Here’s what’s screening at the Sundance Film Festival 2021

The upcoming Sundance Film Festival is already set to break ground by becoming the venerable institution’s first ever hybrid virtual edition. With a mix of select events happening in person across the United States, and every single film screening on a custom designed online platform, it promises to bring exciting new films to movie lovers nationwide (and, in some cases, even globally).

Here’s what’s on tap for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the major feature film sections, as announced by the festival today:

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Presenting the world premieres of 10 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

“CODA”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Siân Heder; producers: Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger
As 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 love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin
World Premiere (Day One)

“I Was a Simple Man”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Christopher Makoto Yogi; producers: Sarah S. Kim, Christopher Makoto Yogi, Matthew Petock, Yamato Cibulka
As a family in Hawaii faces the imminent death of its eldest, the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside.
Cast: Steve Iwamoto, Constance Wu, Kanoa Goo, Chanel Akiko Hirai, Tim Chiou, Boonyanudh Jiyarom
World Premiere

“Jockey”
U.S.A.
Director: Clint Bentley; screenwriters: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Nancy Schafer
An aging jockey is determined to win one last championship, but his dream is complicated when a young rookie shows up claiming to be his son.
Cast: Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias
World premiere

“John and the Hole”
U.S.A.
Director: Pascual Sisto; screenwriter: Nicolás Giacobone; producers: Elika Portnoy, Alex Orlovsky, Mike Bowes
A nontraditional coming-of-age story, set in the unsettling reality of John, a kid who holds his family captive in a hole in the ground.
Cast: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga
World premiere

“Mayday”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Karen Cinorre; producers: Jonah Disend, Lucas Joaquin, Karen Cinorre, Sam Levy
Ana is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins a team of female soldiers engaged in a never-ending war along a rugged coast. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating world, she comes to realize that she’s not the killer they want her to be.
Cast: Grace Van Patten, Mia Goth, Havana Rose Liu, Soko, Théodore Pellerin, Juliette Lewis
World premiere

“On the Count of Three”
U.S.A.
Director: Jerrod Carmichael; screenwriters: Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch; producers: David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, Tom Werner, Jake Densen, Ari Katcher, Jimmy Price
Two guns. Two best friends. And a pact to end their lives when the day is done.
Cast: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, Lavell Crawford, Henry Winkler
World premiere

“Passing”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Rebecca Hall; producers: Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Margot Hand, Rebecca Hall
Two African American women who can “pass” as white choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in 1929 New York in an exploration of racial and gender identity, performance, obsession and repression. Based on the novella by Nella Larsen.
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp
World premiere

“Superior”
U.S.A.
Director: Erin Vassilopoulos; screenwriters: Erin Vassilopoulos, Alessandra Mesa; producers: Benjamin Cohen, Grant Curatola, Patrick Donovan
On the run, Marian returns to her hometown in upstate New York to hide out with her estranged identical twin sister, Vivian. Struggling to put the past behind her, Marian lies about the reason for her return, leaving her sister in the dark until their two worlds begin to collide.
Cast: Alessandra Mesa, Ani Mesa, Pico Alexander, Jake Hoffman, Stanley Simons
World Premiere

“Together Together”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith; producers: Anthony Brandonisio, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Tim Headington
When young loner Anna is hired as the surrogate for Matt, a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
Cast: Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro, Julio Torres, Anna Konkle
World premiere

“Wild Indian”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.; producers: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., Thomas Mahoney, Eric Tavitian
Two men are inextricably bound after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. After years of separation following wildly divergent paths, they must finally confront how their traumatic secret has irrevocably shaped their lives.
Cast: Michael Greyeyes, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, Phoenix Wilson, Julian Gopal
World premiere

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

Ten world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day.

