One of the earliest and most prestigious Film Festivals is ramping up for a very different look this year, thanks to COVID. But despite the virtual events and limited audience, there are still many great films debuting at the Festival that are coming our way!
The Sundance Film Festival, started by Robert Redford in the late 70s, now celebrates is 43rd anniversary and has an impressive slate ahead. The Sundance Film Festival takes place in Utah and is largely recognized as the first major Festival to kick off the new year. Very famous films have premiered or been acquired here, some of the more recent well-known titles from Sundance include: “Palm Springs,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” and “Promising Young Woman.” But those aren’t all! Sundance has been responsible for some other great and memorable titles over its long 40 year run like “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Super-Size Me,” “Blair Witch Project,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Get Out,” and many more!
The film almost always produces films that get recognized at the major award shows and very often appear at the Oscars. Sundance opens January 28th - February 3rd. Here are my most anticipated projects coming out of Sundance 2021 Film Festival:
Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil
A follow-up to her 2017 Documentary “Simply Complicated,” Demi is returning to the screen to share her side of the story, following her 2018 overdose that made headlines. Demi has remained quiet on the subject and circumstances surrounding her overdose. Other than releasing a few singles documenting her struggles and switching management to Scooter Braun (a controversial announcement as of late since the Taylor Swift drama resurfaced), she hasn’t commented publicly on what led to her hospitalization. The documentary, which will premiere at Sundance and release on YouTube in March, is supposed to cover the past two-years since her overdose and her integration back into public life.
Passing
The film marks Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, and features Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson, will premiere at the Festival in the next few days. The film is based off of the novel of the same name. It takes place in New York in the 1920s where two childhood friends reunite to discover that they have gone on to leave vastly different lives. Tessa Thompson plays Irene and Ruth Negga plays Clare, when the two are reunited, Irene is shocked to find that Clare has spent the large majority of her adult life passing for a white woman. Clare is married to a white man and a vocal racist, who is unaware of her background. The two struggle to understand their new places within the structural constructs of their society.
Mass
Jason Isaacs (yes, that is Lucius Malfoy) gives a powerhouse performance in initial reviews of “Mass” which is set to debut at Sundance in the next few days. The movie follows the aftermath of a violent tragedy that affects the lives of two couples in vastly different ways. The couples play contradictory and polar opposite roles, as one couple that struggles to comprehend the tragic loss of their child during a school shooting, while the other couple is forced to understand the motive behind their child as the perpetrator.
Together, Together
Ed Helms stars in this Dramedy portrayal of a 40-year old man who hires a young woman as a surrogate. The blossoming friendship and relationship between Matt (Helms) and Anna (Patti Harrison) jumps from the screen in this sweet, poignant drama.
Land
Another directorial debut from actress, turned director, “Land” is Robin Wright’s first feature length film behind the camera. The film follows the journey of a woman who abandons the pressures of society and turns towards solace in the wilderness. The film focuses on the struggle of a heart broken woman who is working to survive a traumatic, unfathomable even in her past.
There are plenty more films that will premiere at the Festival in the next few days, I'll keep you posted on which films stir the most buzz.
And that's the sitch.
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