The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced 90 titles that will screen in Park City and Salt Lake City in January — out of a pool of submissions that first-time festival director Eugene Hernandez found astonishing.
“I wouldn’t have predicted that we would set a record for submissions this year, just because of the uncertainty of strikes and the economy — and just the uncertainty of the industry,” Hernandez said Tuesday, ahead of the festival’s unveiling of its 2024 slate of films on Wednesday.
Passes and ticket packages are now on sale, at festival.sundance.org. Single tickets will go on sale Jan. 11.
The Sundance Institute, Robert Redford’s nonprofit arts organization that puts on the festival every January, said Wednesday that it received a record 17,435 submissions from 153 countries. Feature-length films accounted for 4,410 of those entries — from which those 90 titles have been chosen to be screened from Jan. 18 to 28 in venues in Park City and Salt Lake City.
“To me, it signals the vitality in the independent [film] and international filmmaking community that we inhabit,” he said.
Of those 90 titles, 85 will have their world premieres in Utah. Forty percent of the feature film directors are first-timers.
Among the movie stars appearing on screen — and, possibly, in person in Park City — are Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Pedro Pascal, Camila Cabello, Will Ferrell, Michael Fassbender, Mary J. Blige and Jason Schwartzman. Hernandez noted that, by an odd coincidence, six cast members from the HBO series “White Lotus” are appearing in six different Sundance films.
(Justine Yeung | Sundance Institutre) Kristen Stewart, left, and Steven Yeun star in the science-fiction drama "Love Me," directed by Sam Zuchero and Andy Zuchero, an official selection in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Several of the documentaries are personality profiles of famous people, such as the New Wave band DEVO, WNBA star Sue Bird, evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, singer Luther Vandross, movie icon Christopher Reeve and painter Frida Kahlo.
Some of this year’s films are by directors familiar to Sundance audiences — such as Steven Soderbergh, whose 1989 drama “sex, lies and videotape” scored Sundance’s first $1 million distribution deal and put it on the map.
Other well-known directors making a return in 2024 are: Richard Linklater, whose “Slacker” (1991) is considered an indie-film icon; Debra Granik, whose 2010 backwoods drama “Winter’s Bone” launched Jennifer Lawrence’s career; Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who went from indie films like “Half Nelson” (2007) to the blockbuster “Captain Marvel” in 2019; and documentary filmmakers Rory Kennedy (“Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” 2007) and Chris Smith (“American Movie,” 1999).
“We do have veterans whose names pop off the press release, like Soderbergh, and Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, and Richard Linklater,” said Kim Yutani, the festival’s programming director. “And then you have names you’re not familiar with. To have that kind of experience next to this new class of Sundance filmmakers is really exciting.”
The festival will hit the ground running on the opening day, Thursday, Jan. 18, starting screenings in Park City at noon. The Salt Lake City venues will screen movies starting the next day, Friday, Jan. 19. In-person screenings will run through Jan. 28.
A selection of titles — including all the competition films — will be shown on Sundance’s online portal during the festival’s final four days, Jan. 25-28.
Hernandez was running the New York Film Festival before jumping to Sundance last year. But he’s no stranger to Park City, having started attending Sundance in the 1990s as he was launching the movie news website IndieWire.
“I started coming to the festival 30 years ago because of the kinds of work that Sundance would show, and that it was so different from what I was seeing in the mainstream movie theaters,” Hernandez said.
In 2024 — the 40th year that the Sundance Institute has run the festival — “Sundance is the center of that discovery,” he said. “These are adventurous films that are really, really taking chances. And, at the same time, they’re accessible. They’re entertaining. These films are emotional.”
Here are the 90 feature film and episodic titles chosen for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival:
U.S. Dramatic competition
(Sean Price Williams) Jason Schwartzman, left, and Carol Kane star in director Nathan Silver's "Between The Temples," an official selection in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Between the Temples” • A cantor (Jason Schwartzman) has a crisis of faith when he meets his new adult bat mitzvah student: His grade-school music teacher. Directed by Nathan Silver and written by Silver and C. Mason Wells, the movie also stars Carol Kane, Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel and Madeline Weinstein.
