Sundance Film Festival rounds out this year’s 2019 program with additions to the Documentary Premieres and Special Events sections spotlighting two controversial personalities – Steve Bannon and Michael Jackson. The Festival will take place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 24 to February 4, 2019.
Sundance Film Festival added five feature films and a Special Event to the 2019 lineup alongside announcing the winner of the 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, seven Day One films and the Closing Night Film. The Festival will take place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 24 to February 4, 2019.
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The New Frontier lineup of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival will spotlight a curated collection of cutting-edge independent and experimental media works by creators who are pushing artistic innovation across new mediums that include VR, AR, mixed reality (MR) and AI.
This year, New Frontier programming encompasses two venues: New Frontier at The Ray and New Frontier Central, each of which will play host to a wide variety of media installations, a VR Cinema and panel discussions. New Frontier Central, a new venue located near The Ray, at 950 Iron Horse Drive, will additionally feature lounge space for Festival goers to meet and relax before and after experiencing the New Frontier program.
Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “For over a decade, New Frontier has pushed the boundaries of the possible, illuminating the potential of technology and storytelling. These independent cross-media artists create new realities for, and with, their work — and the results inspire.”
Of the projects announced today, 48% are directed or led by one or more women, 39% were directed or led by one or more artist of color, and 9% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA. 6 were supported by Sundance Institute in development, whether through direct granting or residency Labs. The 33 projects announced today include work from 10 countries.
New Frontier alumni include Doug Aitken, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Chris Milk, Nonny de la Peña, Pipilotti Rist and Jennifer Steinkamp.
Now Apocalypse[/caption]
Continuing its commitment to showcasing bold independent storytelling regardless of form, format or length, the 2019 Sundance Film Festival will feature 12 Episodic Works, 73 Short Films and 4 Special Events.
Of the projects announced today, 53% were directed or created by one or more women, 51% were directed or created by one or more filmmaker of color, and 26% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA. 12 were supported by Sundance Institute in development, whether through direct granting or residency Labs.
73 short films will screen at the Festival from 33 countries and chosen from 9,443 submissions — 4,720 from the U.S. and 4,723 international. Among the shorts the Festival has shown in recent years are World of Tomorrow, Thunder Road, Whiplash, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Gregory Go Boom and Edmond.
Don’t Hug Me I’m ScaredDon’t Hug Me I’m Scared[/caption]
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared / United Kingdom (Creators and screenwriters: Becky Sloan, Joseph Pelling, Baker Terry) — In the small town community of Clayhill, roommates Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck live simple, uneventful lives – until Mayor Pigface disappears. Cast: Baker Terry, Joseph Pelling, Becky Sloan. World Premiere
The Dress Up Gang / United States (Creators: Robb Boardman, Cory Loykasek, Donny Divanian, Executive Producers: Dave Kneebone, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim) — Donny, a responsible adult with the innocence and outlook of a child, relies on guidance and life advice from his friend Cory, the dad-like thirtysomething who has been crashing on his couch for quite some time. Cast: Donny Divanian, Cory Loykasek, Frankie Quinones, Andie MacDowell, Christian Duguay, Brent Weinbach. World Premiere
Girls Weekend / U.S.A. (Director: Kyra Sedgwick, Creator: Ali Liebegott) — When a queer daughter returns home to Las Vegas for a “girls weekend” with her estranged homophobic sister and people-pleasing mother, her gun-toting dad lets it slip that her mother’s cancer is back with a vengeance, forcing her to decide whether or not she can rejoin her family. Cast: Ali Liebegott, Linda Lavin, Amy Landecker, Ken Jenkens. World Premiere
It’s Not About Jimmy Keene / U.S.A. (Creator: Caleb Jaffe, Executive Producers: Jim Frohna, Diana Kunce) — The police shooting of an unarmed black teen reveals deep divisions within a mixed race family.Ivan, the youngest sibling, stalked by visions of Jimmy Keene’s floating corpse,is torn between opposing worldviews of his two older sisters.Cast: Caleb Jaffe, Roger Guenveur Smith, Gabrielle Maiden, Okwui Okpokwasili, Ayana Peters, David Warshofsky. World Premiere
