While the pandemic disrupted the film industry in 2020, Sundance managed to take place that year just before the shutdowns, launching future Best Picture winner “CODA” into an unpredictable landscape. Now, the market and culture of moviegoing remains in flux, and Sundance is poised to return to the scene just in time to launch a wide array of movies into that ever-changing climate. And there are a lot of movies in contention. After countless productions were put on hold at the start of the pandemic, they’ve been revving back to action over the past year, and many filmmakers have been waiting for the prospects of a boisterous Sundance premiere for months. As usual, programmers are digging through thousands of submissions as they hustle to lock the lineup in time for Thanksgiving, with the lineup poised to be announced in late November.
In the meantime, IndieWire’s Sundance wish list is back to gather the buzz on many of the most promising movies angling for a slot at America’s highest-profile festival as it aims to reclaim its influence. We’ve asked around, and trust us: These movies are worth getting excited for. Now let’s see if they make the cut. Sam Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, Alison Foreman, Marcus Jones, Ryan Lattanzio, Brian Welk, and Christian Zilko contributed to this article. “Aum” Director: Chiaki Yanagimoto and Ben Braun This documentary is based on David E. Kaplan and Andrew Marshall’s acclaimed 1996 nonfiction book, with a title that says it all: “The Cult at the End of the World: The Terrifying Story of the Aum Doomsday Cult, from the Subways of Tokyo to the Nuclear Arsenals of Russia.” Centered on the eerie cult known as Aum Supreme Truth, it tells the story of New Age zealots intent on destroying the worlds — with the technological tools to do it. Both terrifying and essential for the way it shows the fundamental vulnerability of society, the documentary promises a revealing look at the group responsible for the sarin gas attack on a Tokyo subway in 1995 and the ensuing trial of cult leader Shoko Asahara, who was executed in 2018. A cautionary tale about the dangers of misinformation and religious convictions, “Aum” promises to reintroduce these shocking events with the historical context they deserve. —EK “A Thousand and One” Director: A.V. Rockwell Cast: Teyana Taylor, Josiah Cross A.V. Rockwell is a rising star who should be on everyone’s radar, but she’s been building up to that point for some time. Back in 2016, the then-student won the top prize of the Through Her Lens: Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program, a three-day intensive which ended with her pitching her short film concept, “Feathers,” to a starry jury. Two years later, the short premiered at TIFF, setting Rockwell on a course to making her feature debut, “A Thousand and One,” which also aims to tell a sensitively rendered story about a young Black family just trying to get by. Lena Waithe serves as an executive producer through her company Hillman Grad.
While “Feathers” focused primarily on a young Black boy trying to find his place in the world, “A Thousand and One” expands out that idea to follow both a striving mother (Teyana Taylor) and her own son (Josiah Cross) as they pursue a similar goal. The twist (if it can be called that) is that Taylor’s Inez must first break Terry (Cross) out of the foster care system. Will they succeed? Will they heal their family? Rockwell’s film promises to answer those questions and more, but anyone familiar with herearly work knows the results are going to be worth the wait. —KE “Being Mary” Director: James Adolphus Getty Images Lena Waithe serves as an executive producer on this trenchant look at Mary Tyler Moore from director James Adolphus (“Soul of a Nation”). The first authorized look at Moore since her 2017 death, the documentary promises to encompass everything from her early days on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” to her remarkable seven-season run on her own famed sitcom that changed the way women were portrayed on television. She was later nominated for an Oscar in “Ordinary People,” and found another moment to reenter the zeitgeist with 1996’s “Flirting with Disaster,” all while overcoming alcoholism and diabetes. For the many generations impacted by that legacy — and others who deserve to know about it — “Being Mary” is a welcome return to Moore’s impact and should make some noise at Sundance, just as Amy Poehler’s “Lucy and Desi” documentary did well there last year. —EK “A Bitter Pill” Director: J. Clay Tweel Tweel has a promising history at Sundance, where his documentaries “Finders Keepers” and “Gleason” were big hits that sold big. The latter was a powerful look at former American footballer Steve Gleason’s struggles with ALS. Now, Tweel has expanded his frame to look at a major lawsuit against a drug manufacturer. The movie follows the efforts of Paul T. Farrell Jr., an attorney who led a lawsuit against three major U.S. drug distributors for causing a health crisis in one West Virginia county. While Laura Poitras’ Nan Goldin documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” is already putting the opioid crisis under the microscope, “A Bitter Pill” promises to keep the conversation going to show how this particular epidemic is engineered to keep its victims from receiving the restitution they deserve. That conversation is poised to keep getting louder. —EK “This Closeness” Director: Kit Zauhar Cast: Kit Zauhar, Zne Pais, Jesse Pinnick
After making a splash at BAMcinemaFest with her debut feature “Actual People,” Kit Zauhar could continue to build momentum with her second film, “This Closeness.” The drama looks to be a departure from the coming-of-age beats of her first film, telling the story of a war of attrition that takes place when a young couple stays at the home of a mysterious host. Zauhar also stars alongside Zane Pais and Jesse Pinnick. —CZ “Cora Bora” Director: Hannah Pearl Utt Cast: Megan Stalter, JoJo T. Gibbs, Heather Morris, Manny Jacinto, Thomas Mann Director Hannah Pearl Utt has a serious knack for taking seemingly been-there, done-that ideas and turning them into uniquely revelatory dramedies. Her 2019 Sundance premiere “Before You Know It” followed a pair of sisters (Utt and co-writer Jen Tullock) shocked to discover that their mother — who they long thought was very dead — is actually very much alive as a wacky soap star who lives mere blocks from their rundown Greenwich Village brownstone (where they also host a well-respected but flailing black box theater). High jinks occur and quirkiness reigns, but Utt’s love for her nutty characters is apparent in every frame. We can likely expect the same from her follow-up, which stars “Hacks” breakout Megan Stalter as the titular Cora Bora, who has recently opened up her relationship only to discover that her love life is not the only thing needing a change. Sounds like classic Sundance, right? But leave it to Utt to take that idea and run with it into entirely new spaces. —KE “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” Director: Penny Lane Over the course of nearly two decades in the documentary space, director Penny Lane has made a wonderful career out of turning stories of the tension between altruism and notoriety into hilarious, moving, and insightful adventures. She did it for Kenny G. She did it for The Satanic Temple. She even did it for the guy who tried to use goat testicles as a cure for impotence. So when Lane has a new film out that’s already billed as being “funny and moving,” by golly, you can bet it’s going to be both of those things. This time around, Lane turns the camera on herself, with her latest chronicling her attempts to give away a kidney to a stranger. It’s a nice fit for Lane, and one ripe with possibilities. No, don’t go looking for information on whether or not she “succeeded” in her quest. You’ll spoil the fun! —KE “Glitter and Doom” Director: Tom Gustafson Cast: Alex Diaz, Alan Cammish, Tig Notaro, Ming-Na Wen, Missi Pyle, Lea Delaria