“Dìdi (弟弟)” • Writer-director Sean Wang’s coming-of-age story centers on a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in 2008, in the last month of summer before high school. The cast includes Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” • A Black painter (André Holland) finds his path to success blocked when his estranged father (John Earl Jelks), a recovering addict, unexpectedly visits in an attempt at reconciliation. Writer-director Titus Kaphar’s film also stars Andra Day and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.
“Good One” • Lily Collias plays a 17-year-old on a weekend backpacking trip with her father and his oldest friend, and their competing egos. Writer-director India Donaldson’s film also stars James Le Gros and Danny McCarthy.
“In The Summers” • In Alessandra Lacorazza’s drama, two sisters navigate life with their loving but volatile father, during their yearly summer visits to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Starring René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos and Sharlene Cruz.
“Love Me” • After humanity is extinct, a buoy and a satellite fall in love. Kristen Stewart and Steven Yuen play the main characters in this sci-fi romance, written and directed by Sam & Andy Zuchero. (This movie has won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, given to a movie that best depicts science and/or technology.)
“Ponyboi” • In this drama directed by Esteban Arango (“Blast Beat,” SFF ‘20), a young intersex sex worker (played by the movie’s screenwriter, River Gallo) is fleeing the mob, and confronting his past, when a drug deal goes wrong. Also starring Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore.
“A Real Pain” (United States / Poland) • Jesse Eisenberg (whose directing debut, “When You Finish Saving the World,” premiered at SFF ‘22) wrote, directed and stars as one of two cousins — the other is Kieran Culkin — who go to Poland to honor their departed grandmother, and end up on an adventure with their family history as a backdrop. The cast includes Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey and Kurt Egyiawan.
“Stress Positions” • Terry is in quarantine in his ex-husband’s Brooklyn brownstone, caring for his nephew, Bahlul — a 19-year-old model from Morocco in a full leg cast after a scooter accident — and finding that everyone he knows wants to meet Bahlul. Written and directed by Theda Hammel (who plays a supporting role), the movie stars John Early, Qaher Harhash, Amy Zimmer, Faheem Ali and John Roberts.
“Suncoast” • In this semi-autobiographical story from writer-director Laura Chinn, a teenager (Nico Parker), caring for her ailing brother alongside their mom, meets up with an activist protesting a landmark medical case. The movie also stars Laura Linney and Woody Harrelson.
U.S. Documentary competition
“As We Speak” • Director J.M. Harper (“Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” SFF ‘22) follows Kemba, the Bronx rap artist, as he explores the weaponization of rap lyrics in the U.S. justice system — and how law enforcement has used artistic creation as criminal evidence.
“Daughters” • Four young girls prepare for a “Daddy Daughter Dance” with their fathers, all incarcerated in a Washington, D.C., jail, in this documentary, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae.
“Every Little Thing” (Australia) • A Los Angeles woman nurtures wounded hummingbirds, in a story of love, fragility and healing, directed by Sally Aitken (“Playing With Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story,” SFF ‘21).
“Frida” (United States / Mexico) • Director Carla Gutiérrez takes a deep dive into the life of Mexican artist and icon Frida Kahlo, told using Kahlo’s own words — in diary entries, letters, essays and interviews — and animation inspired by her paintings.
“Gaucho Gaucho” (United States / Argentina) • Directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (“The Truffle Hunters,” SFF ‘20) take cameras inside a community of gauchos — Argentine cowboys and cowgirls — on the edge of the modern world.
“Love Machina” • In director Peter Sillen’s documentary, futurists Martine and Bina Rothblatt commission an advanced humanoid AI, called Bina48, to transfer Bina’s consciousness into a robot — to continue their love affair into eternity.
“Porcelain War” (United States / Ukraine) • Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya and Andrey stay to fight, and deal with the soldiers they have become, in a film directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev, and written by Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPré Pesmen.
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” • Writer-director Jeff Zimbalist follows a daredevil couple trying to save their careers and relationship by climbing the world’s last super-skyscraper to perform an acrobatic stunt on its spire.
“Sugarcane” (United States / Canada) • Directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie investigate abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school, sparking a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve in British Columbia.
“Union” • Directors Stephen Maing (“Crime + Punishment,” SFF ‘18) and Brett Story follow the work of the Amazon Labor Union, a group of current and former Amazon employees in Staten Island trying to unionize and taking on one of the world’s most powerful companies.
