The winners of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival Awards have been announced, with Lady and Jazz Infernal receiving Jury Awards at the festival.
By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku
The winners of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival Awards have been announced, with Lady (2026) and Jazz Infernal (2025) receiving Jury Awards at the festival.
The feature debut by Nigerian-born filmmaker, Olive Nwosu, Lady premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, winning the Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble. The United Kingdom/Nigeria co-production follows a fiercely independent young female taxi driver navigating the sprawling metropolis of Lagos, whose encounter with a group of flamboyant sex workers draws her into a sisterhood that brings both danger and joy, ultimately setting her on a journey toward her own transformation.
The Jury Citation for the Award describes Lady as “a film full of depth and texture and with a rhythm all its own, with an electric ensemble cast that brings life and humour and insight to a story about day-to-day challenges and finding safety in unexpected friendships.”
Meanwhile, Will Niava received the Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction for Jazz Infernal, a Canadian short film about a young Ivorian trumpeter who arrives in Montreal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his own voice.
According to the jury, the film “deeply resonates in a way that lingers long after viewing, powerfully blending evocative atmosphere, gorgeous cinematography, music, and global storytelling influences into a profoundly singular vision.”
Following the Sundance premiere, Lady will screen in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026. Jazz Infernal was previously listed among the special mentions on Afrocritik’s 20 Remarkable African Short Films of 2025.