Sundance Institute and Japan Broadcasting Corporation NHK have selected French actress and writer-director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre as winner of the 2015 Sundance Institute/NHK Award.

Clermont-Tonnerre (pictured) prevailed with her upcoming debut Mustang and will receive the award at a private ceremony during the Sundance Film Festival, set to kick off on Thursday (January 22).

Mustang follows a convict who is invited to a rehabilitation programme that trains inmates to break wild horses.

Clermont-Tonnerre, whose acting credits include The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, is a screenwriting fellow at the 2015 Sundance Institute January Screenwriters Lab.

Her short film Rabbit will premiere in competition in Park City and was acquired by Canal Plus. Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema produced with Mact Production.

Hiroshi Kurosaki from Japan earns a special mention for Prometheus’ Fire. Kurosaki was selected last August for the NHK Screenwriters Workshop and will also receive ongoing creative and strategic support from Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program.

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