World Cinema Dramatic competition
“Brief History of a Family” (China / France / Denmark/ Qatar) • In China in the years after its one-child policy, a middle-class family’s fate is intertwined with their only son’s enigmatic new friend. Written and directed by Jianjie Lin, the cast includes Feng Zu, Keyu Guo, Xilun Sun and Muran Lin.
“Girls Will Be Girls” (India / France / Norway) • Mira, a 16-year-old girl in a strict boarding school in the Himalayas, discovers desire and romance — but her awakening is disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself. Written and directed by Shuchi Talati, the film stars Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti and Kesav Binoy Kiron.
“Handling the Undead” (Norway) • The newly dead awaken on a summer day in Oslo — leaving three grieving families to figure out what it means. Director Thea Hvistendahl co-wrote with John Ajvide Lindqvist, on whose novel the movie is based. The cast includes Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie (the stars of “The Worst Person in the World”), along with Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum and Bahar Pars.
“In The Land of Brothers” (Iran / France / Netherlands) • Three members of an extended Afghan family become refugees in Iran, beginning a decades-long struggle to be “at home.” Written and directed by Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, the movie stars Hamideh Jafari, Bashir Nikzad and Mohammad Hosseini.
“Layla” (United Kingdom) • In writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s drama, Layla (Bilal Hasna) is a struggling Arab drag queen who falls in love, losing and finding themself in a life-changing relationship. Also starring Louis Greatorex, Safiyya Ingar, Darkwah, Terique Jarrett and Sarah Agha.
“Malu” (Brazil) • Three generations of women in a Rio slum — an unemployed 50ish actress, her conservative mother and her adult daughter — are the characters in writer-director Pedro Freire’s movie. The cast includes Yara de Novaes, Carol Duarte, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha and Átila Bee.
“Reinas” (Switzerland / Peru / Spain) • A woman (Jimena Lindo) and her two daughters (Abril Gjurinovic and Luana Vega) prepare to leave Lima, Peru, during the social and political upheaval of 1992 — but must reconnect with the girls’ estranged father (Gonzalo Molina). Director Klaudia Reynicke co-wrote the script with Diego Vega.
“Sebastian” (United Kingdom / Finland / Belgium) • To research his first novel, 25-year-old Max begins a double life as a sex worker in London, in this drama written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä. The cast includes Ruaridh Mollica, Hiftu Quasem, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Jonathan Hyde, Leanne Best and Lara Rossi.
“Sujo” (Mexico / United States / France) • Writer-directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez (who co-wrote “Identifying Features, SFF ‘20) return with this story of Sujo, left behind at age 4 when his father, a cartel gunman, is killed — and growing into a man, finding that he may have to fulfill his father’s destiny. The cast includes Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernández and Kevin Aguilar.
“Veni Vidi Vici” (Austria) • A billionaire (Laurence Rupp) and his family have lived free from consequences — so his obsession with hunting, though he doesn’t shoot animals, won’t have any repercussions, will it? Written and directed by Daniel Hoesl (“Soldate Jeannette,” SFF ‘13), the film also stars Ursina Lardi and Olivia Goschler.
World Cinema Documentary competition
(Arun Bhattarai | Sundance Institute) Amber Kumar Gurung, Gunaraj Kuikel, and Kinley Tshering appear in director Arun Bhattarai's "Agent of Happiness," an official selection in the World Documentary Competition of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Agent of Happiness” (Bhutan / Hungary) • Directors Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó follow Amber, one of many people working for the Bhutanese government, measuring people’s happiness in the remote Himalayan mountains.
“The Battle for Laikipia” (Kenya / United States) • A long-simmering conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven, gets more intense with climate change and unsettled historical injustices. Directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi.)
“Black Box Diaries” (Japan / United States / United Kingdom) • The film’s director, journalist Shiori Ito, investigates her own sexual assault in an effort to prosecute her famous and well-connected offender — becoming the face of Japan’s #MeToo movement.
“Eternal You” (Germany / United States) • Directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck (“The Cleaners,” SFF ‘18) follow AI startups that create avatars that allow relatives to talk with deceased loved ones — turning immortality into a product.
“Ibelin” (Norway) • Director Benjamin Ree (“The Painter and the Thief,” SFF ‘20) returns with a look at Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, who died at age 25 — and what happened when his grieving parents started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
“Igualada” (Colombia / United States) • Black Colombian rural activist Francia Márquez runs for president, working to reappropriate the derogatory term “Igualada” — meaning someone who acts as if they deserve rights that don’t correspond to them. Directed by Juan Mejía Botero.”
