Sundance is in full swing. Just as the altitude headaches, -10°C temps and trudges up and down Main Street start to feel a little Shining-esque, a good party, a refreshing film and a powerful panel make it feel worth it again. I’ve collected more promotional beanies than Los Angeles weather calls for, eaten Real Housewives of Salt Lake City-brand caviar, but also watched audiences moved to standing ovation at more than one screening and felt sparks of hope and invigoration in our industry - despite the challenges.
Our festival coverage includes previous pieces on Debut Directors, Editors and World Doc picks. Stay tuned for upcoming features on Cinematographers, Directors, and more. You can follow our Instagram for takeovers from the film teams of The Dating Game; Prime Minister; Coexistence, My Ass; and Heightened Scrutiny.
With multiple premieres, panels, and parties all happening at once, no one can take it all in. We’ve been tracking films that are resonating for critics. We asked film teams to share photos from some of their favorite moments. Thanks to all who responded to our call…
Seeds directed by Brittany Shyne
Indiewire review: “Seeds requires patience. Clocking in at over two hours, [director Brittany] Shyne takes her time. You have to orient yourself to the slow rhythms of the piece, which encourage you to relish in these quiet moments. But it’s an incredibly rewarding journey, a film indebted to the past that feels brilliantly alive.”
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
The Hollywood Reporter review: “In Sly Lives! Questlove sets out to understand the tensions faced by Black geniuses, artists who always seem ahead of the curve and whose talents defy comprehension. He uses Stone — a person whom the award winning DJ and producer has long admired — to illustrate a broader thesis about what the United States wants from Black celebrities, and what happens when those expectations aren’t met.”
The Stringer directed by Bao Nguyen
Vanity Fair article: “To this viewer, at least, the power of the film does not reside in the filmmakers’ investigative ingenuity. The movie rises and falls on the testimony of Nghe— and the memories movingly recounted by his family members, including his daughters and his brother-in-law, Tran Van Than. These accounts are riveting. In the midst of director Bao Nguyen’s mournful and haunting narrative — reminiscent in some ways of Malik Bendjelloul’s 2012 classic Searching for Sugar Man — Nghe’s disconsolate yet matter-of-fact tale, as well as his personal backstory, provide the strongest argument that [Carl] Robinson’s contention may actually hold water.”
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