Elton John and Alanis Morrissette each have jukebox musicals, so it’s high time the Indigo Girls get their very own rendition. But instead of starting out on Broadway, this one is going straight to the big screen. Shot in Mexico City, the fantastical musical follows a romance between a charismatic musician and a carefree kid who wants to join the circus. The queer romance stars two dashing newcomers as the young lovers, based on the real-life romance between director Tom Gustafson and producer Cory Krueckeberg. With supporting turns from Tig Notaro and Lea Delaria, there will be plenty of familiar faces for Indigo Girls fans — including appearances from Indigo Girls themselves, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. —JD “Eternal Memory” Director: Maite Alberdi Getty Images Chilean director Alberdi’s “The Mole Agent” was one of the great surprises of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, a winsome and touching look at an elderly man who infiltrates an old-age home, and it went on to land an Oscar nomination. Alberdi was already one of the most exciting documentarians working today when she made “Mole Agent,” as she excels at depicting underrepresented emotional experiences by collaborating with her subjects. Now comes another example of that with some promising buzz around it. “The Eternal Memory” follows the impact of Alzheimer’s on an aging couple over the course of a four-year period. When the description alone pulls on your heartstrings, you know to expect a real tearjerker, and Alberdi’s exactly the sort of director who doesn’t take that poignancy for granted. —EK “Empire Waist” Director: Claire Ayoub Cast: Rainn Wilson, Mia Kaplan, Jolene Purdy, Missi Pyle, Tabyana Ali Here’s a new blueprint for first-time filmmakers looking to make a mark in comedy: cut your teeth at New York City comedy clubs, draw from your real-life experience for your first script, get it on The Black List, then take that script on the road for live readings. That’s what Ayoub, a Wellesley graduate and Upright Citizens Brigade alum, did for her first feature film. She tapped into her own teenage body image insecurities for this story of young people finding new confidence in themselves and their bodies via fashion. Ayoub, a 2020 Sundance Independent Screenwriting Fellowship recipient, will hopefully appear with her finished film, which stars Rainn Wilson, Mia Kaplan, Jolene Purdy, and Missi Pyle in addition to its teen cast of newcomers, at the festival in January. She’s spent much of the past year editing it, following a 2021 shoot. With a Park City launch, Ayoub could have laid the foundation for an empire of her own. —CB “Jamojaya” Director: Justin Chon Southern California Korean-American director Justin Chon earned notices at Cannes last year for his gritty Louisiana-set immigration drama “Blue Bayou,” starring the director himself as a man wrongly facing deportation despite living in the U.S. for three decades. His previous films “Seoul Searching” and “Gook” both debuted at Sundance, with “Gook” winning the NEXT Audience ward. “Jamojaya” finds Chon continuing to expand his complicated explorations of America, with a film centered around a rapper, played by IRL Indonesian rapper Rich Brian. “Jamojaya” wrapped in Hawaii more than a year ago, which means it should be ready to make the festival rounds. —RL
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Director: RJ Cutler Getty Images for iHeartMedia In a year where an experimental David Bowie documentary, “Moonage Daydream,” is making waves in the awards conversation, it’s a sobering reminder of another glam pop icon long overdue for the documentary treatment: Elton John. Director R.J. Cutler landed a mega deal with Disney+ earlier this year for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend.” The “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” and “Belushi” director showcases never-before-seen concert footage of Elton John over the past five decades. A festival run has already been promised by the studio followed by streaming on Disney+. Cutler has long been a Park City mainstay for his work as a documentary producer and director, including for “The September Issue” and “The World According to Dick Cheney,” so don’t rule out a splashy premiere for the Elton documentary — perhaps with the pop star in tow. —RL “The Graduates” Director: Hannah Logan Peterson Cast: John Cho, Mina Sundwall, Yasmeen Fletcher, Alex R. Hibbert, and Kelly O’Sullivan Hannah Logan Peterson will have back-to-back teen-centric Sundance premieres if her feature debut “The Graduates” premieres at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Peterson’s short film “Champ” debuted at 2022 Sundance, funded in part by the Tribeca Film Institute Through Her Lens grant award. The short focused on a girls’ high school basketball team that grapples with retaliation against their leering coach. Peterson’s “The Graduates” similarly deals with weighty emotional turmoil, centered on a school community that looks back on the one-year anniversary of a school shooting. Mina Sundwall, Yasmeen Fletcher, and Alex R. Hibbert play students who are tasked with navigating grief, uncertainty, and tenuous relationships with faith as they continue their education. Up next, writer-director Peterson is set to be adapting Daniel Hornsby’s novel “Via Negativa” about a retired priest who embarks on a road trip with an injured coyote. —SB “Going to Mars” Directors: Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson Getty Images From her days as a founding member of the Black Arts movement during the battle for Civil Rights to her involvement with Black Lives Matter, Nikki Giovanni’s life and career poetry have spanned some of the most pivotal times in American history. Any documentary about her life was bound to be an ambitious endeavor, but her story is in capable hands with “American Promise” director Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster. That 2013 Sundance hit earned rave reviews for following two African American boys growing up in New York over the course of 12 years, proving that the directing duo can tell a sprawling story. —CZ
“Going Varsity in Mariachi” Directors: Alex Vasquez and Sam Osborn Vasquez and Osborn’s promising documentary follows one year of experiences for a competitive high school mariachi in South Texas, not far from the Mexican border. The movie centers on Coach Abel Acuña as he guides the team through a tense rehearsal process and contends the usual teen jitters. Early buzz suggests echoes of Sundance doc hit “Spellbound” with a lively dose of Mexican culture and music. It sounds like a total blast, the kind of commercial documentary that tends to light up the audience and industry alike at Sundance. —EK “Joonam” Director: Sierra Urich Set dresser and editor Urich’s first feature is a timely look at her efforts to understand her Iranian family’s roots, stretching back to her grandmother’s experiences as a child bride and continuing through her mother’s experiences as a teenager during the Islamic Revolution. As Iran once again faces tremendous social unrest and upheaval, Urich’s person view of its modern history is poised to put these recent events in the broader context they deserve, while bridging the gap between American and Middle Eastern identity. It sounds like just the sort of bracing cultural investigation that belongs in the Sundance mix. —EK “Infinity Pool” Director: Brandon Cronenberg Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth For months, horror fans have been salivating over the next film from Brandon Cronenberg, especially after news that the film won an appeal over its NC-17 rating from the MPAA. But even with an R-rating, it still was labeled as having “graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and some language.” It also doesn’t hurt that the film has a cast that includes “The Northman” viking Alexander Skarsgard and this year’s indie horror darling Mia Goth. Cronenberg continues to follow in the footsteps of his body horror director-dad (David, in case you’re wondering). With “Infinity Pool,” the younger Cronenberg’s third feature, he follows a young, rich and in love couple on vacation at an all-inclusive resort, who find something far more dangerous and seductive just outside the edge of the resort’s walls. Cronenberg’s prior film “Possessor” premiered in competition at Sundance in 2020 and was later acquired by Neon. The distributor is now throwing its weight behind “Infinity Pool” from the get-go and could easily make a splash with a midnight premiere in Park City. —BW “Little Death” Director: Jack Begert Cast: David Schwimmer, Talia Ryder, Dominic Fike
Darren Aronofsky through his Protozoa Pictures banner is producing this film from first time director and writer Jack Begert. “Little Death” follows two narrative threads, one of a depressed screenwriter who ends a relationship with his fiancée after meeting the girl of his dreams, and another about two young drug addicts who break into the writer’s home and inadvertently cause his death. The film is set to star David Schwimmer alongside Talia Ryder (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”) and Dominic Fike (“Euphoria”). Begert co-wrote the script for “Little Death” with Dani Goffstein based on their short film “La Petite Mort,” and he’s making his narrative feature debut after cutting his teeth with music videos for stars like Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, and Lil Nas X. —BW Untitled Martha Stewart Documentary Director: RJ Cutler Getty Images Fresh from directing “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” for Apple TV+, Emmy winner Cutler has already found two fascinating big names to profile: Martha Stewart and Elton John. (See above for details on that one.) As for Stewart: Although the domestic goddess has lived a very public life, she remains an enigmatic figure who likes to poke holes in people’s perception of her. Best known in the film world for “The September Issue,” which made a star out of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Cutler is primed to tell this kind of story of an ambitious woman whoknows how to adapt to the ever-changing media landscape. It should be exciting to see his take on her, and what more she has to share. —MJ “The Miracle Club” Director: Thaddeus O’Sullivan Cast: Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, Laura Linney, Stephen Rea The UK and Ireland continue to be places where films featuring older adults can get financing. “The Miracle Club” is clearly aimed at the market that turned “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “Philomena” into bona fide box-office hits and powered “Downton Abbey” to global dominance. Maggie Smith, Laura Linney, and Kathy Bates star as Dublin women who converge on the French town of Lourdes, famed for St. Bernadette’s visions of the Virgin Mary, and a place where miracles are said to happen. Each tells their own story of something miraculous that happened in their lives in a kind of triptych structure (could this be a faith-based film with crossover appeal as well?). Sundance has proven receptive to these kind of films, such as the delicate 2020 Irish gem “Herself,” of which “The Miracle Club” seems nearly like a companion. —CB