“Never Look Away” (New Zealand) • Lucy Lawless — yes, the star of “Xena, Warrior Princess” — makes her directing debut with this documentary about Margaret Moth, a groundbreaking CNN camerawoman who captures the reality of war from the inside. Lawless co-wrote the movie with Tom Blackwell and Matthew Metcalfe.
“A New Kind of Wilderness” (Norway) • A family that lives in an isolated Norwegian forest must adjust to modern society after a tragedy, in this documentary directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen.
“Nocturnes” (India / United States) • Directors Anirban Dutta and Anuparna Srinivasan venture into the forests of the eastern Himalayas, to show us the moths that live there.
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Belgium / France / Netherlands) • Director-writer Johan Grimonprez (“Double Take,” SFF ‘10) connects the dots between musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crashing the UN Security Council in 1961, Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe, and the U.S. government sending Louis Armstrong to the Congo to divert attention from a coup.
(Marie Hinson | Sundance Institute) Aden Hakimi and Theo Germaine appear in director Jules Rosskam's "Desire Lines." an official selection in the Next program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Next
“Desire Lines” • An Iranian American trans man visits an LGBTQ+ archive, and finds himself traveling through time in his quest to unravel his own desires. This documentary, blending fact and fantasy, is directed by Jules Rosskam, and written by Rosskam and Nate Gualtieri. The cast includes Theo Germaine and Aden Hakimi.
“Kneecap” (Ireland / United Kingdom) • Writer-director Rich Peppiatt tells the story of a fictional Belfast rap trio that performs its rhymes in the Irish mother tongue. The cast includes Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Michael Fassbender, Josie Walker and Simone Kirby).
“Little Death” • Writer-director Jack Begert’s film threads through the stories of a middle-aged filmmaker, two kids seeking a lost backpack, and a small dog far from home. The cast includes David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffmann, Dominic Fike, Talia Ryder, Jena Malone and Sante Bentivoglio.
“Realm of Satan” • An experiential documentary that follows Satanists in everyday and extraordinary circumstances. Written and directed by Scott Cummings, the film features Peter Gilmore, Peggy Nadramia and Blanche Barton.
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” • Millions used the educational software “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing” in the late ‘80s — but whatever happened to the Haitian-born cover model who played “Mavis”? Writer-director Jazmin Renée Jones follows two DIY investigators who go in search of the icon, and explores questions of digital security, AI and black representation in the digital space.
“Tendaberry” • Dakota, 23, is left alone in New York City when her boyfriend goes back to Ukraine to be with his ailing father — and must navigate survival there. Kota Johan and Yuri Pleskun star in writer-director Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s drama.
Premieres
“The American Society of Magical Negroes” • Justice Smith plays Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of Black people who dedicate their lives to making white people’s lives easier. Writer-director Kobi Libii’s film also stars David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Rupert Friend and Nicole Byer.
“And So It Begins” (United States / Philippines) • Documentarian Ramona S. Diaz (“A Thousand Cuts,” SFF ‘20; “Motherland,” SFF ‘17) returns with this story, set during Filipino elections, of an offbeat people’s movement rising to defend truth and democracy in the face of increasing autocracy.
“DEVO” (United Kingdom / United States) • Director Chris Smith (“American Movie,” SFF ‘99) traces the origins of the New Wave band DEVO, as it slipped urgent social commentary into its “de-evolution” rock music.
“A Different Man” • Sebastian Stan plays Edward, an aspiring actor who undergoes a radical medical procedure that changes his appearance — and then he becomes obsessed when he doesn’t get the role he was born to play. Writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s thriller also stars Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson.
“Freaky Tales” • The writing-directing team of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (“Half Nelson,” SFF ‘06; “Sugar,” SFF ‘08; “Mississippi Grind,” SFF ‘15) take us to Oakland, 1987, with four interconnected stories, including teen punks, a rap duo, a henchman and an NBA All-Star settling the score. The cast includes Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Normani Kordei Hamilton, Dominique Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn and Ji-Young Yoo.
