1. Fruitvale Station
Since the expansion to ten Best Picture nominees in 2010, almost every year has seen a Sundance sensation make the final cut. Precious, Winter's Bone, and Beasts of the Southern Wild are all examples of no-budget, under the radar films that managed to maintain the momentum out of Park City all the way through the end of the year to the ceremony at the Dolby Theater. Now that this trend has clearly been established, all eyes are on Sundance to spot the next indie Oscar darling, and while films like Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Before Midnight received a lot of critical plaudits, the Cinderella of this year's Sundance was undoubtedly Fruitvale Station (formerly known as Fruitvale). Fruitvale Station chronicles the controversial shooting of 22-year old Oscar Grant in Oakland on News Years Eve, 2008. Starring Michael B. Jordan, from television fame of shows such as Friday Night Lights and The Wire ("Where's Wallace String!?'), this film won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. There was no shortage of praise coming out of the festival for the film's lead turn from Mr. Jordan either, so at the very least we're likely to see a campaign mounted on his behalf. It's always hard to tell with independent films whether they have enough steam in the engine to take them the distance. Also, unlike some of the previous successful Sundance crossovers, this one is bound to be much more controversial given the subject matter, but it will be one to watch nevertheless.