Mariah Carey, Mo'Nique among Sundance's big winners
Mariah Carey may have won a Razzie for her performance in the 2001 movie "Glitter", but the pop diva's film career took a gigantic step in the opposite direction over the weekend as her Sundance entry swept the festival's top honors. "Push: Based on the Novel By Sapphire" grabbed Sundance's Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic. The movie, directed by newcomer Lee Daniels and starring Gabourey Sidibe alongside Carey, Mo'Nique and Lenny Kravitz also took home an Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic. Mo'Nique was recognized with the standout entry's third laurel, a Special Jury Prize for Acting.
"This is so important to me. Speaking for every minority in Harlem, in Detroit, in the Bronx, who has been abused, can't read, that's obese, that's been turned their back on," director Daniels told the audience, "If I can do this sh--, y'all can do this sh--."
Also picking up awards at Sundance's Saturday night ceremony hosted by actress Jane Lynch were two debut documentaries. Ondi Timoner's "We Live in Public" nabbed the Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary for its story of Internet entrepreneur Josh Harris. Timoner beat out a pool of 16 other qualifying films to earn her second Grand Jury award. Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" received an Audience Award in the same category for its look at dolphin killings in Japan.
Big winners in the festival's World Cinema categories included Sebastián Silva's "The Maid (La Nana)", which garnered the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, and Lone Scherfig's "An Education", written by Nick Hornby, which was presented with an Audience Award by actor Benjamin Bratt. (MTV News)
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