“Ghostlight” • A construction worker joins a local production of “Romeo & Juliet,” and finds the onstage drama mirroring his own life, in writer-director Kelly O’Sullivan’s drama. The cast includes Keith Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Tara Mallen.
“Girls State” • In their follow-up to “Boys State” (SFF ‘20), documentary filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss go to Missouri to follow teenage girls in a weeklong experiment to create a democracy from the ground up.
“Look Into My Eyes” • A documentary about New York psychics giving their clients some deeply personal readings. The documentary is directed by Lana Wilson (“After Tiller,” SFF ‘13; “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana,” SFF ‘20; “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” SFF ‘23).
“Luther: Never Too Much” • Director Dawn Porter (“Gideon’s Army,” SFF ‘13; “Trapped,” SFF ‘16) profiles the late Luther Vandross, tracing his career from backup singer for David Bowie and Bette Midler to an R&B legend.
“My Old Ass” • Elliott, while doing mushrooms during the summer before college, meets her future self in this comedy by writer-director Megan Park. The cast includes Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks and Aubrey Plaza.
“The Outrun” (United Kingdom / Germany) • Saoirse Ronan stars as Rona, leaving a troubled life in London to return home to Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Director Nora Fingscheidt co-wrote the script with Amy Liptrot, on whose memoir the movie is based. The cast includes Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane and Saskia Reeves.
“Power” • Documentarian Yance Ford (“Strong Island,” SFF ‘17) examines the history of American policing — and how policing has grown in scope and scale, embodying the idea of power.
“Presence” • Director Steven Soderbergh returns to Sundance — which was put on the map with his 1989 debut “sex, lies and videotape” — with a thriller about a family in a possibly haunted house. The script is by David Koepp; the cast includes Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday and West Mulholland.
“Rob Peace” • Chiwetel Ejiofor (“The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” SFF ‘19) directed and wrote this true drama, based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestseller, about an acclaimed Yale scientist (Jay Will) who also made thousands of dollars selling marijuana. Ejiofor co-stars, along with Mary J. Blige, Camila Cabello, Michael Kelly and Mare Winningham.
“Sasquatch Sunset” • David Zellner (“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” SFF ‘14) wrote and, with his brother Nathan, directed this comedy, described enigmatically as “A year in the life of a singular family.” The cast includes Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner.
“Sue Bird: In The Clutch” • Director Sarah Dowland profiles WNBA legend Sue Bird, who — with her fianceé, soccer star Megan Rapinoe — navigates her next challenge: Retirement from the game she’s played professionally for 21 years.
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (United Kingdom / United States) • Using never-before-seen home movies and personal archives, this documentary chronicles the career of Christopher Reeve — from unknown actor to the Man of Steel to the tragic accident that left him a quadriplegic and revealed a different kind of heroism. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, written by Ettedgui. (This is the Salt Lake City opening night film.)
“Thelma” • In writer-director Josh Margolin’s comedy, June Squibb plays a 93-year-old woman who — after being duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson — sets off across the city to get back what’s hers. The cast includes Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree (in his last feature film), Parker Posey, Clark Gregg and Malcolm McDowell.
“Will & Harper” • Will is actor Will Ferrell; Harper is Ferrell’s friend of 30 years, who tells Ferrell that she’s coming out as a trans woman, leading to a cross-country road trip captured in this documentary by director Josh Greenbaum (“Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”).
“Winner” • Director Susanna Fogel and star Emilia Jones, who teamed on the controversial “Cat Person” (SFF ‘23), collaborate on this biographical drama — with Jones playing NSA whistleblower Reality Winner, prosecuted for exposing Russia’s hacking of the 2016 election. Fogel co-wrote the script with Kerry Howley. The cast includes Connie Britton, Zach Galifianakis, Kathryn Newton and Danny Ramirez.
Midnight
(Sundance Institute) Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine appear in director Jane Schoenbrun's "I Saw the TV Glow," an official selection in the Midnight program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“I Saw the TV Glow” • Owen (Justice Smith) finds his reality starting to splinter when he is introduced to a mysterious late-night TV show, about a supernatural world beneath ours, in this horror-thriller by director-writer Jane Schoenbrun (“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” SFF ‘21). The cast includes Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler.
“In A Violent Nature” (Canada) • An undead monster rises, rampages and seeks retribution in the wilderness, in writer-director Chris Nash’s thriller, which stars Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic and Lauren Taylor.
