Sundance 2009

Flashback to Sundance '09: Lee Daniels and actress Gabourey Sidibe were all smiles last year after the film won the Best Dramatic prize at the awards ceremony, closing out the Sundance Film Festival. The film was originally called "Push," but it was re-named "Precious Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" ahead of its release via Lionsgate which picked up the film at the fest. The film has gone on to garner big box office cash and some awards buzz, but it will be remain to be seen whether it ends up with multiple Oscar nods.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt took to the stage at the Sundance awards, giving "Push" the Audience Prize for best U.S. dramatic film, giving Lee Daniels a massive bear hug when he got to the stage. He's pictured here mingling with the crowd with Obama T-shirt (apparently he got in on the street in NYC) at the official after-party.

Comedienne Jane Lynch served as the M.C. Saturday night in Park City for the awards, opening with a hilarious monologue on same sex marriage utilizing the titles from the festival's '09 line up - funny stuff, but you probably had to be there.

Havana Marking (right) won the World Cinema Audience Award, Documentary and the Excellence in Directing, World Documentary for her film, "Afghan Star" and celebrated with BritDoc's Jess Search (middle) and the film's editor, Ash Jenkins at the after-party. The doc takes a look at the Afghan version of "Pop Idol" ("American Idol") in the war-torn country where most Pop Culture was once banned under Taliban rule.

Director Kim Longinotto and two of the subjects in her doc, "Rough Aunties" were completely giddy after winning Sundance's World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary. The South Africa-set film spotlights a group of women based in Durban who counsel sexually abused children and work to bring their assailants to justice.

Gabourey Sidibe gets a charming lead off stage from director Lee Daniels after Sidibe accepted an acting award on behalf of her co-star, Mo'Nique who plays her crazy bitch mother in the film, "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire." The film had a good night at the awards night in Park City. Actress Virginia Madsen (far right) presented the prize.

An award for best director at Sundance and one of Variety's 10 directors to watch, "Sin Nombre" director Cary Joji Fukunaga had a pretty damn good Sundance this year... We ran into Fukunaga at the awards after party for this snap.

Though it didn't get a shout out at the Sundance awards last night, director Eric Daniel Metzgar's doc "The Reporter" was definitely one of our favorites (plus he's kinda hot).

"Push" director Lee Daniels and Sundance Film Festival director Geoff Gilmore shared a little quality time as the Racquet Club in Park City prior to the festival's awards ceremony Saturday evening. Daniels' "Push" went on to win both the Audience and Jury prize for best dramatic film.

Sundance Channel hosted a lovely little dinner for World doc competition film "The Glass House" earlier in the week. Sundance Film Festival director Geoff Gilmore (right) joined the director, Hamid Rahmanian (second from right) Laura Michalchyshyn from Sundance Channel, producer Melissa Hibbard, the film's composer, David Bergeaud Lynne Kirby, SVP Original Production Sundance Channel (2nd from left).