Maggie / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sasha Gordon) — A darkly comedic series about a struggling new mom who ditches her dreary postpartum group for the stand-up comedy class next door. In the pilot episode, Maggie struggles with inappropriate fantasies about her live-in nanny. Cast: Christine Woods, David Walton, Maddison Ridley, Veronica Mosey, Dina Hashem, Jon Bander. World Premiere
Quarter Life Poetry / U.S.A. (Creator: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., Screenwriter: Samantha Jayne) — Poems for the young, broke and hangry. Cast: Samantha Jayne, Tori Ward, Meredith Thomas, Hailey Harris, Samantha Dockser, Tyler Haines. World Premiere
State of the Union / United Kingdom (Creator: Nick Hornby, Director: Stephen Frears) — Every week before their weekly marital therapy session, estranged couple Tom and Louise meet at a pub to try and get their story straight for the therapist. With each successive episode we piece together how their lives were, what drew them together and what has started to pull them apart.Cast: Rosamund Pike, Chris O’Dowd. World Premiere
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men / U.S.A. (Director: Sacha Jenkins, Executive Producers: Peter J Scalettar, Peter Bittenbender, Chris Gary) — The cultural history of Wu-Tang Clan; artists who escape the poverty, violence, and oppression of their neighborhoods through music. They encounter wild success and heartbreak along the way to becoming the most recognized musical movement in the world — all while walking the tightrope that links business with brotherhood. Cast: All members of the Wu-Tang Clan. World Premiere
Work In Progress / U.S.A. (Creators and screenwriters: Abby McEnany, Tim Mason) — After her therapist dies mid-session and she begins to date a trans man, Abby is forced to re-evaluate her life choices, her dating options and whether or not to confront the woman responsible for ‘ruining her life’: SNL’s Julia Sweeney. Cast: Abby McEnany, Theo Germaine, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney, Alison Gates. World Premiere
Now Apocalypse[/caption]
Now Apocalypse / U.S.A. (Director: Gregg Araki, Executive Producers: Gregg Araki, Gregory Jacobs, Steven Soderbergh) — Ulysses and his friends are trying to navigate Los Angeles, as they pursue love, sex and fame. Between dating app adventures, Ulysses grows increasingly troubled as foreboding dreams make him paranoid — or maybe he’s just smoking too much weed. Cast: Avan Jogia, Kelli Berglund, Beau Mirchoff, Roxane Mesquida. World Premiere
U.S. NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
America / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Garrett Bradley) — A cinematic omnibus rooted in New Orleans, challenging the idea of black cinema as a “wave” or “movement in time,” proposing instead, a continuous thread of achievement. World Premiere
As Told To G/D Thyself / U.S.A. (Directors: Bradford Young, Terence Nance, Jenn Nkiru, Screenwriters: Terence Nance, Kamasi Washington, Bradford Young) — The cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure and sublimation are non-negotiable. World Premiere
Crude Oil / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christopher Good) — Jenny breaks free from a toxic friendship and learns to harness her magical, useless superpower. World Premiere
Fainting Spells / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sky Hopinka) — Told through recollections of youth, learning, lore, and departure, this is an imagined myth for the Indian Pipe Plant, used by the Ho-Chunk to revive those who have fainted.
Feathers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: A.V. Rockwell) — Elizier, an emotionally-dejected new enrollee at The Edward R. Mill School for Boys, must overcome memories of a tragic past and present hazing by his peers in order to tackle larger issues dominating his young life. DAY ONE
Fran This Summer / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mary Evangelista) — Teenage lovebirds Fran and Angie spend the summer at home while Fran begins their transition. They must face who and what they mean to each other when they visit the beach, their love on display for all to see.
Green / U.S.A. (Director: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Screenwriters: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Mustafa Kaymak) — Green, an undocumented Turkish pedicab driver, unwittingly draws police attention, endangering his brother, his community, and himself.
