Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Aleksandar Valeriev Stanishev
As we speed towards 2019, we start to consider what films will mold our views and provide entertainment in the year to come. Yes, the super hero and sci-fi franchises will be back with vigor, but what about films and documentaries that make you exude emotion and ask yourself the tough questions. That is where festivals like Sundance come in, with an over-abundance of inclusion and foresight into the art cinema realm; we look towards the first film festival of the year to landmark topics that are current and timeless alike.
Last year, we delved into race and understanding with films like Monster, Sorry to Bother You and Blindspotting. True life situations and untold stories arose in the films The Tale, Private Life and Eighth Grade. And documentaries reigned supreme with entries like Won’t You Be My Neighbor and RGB.
As you can see, many of these titles have come into your world-view and shown on a screen before you. Not only that, but many are real and hopeful Oscar contenders, which is a testament not only to Sundance Film Festival and their film committee, but to the directors, actors and producers of these films. Making something that can be viewed early in the year and still hold true as outstanding at the end, is what emotional art-house or even mainstream cinema strives for.
“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.” Said Robert Redford, renowned actor and President / Founder of the Sundance Institute.
Recently, the list of some of the features to be found at Sundance 2019 was released and already we start to consider what will be our first guidepost in film to come and lead us into a new vision. As I view the titles, I look at not only the cast and plot, but some of the producers and directors involved. For they hold onto stories and ideas that define their craft for the right moments, to be seen first by the right audience.
Some of the films that caught my eye were:
• Before You Know It – (Director: Hannah Pearl Utt, Screenwriters: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, Producers: Mallory Schwartz, Josh Hetzler, James Brown) — A long-kept family secret thrusts codependent, thirty-something sisters Rachel and Jackie Gurner into a literal soap opera. A journey that proves that you really can come of age, at any age. Cast: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin, Mike Colter, Alec Baldwin.
• Big Time Adolescence (Director and screenwriter: Jason Orley, Producers: Jeremy Garelick, Mickey Liddell, Pete Shiliamon, Mason Novick, Will Phelps) — A suburban teenager comes of age under the destructive guidance of his best friend, a charismatic college dropout. Cast: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Jon Cryer, Sydney Sweeney, Emily Arlook, Colson Baker.
• The Farewell – (Director and screenwriter: Lulu Wang, Producers: Daniele Melia, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Chris Weitz, Andrew Miano, Anita Gou) — A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family’s decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time. Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo.
• WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES -(Director and screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Shinichi Takahashi, Tahei Tamanishi, Haruki Yokoyama, Haruhiko Hasegawa) — Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can’t cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions. Cast: Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima.
• Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile – (Director: Joe Berlinger, Screenwriter: Michael Werwie, Producers: Michael Costigan, Nicolas Chartier, Ara Keshishian, Michael Simkin) — A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years. Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment, Kaya Scodelario, John Malkovich, Jim Parsons.
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – (Director and screenwriter: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Producers: Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan) — Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aissa Maiga, Joseph Marcell.
• I Am Mother – (Director: Grant Sputore, Screenwriter: Michael Lloyd Green, Producers: Timothy White, Kelvin Munro) — In the wake of humanity’s extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news. Cast: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne, Hilary Swank.
• The Magic Life of V – (Director: Tonislav Hristov, Screenwriters: Tonislav Hristov, Kaarle Aho, Producers: Kaarle Aho, Kai Nordberg) — Haunted by childhood traumas, Veera is trying to become more independent through live roleplaying. As she guides herself and her mentally-challenged brother through worlds of multiple roles and identities, witches and wizards, she finds the courage to face the demons of her own past and her abusive father’s legacy.
A full list of the current 2019 Sundance slate can be found here.
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival will take place between January, 23 2019 and February 3rd, 2019.