2020 Sundance Titles In My Queue
Sundance has done a very good job of recreating the scarcity, the excitement of seeing films at the actual festival with their online format. To further replicate the Park City experience I intend to go about three miles from my house, take a bus back to it, and watch all the films with my windows open. As far as the Press access, as with years past, there are often conflicts between what you want to see and when you want to see it, at least the way they’re doing screeners for us. They are also encouraging us to watch everything we really want to watch as a Premiere. We have to “Favorite,” then “Reserve” these tickets. They’ll have limited amount of seats to these, much as you would any premiere in the Park City. If you miss that film you have a second chance the next day to catch the film in a Secondary Screening. You only get 10 of these. So, again, much as Toronto wisely did with their fest it's a limited window.
I typically chose Narrative features over Docs, mostly because narrative features tend to be seen by more people and have more cultural resonance than docs, though this is changing. I usually pick the Premieres over everything else because getting into the Premiere category means that your film is good enough to have beaten out, literally, thousands of other movies. With Tabitha Jackson now running the show as Festival Director I’m keen to see what her Premiere category looks like. Senior Film Editor, Keith Simanton
I typically chose Narrative features over Docs, mostly because narrative features tend to be seen by more people and have more cultural resonance than docs, though this is changing. I usually pick the Premieres over everything else because getting into the Premiere category means that your film is good enough to have beaten out, literally, thousands of other movies. With Tabitha Jackson now running the show as Festival Director I’m keen to see what her Premiere category looks like. Senior Film Editor, Keith Simanton
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25 titles
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.1/28: 5:00PM - Director Heder has been in Sundance before with TALLULAH in 2016 (where I was fortunate enough to interview her, Elliot Page and Allison Janney) and she's a wonderful light. She's been keeping herself busy on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and GLOW so watching how her storytelling has matured with be fascinating.
- DirectorPrano Bailey-BondStarsNiamh AlgarMichael SmileyNicholas BurnsAfter viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.1/28: 9:00PM. I'm such a wimp. I'm already squirming at the thought of watching this Midnight section selection. But the film stars the intriguing actress Niamh Algar (the android "mother" from RAISED BY WOLVES) and the film is co-writer and director was one of Variety’s "10 Directors to Watch."
- DirectorDash ShawStarsLake BellMichael CeraAlex KarpovskyCryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.1/29, 2:00PM - Writer/director Shaw was at Toronto in 2016 with his earlier animated effort, MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA. His voice actors here are stellar and include, in all this uniqueness Angeliki Papoulia, the lead actress from DOGTOOTH. Because of course she is.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsTrina CunninghamMike DavisDon HankinsAn investigation into our landscape's hidden fire stories and on-the-ground experiences of firefighters and residents struggling through deadly fires.1/29: 3:00 - If I was stack-ranking these movies, instead of putting them in screening order, this would be my #1 film. And it's entirely because it's done by one of my favorite people in the movie world, Lucy Walker. Yes, the twice-Oscar-nominated Walker. Yes, the maker of THE CRASH REEL, a favorite doc. of mine.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsJoel FryReece ShearsmithHayley SquiresAs the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run.1/29, 6:00. Which Ben Wheatley are we going to get here? A FIELD IN ENGLAND Wheatley? Or the upcoming director of THE MEG 2 Wheatley (actually, I kind of love that he's directing the MEG sequel)? The main image, of a person in shadow, carrying an ax, might mean a bit of both.
- DirectorHarpo GuitLenny GuitStarsMaxi DelmelleHarpo GuitClaire BodsonIssachar and Zabulon, two brothers in their twenties, are supremely stupid and never bored, as madness is part of their daily lives. When they lose their mother's beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it - or she will kick them out.1/29, 9:00PM - Another film from the Midnight program this has such a bizarre plot outline but I feel compelled to watch it. Plus the only other thing playing at 9:00 at night is REBEL HEARTS, a documentary about unconventional L.A. nuns (Don't get mad at me, I'm sure it's great and I'll feel terrible about missing it on its Premiere...I'll do a few "Hail Mary's" to make up for it.)
- DirectorMarilyn AgreloStarsFrank BiondoLinda BoveFran BrillTake a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.1/30, 9:00AM - This will be my fourth "Sesame Street" documentary at Sundance (including BEING ELMO, about Kevin Clash, which didn't age well) because Sundance and I seem to love "Sesame Street." This looks like the definitive origin story so I'm excited to learn more.
- DirectorJakub PiatekStarsBartosz BieleniaMagdalena PoplawskaAndrzej KlakOn New Year's Eve 1999, an armed man enters a TV studio during a broadcast, takes the host hostage and makes one demand: to give a message live on air.1/30, 12:00PM - If you didn't get to see deservedly Oscar-nominated CORPUS CHRISTI, please do. Bartosz Bielenia, the mesmerizing lead from that film is also the headliner here, from a first-time director.
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.1/30, 3:00PM - Rebecca Hall is an actress that I've always found to be witty and detailed. This is her directorial debut. Plus What A Cast (WAC).