How Does It Start / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Amber Sealey) — With her self-absorbed parents distracted by their recent divorce, twelve-year-old Rain is left alone to navigate the complexities of love and adulthood, and learns to do it her own way. World Premiere
I Snuck Off the Slave Ship / U.S.A. (Directors: Lonnie Holley, Cyrus Moussavi, Screenwriters: Lonnie Holley, Cyrus Moussavi, Brittany Nugent) — Lonnie Holley, a “self-taught African American artist” and dimensional traveler, attempts to sneak off the slave ship America. World Premiere
Lavender / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Puccini) — A young gay man grows increasingly entangled in the marriage of an older couple. World Premiere. DAY ONE
Lockdown / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Celine Held, Logan George) — Struggling with feelings for her best friend, 14-year-old Marie stages an almost perfect plan. World Premiere
The MINORS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Machoian) — A slice of life about a grandpa and his grandsons, the future and the past. World Premiere
Old Haunt / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andre Hyland) — A procrastinating writer stays in an Airbnb to get some work done, but after an unexpected visitor arrives, he finds himself in an increasingly unsettling set of situations that he can’t explain. World Premiere
One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: A.M. Lukas) — A lonely Czech refugee paints an all-too-appealing picture of her American life as she writes a letter begging an organization to send a Cambodian refugee family to resettle in her new, “dreamland” hometown: Fargo, North Dakota. DAY ONE
The Rat / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Carlen May-Mann) — It’s Halloween night, and Renee is madly in love with Jim. On their way to a party, Jim detours to a haunted house, where Renee is forced to confront a terrifying situation. World Premiere
Shinaab, Part II / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lyle Corbine Jr.) — A look at Ojibwe ideas surrounding the death process, as a young man strives to honor his late father. U.S. Premiere
sometimes, i think about dying / U.S.A. (Director: Stefanie Abel Horowitz, Screenwriters: Stefanie Abel Horowitz, Katy Wright-Mead, Kevin Armento) — Fran is thinking about dying, but a man in the office might want to date her. World Premiere
Squirrel / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Alex Kavutskiy) — A meager apology tests a woman’s fortitude to forgive.
Suicide By Sunlight / U.S.A. (Director: Nikyatu Jusu, Screenwriters: Nikyatu Jusu, R. Shanea Williams) — Valentina, a day-walking Black vampire protected from the sun by her melanin, is forced to restrain her bloodlust to regain custody of her estranged daughters. World Premiere
Sundowners / U.S.A. (Director: Lisa Steen, Screenwriters: Anna Greenfield, Jessy Hodges) — Ali and her father cook, drink, and ignore what’s going on in the next room. World Premiere
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
Acid / France (Director and screenwriter: Just Philippot) — A troubling cloud is taking shape somewhere out west. It’s now slowly moving inland, forcing the population to flee. As the cloud keeps on moving forward inescapably, panic strikes.
Adalamadrina / Spain (Director: Carlota Oms, Screenwriters: Joan Pàmies, Carlota Oms) — While she claims to be an expert in sex and love on YouTube, Ada can barely speak to her gym trainer, with whom she’s madly in love. When she sets her sights on him, everything changes. International Premiere
Aziza / Syria, Lebanon (Director: Soudade Kaadan, Screenwriters: Soudade Kaadan, May Hayek) — A dynamic take on the life of Syrian refugees, told through black comedy. World Premiere
BAJO LA SOMBRA DEL GUACARI / Colombia (Director and screenwriter: Greg Méndez) — Dead bodies have washed upon the banks of the river. When Abraham finds out the one of them was his friend, he embarks on a journey to fulfill a promise that will take him to the Guacari tree.World Premiere
Birds in the Earth / Finland (Director and screenwriter: Marja Helander) — Examining the deeper questions of the ownership of Sami land through the ballet performances of two young dancers.