“My Animal” Director: Jacqueline Castel Documentary filmmaker Castel has made documentaries on musicians (“A Message from the Temple,” “13 Torches For a Burn”), but has been building her horror movie bonafides for some time, going back to the 2016 short film “The Puppet Man” (which included a John Carpenter cameo). “My Animal” marks her feature debut, and it’s another intriguing genre effort, which is officially described as “a story about first love and how that can serve as a catalyst for radical change, revealing what we need most and what most needs healing within us.” The specifics are even more exciting than that: It’s a werewolf romance starring the spunky Amandla Stenberg, who most recently showed her penchant for twisty genre stories in “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” With a script by Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher, the Ontario-based production promises an eerie coming-of-age story oozing with style and attitude to spare. Sundance excels at launching singular genre directors (“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” and “The Babadook,” to name just two) and Castel seems to fit the bill for that great tradition. –EK “Run Rabbit Run” Director: Daina Reid Cast: Sarah Snook Getty Images After spending the last decade directing high profile television episodes, Daina Reid returns to feature filmmaking with this psychological thriller about a fertility nurse who becomes frightened by her daughter’s seeming ability to recall the details of a past life. The lead role originally went to Elisabeth Moss, who Reid earned an Emmy nod for directing in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but she was ultimately replaced by “Succession” star Sarah Snook. Last year’s Sundance was all about horror and thrillers, with Nikyatu Jusu’s “Nanny” becoming the first genre film to win the Grand Jury Prize and several other genre entries landing high profile buyers. If that trend continues in 2023, “Run Rabbit Run” could be a big reason why. —CZ “Oum” Director: Sofia Alaoui Cast: Oumaïma Barid, Mehdi Dehib, Fouad Oughaou
Moroccan director Alaoui has been generating intrigue on the festival circuit for a few years with her mysterious short films, and that impulse is poised to continue with her promising feature debut. The movie follows a young rural woman who marries into an upper-middle-class family only to find herself alone — and possibly liberated — after a supernatural disaster throws the country into chaos. Sundance has been embracing more Middle Eastern cinema in recent years, including genre films like the Iranian “Under the Shadow” in 2017. “Oum” stands a good chance at following in its footsteps with a valuable look at feminist rage through an exciting disaster-movie hook. —EK “Passages” Director: Ira Sachs Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw Any new Ira Sachs project is cause for celebration, even if the “Love Is Strange” director’s latest — 2019’s plaintive, Portugal-set Isabelle Huppert vehicle “Frankie” — went largely overlooked. Little is known about “Passages,” but the premise and cast alone combine to make it one of the most exciting movies that may be heading to Sundance next year. Dig this: Ben Whishaw (of the “Paddington” Whishaws) and “Great Freedom” star Franz Rogowski (perhaps the most exciting German actor of his generation) play a same-sex couple who’ve been together for many years, but the foundation of their relationship threatens to crumble when one of them has an affair with a woman (Adèle Exarchopoulos). You can expect a sensitive and searing drama in the vein of Sachs’ previous work, and, since the project finished shooting in late 2021, you can also expect it to premiere in Sundance next January, so long as it’s not being saved for Berlin the following month. —DE “Past Lives” Director: Celine Song Cast: Greta Lee, John Magaro, Teo Yoo “The Pod Generation” Director: Sophie Barthes Cast: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson, Kathryn Hunter Tim P. Whitby
The pregnancy-centric plot of “The Pod Generation” sounds more dystopian than MK2 Films’ “sharply comic love story” marketing might suggest. But if there is any filmmaker who can pull off — wait for it — a sci-fi romantic comedy set in a futuristic society in which expecting parents not only use, but share an artificially intelligent and detachable womb, then it’s Sophie Barthes. The writer-director responsible for 2009’s existentially fraught “Cold Souls” starring Paul Giamatti (and a lesser “Madame Bovary” adaptation from 2014) boasts just the sort of surrealist flare that could make a post-Roe reproductive comedy work. Plus, hints from the project description related to climate change (namely, allusions to a declining natural environment and ominous-sounding mega-corporation known as Pegasus) make the setup especially timely. “The Pod Generation” marks the first collaboration between Ejiofor and Clarke. The “Game of Thrones” actress also executive produces. —AF “Pamela Anderson” Director: Ryan White While one of the toughest portions of her life became fodder for an Emmy-nominated limited series (and weirdly the inspiration for many a couples costume during Halloween 2022), the “Baywatch” star is getting the last laugh in the form of a biographical documentary directed by Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). Not only does the Netflix film include interviews with Anderson — it incorporates never-before-seen archival footage and entries from her personal journals. Audiences have become accustomed to revealing portraits of pop cultural icons, but the actress and model occupies a whole new lane of her own that could touch on early animal rights activism, the ups and downs of being Playboy’s most sought-after cover model, and whatever was going on with her and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. —MJ “Providence” Director: Potsy Ponciroli Cast: Lily James, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Himesh Patel, Tim Blake Nelson, Simon Rex, Nina Arianda, Uzo Aduba, Jim Gaffigan, José María Yazpik, Joey Lauren Adams Last year, writer-director Potsy Ponciroli’s “Old Henry” received critical praise for its subversive use of setting: It was an edge-of-your-seat Western anchored by a single location and the man protecting it. Ponciroli appears ready to do the same with “Providence,” teaming up once again with Tim Blake Nelson for a North Carolina-set, small-town crime saga that stars Lily James, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Himesh Patel among others. Written by Michael Vukadinovich, the film follows a group of island residents who, in the wake of a sensational murder, discover a large sum of money and are forced to navigate escalating tensions as they decide what to do with it. —AF “Rabbi” Director: Sandi DuBowski
DuBowski’s seminal “Trembling Before G-d” was a stunning exposé about the struggles of closeted Orthodox Jews. DuBowski hasn’t made another movie in the last 20 years, but the wait is over, and it seems to be a worthy followup: His latest effort follows Amichai Lau-Lavie, who created the drag character Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross as a Hasidic rabbi’s wife before becoming an actual rabbi himself on his own terms. The movie promises to an exciting look at progressive Judaism and the prospects of reconciling sexual and spiritual identities in a welcoming community far away from the one in “Trembling Before G-d,” although this enticing new project sounds like a worthy and uplifting quasi-sequel that could make serious waves at Sundance. —EK “She Came to Me” Director: Rebecca Miller Cast: Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Anne Hathaway Getty Images Rebecca Miller hasn’t directed a narrative feature since 2015’s romantic comedy “Maggie’s Plan,” starring Ethan Hawke and Greta Gerwig, but she did foray into documentary with 2017’s “Arthur Miller: Writer.” Finally, she’s returning to her roots as a keen chronicler of complex women — which is why she earned the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2002 for the scrappy triptych “Personal Velocity.” Her Park City pedigree should prime her for a slot at Sundance with the starry drama “She Came to Me,” centered on a composer suffering writer’s block whose one-night stand reinvigorates his joie de vivre. Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Anne Hathaway, Brian d’Arcy James, and Joanna Kulig round out the cast. Hathaway told IndieWire that “She Came to Me” is “the sort of movie that made me fall in love with movies in the first place. I don’t want to put myself out in front of it, but I’m a big reason why it got made,” adding, “It’s bullshit that Rebecca Miller had to fight. She doesn’t need me. She shouldn’t need me. Those are messed-up metrics. That’s not OK.” Killer Films produces the movie, financed at Cannes by Protagonist. —RL “The Seeding” Director: Barnaby Clay Cast: Scott Haze, Kate Lyn Sheil Not to be confused with Mickey Rourke’s upcoming horror film of the same name, Barnaby Clay’s “The Seeding” has a distinct rock ‘n roll center (and no hayrides, per an AB Gibson novel adaptation). Filmed in Palm Springs and Salt Lake City, music video helmer Clay’s feature debut is a psychological thriller about a man lost in a seemingly unescapable desert canyon, where locals have built a primordial society with an emphasis on procreation. Scott Haze and Kate Lyn Sheil star, but much about the plot is still under wraps. However, we do expect that the “Mad Max”-esque terrain will be paired with an incredible soundtrack. Clay’s background directing music videos for Gnarls Barkley, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and TV on the Radio led the artist to rework Mick Rock’s video for David Bowie’s “Life On Mars” as part of an international tour of Intel’s Creators Project series in 2011. Wed to Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O, Clay’s fantasy horror short “Finkle’s Odyssey” collected awards at the Brooklyn International Film Festival, Fantsporto Film Festival, and IFCT. The experimental filmmaker’s feature debut with “The Seeding” should take that potential to new heights. —SB
