black market, earned a special jury acting prize for World Cinema.

A complete list of awards is below.

On Wednesday, the final day of this year's virtual festival, additional screenings of the award winners will be available to stream on demand. Click here for details.

2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards: 

U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary – "Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"

U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – "CODA"

World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary – "Flee"

World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – "Hive"

Audience Award: U.S. Documentary – "Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"

Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic – "CODA"

Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic – "Hive"

Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary – "Writing With Fire"

Audience Award: NEXT – "Ma Belle, My Beauty"

Directing Award: U.S. Documentary – Natalia Almada, "Users"

Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic – Siân Heder, "CODA"

Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary – Hogir Hirori, "Sabaya"

Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic – Blerta Basholli, "Hive"

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic – Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, "On the Count of Three"

Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary – Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno, "Homeroom"

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast – The cast of "CODA"

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Actor – Clifton Collins Jr., "Jockey"

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker – Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, "Cusp"

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Nonfiction Experimentation – Theo Anthony, "All Light, Everywhere"

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Vérité Filmmaking – Camilla Nielsson, "President"

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change – Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, "Writing With Fire"

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting – Jesmark Scicluna, "Luzzu"

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision – Baz Poonpiriya, "One for the Road"

NEXT Innovator Prize – Dash Shaw, "Cryptozoo"

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize (presented to an outstanding feature film about science or technology) – "Sons of Monarchs"

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction – Nicole Salazar, "Philly D.A."

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction – Natalie Qasabian, "Run"

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction – Juli Vizza

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction – Terilyn Shropshire

Sundance Institute | NHK Award – Meryman Joobeur, "Motherhood"

Short Film Grand Jury Prize – Lizard"

Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction – "The Touch of the Master's Hand"

Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction – "Bambirak"

Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction – "Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma"

Short Film Jury Award: Animation – "Souvenir Souvenir"

Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting – "Wiggle Room"

Short Film Special Jury Award for Screenwriting – "The Criminals"