Brotherhood / Canada, Tunisia, Qatar, Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Meryam Joobeur) — When a hardened Tunisian shepherd’s son returns home after a long journey with a new wife, tension rises between father and son. U.S. Premiere
Chowboys: An American Folktale / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Astron 6) — Things seem hopeless when three mysterious cowboys find themselves stranded on the coldest night in recorded history.
Desires of the flesh / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Rafaela Camelo) — Blessed be the Sunday, that it is the day to see Giovana. International Premiere
Docking / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Trevor Anderson) — Trevor reflects on his fear of dating. World Premiere
Dunya’s Day / Saudi Arabia, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Raed Alsemari) — Abandoned by her domestic help, Dunya fights to throw the perfect graduation soirée. World Premiere. DAY ONE
END / Cuba (Director: Yimit Ramírez, Screenwriters: Yimit Ramírez, Tatiana Monge) — Juan is dead. Surprisingly, he is given an opportunity: to relive a moment of his past life, but it will not be an ordinary moment. World Premiere
Fatherland / Georgia (Director and screenwriter: George Sikharulidze) — In 2016, on the 63rd anniversary of Stalin’s death, his worshipers gather outside of his birthplace in Georgia to demand his canonization as a saint… when something uncanny materializes. DAY ONE
The Field / France, United Kingdom, India (Director and screenwriter: Sandhya Suri) — A poor agricultural laborer leads a double life in the village’s last remaining cornfield. But the harvest is approaching.
Fuck You / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Anette Sidor) — Alice is together with Johannes but she doesn’t have enough space to be herself. On a night out with friends, she steals a strap-on and challenges her boyfriend’s thoughts about girls. U.S. Premiere
Hot Dog / Germany (Directors and screenwriters: Alma Buddecke, Marleen Valien) — Hannah, in a love-hate relationship with her vagina, chronicles how her feelings towards her sexuality have changed over time. Like that one moment when she discovered the vibration function of her PlayStation controller. International Premiere
Kado (A Gift) / Indonesia (Director and screenwriter: Aditya Ahmad) — Isfi can wear her comfortable pants among her male friends, but has to wear hijab to be accepted at Nita’s house. With two days until Nita’s birthday, all Isfi wants is to prepare the best gift in Nita’s room. U.S. Premiere
Manicure / Iran (Director and screenwriter: Arman Fayaz) — After the unexpected death of his wife, a man struggles to deal with the aftermath under the eyes of the local villagers.
The silence of the dying fish / Greece, France (Director and screenwriter: Vasilis Kekatos) — On his way to work one morning, a fish farm worker is told that he died the day before. Failing to prove that he is alive, he spends his last day securing caretakers for his beloved canaries. North American Premiere
Those bad things / Italy (Director: Loris Giuseppe Nese, Screenwriters: Loris Giuseppe Nese, Chiara Marotta) — You cannot choose your parents. These are the thoughts of a daughter who can’t rebel, as time slips by slowly both inside and outside their home in the Campania suburbs. International Premiere
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
All Inclusive / Switzerland (Director and screenwriter: Corina Schwingruber Ilić) — Under the spell of mass entertainment on the high seas.
Black 14 / U.S.A. (Director: Darius Clark Monroe) — An archival social study examining white pathology and cognitive dissonance via media coverage of a 1969 racial protest at the University of Wyoming.
Cablestreet / U.S.A. (Director: Meredith Lackey) — A cable system designed by controversial Chinese company Huawei Technologies enables communication between an expert and a machine. Time succumbs to space in a ‘New Cold War’ played out in technological materials. World Premiere
The Dispossessed / India (Director and screenwriter: Musa Syeed) — Hazari is a traditional faith healer, exorcising patients who’ve been possessed by jinn. But in Kashmir, amidst the world’s longest running conflict, nothing is as it seems. World Premiere
Dulce / U.S.A., Colombia (Directors: Guille Isa, Angello Faccini) — In coastal Colombia, facing rising tides made worse by climate change, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest ‘piangua’ shellfish with the other women in the village.
