PARK CITY, Utah - Incestuous love story "Forty Shades of Blue" has won the top dramatic prize at the Sundance Film Festival in a year dominated by the theme of war and political struggle.

"Why We Fight," director Eugene Jarecki's gripping study of American war-making, netted the grand jury documentary honour as the 2005 prizes were handed out Saturday amid growing violence in Iraq ahead of Sunday's landmark election in the US-occupied country

But it was love, not war that triumphed in the top dramatic grand jury competition, when "Forty shades of Blue," Ira Sachs' steamy tale of a forbidden tug-of-love between a father, his Russian immigrant girlfriend and his son, won the top prize.

Vitorio, played by Oumar Makena Diop, and Judite, played by Maria Ceica (R), decide to build a life together in the drama film 'The Hero.' directed by Zeze Gambo. The film won the jury award for world drama film at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival , as winners were announced January 29, 2005 in Park City, Utah as the festival concluded. The film set in Angola is about the people and their country trying to rebuild after the 30 year civil war. Rui Xavier/Sundance Film Festival/Handout

The film tells the story of famous music producer Alan James, played by Rip Torn, who lives happily with a Laura, a woman 10 years his junior, until his estranged son comes to visit and begins a torrid affair with Laura.

Darren Burrows plays the errant son in the film Sachs directed and co-wrote with Michael Rohatyn.

The world's premiere independent film festival, held in the Utah ski resort of Park City, was this year pervaded by stories of war and its ravaging effects on the people who live through them.

Jarecki's "Why We Fight", is thoughtful foray into what motivates America to go to war and puts the nearly two-year-old war in Iraq into a historical context by examining the economic, political and ideological forces behind US militarism.

"The world is looking to America as a beacon," Jarecki said pointedly as he received his prize.

"This recognition of a film about the history of American war-making couldn't be more important. It draws attention to a critical issue at a critical time," Jarecki told AFP after the ceremony.

In the new world cinema competitions, the Angolan feature film "The Hero," won the international drama jury prize, while Dutch documentary "Shape of the Moon," by Leonard Retel Helmrich, snatched the top overseas documentary award.

"The Hero," an Angolan/French/Portuguese production directed by Zeze Gamboa, tells the story of a veteran of the country's intractable civil war who returns home to face a new battle of social assimilation and survival.

"Shape of the Moon" is a study of an extended family in Indonesia as it navigates the changes overtaking the country.

In the American cinema audience awards section, those decided by Sundance viewers rather than juries, "Murderball," a film about a quadriplegic rugby team directed by Henry-Alex Rubin, won the documentary audience award, "Hustle and Flow," won the dramatic audience prize.

"Hustle and Flow," written and directed by Craig Brewer, is the story of a pimp who bidding to transform his life by becoming a rap music star.

War broke out again in the world cinema audience categories, where Canada's "Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire," won the documentary prize, and "Brothers" from Denmark took the dramatic prize.

Peter Raymont's "Shake Hands With The Devil" tells the story of the Canadian general who oversaw the UN mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, while "Brothers," by Susanne Bier, is the story of two brothers who are sent to war in Afghanistan.

Two US filmmakers were named best directors at this year's Sundance: Jeff Feuerzeig for his documentary "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" and Noah Baumbach, who won the dramatic directing award for "The Squid and the Whale."

The war theme flowed through the entire awards ceremony, with world cinema special jury prizes for documentaries going to "The Liberace of Baghdad" by British director Sean McAllister, and to the French-Israeli production "Wall."

"Liberace" is the story of about pianist Amir Peter, Iraq's most famous pianist holed up in a hotel in ravaged Baghdad as war rages around him, while "Wall" tells of Israel's controversial security wall separating it from the Palestinian territories.

"This (award) is also dedicated to the Iraqis and Americans who died during the making of this film," McAllister said referring to the eight "difficult and dangerous" months he spent making the film amid strife and chaos in Iraq.

"It's been a breath of fresh air to me to see the public at Sundance as they for the first time what's really going on in a country that they see every day on TV but which they really know nothing about," he told AFP.

Argentine filmmaker Jorge Gaggero was given a special jury prize in the world cinema drama category for his film "Live-In Maid," and made a defiant call for peace from the stage.

"I want to give it to people who believe in ideas and trust, not in bombs," he said.

Sundance, launched by screen icon Robert Redford in 1981 to showcase independent cinema, has become a major incubator for future big Hollywood hits.

Films such as "Sex, Lies and Videotape," Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," "Trainspotting," "American Spledor," and this year's Oscar-nominated "Maria Full of Grace" and "Supersize Me" were all discovered here.

© Copyright 2005 AFP

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