“It’s What’s Inside” • The pre-wedding party is underway when an estranged friend comes in with a mysterious suitcase, in writer-director Greg Jardin’s horror movie. The cast includes Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Gavin Leatherwood, Reina Hardesty and Nina Bloomgarden.
“Kidnapping Inc.” (Haiti / France / Canada) • What starts as a simple kidnapping turns into something bigger for two hapless kidnappers, in this thriller directed by Bruno Mourrai, who co-wrote with Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau and Jasmuel Andri. The cast includes Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez, Ashley Laraque, Gessica Geneus and Patrick Joseph.
“Krazy House” (Netherlands) • Bernie (Nick Frost) has to save his ‘90s sitcom family when he learns the Russian workers in his house are fugitive criminals. Written and directed by Steffan Haars and Flip van der Kuil, the movie also stars Alicia Silverstone, Jan Bijvoet, Gaite Jansen, Walt Klink and Kevin Connolly.
“Love Lies Bleeding” (United States / United Kingdom) • Lou (Kristen Stewart), a reclusive gym manager, falls in love with Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder on her way to Vegas — but their love pulls them into the violence of Lou’s criminal family. Written and directed by Rose Glass (“Saint Maud”), the movie also stars Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone and Anna Baryshnikov.
“The Moogai” (Australia) • A young Aboriginal couple brings home their second baby — and the mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is sure wants to take her baby, in writer-director Joe Bell’s horror thriller. The cast includes Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Jahdeana Mary, Clarence Ryan and Bella Heathcote.
“Your Monster” • A soft-spoken actress (Melissa Barrera) is in a decline when she meets a scary but charming monster (Tommy Dewey) in her closet — which helps her reclaim her voice in writer-director Caroline Lindy’s horror comedy. The cast includes Meghann Fahy, Edmund Donovan and Kayla Foster.
Episodic
(Sundance Institute) Evangelists Tammy Faye Bakker, in bed, and her husband Jim Bakker, right, pray in a moment from director Dana Adam Shapiro's "Better Angels: The Gospel According To Tammy Faye," an official selection in the Episodic program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Better Angels: The Gospel According To Tammy Faye” • Writer-director Dana Adam Shapiro (“Murderball,” SFF ‘05) profiles Tammy Faye Bakker, the “First Lady of the Electric Church,” by talking to her family, friends and enemies — in a docu-series that asks “How did we get the story so wrong?” The first two parts of the four-part series will screen at Sundance.
“ConBody VS Everybody” • Director Debra Granik (“Down to the Bone,” SFF ‘04; “Winter’s Bone,” SFF ‘10; “Leave No Trace,” SFF ‘18) follows Coss Marte, a former inmate who developed ConBody, a gym program he developed in prison. Marte is committed to hiring trainers who also were incarcerated, to create a community trying to break the cycle of recidivism. Two episodes of the six-part documentary series will screen at Sundance.
“God Save Texas” • Three directors tell stories of their home state, in an anthology series inspired by Lawrence Wright’s book, “God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State.” One, “Hometown Prison,” directed by Richard Linklater, a Sundance veteran, explores Huntsville, Texas, aka “Prison City.” Another, “The Price of Oil,” directed by Alex Stapleton (“Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” SFF ‘11), goes to Houston, to follow how the oil industry has shaped her family over nearly two centuries. The third, “La Frontera,” directed by Iliana Sosa, looks at the idea of “nepantla,” an embrace of in-betweenness, which characterizes both her Mexican heritage and her hometown of El Paso.
“Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza” • Director Michael John Warren chronicles how a 1991 concert festival that was to be a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction became a cultural movement. Two parts of the three-part limited docu-series will be screened at Sundance.
“The Synanon Fix” • The rise and fall of Synanon, a drug rehabilitation program that became what many consider a cult, is recounted by the members who lived it, in this documentary series directed by Rory Kennedy (“American Hollow,” SFF ‘99; “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” SFF ‘07; “Ethel,” SFF ‘12; “Last Days in Vietnam,” SFF ‘14; “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton,” SFF ‘17; “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing,” SFF ‘22) and written by Mark Bailey. The first two parts of this four-part series will screen at Sundance.