“Somebody I Used to Know” Director: Dave Franco Cast: Alison Brie, Jay Ellis, Kiersey Clemons “Story Avenue” Director: Aristotle Torres Cast: Asante Blackk, Luis Guzmán, Alex Hibbert, Melven Gregg, Cassandra Freeman, Coral Peña From “Dear White People” to “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” the recent Sundance roster is consistently the place to discover the next great Black films and filmmakers. A graduate of 2019’s Sundance Directors Lab, Torres stands a pretty good chance of bringing his debut to Park City. Adapted from his 2018 short of the same name, “Story Avenue” is the kind of personal story from a rising talent that Sundance audiences go gaga for. A breakout talent from Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” Asante Blackk stars as a character based on Torres, “a young graffiti artist who, after running away from home, holds up an unsuspecting MTA worker (Guzmán).” A rising star going paired with a beloved old standby, “Story Avenue” could be just the hot ticket item to invigorate the American film slate. —JD “Underrated” Director: Pete Nicks No one has more consistently or perceptively documented Oakland institutions than “The Force” director Peter Nicks, so no one could be more qualified to make the definitive documentary about Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry (even if the Warriors left Oakland for San Francisco in 2019). A co-production between Apple Original Films, A24, Nicks’ and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, (along with Curry’s own Unanimous Media), this fully authorized doc promises to do for Curry what “The Last Dance” did for Michael Jordan, as it cuts between Curry’s unexpected NCAA tournament run with the Davidson Wildcats in 2008, and his push to his fourth NBA championship with the Warriors in 2022. Nicks is a Sundance favorite, and assuming his latest film is ready in time, it’s a safe bet that “Underrated” will premiere in Park City next January. —DE “Under the Sky of Damascus” Director: Talal Derki Getty Images
Syrian director Talal Derki’s Oscar-nominated 2017 documentary “Of Fathers and Sons” was a stunning closeup look at a member of the al-Nusra Front (aka al-Qaeda in Syria) that explains the persistence of a radical military mindset from the inside. That kind of the kind of risky, eye-opening achievement would be hard to top by even the most intrepid filmmakers, but Derki’s back in the game with a fresh look at modern life in Syria — specifically women’s rights, a subject that has rarely traveled internationally, though recent protests in Iran have elevated international awareness of women’s struggles in that part of the world. The movie borrows its name from a silent 1931 film from the region, and like that film, it promises to present detailed look at Syrian society that goes well beyond the headlines. Sundance has a great track record for documentaries about the Middle East (including another major Syrian doc, “Return to Homs”), and this one would be a welcome addition to that trend. —EK Untitled Michael J. Fox Documentary Director: Davis Guggenheim It’s been over seven years since “An Inconvenient Truth” director Davis Guggenheim’s last documentary feature. And after directing “He Named Me Malala,” Guggenheim is turning his attention to a very different kind of public figure with Michael J. Fox. Apple, which is releasing the film, has been mum about any other details on the project, even a title, since announcing it back in April. But the film will combine archival, documentary and even scripted elements in telling the “Back to the Future” star’s professional and personal journey after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Thus far, Apple has been more likely to make a splash to acquire a movie like “CODA” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” out of Sundance than premiere one there themselves. But the prospect of Guggenheim and perhaps Fox himself making the festival rounds would make the film’s premiere a hot ticket in Park City. —BW Untitled Sean Penn/Ukraine Documentary Directors: Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman Getty Images When Russia illegally invaded Ukraine earlier this year, one of the strangest news items to make the rounds was that Sean Penn surfaced at the center of the action, hanging out with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he hunkered down and prepared for war. With time, it became clear that Penn and Aaron Kaufman were co-directed a documentary project about the actor-turned-politician when the situation turned dire faster than they expected. Penn left Kyiv soon after but later returned to the country, continued to capture material for this feature-length documentary co-produced by Vice and Fifth Season. Given all the attention paid to Penn’s presence in Ukraine at the start of the war, here’s hoping it was worth the risk, as the documentary is poised to remind audiences at the start of 2023 that Ukraine’s struggles are far from over. —EK Untitled Taylor Mac Documentary Directors: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Doc veterans Epstein and Friedman have been Sundance regulars for almost back 40 years, going back to when 1984’s “The Times of Harvey Milk” scored a jury prize at the festival before going on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary. Their latest celebration of a powerful American personality tracks performance artist Taylor Mack, whose dizzying 2016 undertaking “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” stuffed an eight-part history of U.S. pop music into a full day and night — from noon one on day until noon the next. The dazzling epic has been widely praised by those with the stamina to experience; now, this HBO-produced documentary promises an exciting (and mercifully shorter) opportunity to see what all the hype was about. —EK Untitled Indigo Girls Documentary Director: Alexandra Bombach Hold onto your Subarus: Could we possibly be blessed with not one, but two Indigo Girls movies in one year? In addition to lending their songs to a queer musical romance, a documentary about the iconic folk duo is also in the works. The film promises to use never-before-seen archival footage to present an intimate vérité look at the storytelling and songwriting behind some of the most enduring folk songs of the last thirty years. The precious material will be handled by rising documentarian Alexandria Bombach, whose sensitive feature “On Her Shoulders” earned a directing award at Sundance in 2018 and two Indie Spirit nominations. It will be fascinating to see her approach to more lighthearted material. —JD “Wilder Than Her” Director: Jessica Kozak Cast: Sunita Mani, Kate Easton, Kayla Foster, Danny Defarrari Jessica Kozak’s script for “Wilder Than Her” made waves on The Black List earlier this year for its witchy psychological thriller premise set in a camping trip gone wrong. Three young women reconnect on their annual sleepover in the forest, but with their fourth friend Bea (Becca Q. Co) having died recently, things get a little…spooky. Friends unravel and heads no doubt will roll as the trip descends into accusations of gaslighting, fatal negligence, and unfair friendships out in the wilderness. “The Bold Type” scribe Kozak writes and directs her debut feature film, starring “Mr. Robot” alum Sunita Mani, “When They See Us” star Kate Easton, and “Call Jane” breakout Kayla Foster as the trio of friends. “Oppenheimer” and “Shiva Baby” actor Danny Deferrari also stars in an undisclosed role. —SB Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
title: “Sundance Wish List 40 Films We Hope Will Premiere At 2022 Festival” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Fred Bryant”
And while we can’t wait for that, there’s a whole pack of other eager would-be Sundance attendees feeling a very different kind of anticipation these days: the filmmakers. While the end of November spells the start of holiday time for most, it also comes with a particular anxiety for those who have submitted their film to the fest. As we approach the inevitable lineup announcements, we’ve done our usual scouting around to see what might make its way to the mountains of Utah this year.
