AFTER 10 days of premieres and deals, the awards for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival were handed out Saturday night in Park City.

    Taika Waititi, director of fest film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” hosted the closing awards ceremony in Park City on Saturday night.

    “That’s what you get — you want to make low-budget films, you get the low-budget host,” the New Zealand native joked in his opening remarks.

    “The Birth of a Nation” won both the fest’s top honors, the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.

    The film, which was bought by Fox Searchlight in the biggest deal in Sundance history for US$17.5 million, was directed, written, and produced by Nate Parker, who also stars. Following slave rebellion leader Nat Turner, the drama got a rapturous standing ovation when it premiered Monday night and led to a bidding war.

    “Making films is a very, very difficult thing and often you’re left on your own wondering why you’re doing what you’re doing,” said Parker when he took the stage to claim the night’s top prize. (SD-Agencies)