娱乐英语新闻:"Winter's Bone" wins top prize at Sundance

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Starless "Winter's Bone" about a teenage girl's harrowing journey picked up the Sundance Film Festival's grand jury drama prize.

The drama, about a 17-year-old in the Ozark Mountains who goes hunting for her fugitive father and runs afoul of menacing drug runners, came into the festival with no stars and little buzz. By the end of the festival, word of mouth made it a must-see.

“Winter's Bone” won both the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic category and the prestigious Waldo Salt screenwriting award.

Writer/director Debra Granik's mystery-tinged tale about an impoverished teenager, Rhee (Jennifer Lawrence), has an ailing mother, two much younger siblings, and a house and property she can barely maintain.

But the family could lose even that modest home because her meth-head father used it as collateral for his bail bond then disappeared. If he doesn't appear for his trial, the family can add homelessness to their troubles.

"Winter's Bone," adapted from Daniel Woodrell's novel by Granik and Anne Rosellini, marks the sophomore effort from Granik, who won the director's award at the 2004 Sundance Festival for her film "Down to the Bone."

Granik and Rosellini shared the screenplay honor for "Winter's Bone," while Eric Mendelsohn picked up the drama directing award for "3 Backyards" and Leon Gast won best documentary director for "Smash His Camera."