There’s no shortage of possibilities, including a wide variety of films shot under various COVID protocols, plus some potential holdovers from the before times. In the process of researching our annual Sundance wish list, IndieWire had no trouble finding nearly 40 movies that we hope make the cut in this year’s lineup. There are returning favorites here, and fresh new talents. A number of films have kept their details very much under wraps, while others have long been rumored. Truly, something for everyone, and plenty to celebrate. Filmmakers are starting to hear back from the festival and the full selection is expected to go public next month, but in the meantime, here’s a look at several strong contenders for a most unusual edition of America’s most prominent festival. The 2022 edition of the Sundance Film Festival runs January 20 through 30, both in-person and virtually. David Ehrlich, Chris O’Falt, Zack Sharf, Ryan Lattanzio, Chris Lindahl, and Ben Travers contributed to this article. “2nd Chance” Director: Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani took a bit of a hit when his HBO movie “Fahrenheit 451” proved to be a critical misfire, but he returned earlier this year on a high note with his acclaimed Netflix offering “The White Tiger,” which earned him BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. Now Bahrani moves into the documentary space with “2nd Chance.” The film is an exploration of the rise and fall of Richard Davis, the charming and brash inventor of the modern-day bullet-proof vest who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked. The non-fiction feature counts “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence” documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer as one of its executive producers. —ZS “Am I OK?” Directors: Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Molly Gordon, June Diane Raphael, Sean Hayes
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s “Am I OK?” is one of the first finished movies from TeaTime Pictures, the production company Dakota Johnson founded two years ago with with former Netflix executive Ro Donnelly (other producers on the project include PICTURESTART, Gloria Sanchez Productions, and Something Fierce). Johnson’s recent cover story in The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the team submitted “Am I OK?” to Sundance, where Johnson has popped up in the past in films such as “The Nowhere Inn” and “Wounds.” The film marks the feature directorial debut of Notaro and Allynne, who have been married since 2015 and have collaborated on acclaimed comedies such as “One Mississippi.” Johnson and “Devs” actress Sonoya Mizuno star as two lifelong best friends whose relationship gets put to the test when one takes a journey of personal discovery. —ZS “An Act of Worship” Director: Nausheen Dadabhoy The week after President Trump was inaugurated and the Muslim Travel ban become an Executive Order, director/cinematographer Nausheen Dadabhoy started documenting the protests breaking out at airports around the country. After making the nonfiction short “An Act of Worship,” filming continued as Dadabhoy and producer Sofian Khan Sprang expanded on their story of a new generation of female Muslim-American activists who emerged as Trump stoked the flames of Islamophobia. —CO “After Sherman” Director: Jon Sesrie Goff “I love and hate South Carolina,” reads Jon Sesrie Goff’s director’s statement of his new documentary, which has garnered a ton of institutional support — everyone from IDA to Sundance to Field of Vision and Firelight — since filming began in 2014. Goff’s exploration of coastal South Carolina through Gullah cultural retention and land preservation was always personal: his family stills owns a plot of land that was purchased by his ancestors after they were emancipated in the 1860s from a nearby plantation. The direction of the film was apparently impacted by 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel Church, where Goff’s father would be appointed interim pastor after the nine parishioners, including Reverend Pinckney, were murdered. Described as both a history lesson and a visual survey, it is “a reclamation of space and the acknowledgment of a spatial tension that defines our collective history as Americans.” —CO “Beast” Directors: Riley Keough, Gina Gammell Actress Riley Keough and her producing partner Gina Gammell move into the directing space for this film that shot on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Little is known about the project beyond a casting announcement that it is the “interlocking stories of three Lakota men” living on the reservation. Each of the three stories “explore the concept of belonging: a child belonging to a family, a man belonging to ‘America,’ and an elder belonging to his Tribe.” Each of tales is based on real events, and presumedly involves first time performers from the region. —CO
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” Directors: Halina Reijn Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, Rachel Sennott, Conner O’Malley After directing her first feature straight into Oscar territory (the prickly “Instinct” was the 2019 Dutch International Film submission), multi-hyphenate Halina Reijn handily established herself as a filmmaker on the rise. Her first English-language effort has been kept very under wraps, but its cast listing alone is intriguing, including the always-wonderful Amanda Stenberg and Lee Pace alongside breakouts like Maria Bakalova and the “Shiva Baby” herself Rachel Sennott, and what’s this? Rumors of both Pete Davidson and Conner O’Malley, ensuring the film will have some sort of comedic bent. With a script from rising star Kristen Roupenian, who just scripted the film adaptation of the viral short story “Cat Person,” everything about “Bodies Bodies Bodies” has us excited. Show us the bodies! —KE Yannis Drakoulidis “Bones and All” Director: Luca Guadagnino Cast: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Harper, Chloë Sevigny, Francesca Scorsese, Mark Rylance, André Holland, David Gordon Green Luca Guadagnino and Timothée Chalamet were the darlings of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival thanks “Call Me by Your Name,” and now they’ve reunited for the director’s first movie shot in the United States. The project stars “Waves” breakout Taylor Russell as young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society. She meets Chalamet’s character, an intense and disenfranchised drifter, and they fall in love while traversing the back roads, hidden passages, and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. Guadagnino has gone on record calling Chalamet’s role in the film “endearing and heartbreaking,” and any Guadagnino-Chalamet reunion would become one of the buzziest parts of any film festival. The only question is whether or not the two artists are simply too big for Sundance. Might “Bones and All” head to Berlin or wait for Cannes instead? If it nabs a Sundance berth, expect it to be one of the buzziest titles. —ZS “Call Jane” Director: Phyllis Nagy Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, Chris Messina
“Carol” screenwriter Phyllis Nagy has been attached to a number of different projects since 2015, all of which have been very exciting on account of the fact that Phyllis Nagy — as you might recall from earlier in this sentence — wrote the screenplay for “Carol.” “Call Jane” was the first of those potential follow-ups to actually roll cameras, and while some might be deflated to learn that Nagy didn’t write the film herself (the script is credited to Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi), her presence behind the camera is more than enough to position this women’s right saga as a major Sundance heavyweight. Set during the summer of 1968, Nagy’s first directorial effort since 2005’s “Mrs. Harris” stars Elizabeth Banks as a housewife who finds herself facing a life-threatening pregnancy in the time just before Roe v. Wade. After someone mercifully connects her with the Jane Collective (aka the Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation), Banks’ character finds new purpose in life, and joins the movement’s effort to provide safe access to abortions nationwide. It sure would be swell to live in a world where movies about reproductive rights didn’t continue to seem even more urgent with every passing year, but Nagy — along with an all-star cast teeming with Park City mainstays vets like Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, and Chris Messina — is poised to deliver a must-see drama about the hard labor required to get there. —DE “Cha Cha Real Smooth” Director: Cooper Raiff Cast: Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo It makes perfect sense that “Shithouse” writer-director-star Cooper Raiff hasn’t wasted any time capitalizing on the success of his wonderful indie debut — winning SXSW at the tender age of 22 doesn’t exactly suggest a “sit back and wait” attitude — but it’s still exciting that his second film came into focus so fast, and all the more so because it was made with the help of some major Hollywood talent. Named after a dance jam by one-hit wonder by Mr. C the Slide Man (and/or the Barney meme it inspired), “Cha Cha Real Smooth” stars Raiff as a wayward college grad who lands a job as a bir mitzvah party starter, which somehow leads him to spark a friendship with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, and Raúl Castillo, among the other big names who were drawn to the project, which is reason enough to believe that Raiff’s newest script is every bit as raw and hilarious as his last one. Post-production began at the end of the summer after a Pittsburgh shoot, and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is poised to be a potential Sundance breakout if Raiff is able to finish it in time for the fest. —DE “Dealing with Dad” Director: Tom Huang Cast: Peggy Lu, Ali Maki, Karan Soni, Hayden Szeto, Peter S. Kim, Dana Lee Since his low-budget 1999 debut “Freshmen,” filmmaker Tom Huang has periodically popped up with insightful, personal, and often very funny character studies. His latest, which wrapped earlier this year, seems poised to continue that trend on a slightly larger scale. Rising star Ally Maki stars as Margaret Chang, who “reluctantly” returns to her hometown when her father (Dana Lee) is suddenly struck by depression.