Episodic Pilot Showcase • Three works on one program: “Me/We,” directed by Nzingha Stewart and written by Rob McElhenney and Keyonna Taylor, in which a teen dancer must convince her overprotective brother to let her walk to school with her first crush; “La Mesías” (Spain), written and directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, about two siblings who live apart from their toxic mother but aren’t completely free of her; and “Penelope,” directed by Mel Eslyn and written by Eslyn and Mark Duplass, in which 16-year-old girl finds a home in the wilderness.
Spotlight
(Lilies Films) A 6-year-old girl (Louise Mauroy-Panzani) and her nanny (Ilça Moreno Zego) have a magical summer in director Marie Amachoukeli's "Àma Gloria" (France), an official selection in the Spotlight program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Àma Gloria” (France) • A 6-year-old girl (Louise Mauroy-Panzani) and her nanny (Ilça Moreno Zego) have one last summer together before the nanny returns to her own children in Cape Verde, in writer-director Marie Amachoukeli’s drama, which also stars Abnara Gomes Varela, Fredy Gomes Tavares, Arnaud Rebotini and Domingos Borges Almeida.
“Hit Man” • Director Richard Linklater (“Slacker,” SFF ‘91; “Before Sunrise,” SFF ‘95; “subUrbia,” SFF ‘96; “Waking Life,” SFF ‘01; “Tape,” SFF ‘01; “Boyhood,” SFF ‘14) co-wrote this fact-based action comedy with its star, Glen Powell — who plays a professor who discovers a talent as a fake hit man. The cast includes Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta and Sanjay Rao.
“How to Have Sex” (United Kingdom) • Three British teen girls go on holiday in Crete, drinking, dancing and hooking up — and deal with sex, consent and self-discovery. Writer-director Molly Manning Walker’s coming-of-age drama has a cast led by Mia McKenna-Bruce, Samuel Bottomley, Shaun Thomas, Lara Peake, Enva Lewis and Laura Ambler.
“The Mother of All Lies” (Morocco / Egypt / Saudi Arabia / Qatar) • Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir enlists her family and friends in this documentary, in which she re-creates her Casablanca neighborhood to dig into the lies built into her childhood.
Family Matinee
(Noah Greenberg | Sundance Institute) Phoebe-Rae Taylor stars in director Amber Sealey's "Out of My Mind," an official selection in the Family Matinee program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Out of My Mind” • Melody Brooks (Phoebe-Rae Taylor) is a headstrong sixth-grader, determined not to let her cerebral palsy — or being a nonverbal wheelchair user — stop her from speaking her mind. Directed by Amber Sealey and written by Daniel Stiepleman, the movie also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor and Judith Light.
“10 Lives” (United Kingdom) • A pampered cat (voiced by British presenter Mo Gilligan), rescued as a stray by Rose (voiced by Simone Ashley), loses his ninth life — leading fate to step in, in writer-director Christopher Jenkins’ animated tale. The voice cast includes Sophie Okonedo, Dylan Llewellyn, Zayn Malik and Bill Nighy.
Special Screenings
(Wolfgang Held | Sundance Institute) A group of former officials — including former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Gen. Wes Clark, Maj. Gen. Linda Singh, Elizabeth Neumann, Gwen Camp, Louis Caldera, Peter Strzok and David Priess — play out an attempted government coup in real time in "War Game," directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber, an official selection in the Special Screenings program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“War Game” • Documentarians Jesse Moss (“The Overnighters,” SFF ‘14) and Tony Gerber assemble a bipartisan group of American defense, intelligence and elected policymakers — representing five presidential administrations — for an unscripted role-playing exercise, to talk out what might happen if rogue military members staged a coup in the wake of a contested presidential election.
New Frontier
(Sundance Institute) An image from Charlie Rubin's participatory experience "Being (the Digital Griot)," an official selection in the New Frontier program of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
“Being (the Digital Griot)” • An AI griot, or storyteller, asks the audience to engage in challenging discussions in artist Rashaad Newsome’s participatory experience — which features sounds and movement using a data set from Black communities, theorists, poets and activists, including bell hooks, Paulo Freire, Dazié Grego-Sykes and Cornel West.
“Eno” (United States / United Kingdom) • Director Gary Hustwit (“Helvetica,” “Objectified”) profiles musician and artist Brian Eno — known for producing work by David Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads, as well as pioneering ambient music — in a “generative documentary” that festival programmers say is different every time it’s shown.
