Written by Kianna Best on Jan 6, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

New titles announced for 2023 Sundance Film Festival

With just 13 days left, the Sundance Film Festival will kick off their in person events from 19 until 29 Jan, with an online curated programme starting from 24 Jan. Although under two weeks away, an additional nine films for the lineup of the festival programme have been announced. Of the total recent additions, five are world premiere feature films and the remaining four are award-winning films from previous Sundance Film Festivals.

 

“These five new films are cinematic experiences that delight, entertain, and keep us on the edge of our seats,” says Kim Yutani, Sundance Institute’s Director of Programming. “The works introduce us to new voices, along with directors we’re excited to welcome back to the Festival.”

 

The non-profit film festival has long been the platform for new and experienced filmmakers alike to show their works to audiences. From 2022 Oscar winner CODA, which is making a return for an encore special screening, to grand jury prize-winning horror Nanny, Sundance has granted its stage to a number of thought provoking creative projects to start of their rise to global renown.

 

 

Making its return to screens is Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s award-winning documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Winning the 2022 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, the project which captured the epic Black history event celebrating the culture and fashion of the community during the era, first started its winning streak in 2021 winning the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.

 

 

Competing in this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition is Beyond Utopia. Directed by Madeline Gavin, known for her 2016 projects City of Joy and Nerve, as well as her 2003 documentary What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices from Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison, this newest venture uses hidden camera footage following the perilous journeys of families attempting to escape oppression.

 

 

With a special screening, Peter Nicks will be bringing Stephen Curry: Underrated. Taking a chronological look at the four-time NBA champion’s rise to success, the documentary will follow Curry’s start as an unassuming college player, undersized and an unexpected contender for the biggest basketball franchise in the world.

 

 

Bought by A24 in August of last year, coming-of-age story Earth Mama will be making its premiere appearance at this year’s festival. From director, Olympian and Grammy nominee Savannah Leaf, the film follows a pregnant single mother who fights to reclaim her family and her two children in foster care, as she finds strength in her Bay Area community.

 

Also following the story of a single mother is Flora and Son, directed by John Carney. At war with her teenage son Max, Flora tries to rekindle and rebuild their relationship through the power of music. With the help of a beat-up guitar found in a dumpster, the mother-son duo hope to find a treasure in someone else’s trash. Starring Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon Levitt, Carney will bring his signature style to the rustic setting of Dublin to tell the story.

 

 

The finally final project of this slate of additions to be making its premiere at Sundance is Past Lives. Director Celine Song takes the audience through the story of Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends who are pulled apart by Nora’s emigration from South Korea. Reunited two decades later in New York, the two unpack their life and love decisions all in one week of reconnecting.

 

“Having four encore films play in Utah is truly a homecoming,” Yutani says. “While they reached audiences around the world, wherever they were, this year they will return to fuel the energy and excitement at the heart of the Sundance community.”

 

Here is the complete list of additions to the festival:

 

Beyond Utopia

Dir. Madeline Gavin

Available to watch in person

CODA

Dir. Siân Heder

Available to watch in person

Earth Mama

Dir. Savannah Leaf

Available to watch in person

Flora and Son

Dir. John Carney

Available to watch in person

Klondike

Dir. Maryna Er Gorbach

Navalny

Dir. Daniel Roher

Available to watch in person and online

Past Lives

Dir. Celine Song

Available to watch in person

Stephen Curry: Underrated

Dir. Peter Nicks

Available to watch in person

Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Dir. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Available to watch in person and online

Images courtesy of Sundance Institute