No, no, it’s not that kind of film. Margaret is also tasked with a pair of hapless brothers, said depressed father used to be a giant jerk, and the realization that sad dad might be the better option will loom over the entire outing. It’s billed as a “comedic drama,” and it sounds like just the right mix of deep emotion and biting humor that Sundance loves to showcase. Huang is due for a hit, and Sundance could provide him that chance. —KE “Don’t Make Me Go” Director: Hannah Marks Cast: John Cho, Kaya Scodelario, Stefania LaVie Owen That the movie is scripted by “This Is Us” vet Vera Herbert might suggest a tear-jerker in the making, but the fierce comic wit on display in Marks’ previous work should be enough to keep this story from stalling out. —DE “Dual” Director: Riley Stearns Cast: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale Few filmmakers working today are as skilled at delivering fully believable, wholly flawed characters and then absolutely tearing them to shreds quite like “Faults” and “The Art of Self-Defense” director and writer Riley Stearns. Chipping away at what makes his layered creations feel human — and thus finding something even more human underneath — is kind of Stearns’ thing, and he appears to be taking that obsession to wild new ends in his latest, “Dual.” Set in a future where human cloning isn’t just possible, but something even everyday people can utilize, the film follows Sarah (Karen Gillan), a terminally ill woman who decides to clone herself to essentially take over her life. But when the real Sarah makes a sudden recovery, she must face with her own clone in a duel (get it?) to the death. The film was shot entirely in Tampere, Finland in the autumn of 2020, after Stearns and co. couldn’t locate a COVID-safe locale in the United States or Canada. —KE “Emily the Criminal” Director: John Patton Ford Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi
First-time feature filmmaker John Patton Ford seems to have a knack for casting already. You say “Emily the Criminal” and “she’s played by Aubrey Plaza,” and you’ve already got a tone, a worldview, even (as the kids say) a vibe in mind. The crime dramedy follows the eponymous Emily “who gets involved in a credit card scam after being saddled with debt, what pulls her into the criminal and deadly underworld of Los Angeles.” Plaza is a Sundance regular, and each subsequent showing at the festival — from “Life After Beth” to “Ingrid Goes West” and “Black Bear” — have seemed perfect fits for the event, even as they dramatically expand her range. A thrilling lead role like this fits into all that very nicely. —KE “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known collectively as Daniels, dominated buzz at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival with their feature directorial debut “Swiss Army Man.” The film, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, won the filmmaking duo the festival’s Directing Award and led many in the industry to wonder how the hell they would follow-up their bold and unconventional debut. That wait has lasted over five years now. The duo went their separate ways in the years that followed, with Scheinert making Sundance comedy “The Death of Dick Long” and helming an episode of Showtime’s “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” and Kwan directing an episode of “Legion.” The only shared credit the two have since “Swiss Army Man” is an episode of Awkwafina’s comedy series “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.” All of this brings us to “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniels’ highly-anticipated (and fittingly mysterious) second feature film that is in post-production and should be ready for Sundance 2022. —ZS “The Exiles” Directors: Violet Columbus and Ben Klein Directed by Ben Klein and Violet Columbus (daughter of executive producer Christopher Columbus), “The Exiles” follows “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” filmmaker Christine Choy as the acclaimed documentarian and NYU professor tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre in the hopes of achieving closure on a project she began shooting in 1989. Little else is currently known about “The Exiles,” but Columbus and Klein’s Sundance-tipped debut already evokes non-fiction projects as varied as “Shirkers” and “Waltz with Bashir,” and seems primed to reflect on the lingering aftermath from Tiananmen Square, as well as the various ways its memory continues to resonate at home and throughout the Chinese diaspora. At the very least, the film is sure to call greater attention to “Vincent Chin” and the rest of Choy’s vital body of work at a time when COVID-era violence against the Asian-American community remains a crisis unto itself. —DE
“Fire Island” Director: Andrew Ahn Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, James Scully Jane Austen goes to the Fire Island Pines? The gays aren’t going to survive this “Pride and Prejudice”-inspired twist on a weeklong vacation set in the gay mecca outside New York City, from “Spa Night” director Andrew Ahn, written by and starring beloved Insta comedian and thot Joel Kim Booster, and co-starring “Las Culturistas” podcast co-hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, plus “You” heartthrob James Scully, best known as Forty Quinn (RIP) on the soapy Netflix smash. Real-life besties Yang and Kim Booster also play BFFs in this romantic comedy awash in cheap rosé and the various dramas of a clique of gay friends. Searchlight Pictures and Hulu team to release the film, which shot this past summer on location after originating as a Quibi (RIP) series, now refashioned into a feature. CalArts grad Ahn already proved his mettle back in Sundance 2016 with the moving, Koreatown-set coming-out drama “Spa Night,” so it’s likely we’ll see the filmmaker again at Park City. And with Searchlight and Hulu at the helm, “Fire Island” stands to be a breakout hit — not to mention a much-needed dose of sassy, smart gay representation on screens — a la “Palm Springs.” —RL Strand Releasing “Fire of Love” Director: Sara Dosa Featured as part of the Hot Docs forum promoting upcoming documentary projects, “Fire of Love” sounds like the kind of warm, accessible portrait that could break out of Sundance’s documentary section. The film is part volcanology documentary and part love story in centering on Katia and Maurice Krafft, a married pair of Alsatian French volcano scientists who died during an eruption on Japan’s Mount Unzen in 1991. The couple were featured in Werner Herzog’s own exploration of active volcanoes, 2016’s “Into the Inferno.” The Kraffts were known as pioneers in their field, filming and recording volcanoes, and often in dangerously close proximity to their lava flows. Directed by Peabody-winner Sara Dosa (a producer on “Audrie & Daisy” and director of the mycology doc “The Last Season”), “Fire of Love” uses archival footage, epistolary writings, and illustrations to chart the pair’s emotional and groundbreaking bond. The creative team on the film worked from more than 200 hours of footage the Kraffts shot over the course of two decades. Per the filmmakers, “Fire of Love” will be told in the style of the French New Wave, which Dosa said “formed the cultural landscape as Katia and Maurice came of age” and “seemed [like a] period-specific, poetic and playful way through which to explore this story of the Earth.” —RL
“Flamin’ Hot” Director: Eva Longoria Cast: Jesse Garcia, Tony Shalhoub, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Matt Walsh, Annie Gonzalez, Lora Martinez-Cunningham “Flamin’ Hot,” inspired by the title’s namesake junk-food favorite, certainly turned more than few heads (and possibly cheese curds) when the movie was announced back in 2019 as the feature debut of Eva Longoria. A feature film using a beloved Frito-Lay, crunchy corn puff as its founding IP? Anything’s possible. But no, this isn’t a film about anthropomorphized garbage food or powdery orange dust wreaking havoc on grubby hands. Instead, the film centers on Richard Montañez, the Mexican American who turned the iconic snack into a global pop-culture phenomenon that disrupted the food industry. The cast features Jesse Garcia as the famed inventor, plus Tony Shalhoub, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Matt Walsh, Annie Gonzalez, and Lora Martinez-Cunningham. “It’s rags to riches, it’s American dream 101, it’s about perseverance, it’s about the underdog. But at the end of the day, it’s also about one person’s perspective and struggle within themselves. So it’s a beautiful, beautiful biopic,” Longoria recently said. Sundance is always eager to boost the profiles of actresses turned feature filmmakers (see last year’s “Passing” from Rebecca Hall), and with production wrapped back in August, this seems a possible entry for an out-of-competition premiere. —RL “Frybread Face and Me” Director: Billy Luther Cast: Keir Tallman, Charley Hogan, Sarah H. Natani, Martin Sensmeier, Kahara Hodges, MorningStar Angeline Since his 2007 debut “Miss Navajo,” Billy Luther has offered compelling nonfiction depictions of Native American lives across the U.S. that have been featured on PBS, MTV, and earned him an International Documentary Association nomination. With the backing of executive producer Taika Waititi — whose track record of spotting hot projects from indigenous creators includes 2021 TIFF standout “Night Raiders” — Luther will keep his focus on Native culture for his narrative debut, a project he worked on as part of last year’s Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs. It tells the story of 12-year-old city kid Benny, whose eyes are opened to his own family and history after he’s sent to live on his grandmother’s ranch on the Navajo reservation. —CL “God Is a Bullet” Director: Nick Cassavetes Cast: Jamie Foxx, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe, January Jones, Andrew Dice Clay Nick Cassavetes, son of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands, has had an eclectic directing career with films such as thriller “John Q,” romance “The Notebook,” dramas “My Sister’s Keeper” and “Alpha Dog,” and comedy “The Other Woman.” So what’s next? An adaptation of Boston Teran’s novel “God Is a Bullet,” which was officially announced in March with a starry cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Sundance favorite Maika Monroe.