Easter Snap / U.S.A. (Director: RaMell Ross) — With a baited handling of American symbolism, an examination of five Alabama men, who resurrect the homestead ritual of hog processing in the deep South under the guidance of Johnny Blackmon. World Premiere
Edgecombe / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Kayiza) — Through the deeply personal truths of three local residents, an examination of the ways trauma repeats and reinvents itself in rural Black communities.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Sudden Birth* (*but were afraid to ask) / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Scott Calonico) — The true story of how the Berkeley Police Department, the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, and Mr. Spock from Star Trek are all connected by one of the most disturbing educational films ever created. World Premiere
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FAST HORSE[/caption]
FAST HORSE / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Alexandra Lazarowich) — The Blackfoot bareback horse-racing tradition returns in the astonishingly dangerous Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles with second-hand horses and a new jockey on his way to challenge the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy.
U.S. Premiere.DAY ONE
The Ghost Behind / U.S.A. (Director: Caroline Rumley) — Four friends. Many bands. Expectations. Addiction. Loss.
Ghosts of Sugar Land / U.S.A. (Director: Bassam Tariq) — In Sugar Land, Texas, a group of young Muslim-American men ponder the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS. World Premiere
It’s Going To Be Beautiful / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors and screenwriters: Luis Gutierrez Arias, John Henry Theisen) — The U.S. Border Patrol has been given the task of choosing a winning design for building a wall on the U.S.- Mexico border.
Libre / U.S.A. (Director: Anna Barsan) — Undocumented immigrants forced to spend months in detention are turning to private companies to secure their release on bond. In exchange, immigrants pay exorbitant monthly fees for a GPS ankle monitor they can’t remove.
Life in Miniature / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Ellen Evans) — A celebration of one woman’s mission to document the every day, as she carves a place for herself in the precious world of miniatures. U.S. Premiere
Life Overtakes Me / Sweden, U.S.A. (Directors: John Haptas, Kristine Samuelson) — Facing deportation, hundreds of refugee children in Sweden have become afflicted with Resignation Syndrome, withdrawing from the world into a coma-like state, as if frozen, for months, or even years. World Premiere
STAY CLOSE / U.S.A., China (Directors and screenwriters: Shuhan Fan, Luther Clement) — The underdog story of a fencer from Brooklyn who overcomes a gauntlet of hardships on the road to the Olympics. World Premiere
Throat Singing in Kangirsuk / Canada (Directors: Eva Kaukai, Manon Chamberland, Screenwriters: Emilie Baillargeon and Clark Ferguson) — Eva and Manon practice the art of throat singing in their native Arctic land, in the small village of Kangirsuk. World Premiere
The Tough / Poland (Director and screenwriter: Marcin Polar) — A discovery arouses a man’s imagination and propels him forward in an uncouth and obsessive way. Step by step, the camera participates as he explores of places hitherto unknown to humankind, which offer increasingly stronger resistance against human delicacy. World Premiere
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
Acid Rain / Poland (Director and screenwriter: Tomek Popakul) — After running away from her depressing village in eastern Europe, a teenage girl meets a new friend under a bridge. International Premiere
Albatross Soup / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Winnie Cheung) — A dizzying descent into deductive reasoning based on an entertaining yet disturbing lateral thinking puzzle.
animistica / Austria, Germany, Mexico (Director: Nikki Schuster) — An expedition into rotting animal carcasses and rampant spider webs, accompanied by a gloomy drone like a swarm of hungry flies. Foraging around the borderlands of the horror genre in a kaleidoscope of ecology in all its horrifying beauty. North American Premiere
The Call / Romania, France (Director and screenwriter: Anca Damian) — A phone call, a bathroom and a woman are at the intersection of the world. U.S. Premiere
CHICHI / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Nessl) — My dog has dreams and he tells me about them. I made a movie about those dreams. This is that movie. U.S. Premiere
Count Your Curses / Belgium (Director and screenwriter: Lorène Yavo) — In a town where supernatural beings are part of everyday life, two roommates had their house spirit devoured overnight, again. They go on their way to find a replacement spirit and a solution to their pest problem.
