(From left to right) Latinx filmmakers Victor Nunez, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and Alessandra Lacorazza, winners of the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance
Colombian-American director Alessandra Lacorazza achieved a groundbreaking milestone this weekend by becoming the first Latina to win both the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Directing Award in the US Dramatic competition. She earned these honors for her debut feature, In the Summers.
Lacorazza now stands as the third Latinx director to secure the top prize at the festival. The first two were Peruvian-American director Victor Nunez, who won the Grand Jury Prize in 1993 for Ruby in Paradise, and Mexican-American director Alfonso Gomez Rejon, who claimed the prize for Me, Earl and the Dying Girl in 2015. Furthermore, Lacorazza is the second Latinx filmmaker to receive the Directing Award in fiction, following Nicaraguan-American filmmaker Dito Montiel, who won in 2006 for A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
Nunez's Ruby in Paradise captivated audiences in 1993, earning him the Grand Jury Prize. The film, set against the backdrop of a small Florida beach town, explores the journey of a young woman searching for a fresh start. Nunez's storytelling prowess and his ability to capture authentic human experiences were key factors in the film's success.
Gomez-Rejon's touching coming-of-age film, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl—starring Thomas Mann, R.J. Cyler, and Olivia Cooke—secured the Grand Jury Prize in 2015. The film's sensitive storytelling and distinctive visual style resonated with audiences and critics alike, catapulting Gomez-Rejon into the spotlight as a director to watch.
Lacorazza’s winning film, In the Summers, features René Pérez Joglar, better known as Resident, in his acting debut, alongside Lío Mehiel and Sasha Calle. The narrative follows two Latina sisters navigating their loving yet volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, spanning the formative years of their lives.
Based in Brooklyn, Lacorazza is a self-identified queer filmmaker and has been a 2020 WGA East FilmNation NY Screenwriters fellow and a 2020 NALIP Media Market fellow. Her short film, Mami, premiered at the 2019 Palm Springs International ShortFest. Lacorazza's work has garnered support from NYFA and FOFIF and has been featured in the Tribeca Film Festival Creators Market.
In the US Documentary competition, two Latinx filmmakers have secured the Grand Jury Prize: Puerto Rican-born director Antonio Santini clinched the top prize in 2017 for Dina, co-directed by Dan Sickless; Afro-Latina director Michèle Stephenson, of Haitian and Panamanian descent, achieved the same feat in 2023 withGoing to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, co-directed by Joe Brewster. Mexican-American Natalia Almada stands as the sole Latinx filmmaker to have won the US Directorial Award for Documentary, achieving this honor twice: first for El General in 2009 and later for Users in 2021.
Other notable Latinx victories include Susana Blaustein Muñoz and Lourdes Portillo’s The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, which secured the Special Jury Prize for Documentary in 1986. Michèle Stephenson (and Joe Brewster)’s American Promise also stands out, earning the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking in 2013. Additionally, Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera’s The Infiltrators achieved a remarkable feat by winning both the NEXT Innovator and Audience Awards in 2019.
Further noteworthy Grand Jury Prize winners in both the dramatic and documentary competitions featuring US Latinx and Latin American themes include Quinceañera (2006) by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Padre Nuestro (2007) by Christopher Zalla, and Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (2007) by Jason Kohn.