The story concerns a detective whose ex-wife is murdered and daughter kidnapped by a satanic cult. When the formal investigation leads nowhere, the detective quits and decides to infiltrate the cult himself to find answers. Cassavetes said of the film in a statement, “It’s a magnificent, ultra-dark work that is somehow both intensely frightening and literate, inspired by true events, with the most amazing cast of actors.” —ZS “God’s Time” Director: Daniel Antebi Cast: Christiane Seidel, Jared Abrhamson, Ben Groh, Dion Costelloe, Liz Caribel Sierra Fresh off the wide acclaim of their 2019 Cannes pick “The Climb,” Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin signed their first-look deal with Topic Studios with a mission to elevate fresh talent. One of the first fruits of that pact is “God’s Time,” the debut feature from writer-director Daniel Antebi. The pandemic-set comedy stars Ben Groh as Dev and Dion Costelloe as Luca, who race through New York to stop Regina (Liz Caribel Sierra), who is on a mission to murder he ex-boyfriend. Antebi, an 2019 Sundance Ignite and 2020 Sundance Screenwriters Intensive alum, developed the story with Groh and Costelloe. —CL “Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul” Director: Adamma Ebo Cast: Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown Shot in faux-documentary style and tracing the outrageous story of a Southern Baptist megachurch’s pastor and first lady in their attempts to resurrect their parish following a scandal, Adamma Ebo’s short “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul” caught the attention of Issa Rae, who featured it on her #ShortFilmSundays platform in 2019. Even more stars have signed on to Ebo’s feature adaptation of the short, which was selected for the 2019 Sundance Screenwriting Intensive: Daniel Kaluuya is among the producers, while Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall play the pastor and his wife. The addition of such seasoned talent to Ebo’s filmmaking arsenal could elevate her already hilarious and well-crafted story and introduce her sharp voice to a broader audience. —CL “The House Band” Director: Laura Brownson After nearly 15 years of experience in narrative features and TV, Laura Brownson’s work over the last decade has seen her turn to nonfiction, with a taste for capturing controversial and important topics like in the DOC NYC prize-winner “Lemon” and the Rachel Dolezal portrait “The Rachel Divide,” which premiered on Netflix in 2018.
Up next is “The House Band,” which examines the increasing economic divide through the lens of Jacob and his four homeless bandmates, who have become the de-facto house band for a hip eatery on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The boardwalk, a famed tourist attraction, became a flashpoint during the pandemic as its homeless population increased, creating tension with nearby wealthy homeowners and prompting the controversial sheriff to intervene. Brownson’s approach suggests she could bring much-needed intimacy and humanity to the fraught discourse around one of society’s most pressing problems. —CL “Infinity Pool” Director: Brandon Cronenberg Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Cleopatra Coleman, Mia Goth Filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg has surpassed the label of simply being the progeny of a certain other director known for eviscerating body horror and indicting depictions of technology. His last film, the skull-melting body-snatching sci-fi thriller “Possessor,” wowed Sundance nearly a decade after Cronenberg’s first film, the 2012 Cannes Un Certain regard premiere “Antiviral,” heralded his promise. Now, Neon and Topic Studios (the joint forces behind this year’s awards darling “Spencer”) have shepherded his latest film, “Infinity Pool.” It’s another sci-fi thriller, this time about a vacation gone wrong, and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mia Goth. The official logline reads: “James and Em are young, rich, in love, and on vacation. Their all-inclusive resort boasts island tours and gleaming beaches. But outside of the hotel gates waits something much more dangerous and seductive, beyond the edge of paradise.” With filming wrapped earlier this fall, “Infinity Pool” could easily wind up in Sundance’s NEXT Section, although Brandon Cronenberg is certainly ready for an even more high-profile slot. —RL “The Listener” Director: Steve Buscemi Cast: Tessa Thompson The pandemic may not dampen Sundance 2022 as much as it did Sundance 2021, but its effect on the films that play the fest will likely be even more pronounced. Virtually (and perhaps literally) every movie that premieres in Park City next January will have been shot during COVID, which means that we could be in for a litany of single-location stories in the vein of Antoine Fuqua’s recent Netflix remake of “The Guilty.” The Jake Gyllenhaal thriller certainly seems like the clearest precursor to “The Listener,” which stars Tessa Thompson as a suicide helpline volunteer who struggles to cope with the uptick in calls and the growing threat of losing someone on the other end of the phone. A Sundance shoo-in even if it weren’t also Steve Buscemi’s first movie as a director since 2007’s similarly dialogue-driven “Interview,” “The Listener” will likely be a bit less high-strung than “The Guilty” — one imagines that Alessandro Camon’s script will cleave closer to drama than thriller — but it sounds all the more compelling for that, and should provide Thompson with yet another showcase role. —DE “Mack & Rita” Director: Katie Aselton Cast: Elizabeth Lailas, Diane Keaton, Taylour Paige, Simon Rex
A body-swap comedy starring Elizabeth Lail as a California thirty-something who loves her grandma-inspired lifestyle (dinner at 4PM, chunky sweaters year-round, etc.) until the sound bath regression pod at her best friend’s bachelorette party transforms her into a 70-year-old woman played by Diane Keaton, Katie Aselton’s “Mack & Rita” might sound a little broad for a Sundance premiere on paper. But Aselton’s indie cred — along with a cast that includes “Zola” star Taylour Paige and man of the hour Simon Rex — should help to ensure that her first feature as writer-director since the 2012 thriller “Black Rock” skews a lot fresher than the likes of “Book Club” (no disrespect to that airplane movie masterpiece). Keaton hasn’t strayed too far from her very comfortable comfort zone in any of her recent film work, but her performance as the hot pope’s confidante in HBO’s “The Young Pope” suggests a renewed willingness to defy expectations and get a little messy. If “Mack & Rita” allows Keaton to enjoy the best of both worlds, it could be a bonafide festival hit. —DE “Mass Effect: The Story of YouTube” Director: Alex Winter Best known for playing one of the titular roles in the “Bill & Ted” franchise opposite Keanu Reeves, much of Alex Winter’s recent work had been behind the camera, directing documentaries on Napster, the Silk Road, and blockchain tech. His latest dive into internet culture is focused on the double-edged sword of YouTube: As much as the platform’s rise since its 2005 launch has revolutionized content creation and distribution, it also has aided the dissemination of misinformation. With the backing of “WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn” studio Olive Hill Media and TIME Studios and a zeitgeisty topic, the ahead-of-the-curve Winter’s latest arrives at an opportune moment where nonfiction-hungry audiences are eager for insight into how technology is contributing to societal turmoil. —CL Courtesy of Hulu “One More Time” Director: Alan D. Boyd If the smash — and now surely Oscar-bound — success of Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” is any testament, music documentaries have the power to launch out of the Sundance Film Festival. With “One More Time,” composer Alan D. Boyd turns his eye on the London session musicians of the 1950s through ‘80s, the forces behind some of the most iconic songs out of the UK’s golden age of record music. The feature-length documentary reunites the musicians for new studio sessions out of London, transporting us back to a bygone era. From James Bond to the Beatles, Ziggy to Zeppelin, the film promises to peek behind the music of the 20th century’s greatest songs. —RL “Pretty Red Dress” Director: Dionne Edwards Cast: Eliot Sumner, Nicholas Bishop, Edwin de la Renta, Natey Jones, Alexandra Burke, Temilola Olatunbosun Starring an eye-popping array of fresh talents, including Eliot Sumner — offspring of Sting and Trudie Styler, and already a multi-hyphenate performer best known for their musical chops — Dionne Edwards’ first feature film packs an intriguing premise: it “follows a South London family and how one red dress is the center of their lives.” Not much else is known about the film, though Edward did tell Screen that the titular dress “sparks a deeply personal journey for each of the characters.” Filming took place in London over 8 weeks this past spring, wrapping production in June. —KE