Knockstrike / Spain (Directors and screenwriters: Marc Torices, Pau Anglada, Genis Rigol) — Two men accidentally exchange briefcases. One contains a videotape that will lead the new owner to embark on an unexpected journey to figure out what is in it.
Muteum / Estonia, Hong Kong (Director and screenwriter: Aggie Pak Yee Lee) — In an art museum, we learn — from outer to inner, from deep to its deepest, seriously and sincerely. DAY ONE
OBON / Germany (Directors: André Hörmann, Anna Samo, Screenwriter: André Hörmann) — During the festival of Obon, one of the last survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima receives the spirits of her parents, and is haunted by memories.
OCTANE / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeron Braxton) — A man’s street race through hell and back parallels the Black experience in America.
The Phantom 52 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Geoff Marslett) — Loneliness: a trucker who calls out on his CB radio waiting for a reply that never comes. A ghost that haunts the deserted highways. A whale that sings at a frequency no other whale can even hear. World Premiere
Reneepoptosis / U.S.A., Japan (Director and screenwriter: Renee Zhan) — Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great joys, sorrows, and mysteries of being Renee. U.S. Premiere
Sister / U.S.A., China (Director and screenwriter: Siqi Song) — A man thinks back to his childhood memories of growing up with an annoying little sister in China in the 1990s. What would his life have been like if things had gone differently?
Under Covers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michaela Olsen) — On the night of a lunar eclipse, we uncover the sweet, salacious, and spooky secrets of a small town. From a pigtailed psychopath to naughty nuns, this stop-motion animated film conjures a comforting thought: that weird is relative. World Premiere
Untravel / Serbia, Slovakia (Directors: Ana Nedeljkovic, Nikola Majdak, Screenwriter: Ana Nedeljkovic) — A girl lives in an isolated country, enclosed by a huge wall. She has never traveled anywhere, but all her life she has dreamed of leaving forever for a perfect world called Abroad.
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool[/caption]
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the new feature-length documentary directed by Emmy Award-winner Stanley Nelson, will debut in the Documentary Premieres category at Sundance Film Festival 2019.
With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, new interviews and rare photos. Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Clive Davis, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter are just a few of the luminaries weighing in on the life and career of a true visionary, innovator and originator. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is the definitive account of the man behind the legend.
Director Stanley Nelson said, “Miles Davis is an undisputed musical legend – but what I hoped to discover was the man behind the myth. By unpacking his upbringing, his methodology, his relationships, and his demons, we begin to understand the man who would redefine the original American musical genre, jazz and has influenced generations of musicians in rock, funk and hip-hop.”
Eagle Rock Chairman Terry Shand said, “We are delighted to be selected in a year with such strong submissions. We are proud to bring this film about the world’s most innovative & iconic jazz musician to Sundance Film Festival”.
A global theatrical release is planned for the Summer of 2019.
Troupe Zero[/caption]
112 feature-length new independent feature films have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival will take place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 24 to February 3, 2019.
Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “Society relies on storytellers. The choices they make, and the risks they take, define our collective experience. This year’s Festival is full of storytellers who offer challenges, questions and entertainment. In telling their stories, they make difficult decisions in the pursuit of truth and art; culture reaps the reward.”
These films were selected from a record high of 14,259 submissions including 4,018 feature-length films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,767 were from the U.S. and 2,251 were international; 31% were directed by one or more women; 38% were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; 11% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA.
The official selections represent 33 countries and 45 first-time filmmakers. 53% of the directors in this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition are women; 41% are people of color; 18% identify as LGBTQIA+. 44% of the directors in this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition are women; 22% are people of color; 5% identify as LGBTQIA+. Of the 61 directors in all four competition categories, comprising 56 films, 42% are women, 39% are people of color, and 23% identify as LGBTQIA. 24 films announced today were supported by Sundance Institute in development, whether through direct granting or residency Labs. 102 of the Festival’s feature films, or 91% of the lineup announced today, will be world premieres.
