Bloody Sunday: Based on the events of 30 January 1972

And the UK's Bloody Sunday, directed by Paul Greengrass, was also recognised - tying with Italy's The Last Kiss for the world cinema audience award.

Hollywood distributors have paid increasing attention to the event in recent years, realising that the independent sector can produce money-spinners like The Blair Witch Project, which emerged from the Sundance festival.

The festival awards are decided by juries made up of independent cinema veterans - this year including actress Patricia Arquette and director John Waters for the feature film category, and Francis Reid and Stanley Nelson in the documentary category.

Best feature film winner Personal Velocity is director Rebecca Miller's second film, and is based on her book of the same name.

It stars Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey and Fairuza Balk as three women in contrasting situations, but all coping with life-changing problems.

Audience awards

In 1995, Ms Miller won the Sundance filmmakers trophy and cinematography award for her first film, Angela.

The audience awards - decided by the festival audience, rather than by the juries - included a top feature award for Real Women Have Curves, written and directed by Patricia Cardosa.

Robert Redford: Founded the festival

Ms Cardosa's film tells the story of a teenage Mexican American teenage girl's coming of age and the contradictions of her expectations, duties and goals.

Bloody Sunday, dual winner of the world cinema audience award, was shown to UK TV audiences on Sunday night.

The film, which cost �3m to make, is directed by Paul Greengrass and produced by Jim Sheridan.

A grant to the producers of �287,500 made by the Film Council attracted some criticism, as Granada Films was acting as the movie's executive producer.

Forum

But the film, about the events of 30 January 1972 when 13 civilians were shot dead by British soldiers in Londonderry, has been well-received by most critics.

The Sundance festival, founded by Robert Redford, was for a long time a forum for minor movies and snubbed by mainstream movie makers.

But the profile of the festival has risen dramatically in the last decade after a series of independent pictures went on from the festival to become smash hits.

The include Sex, Lies and Videotape, Reservoir Dogs and Trainspotting.