“Ailey”
U.S.A.
Director: Jamila Wignot; producer: Lauren DeFilippo
Alvin Ailey was a visionary artist who found salvation through dance. Told in his own words and through the creation of a dance inspired by his life, this immersive portrait follows a man who, when confronted by a world that refused to embrace him, determined to build one that would.
World premiere

“All Light, Everywhere”
U.S.A.
Director: Theo Anthony; producers: Riel Roch-Decter, Sebastian Pardo, Jonna McKone
An exploration of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice. As surveillance technologies become a fixture in everyday life, the film interrogates the complexity of an objective point of view, probing the biases inherent in both human perception and the lens.
World premiere

“At the Ready”
U.S.A.
Director: Maisie Crow; producers: Hillary Pierce, Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault
Home to one of the region’s largest law enforcement education programs, Horizon High School in El Paso trains students to become police officers and border patrol agents as they discover the realities of their dream jobs may be at odds with the truths and people they hold most dear.
World premiere

“Cusp”
U.S.A.
Directors: Parker Hill, Isabel Bethencourt; producers: Zachary Luke Kislevitz, Parker Hill, Isabel Bethencourt
In a Texas military town, three teenage girls confront the dark corners of adolescence at the end of a fever dream summer.
World premiere

“Homeroom”
U.S.A.
Director: Peter Nicks; producers: Peter Nicks, Sean Havey
Following the class of 2020 at Oakland High School in a year marked by seismic change, exploring the emotional world of teenagers coming of age against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.
World premiere

“Rebel Hearts”
U.S.A.
Director: Pedro Kos; producers: Kira Carstensen, Shawnee Isaac-Smith, Judy Korin
Pioneering nuns bravely stand up to the Catholic Church patriarchy, fighting for their livelihoods, convictions and equality against an all-powerful cardinal. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women’s March in 2018, these women have reshaped our society with their bold acts of defiance.
World premiere

“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It”
U.S.A.
Director: Mariem Pérez Riera; producers: Brent Miller, Mariem Pérez Riera, Ilia J. Vélez-Dávila
Rita Moreno defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become one of a select group who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Over a 70-year career, she has paved the way for Hispanic American performers by refusing to be pigeonholed into one-dimensional stereotypes.
World premiere

“Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
U.S.A.
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson; producers: David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost — until now.
World premiere (Day One)

“Try Harder!”
U.S.A.
Director: Debbie Lum; producers: Debbie Lum, Lou Nakasako, Nico Opper
In a universe where cool kids are nerds, the orchestra is world class and being Asian American is the norm, seniors at Lowell High School compete for the top prize: admission to the college of their dreams.
World premiere

“Users”
U.S.A., Mexico
Director: Natalia Almada; producers: Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, Josh Penn
A mother wonders, will my children love their perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She switches on a smart-crib lulling her crying baby to sleep. This perfect mother is everywhere. She watches over us, takes care of us. We listen to her. We trust her.
World premiere

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Ten films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.

“The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet”
Argentina
Director: Ana Katz; screenwriters: Ana Katz, Gonzalo Delgado; producers: Laura Huberman, Ana Katz
Sebastian, a man in his 30s, works a series of temporary jobs and embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.
Cast: Daniel Katz, Julieta Zylberberg, Valeria Lois, Mirella Pascual, Carlos Portaluppi
World premiere

“El Planeta”
U.S.A., Spain
Director and screenwriter: Amalia Ulman; producers: Amalia Ulman, Kathleen Heffernan, Kweku Mandela
Amidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, mother and daughter bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they deserve, bonding over common tragedy and an impending eviction.
Cast: Amalia Ulman, Ale Ulman, Nacho Vigalondo, Zhou Chen, Saoirse Bertram
World premiere

“Fire in the Mountains”
India
Director and screenwriter: Ajitpal Singh; producers: Ajay Rai, Alan McAlex
A mother toils to save money to build a road in a Himalayan village to take her wheelchair-bound son for physiotherapy, but her husband, who believes that an expensive religious ritual is the remedy, steals her savings.
Cast: Vinamrata Rai, Chandan Bisht, Mayank Singh Jaira, Harshita Tewari, Sonal Jha
World premiere

“Hive”
Kosovo, Switzerland, Macedonia, Albania
Director and screenwriter: Blerta Basholli; producers: Yll Uka, Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka
Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo. She sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision: to wait for his return or to continue to persevere.
Cast: Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Kaona Sylejmani
World premiere

“Human Factors”
Germany, Italy, Denmark
Director and screenwriter: Ronny Trocker; producers: Susanne Mann, Paul Zischler, Martin Rehbock
A mysterious housebreaking exposes the agony of an exemplary middle class family.
Cast: Sabine Timoteo, Mark Waschke, Jule Hermann, Wanja Valentin Kube, Hannes Perkmann, Daniel Séjourné
World premiere

