Jury Comments: "Whitewash is funny, strange, emotionally honest, tense, pathetic, and ultimately haunting-a broad canvas for even the most experienced director to paint. It quickly became clear that we were in the hands of a filmmaker with the intelligence, imagination and bravery to carry off this very tricky piece of material. The ability to mix tones and the guts to stage odd, random moments and make them inevitable is one of the least-appreciated tools in a filmmaker's skill set. The taste and attention to detail required to deliver a story this unsettled and delicate is the work of a director-and a team-that this jury hopes will continue for many movies. Their story is so credibly and invisibly constructed-and the filmmakers have such control of the material and trust in the audience- that the film reaches for metaphor without ever having had to ask for the privilege. It is a remarkable first feature, and we extend our congratulations to all involved, including two spectacular lead actors in Thomas Haden Church and Marc Labrèche."
