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Dina wins the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance

Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini’s feature documentary took home the coveted Grand Jury Prize for US Documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

The second documentary feature from the director duo had its world premiere at the Park City festival, where it immediately drew acclaim from audiences, critics, and juries. “Santini and Sickles prove themselves to be very effective flies on the wall here; there are no interviews or voice-overs to tell us what’s happening or how we’re supposed to feel about it,” proclaims Alonso Duralde of The Wrap. “It’s that sense of life unfolding among people we’ve enjoyed getting to know that makes ‘Dina’ so fascinating.”

Heading out of the festival, the film was acquired by The Orchard for North American distribution. “‘Dina is a masterful film that achieves cinematic artistry – from cinematography to editing – while capturing a universal story of love, second chances, and at its core, the strength of a remarkable and unforgettable woman,” Danielle DiGiacomo, VP of Acquisition at The Orchard explains.

Dina follows an eccentric suburban woman who falls in love with a Walmart door-greeter, and their evolving relationship plays out front-and-center in an unconventional and very real love story. The film was directed and produced by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini, and executive produced by Moxie Pictures’ Robert Fernandez and Dan Levinson.

“There’s none of that wobbly-camera footage to signify how authentic, or vérité, everything is — instead, artfully desaturated, static shots unfold at a slight remove, like panels of ‘The Far Side’ comic strip,” Variety reviews.

While no date has been set for the official release, Indiewire reports that The Orchard is planning a release this fall.