“Luzzu”
Malta
Director and screenwriter: Alex Camilleri; producers: Rebecca Anastasi, Ramin Bahrani, Alex Camilleri, Oliver Mallia
Jesmark, a struggling fisherman on the island of Malta, is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by entering the world of black market fishing to provide for his girlfriend and newborn baby.
Cast: Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia, David Scicluna
World premiere

“One for the Road”
China, Hong Kong, Thailand
Director: Baz Poonpiriya; screenwriters: Baz Poonpiriya, Nottapon Boonprakob, Puangsoi Aksornsawang; producer: Wong Kar Wai
Boss is a consummate ladies’ man, a free spirit and a bar owner in NYC. One day he gets a surprise call from Aood, an estranged friend who has returned home to Thailand. Dying of cancer, Aood enlists Boss’ help to complete a bucket list — but both are hiding something.
Cast: Tor Thanapob, Ice Natara, Violette Wautier, Aokbab Chutimon, Ploi Horwang, Noon Siraphun
World premiere (Day One)

“The Pink Cloud”
Brazil
Director and screenwriter: Iuli Gerbase; producer: Patricia Barbieri
A mysterious and deadly pink cloud appears across the globe, forcing everyone to stay home. Strangers at the outset, Giovana and Yago try to invent themselves as a couple as years of shared lockdown pass. While Yago is living in his own utopia, Giovana feels trapped deep inside.
Cast: Renata de Lélis, Eduardo Mendonça
World premiere

“Pleasure”
Sweden, Netherlands, France
Director and screenwriter: Ninja Thyberg; producers: Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, Erik Hemmendorff
A 20-year-old girl moves from her small town in Sweden to L.A. for a shot at a career in the adult film industry.
Cast: Sofia Kappel, Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade
World premiere

“Prime Time”
Poland
Director: Jakub Piątek; screenwriters: Jakub Piątek, Łukasz Czapski; producer: Jakub Razowski
On the last day of 1999, 20-yearold Sebastian locks himself in a TV studio. He has two hostages, a gun and a message for the world. The story of the attack explores a rebel’s extreme measures and last resort.
Cast: Bartosz Bielenia, Magdalena Popławska, Andrzej Kłak, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Dobromir Dymecki, Monika Frajczyk
World premiere

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Ten documentaries by some of the boldest filmmakers working around the world today.

“Faya Dayi”
Ethiopia, U.S.A.
Director, screenwriter and producer: Jessica Beshir
A spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar, immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf Sufi Muslims chewed for centuries for religious meditations — and Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. A tapestry of intimate stories offers a window into the dreams of youth under a repressive regime.
World premiere

“Flee”
Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen; producers: Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Amin arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Denmark from Afghanistan. Today, he is a successful academic and is getting married to his longtime boyfriend. A secret he has been hiding for 20 years threatens to ruin the life he has built.
World premiere (Day One)

“Inconvenient Indian”
Canada
Director and screenwriter: Michelle Latimer; producers: Stuart Henderson, Justine Pimlott, Jesse Wente
An examination of Thomas King’s brilliant dismantling of North America’s colonial narrative, which reframes history with the powerful voices of those continuing the tradition of Indigenous resistance.
International premiere

“Misha and the Wolves”
United Kingdom, Belgium
Director and screenwriter: Sam Hobkinson; producers: Poppy Dixon, Al Morrow, Matthew Wells, Gregory Zalcman, Jürgen Buedts
A woman’s Holocaust memoir takes the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher-turned-detective reveals her story as an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.
World premiere

“The Most Beautiful Boy in the World”
Sweden
Directors: Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri; producer: Stina Gardell
Swedish actor-musician Björn Andresen’s life was forever changed at the age of 15, when he played Tadzio, the object of Dirk Bogarde’s obsession in “Death in Venice” — a role which led Italian maestro Luchino Visconti to dub him “the world’s most beautiful boy.”
World premiere

“Playing With Sharks”
Australia
Director and screenwriter: Sally Aitken; producer: Bettina Dalton
Valerie Taylor is a shark fanatic and an Australian icon — a marine maverick who forged her way as a fearless diver, cinematographer and conservationist. She filmed the real sharks for “Jaws” and famously wore a chainmail suit, using herself as shark bait, changing our scientific understanding of sharks forever.
World premiere