40%, or 45, of all films announced today were directed by one or more women; 36%, or 40, were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; 13% or 15 by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA.
The 2020 Sundance Film Festival will take place January 23 – February 2, 2020.
Kim Yutani has been named the Sundance Film Festival’s new Director of Programming. Yutani will lead the curation of film, media, and off-screen programming at both the Sundance Film Festival and other year-round public platforms and programs that showcase and elevate independent storytellers and artists. She was formerly Senior Programmer at the Festival, and will report directly to Festival Director John Cooper.
In a memo distributed to staff, Cooper said, “Kim’s curatorial vision combines a voracious appetite for films across genres with a creative instinct for the work that will affect audiences and culture. She’ll now helm an incredibly talented team of curators and programmers, and I predict that our Festival slates will further deepen and broaden the reach of independent artists and stories in fiction and nonfiction.”
Yutani said, “My approach as a programmer has always been driven by an empathetic inquisitiveness, a desire to see the world from as many points of view as possible — and I’m so excited to collaborate with Cooper and our team, with their myriad strengths and backgrounds, to surface new artists and voices.”
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said “Kim rose to the top among an outstanding field of candidates because of her creativity, programming experience, and collaborative approach to leadership. I am excited to see how she’ll execute her vision, make the role her own, and – together with the entire programming team – shape the Festival for the years to come.”
Yutani began programming short films at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. In 2009, she became a feature film programmer, focusing on US and international fiction feature films, overseeing short film programming, and working on the Festival’s Offscreen series of panels and conversations. She was instrumental in the creation of Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong, which she also programs. During her tenure at the Institute, she has represented Sundance internationally by serving on juries, speaking on panels, and working to cultivate relationships with film commissions, industry, and artists around the world. For the past five years, she has also overseen a new collaboration with the Berlinale’s European Film Market — housed within the Sundance Film Festival at EFM program — which has provided exposure and sales opportunities for Sundance films, immediately after premiering at the Festival.
She started her programming career at Outfest Los Angeles, one of the world’s leading LGBT festivals, where she was the Artistic Director and the Director of Programming. She is currently a programming consultant for the Provincetown International Film Festival. She has been a reader for Creative Capital and is on the short film nominating committee for Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. Prior to her film festival work, Yutani was a film critic and freelance journalist focusing on independent film. She got her start in the industry as director Gregg Araki’s assistant. She was recently named an A100 Honoree on Gold House’s list of the most influential Asian Americans in culture.
Yutani, currently traveling to the Cannes Film Festival, assumes her new duties immediately.
Science Fair directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster[/caption]
Science Fair directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster is the winner of the first-ever Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival, which ran January 18 to 28, 2018. The Award was selected by audience votes from the 123 feature films screened at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Science Fair, which had its world premiere at the 2018 Festival, follows nine high school students from around the globe as they navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. As they face off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. The film was directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, and produced by Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeffrey.
John Cooper, Director, Sundance Film Festival, said “Audiences responded to the hope in this film, and how it thoughtfully depicted a rising generation of innovators. The film was so engaging and inspiring that we felt it would delight audiences and be a strong contender for this award.”
Runners-up for the Festival Favorite, as ballots were counted, included:
Believer / U.S.A. (Director: Don Argott, Producers: Heather Parry, Sheena M. Joyce, Robert Reynolds) — Imagine Dragons’ Mormon frontman Dan Reynolds is taking on a new mission to explore how the church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah, his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path for acceptance and change. World Premiere
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? / U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville, Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma) — Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred’s ideal of good neighbors? World Premiere. SALT LAKE CITY OPENING NIGHT FILM
Other strong-showing audience favorites included:
Assassination Nation / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sam Levinson, Producers: David S. Goyer, Anita Gou, Kevin Turen, Aaron L. Gilbert, Matthew J. Malek) — This is a one-thousand-percent true story about how the quiet, all-American town of Salem absolutely lost its mind. Cast: Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra, Bill Skårsgard, Bella Thorne. World Premiere
Hearts Beat Loud / U.S.A. (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch, Producers: Houston King, Sam Bisbee, Sam Slater) — In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a father and daughter become an unlikely songwriting duo in the last summer before she leaves for college. Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner, Toni Collette. World Premiere. CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Juliet, Naked / United Kingdom (Director: Jesse Peretz, Screenwriters: Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor, Phil Alden Robinson, Evgenia Peretz, Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Jeffrey Soros) — Annie is the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan, an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. When the acoustic demo of Tucker’s celebrated record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to an encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Cast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd. World Premiere
What They Had / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Elizabeth Chomko, Producers: Keith Kjarval, Bill Holderman, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Alex Saks, Andrew Duncan)— Bridget returns home to Chicago at her brother’s urging to deal with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and her father’s reluctance to let go of their life together. Cast: Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner, Robert Forster. World Premiere
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival will take place January 24 to February 3, 2019.
