Inheritance by husband and wife filmmaking team Matt Moyer and Amy Toensing won the Slamdance Grand Jury Award for Documentary Feature last night at the film festival’s 30th annual film festival.
Inheritance explores the underlying causes of the opioid epidemic in America through the life of one boy and five generations of his extended family over 11 years. Curtis, a bright and hopeful boy, grows up from age 12 to 18 surrounded by love and struggle while every adult in his family – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins — battles addiction.
Producers and directors Matt Moyer and Amy Toensing are filmmakers, acclaimed photojournalists and National Geographic Explorers. For over 30 years their works have been featured by top outlets including National Geographic magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and PBS. Inheritance is their feature documentary directorial debut. The film had its World Premiere at Slamdance film festival in Park City on January 19, 2024.
A complete list of winners via Variety follows
Slamdance Film Festival 2024 Winners
GRAND JURY AWARDS – FEATURES
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize: “The Accident” (Giuseppe Garau, Italy)
Honorable Mention: “The Complex Forms” (Fabio D’Orta, Italy)
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize: “Inheritance” (Matt Moyer, Amy Toensing, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Petro” (Sean Mattison, United States)
Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize: “CHAPERONE” (Zoe Eisenberg, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Slide” (Bill Plympton, United States)
Episodes Grand Jury Prize: “Restorage” (E’an Verdugo, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Dog Spelled Backwards” (Tim Almeida, United States)
GRAND JURY AWARDS – UNSTOPPABLE
Unstoppable Grand Jury Prize: “Good Bad Things” (Dir. Shane Stanger)
Honorable Mention: “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” (Dir. Julio C. Palacio)
JURY AWARDS – SHORTS
Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: “Fishing” (Josie Charles, United Kingdom)
Honorable Mention: “European Man…American Beach” (Rex Shannon, United States)
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize: “Friends on the Outside” (Annabel Moodie, Scotland)
Honorable Mention: “Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too” (Ursa Kastelic, Shannet Clemmings, Switzerland)
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: “Light of Light” (Neritan Zinxhiria, Greece)
Honorable Mention: “Entrance Wounds” (Calum Walter, United States)
Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: “Edith And The Tall Child” (Kohana Wilson, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Lil Sherbet” (Xinhe Zhao, United States)
FESTIVAL WIDE AWARDS
The AGBO Fellowship, presented by Joe and Anthony Russo, Award Winner: Kiarash Dadgar Mohebi director of “The Steak” (Canada, Iran)
Summer Chastant Episodic Award: Jono Hunter director of “Night Drives” (Canada)
Slamdance Acting Award: John Lawson for “Daruma” (United States)
George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner: Radha Mehta, director of “DOSH” (United States)
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: “African Giants” (Dir. Omar Kamara)
Audience Award for Documentary Feature: “Demon Mineral” (Dir. Hadley Austin)
Audience Award for Episodes: “Night Drive” (Dir. Jono Hunter)
Audience Award for Unstoppable: “Good Bad Things” (Dir. Shane Stanger)
Slamdance Film Festival 2024 Official Film Lineup
NARRATIVE FEATURES
AFRICAN GIANTS
Omar S. Kamara
All I’ve Got & Then Some
Tehben Dean, Rasheed Stephens
BRANDO WITH A GLASS EYE
Antonis Tsonis
Darla In Space
Susie Moon, Eric Laplante
HELL OF SE
Sawa Kawakami
Sam’s World
Lily Lady
The Accident
Giuseppe Garau
The Bitcoin Car
Trygve Luktvasslimo
The Complex Forms
Fabio D’Orta
The Washer
Nils A. Witt
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Citizen Weiner
Daniel Robbins
Demon Mineral
Hadley Austin
I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story
Ryan Jacobi
Inheritance
Matt Moyer, Amy Toensing
On The Way Home
Giorgi Kvelidze
Petro
Sean Mattison
PUNISHMENT
Øystein Mamen
Roll Bus Roll: A Jeffrey Lewis Documentary
Ilya Popenko
The Death Tour
Stephan Peterson, Sonya Ballantyne
UNSTOPPABLE FEATURES
DARUMA
Alexander Yellen
Good Bad Things
Shane Stanger
Leilani’s Fortune
Loveleen Kaur
Look At Me
Taylor Olson
NINA is an ATHLETE
Ravit Markus
SPOTLIGHT
Bliss
Joseph Charles Maggio
In C, Too
Dean Winkler, John Sanborn
Invisible Nation
Vanessa Hope
(Not available on Slamdance Channel)
The Herricanes
Olivia Kuan