“President”
Denmark, U.S.A., Norway
Director: Camilla Nielsson; producers: Signe Byrge Sørensen, Joslyn Barnes
Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The leader of the opposition MDC party, Nelson Chamisa, challenges the old guard ZANU-PF led by Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as “The Crocodile.” The election tests both the ruling party and the opposition — how do they interpret principles of democracy in discourse and in practice?
World premiere

“Sabaya”
Sweden
Director and screenwriter: Hogir Hirori; producers: Antonio Russo Merenda, Hogir Hirori
With just a mobile phone and a gun, Mahmud, Ziyad and their group risk their lives trying to save Yazidi women and girls being held by ISIS as Sabaya (abducted sex slaves) in the most dangerous camp in the Middle East, Al-Hol in Syria.
World premiere

“Taming the Garden”
Switzerland, Germany, Georgia
Director Salomé Jashi; producers: Vadim Jendreyko, Erik Winker, Martin Roelly, Salomé Jashi
A poetic ode to the rivalry between men and nature.
World premiere

“Writing With Fire”
India
Directors and producers: Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, chief reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues and within the confines of their own homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.
World premiere

NEXT

Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program.

“The Blazing World”
U.S.A.
Director: Carlson Young; screenwriters: Carlson Young, Pierce Brown; producers: Brinton Bryan, Elizabeth Avellán
Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive young woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sister may still be alive.
Cast: Udo Kier, Carlson Young, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw, John Karna, Soko
World premiere

“Cryptozoo”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Dash Shaw; producers: Kyle Martin, Jane Samborski, Bill Way, Tyler Davidson
As cryptozookeepers struggle to capture a Baku (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature), they begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a cryptozoo or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown.
Cast: Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Angeliki Papoulia, Zoe Kazan, Peter Stormare, Grace Zabriskie
World premiere

“First Date”
U.S.A.
Directors and screenwriters: Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp; producers: Brandon Kraus, Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp, Lucky McKee, Charles Horak
After being conned into buying a shady ’65 Chrysler, Mike’s first date with the girl next-door, Kelsey, implodes as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops and a crazy cat lady. A night fueled by desire, bullets and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park.
Cast: Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos, Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Ryan Quinn Adams, Brandon Kraus
World premiere

“Ma Belle, My Beauty”
U.S.A., France
Director and screenwriter: Marion Hill; producers: Ben Matheny, Kelsey Scult, Marion Hill
A surprise reunion in southern France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
Cast: Idella Johnson, Hannah Pepper, Lucien Guignard, Sivan Noam Shimon
World premiere

“R#J”
U.S.A.
Director: Carey Williams; screenwriters: Carey Williams, Rickie Castaneda, Alex Sobolev; producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Igor Tsay, John J. Kelly, Alex Sobolev, Anna Soboleva
A re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, taking place through their cellphones, in a mash-up of Shakespearean dialogue with current social media communication.
Cast: Camaron Engels, Francesca Noel, David Zayas, Diego Tinoco, Siddiq Saunderson, Russell Hornsby
World premiere

“Searchers”
U.S.A.
Director: Pacho Velez; producers: Pacho Velez, Joe Poletto, Cathy Tankosic, Sam Roseme
In encounters alternately humorous and touching, a diverse set of New Yorkers navigate their preferred dating apps in search of their special someone.
World premiere

“Son of Monarchs”
Mexico, U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Alexis Gambis; producers: Abraham Dayan, Maria Altamirano
After his grandmother’s death, a Mexican biologist living in New York returns to his hometown, nestled in the majestic monarch butterfly forests of Michoacán. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his hybrid identity, sparking a personal and spiritual metamorphosis.
Cast: Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Alexia Rasmussen, Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez, Noé Hernández, Paulina Gaitán, William Mapother

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize

“Strawberry Mansion”
U.S.A.
Directors and screenwriters: Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley; producers: Taylor Shung, Sarah Winshall, Emma Hannaway, Matisse Rifai
In a world where the government records and taxes dreams, an unassuming dream auditor gets swept up in a cosmic journey through the life and dreams of an aging eccentric named Bella. Together, they must find a way back home.
Cast: Penny Fuller, Kentucker Audley, Grace Glowicki, Reed Birney, Linas Phillips, Constance Shulman
World premiere

“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Jane Schoenbrun; producers: Sarah Winshall, Carlos Zozaya
A teenage girl becomes immersed in an online role-playing game.
Cast: Anna Cobb, Michael J. Rogers
World premiere

PREMIERES

A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly-anticipated fiction and nonfiction films of the coming year.

“Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir”
U.S.A.
Director: James Redford; producers: Karen Pritzker, Cassandra Jabola
Amy Tan has established herself as one of America’s most respected literary voices. Born to Chinese immigrant parents, it would be decades before the author of “The Joy Luck Club” would fully understand the inherited trauma rooted in the legacies of women who survived the Chinese tradition of concubinage.
World premiere (documentary)

“Bring Your Own Brigade”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Lucy Walker; producers: Lucy Walker, Julian Cautherley, Holly Becker, Lyn Lear
A character-driven verité and revelatory investigation takes us on a journey embedded with firefighters and residents on a mission to understand the causes of historically large wildfires and how to survive them, discovering that the solution has been here all along.
World premiere (Documentary)

“Eight for Silver”
U.S.A., France
Director and screenwriter: Sean Ellis; producers: Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Sean Ellis
In the late 1800s, a man arrives in a remote country village to investigate an attack by a wild animal but discovers a much deeper, sinister force that has both the manor and the townspeople in its grip.
Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, Roxane Duran, Aine Rose Daly
World premiere (narrative)

“How it Ends”
U.S.A.
Directors, screenwriters and producers: Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones
On the last day on Earth, one woman goes on a journey through L.A. to make it to her last party before the world ends, running into an eclectic cast of characters along the way.
Cast: Zoe Lister-Jones, Cailee Spaeny, Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen, Helen Hunt, Lamorne Morris
World premiere (narrative)

“In the Earth”
United Kingdom
Director and screenwriter: Ben Wheatley; producer: Andy Starke
As a disastrous virus grips the planet, a scientist and a park scout venture deep into the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness as the forest comes to life around them.
Cast: Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, Reece Shearsmith
World premiere (narrative)

“In the Same Breath”
U.S.A.
Director: Nanfu Wang; producers: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn
How did the Chinese government turn pandemic coverups in Wuhan into a triumph for the Communist Party? An essential narrative of firsthand accounts of the coronavirus, and a revelatory examination of how propaganda and patriotism shaped the outbreak’s course — both in China and in the U.S.
World premiere (documentary, Day One)

“Land”
U.S.A.
Director: Robin Wright; screenwriters: Jesse Chatham, Erin Dignam; producers: Allyn Stewart, Lora Kennedy, Leah Holzer, Peter Saraf
The story of one woman’s search, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness.
Cast: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Kim Dickens
World premiere (narrative)

“Marvelous and the Black Hole”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Kate Tsang; producer: Carolyn Mao
A teenage delinquent befriends a surly magician who helps her navigate her inner demons and dysfunctional family with sleight of hand magic, in a coming-of-age comedy that touches on unlikely friendships, grief, and finding hope in the darkest moments.
Cast: Miya Cech, Rhea Perlman, Leonardo Nam, Kannon Omachi, Paulina Lule, Keith Powell
World premiere (narrative)

“Mass”
U.S.A.
Director and screenwriter: Fran Kranz; producers: Fran Kranz, Casey Wilder Mott, JP Ouellette, Dylan Matlock
Years after a tragic shooting, the parents of both the victim and the perpetrator meet face to face.
Cast: Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney
World premiere (narrative)

“My Name Is Pauli Murray”
U.S.A.
Directors: Betsy West, Julie Cohen; producer: Talleah Bridges McMahon
Overlooked by history, Pauli Murray was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall’s landmark civil rights arguments. Featuring never-before-seen footage and audio recordings, a portrait of Murray’s impact as a nonbinary Black luminary: lawyer, activist, poet and priest who transformed our world.
World premiere (documentary)

“Philly D.A.”
U.S.A.
Created by: Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicole Salazar; producers: Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicole Salazar, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald
A groundbreaking inside look at the long-shot election and tumultuous first term of Larry Krasner, Philadelphia’s unapologetic district attorney, and his experiment to upend the criminal justice system from the inside out.
World premiere (episodic documentary)

