The 2024 Indie Awards inaugural ceremony, hosted by Nic Novicki, took place December 9, 2024 at the Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles, where all winners were announced. The new annual event, presented by Slamdance Group, celebrates the spirit of truly independent filmmaking and the singular filmmakers who create incredible works of art while faced with significant barriers regarding resources, visibility, and access to the broader market.

Chloé Leriche’s captivating film, “Atikamekw Suns,” won multiple awards, including Best Narrative Feature. The film is based on the true story of five youths from the Atikamekw First Nation community of Manawan who were found dead in a truck in 1977. It was also awarded Outstanding Storytelling Craft shared by Chloé Leriche and Natalie Lamoureux, Outstanding Technical Achievement to cinematographer Giauco Bermudez, and The Native Viewpoint Award For Outstanding Indigenous Community Story Collaboration.

Vera Drew, of “The People’s Joker,” took home The Narrative Committee Renegade Award and “Daruma’s” Kelli McNeil-Yellen’s won the Committee’s Authenticity Award. “Rosie” was recognized with the Outstanding Ensemble and Casting award for cast members Keris Hope Hill, Mélanie Bray, Constant Bernard, Alex Trahan, Josée Young, Brandon Oakes, Jocelyne Zucco, and casting directors John Buchan and Jason Knight.

The top documentary prize was awarded to Cady Voge, Laura Pilloni, Laura Tatham, and Rachel Clara Reed for “All We Carry” about a fleeing family’s journey from Honduras and the horrors they experience as young parents are separated from their children.

The documentary award for Outstanding Storytelling Craft was won by Karen KH Sim, Elisa Levine, Gabriel Miller, and Brittany Kaplan for “Sweetheart Deal” and Luke Connor, Ben Giesbrecht, Joshua Manyhands, Calvin Stimson, and Anthony Stengal won the Outstanding Cinematography award for their documentary “Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun.”

John Carlos Frey & James Cude’s documentary “The Little Pageant That Could” won the award for Outstanding Use of Archival Footage. The Documentary Committee Spotlight Award went to Jesselyn Silva for “JessZilla” and The Native Viewpoint Award – Indigenous Film Critic’s Best Overall Selection was won by Jules Koostachin for their documentary “WaaPaKe.”

“The Indies is where distinctly independent US and Indigenous feature filmmakers and their films will be seen, heard, and properly recognized year after year in Hollywood,” said Indie Awards co-founder Paul Rachman. Indie Awards co-founder Ben Umstead added, “Such recognition is a powerful tool for change of the status quo, and embracing change equals the film industry at its best.”

Slamdance congratulates the winners of its first Indie Awards from each category, as follows:

Narrative Awards:

Best Narrative Feature
Chloé Leriche for “Atikamekw Suns”

Outstanding Storytelling Craft
Chloé Leriche & Natalie Lamoureux for “Atikamekw Suns”

Outstanding Technical Achievement
Giauco Bermudez for “Atikamekw Suns”

Outstanding Ensemble and Casting
Keris Hope Hill, Mélanie Bray, Constant Bernard, Alex Trahan, Josée Young, Brandon Oakes, Jocelyne Zucco, John Buchan, and Jason Knight for “Rosie”

The Native Viewpoint Award For Outstanding Indigenous Community Story Collaboration
Chloé Leriche for “Atikamekw Suns”

The Narrative Committee Renegade Award
Vera Drew for “The People’s Joker”

The Narrative Committee Authenticity Award
Kelli McNeil-Yellen for “Daruma”

Documentarty Awards:

Best Documentary Feature
Cady Voge, Laura Pilloni, Laura Tatham, and Rachel Clara Reed for “All We Carry”

Outstanding Storytelling Craft
Karen KH Sim, Elisa Levine, Gabriel Miller, and Brittany Kaplan for “Sweetheart Deal”

Outstanding Cinematography
Luke Connor, Ben Giesbrecht, Joshua Manyhands, Calvin Stimson, and Anthony Stengal for “Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun”

Outstanding Use of Archival Footage
John Carlos Frey & James Cude for “The Little Pageant That Could”

The Documentary Committee Spotlight Award
Jesselyn Silva for “JessZilla”

The Native Viewpoint Award For Indigenous Film Critic’s Best Overall Selection
Jules Koostachin for “WaaPaKe”

About Slamdance
Established in 1995 by a wild bunch of filmmakers who were tired of relying on a large, oblique system to showcase their work, Slamdance has consistently discovered new and emerging talent that shapes our cultural future. The non-profit artist-led organization lives and breathes its mantra; by filmmakers, for filmmakers.

In 2025, Slamdance will celebrate its 31st film festival in Los Angeles, California from February 20th – 26th and virtually on the Slamdance Channel from Feb 24th- March 7th.

In addition to the festival, Slamdance serves artists with several year-round programs, including its Screenplay Competition, DIG (Digital, Interactive & Gaming), an accessible education initiative called Polytechnic and Unstoppable, a showcase of works made by creators with visible and non-visible disabilities.

In collaboration with alumni Anthony and Joe Russo and their AGBO production company, Slamdance presented its first DTLA Summer Showcase in 2023 involving five multi-faceted and accessible media programs in support of new artists.

Notable Slamdance alumni include Anthony and Joe Russo (“Avengers: Endgame”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Lynn Shelton (“Little Fires Everywhere”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard”), the Safdie Brothers (“Uncut Gems”), Marina Zenovich (“Lance”), Lena Dunham (“Girls”), Sean Baker (“Anora”), Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”), Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”), Merawi Gerima (“Residue”) Andrew Patterson (“The Vast of Night”), Natasha Ofili (“Creed III”), and Julio Palacio (“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter To The World”).

Slamdance’s mission is to function as an agent of change in filmmaking and digital media, helping to make the creative works of artists with divergent voices accessible to everyone.

Slamdance is a non-profit organization under code section 501 (c) (3).

For more information on Slamdance, visit: https://www.slamdance.com