Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck remember the feeling of being the new kids at the In 2004, they鈥檇 come to Park City, Utah, armed with a short film 鈥淕owanus, Brooklyn,鈥� some homemade promotional postcards and dreams of breaking through. Their short not only won a prize that year but also enough support to make the feature version, 鈥淗alf Nelson,鈥� which would later earn his first Oscar nomination.
鈥淚 remember being like, oh my God, this festival has been around 20 years, it鈥檚 such an old festival,鈥� Boden said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 20 years later and we鈥檙e the old people.鈥�
Of course, 鈥渙ld鈥� is relative when it comes to a discovery festival like Sundance, where directors fresh out of film school can get a shot Remember, Kevin Smith was just 23 when he brough 鈥淐lerks鈥� to Park City. Like many of their contemporaries that started at Sundance 鈥� including Steven Soderbergh, who is also coming with a new film, 鈥淧resence鈥� 鈥� Boden and Fleck have gone on to bigger projects, including
But the Sundance romance hasn鈥檛 dulled.
Their new film debuts Thursday, , at the storied Eccles Theater. 鈥淔reaky Tales鈥� is a love letter to Fleck鈥檚 hometown, Oakland, in the 1980s 鈥� music, history and the movies of the time 鈥� featuring Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne and Ben Mendelsohn.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a movie lover鈥檚 movie,鈥� Boden teased. 鈥淚t has one foot in reality and then one foot just launches off into fantasy.鈥�
The first day also boasts the world premieres of several high-profile documentaries, including 鈥淕irls State,鈥� 鈥淧ower鈥� and 鈥淔rida,鈥� directed by Emmy-nominated editor Carla Guti茅rrez, and playing in the U.S. documentary competition.
As an immigrant and a former art student, Guti茅rrez has long admired In 鈥淔rida,鈥� she uses Kahlo鈥檚 words from her diary, letters and essays to let the artist tell her own story.
鈥淯ncovering her own words and her own voice, I think what we鈥檙e presenting is a new way of getting into her world and in her mind and her heart and really understanding the art in a more intimate, raw way,鈥� Guti茅rrez said.
Other anticipated documentaries playing across various sections include 鈥淒aughters,鈥� about four young girls reuniting with their incarcerated fathers at a dance, 鈥淕aucho Gaucho,鈥� from , 鈥淪ue Bird: In the Clutch,鈥� 鈥淒EVO,鈥� 鈥淪uper/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,鈥� 鈥淪eeking Mavis Beacon,鈥� and 鈥淭he Greatest Night in Pop,鈥� featuring never-before-seen footage about the making of 鈥淲e Are The World.鈥� The programmers are also predicting that 鈥淲ill & Harper,鈥� about a road trip Will Ferrell takes with his friend of 30 years who has come out as a trans woman, will be a big crowd pleaser.
As always, an army of celebrities are expected to descend on Park City, including Kristen Stewart, with two buzzy films ("Love Me" and 鈥淟ove Lies Bleeding鈥�), Saoirse Ronan, Sebastian Stan, Glen Powell, Woody Harrelson, Steven Yeun, Lucy Liu, Aubrey Plaza, Melissa Barrera and Laura Linney.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is also bringing his sophomore feature, 鈥淩ob Peace,鈥� a biographical drama about the tragically short life of a brilliant kid from East Orange, New Jersey, which he wrote, directed and co-stars in alongside Jay Will, Mary J. Blige and Camila Cabello.
鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate to be there many times as an actor and a director as well,鈥� Ejiofor said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream to take this film there as well. It鈥檚 an American story, it鈥檚 an independent film and it wants to sit in that world.鈥�
Sundance programmers culled through 17,435 submissions to arrive at the 83 feature films playing across the 10 days, featuring a diverse mix of behind-the-camera talent. There are new episodic projects from Debra Granik and Richard Linklater, as well as 31 feature debuts.
Guti茅rrez is one of those first-time directors, as is Titus Kaphar, an acclaimed contemporary artist and MacArthur Fellow who is making his narrative debut with the competition title 鈥淓xhibiting Forgiveness.鈥� Featuring Andr茅 Holland and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Kaphar uses his own paintings to tell this very personal story of an artist who is visited by his estranged father (John Earl Jelks). He wanted to find a way to talk to his children about his life experience and examine generational trauma in a new medium, and he鈥檚 honored to have the festival鈥檚 support.
鈥淢y favorite films are Sundance films,鈥� Kaphar said. 鈥淭o be allowed into this new community of artists, a community of directors and filmmakers 鈥� it鈥檚 pretty extraordinary.鈥�
The excitement isn鈥檛 lost on Sundance mainstays like Jesse Eisenberg, who has been going to the festival since 鈥淭he Squid and the Whale.鈥� This year, he鈥檚 bringing a film that he鈥檚 been wanting to make for almost as long. In 鈥淎 Real Pain,鈥� which he wrote and directed, he plays an American who travels to Poland with his cousin (Culkin) to see where their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, was from.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about how we kind of view modern pain versus historical pain, but not in a didactic way. I didn鈥檛 want the movie to feel like homework,鈥� Eisenberg said. 鈥淚 wanted it to feel funny and light and only contemplative like that in retrospect.鈥�
And everyone has different ways of experiencing their films at Sundance. Boden and Fleck are especially looking forward to a 鈥渞aucous鈥� crowd at the Eccles. Eisenberg will probably step out when the lights go down 鈥� he knows from experience that it makes him too anxious.
鈥淢y nerves are a little redirected towards hoping people like it in a kind of holistic way, rather than just my acting,鈥� said Eisenberg. He also appears in another highly anticipated film: 鈥淪asquatch Sunset,鈥� from David and Nathan Zellner, in which he and Riley Keough are unrecognizable as a family of, yes, sasquatches.
The Robert Redford-founded festival is, mostly, forward thinking 鈥� but they are taking some time to appreciate the art that has come out of Sundance over four decades. Just take a look at the 鈥渁ll-time top 10鈥� released Tuesday, voted on by more than 500 filmmakers, critics, and industry members. The list of classics includes: Joel and Ethan Coen鈥檚 鈥淏lood Simple鈥� (10th), Soderbergh鈥檚 鈥渟ex, lies and videotape鈥� (sixth), Jordan Peele鈥檚 鈥淕et Out鈥� (third) and Damien Chazelle鈥檚 鈥淲hiplash鈥� (first).
The question now is what will pop from the 2024 festival. Will audiences see the next 鈥淏efore Sunrise,鈥� 鈥淢emento,鈥� 鈥淵 tu mam谩 tambi茅n,鈥� 鈥淟ittle Miss Sunshine,鈥� or 鈥淩eservoir Dogs,鈥� and other films that have transcended their humble indie roots to become all-time classics? Will there be another Oscar nominee, or winner?
Festival director Eugene Hernandez noted a vibrancy in the lineup that reminded him of his earliest days going to the festival, in the 1990s.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a rich, rich combination of films that I that I think exhibit some really wild and adventurous creativity,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淭hat is really nourishing in a year when we鈥檙e acknowledging and marking this 40th edition of Sundance.鈥�
The Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 18 through Jan. 28.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
