Hurricane Streets debuted at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, where it emerged as one of the most talked-about and celebrated entries. The film went on to win three of the festival's major awards, including the inaugural Dramatic Directing Award to first-time director Morgan J. Freeman, the Dramatic Cinematography Award to Enrique Chediak, and the Audience Award in the dramatic category. The film is the first dramatic feature in the festival's history to win three awards.