- DirectorSean EllisStarsBoyd HolbrookKelly ReillyAlistair PetrieA brutal land baron massacres a Gypsy clan claiming his land, unleashing a curse that brings monstrous consequences to his village.1/30, 6:00PM - Ellis directed the ambitious ANTHROPOID. Both Reilly and Holbrook have been favorites of mine for a while now. Hope this works.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsNick BostromJoshua CookeErik DavisDocumentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.1/30, 9:00PM - Intriguing concept and the other premiere is about "ruthless drifters" and I've had enough of those in real life, thanks.
- DirectorIuli GerbaseStarsRenata de LélisEduardo MendonçaGirley PaesAfter a toxic and mysterious pink cloud appeared, Giovana finds herself stuck in a flat with a man she just met, changing her life in a way she never expected.1/30 Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I said last year that apocalyptic movies have a tough time at Sundance...and then I saw SAVE YOURSELVES!. This film looks much more somber than that lark.
- DirectorMariem Pérez RieraStarsRita MorenoJustina MachadoNorman LearA look at the life and work of Rita Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood.1/30 Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I had a chance to see Rita Moreno in concert. I sat next to a senior. After she amazed us for two hours, regaling
- DirectorKate TsangStarsMiya CechRhea PerlmanLeonardo NamA teenage delinquent teams up with a surly children's party magician to navigate her dysfunctional family and inner demons.1/31, 9:00AM - Sundance has a mixed history with these kind of quirky team-ups (THE WACKNESS comes back to me from 2008, just to annoy me) but, again, this is a Premiere film.
- DirectorNikole BeckwithStarsPatti HarrisonEd HelmsRosalind ChaoWhen a young loner becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.1/31, 12:00PM - I include this because, whenever I was talking to someone from Sundance, including the demonstrations on how to use the ticketing service this title kept being used as an example. "So, say you want to see TOGETHER TOGETHER..." I think it's subliminal. Plus I like Ed Helms.
- DirectorClint BentleyStarsClifton Collins Jr.Moises AriasMolly ParkerAn aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son.1/31, 3:00PM, - Three actors I respect: Cliff Collins Jr., Molly Parker and Moises Arias from a first time director. These are the kinds of films that can make Sundance sing.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsNicolas CageSofia BoutellaNick CassavetesA notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared.1/31, 6:00PM - Nicolas Cage.
- DirectorErin VassilopoulosStarsAlessandra MesaAni MesaPico AlexanderOn the run, Marian returns to her hometown to hide out with her identical twin sister, Vivian, altering the trajectory of both their lives.1/31, 9:00PM - Alternate - Vassilopoulos based this feature on his short of the same name from 2016. While some of the results of these heavily-work-shopped Sundance films don't actually work and can't be shopped around sometimes they are honed films, with a considered finesse to them.
- DirectorPhilippe LacôteStarsBakary KonéSteve TientcheuJean Cyrille DigbeuA young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.2/1, 3:00PM - So, someone at Sundance realized that 2/1 is a Monday and some people have other work to do. Thus this film and BLACKJUDAS are the only Narrative Premieres scheduled for today. I hope to catch JUDAS another way.
- DirectorSam HobkinsonStarsMisha DefonsecaKaren SchulmanJane DanielMisha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher - who turned detective - revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.2/1, Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) - I think we're all struggling with the fabulists of the world. What motivates them? This doc looks utterly fascinating.
- DirectorJane SchoenbrunStarsAnna CobbMichael J RogersTheo AnthonyAlone in her attic bedroom, teenager Casey becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, wherein she begins to document the changes that may or may not be happening to her.2/1, Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I don't have any other films from the NEXT section at Sundance (which programs the alternative films that just wouldn't play well with a general audience. Shoenbrun is a 1st time director.
- DirectorMona FastvoldStarsKatherine WaterstonVanessa KirbyCasey AffleckSomewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.2/2, 12:00PM, I'll just quote the Sundance guide here for my reasons: "Mona Fastvold’s rugged period romance, The World to Come, is adapted from Jim Shepard's 2017 short story of the same name and premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival."
- DirectorIsabel BethencourtParker HillIn the lazy days of a Texas summer, three teenage girls navigate friendship, relationships, and toxic masculinity as they make the transition to the adult world.Going to figure out if I can fit this in: There's a LAST PICTURE SHOW feel to the image provided for this doc. That's enough for me.
- DirectorChristopher Makoto YogiStarsSteve IwamotoConstance WuTim ChiouA family in Hawai'i faces the imminent death of their eldest as the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside.Going to figure out if I can fit this in: This movie. Right here. Know nothing about it. But maybe it's WHALE RIDER or MINARI or PALM SPRINGS.
- DirectorKaren CinorreStarsGrace Van PattenMia GothSokoAna is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating world, she realizes that she's not the killer they want her to be.Going to figure out if I can fit this in: A gothy/fantasy movie in the main competition? Must be good.