“Prisoners of the Ghostland”
U.S.A.
Director: Sion Sono; screenwriters: Aaron Hendry, Reza Sixo Safai; producers: Michael Mendelsohn, Laura Rister, Ko Mori, Reza Sixo Safai, Nate Bolotin
A notorious criminal is sent to rescue an abducted woman who has disappeared into a dark supernatural universe. They must break the evil curse that binds them and escape the mysterious revenants that rule the Ghostland, an East-meets-West vortex of beauty and violence.
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi, Yuzuka Nakaya.
World premiere (narrative)

“The Sparks Brothers”
United Kingdom
Director: Edgar Wright; producers: Nira Park, Edgar Wright, George Hencken, Laura Richardson
How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron and Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.
World premiere (documentary)

“Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street”
U.S.A.
Director: Marilyn Agrelo; producers: Trevor Crafts, Ellen Scherer Crafts, Lisa Diamond
How did a group of rebels create the world’s most famous street? In 1969 New York, this “gang” of mission-driven artists, writers and educators catalyzed a moment of civil awakening, transforming it into “Sesame Street,” one of the most influential and influential television programs in history.
World premiere (documentary)

MIDNIGHT

From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour.

“Censor”
United Kingdom
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond; screenwriters: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher; producer: Helen Jones
When film censor Enid discovers an eerie horror that speaks directly to her sister’s mysterious disappearance, she resolves to unravel the puzzle behind the film and its enigmatic director — a quest blurring the lines between fiction and reality in terrifying ways.
Cast: Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller, Michael Smiley
World premiere (Day One)

“Coming Home in the Dark”
New Zealand
Director: James Ashcroft; screenwriters: Eli Kent, James Ashcroft; producers: Mike Minogue, Catherine Fitzgerald, Desray Armstrong
A family’s outing descends into terror when teacher Alan Hoaganraad, his wife, Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon explore an isolated coastline. An unexpected meeting with a pair of drifters, the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his accomplice Tubs, thrusts the family into a nightmare when they find themselves captured.
Cast: Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell, Matthias Luafutu
World premiere

“A Glitch in the Matrix”
U.S.A.
Director: Rodney Ascher; producer: Ross M. Dinerstein
A multimedia exploration of simulation theory — an idea as old as Plato’s “Republic” and as current as Elon Musk’s Twitter feed — through the eyes of those who suspect our world isn’t real. Part sci-fi mind-scrambler, part horror story, this is a digital journey to the limits of radical doubt.
World premiere

“Knocking”
Sweden
Director: Frida Kempff; screenwriter: Emma Broström; producer: Erik Andersson
When Molly moves into her new apartment after a tragic accident, a strange noise from upstairs begins to unnerve her. As its intensity grows, she confronts her neighbors — but no one seems to hear what she is hearing.
Cast: Cecilia Milocco
World premiere

“Mother Schmuckers”
Belgium
Directors and screenwriters: Lenny Guit, Harpo Guit; producers: David Borgeaud, Erika Meda
Issachar and Zabulon, two brothers in their 20s, 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.
Cast: Harpo Guit, Maxi Delmelle, Claire Bodson, Mathieu Amalric, Habib Ben Tanfous
World premiere

“Violation”
Canada
Directors, screenwriters and producers: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli
A troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.
Cast: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo, Cynthia Ashperger
International premiere

SPOTLIGHT

The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love from throughout the past year.

“Night of the Kings”
France, Ivory Coast, Canada, Senegal
Director and screenwriter: Philippe Lacôte; producers: Delphine Jaquet, Yanick Létourneau, Ernest Konan, Yoro Mbaye
A young man is sent to La Maca, a prison on the 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.
Cast: Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Denis Lavant.

“The World to Come”
U.S.A.
Director: Mona Fastvold; screenwriters: Ron Hansen, Jim Shepard; producers: Casey Affleck, Whitaker Lader, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa, Margarethe Baillou
Somewhere 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.
Cast: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott.
North American premiere

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“Life in a Day 2020”
United Kingdom, U.S.A.
Director: Kevin Macdonald; producers: Jack Arbuthnott, Tim Partridge
An extraordinary, intimate, global portrait of life on our planet, filmed by thousands of people across the world, on a single day: July 25, 2020.
World premiere

Details on the New Frontier, Shorts and Indie Series lineups can be found at the Sundance official site.