Image: A film still from Science Fair directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, an official selection of the Kids program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Pete Alton. 
Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Desiree Akhavan.
Three emerging filmmakers, Talal Derki (Syria), Tatiana Huezo (Mexico), and Chaitanya Tamhane (India) are the lucky recipients of the inaugural Sundance Institute Open Borders Fellowship presented by Netflix.
Designed to support distinctive new voices in world cinema, the fellowship includes a development grant, a trip to the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in Park City to receive the award and attend a curated slate of industry meetings, networking opportunities, panels, and screenings. Further, the filmmakers are eligible to receive year-round creative and strategic support from the Sundance Institute Feature Film and Documentary Film programs for their next feature-length project
The Open Borders Fellowship reflects the Institute’s longstanding commitment to world cinema. Through Labs and Workshops, financial support, and public engagement, the Institute’s Artist Programs strive to support underrepresented voices in regions of the world going through socio-political transitions and where freedom of expression is challenged.
Talal Derki was born in Damascus and has been based in Berlin since 2014. He studied film directing in Athens and worked as an assistant director for many feature film productions and as a director for different Arab TV programs between 2009 and 2011. Talal Derki’s feature documentary Return to Homs won the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in 2014. His most recent film, Of Fathers and Sons, premiered at IDFA, and is currently in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Tatiana Huezo’s most recent film, Tempestad, was one of the most acclaimed documentaries of 2016. Following its premiere at Berlinale, the film was Mexico’s official submission to the Academy Awards, and won four Ariel Awards, including Best Director and Best Documentary feature. She is currently working on her narrative feature debut, Night On Fire, which was selected for the Sundance | Morelia Screenwriters Lab this past Fall.
Chaitanya Tamhane’s debut feature, the Marathi language courtroom drama, Court, premiered at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, where it won Best Film in the Horizons section, and went on to appear on many best-of lists following its theatrical release last year and served as India’s submission for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar. He was selected by Alfonso Cuaron for the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative, and is working on his currently untitled second feature.
John Cho appears in Search by Aneesh Chaganty, an official selection of the NEXT program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. photo by Juan Sebastian Baron.[/caption]
The Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation handed out $71,000 in grants at a reception held at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize was awarded to Aneesh Chaganty’s Search, who was presented with a $20,000 check. Other winners include Cherien Dabis’s What The Eyes Don’t See (Sundance Institute | Sloan Commissioning Grant), produced by Rosalie Swedlin for Anonymous Content and executive produced by Michael Sugar; C. Wrenn Ball’s Katie Wright (Sundance Institute | Sloan Lab Fellowship) and John Lopez’ Untitled J.P. Morgan Project (Sundance Institute | Sloan Episodic Storytelling Grant).
Francisca Iglesias Bouzón appears in Matria by Álvaro Gago[/caption]
Winners of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival jury prizes in short filmmaking were announced at a ceremony in Park City, Utah, with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize going to Matria, written and directed by Álvaro Gago.
This year’s Short Film jurors are Cherien Dabis, Shirley Manson and Chris Ware.
Short Film awards winners in previous years include And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, SMILF by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, FISHING WITHOUT NETS by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis.