Sundance: The Awards Ceremony, featuring Tim Blake Nelson as a wooden snowflake

Image Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesThe Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony is the Road Runner of award shows. While other award programs take their time to add dance numbers, film montages, and In Memoriam tributes, Sundance was all business Saturday night as the festival raced through its 26 awards in just 90 minutes. Award recipients were asked to limit their acceptance speeches to one minute, and lo and behold, nearly all of them complied. Maybe that’s because the event’s open bar would reopen as soon as the show concluded; but, more likely, it’s because these winners are up-and-coming indie filmmakers who were just happy to even be invited to the festival. They had no egos to stroke. Rather, the speeches consisted of refreshingly genuine gratitude — both for Sundance itself and for the world of independent filmmaking. Here’s the full list of winners, and below, a few highlights from the Park City, Utah ceremony:

— Tim Blake Nelson hosted the evening, and except for dressing as a giant wooden snowflake during his opening remarks, the O Brother, Where Art Thou? actor kept things professional. Although, during his opening, Nelson did present the festival’s official list of the 10 ways to get your film into the festival, which included featuring “gratuitous incestuous sex,” “casting Patricia Clarkson,” and asking yourself “What would James Franco do?”

— British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who won the World Cinema Audience Award for his documentary Senna, summed up Sundance’s uniqueness among film festivals: “This festival has restored my faith in festivals. It’s about the films, the filmmakers, and the audience, and every seat is full!”

— The American documentary Buck, about the prominent non-violent horse trainer Buck Brannaman, won the Audience Award (Documentary). The prize was particularly sweet for Brannaman, since it was also his birthday. The trainer dedicated the award to “all of you who have a passion for what you do.”

— The most charming speech was given by Pariah director Dee Rees, who accepted the Excellence in Cinematography Award (Dramatic) on behalf of her cinematographer Bradford Young. Rees whipped out her cell phone and announced that she was going to call Young right there. When Young finally picked up, Rees shouted, “Yo, you won the cinematography award!” The audience adored the moment, and I’m sure Young will treasure that particular call for a long time to come.

— Another Earth director/co-writer Mike Cahill and actress/co-writer Brit Marling (remember that name) grabbed the Special Jury Prize for a dramatic film. During her acceptance speech, Marling showcased her lovely way with words. “I was really worried that there weren’t any statesmen left in the world, or people [who are] just concerned with the common good and trying to make the world better,” said Marling. “I didn’t realize that they’re all hiding out in this snowy canyon in the middle of Utah! They’re the programmers of this festival, who brought all this amazing work from these caves all over the world into the light. I’m just so lucky, humbled, and honored to be a part of the conversation that is happening here.”

— And the most emotional speech went to the 25-year-old director/writer Sam Levinson (son of Barry Levinson), who took home the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Another Happy Day. “When I introduce my film, I cry,” admitted Levinson while trying to hold back tears. “So I don’t know what the f— is going to happen now!”

— Finally, Jon Foy, who won the Directing Award (Documentary) for his Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, stressed that his prize was proof that struggling filmmakers should always persevere. “A few weeks ago, I was just a housecleaner making my first film,” said Foy. “And I got a call from Sundance telling me that they wanted my film, and here I am. So who knows what can happen in life? This [award] is for all the artists working in obscurity out there — never give up. If you give up, you know what will happen. But if you stick with it, you can never know what will happen.”