“Sharp Stick” Director: Lena Dunham Cast: Taylour Paige, Lena Dunham, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Speedman, Jon Bernthal, Kristine Froseth, Tommy Dorfman Lena Dunham is bouncing back into the film space in a big way. First up, “Sharp Stick,” her first feature film in more than a decade. The “Tiny Furniture” auteur both wrote and directed the predictably super-secret indie, which was made using strict COVID protocols in early 2021. Whatever the film may hold, Dunham has an enviable cast to bolster it, including Taylour Paige, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jon Bernthal. The only thing we think of when we hear “sharp stick” is the old idiom “better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick,” which opens all sorts compelling possibilities for Dunham’s latest. —KE “The Son” Director: Florian Zeller Cast: Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Anthony Hopkins The last time playwright Florian Zeller adapted one of his works for the screen, it was his feature directorial debut “The Father,” which dazzled Sundance 2020 on its way to six Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and wins for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins. Zeller’s next movie, “The Son,” has similar DNA, as it’s another adaptation of one of the director’s stage works. This time it’s Zeller’s 2018 play of the same name, which centers on a husband whose life is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife shows up with their troubled and angry teenage son. Zeller has assembled a heavyweight cast of dramatic actors, from Hugh Jackman to Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby, and has recruited his Oscar-winning Hopkins to appear in a supporting role. The film shot from August to October, so it’s not out of the question for Zeller to make a tight turnaround and blow the roof off of Park City once again. —ZS Sony Pictures Classics “Space Oddity” Director: Kyra Sedgwick Cast: Kyle Allen, Alexandra Shipp, Kevin Bacon, Simon Helberg, Carrie Preston Emmy winner Kyra Sedgwick has directed television films in the past, but she’s tacking on her biggest directorial effort to date with Black List script “Space Oddity.” The film stars rising actor Kyle Allen as a young man who signs up for a one-way mission to Mars only to then start an unexpected romance with a newcomer to his small town. The relationship forces Allen’s character to choose between a journey to the stars or a life more earthbound.
Sundance loves a good breakout, and Allen could be just the actor. Sedgwick said of the film in a statement, “One of the things we want to do with this movie is generate hope. There is so much information out in the world today, and it’s easy for things to seem bleak, but we need to stay optimistic so we can keep fighting because our planet is worth fighting for.” —ZS “Spin Me Round” Director: Jeff Baena Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Alessandro Nivola, Debby Ryan, Tim Heidecker, Lil Rel Howrey, Molly Shannon It may not be a Sundance without a new Aubrey Plaza joint, but it’s definitely not a Sundance without a new Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza joint. The long-time partners (both personally and professionally) have already brought four films to the festival, so their latest is perhaps the most obvious lock to appear on this list. Like 2020’s “Horse Girl,” the film was directed by Baena but written in tandem with his other frequent star, Alison Brie. The comedy follows a woman who “wins an all-expenses trip to a company’s gorgeous ‘institute’ outside of Florence, and also the chance to meet the restaurant chain’s wealthy and charismatic owner. She finds a different adventure than the one she imagined.” Big “White Lotus” vibes? —KE Untitled David Bowie Documentary Director: Brett Morgen Announced just days before the publication of this list (though apparently many years in the making), a new top-secret David Bowie project seems poised to hit the festival circuit, and soon. From Brett Morgen, the director behind “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” “Jane,” and “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” the hybrid film “is based on thousands of hours of rarely seen concert and performance footage of Ziggy, who died from liver cancer in January 2016.” Sources told the publication that Morgen has been working on the Bowie film — which has yet to announce a title — for the past four years. A source also said the film is “neither documentary nor biography, but an immersive cinematic experience built, in part, upon thousands of hours of never before seen material.” Morgen is a Sundance regular, and this is just the sort of project that could delight Sundance audiences, who often go wild for inventive music docs. —KE Untitled Justin Benson/Aaron Moorhead Film (AKA “Something in the Dirt”) Director: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The filmmaking duo get more ambitious with each subsequent film, which means that no matter what they find (in the dirt?), genre fans will eat this one up. We’re making space for it on our Midnight schedule right now. —KE Untitled Magic Johnson Docuseries Director: Rick Famuyiwa Chronicling the on- and off-court life of Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, this untitled four-part documentary series was announced by Apple TV+ in early November. The notably secretive company has yet to confirm any of the participating interview subjects (aside from Johnson himself, who referred to the project as “my upcoming docuseries” when tweeting the news), but promises to highlight his many accomplishments, as described by “heavyweights in business and politics” (per Apple). Produced by New Slate Ventures and XTR Production, the project does sport an elite team behind-the-camera: “Dope” and “The Chi” director Rick Famuyiwa is helming all four episodes, which will be DP’d by “Mudbound” Oscar nominee Rachel Morrison. —BT Untitled Martha Stewart Documentary Director: R.J. Cutler At the age of 80 and after four decades in the public eye, Martha Stewart has never been more fascinating. Most recently, much of the attention has been around her friendship and partnership with Snoop Dogg, and her ethereal social media dispatches that chronicle the always-composed Stewart’s exquisite taste and wry sense of humor (“Tonight: Wine, gin, wine, gin, gin, gin, gin, gin — Ryan Reynolds’ gin. Blake Lively’s husband Ryan Reyonld’s gin.”) But it’s how Stewart got here that will likely make up the bulk of R.J. Cutler’s documentary about the domestic icon. Of course, there’s the insider trading conviction that sent her to prison in 2004 and her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia empire. But then there’s her youth spent babysitting the children of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, her modeling days, her second career on Wall Street, and finally the cookbook that would lay her path to stardom. Cutler, who earned a Oscar nomination for “The War Room” and directed “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” had his pick of distributors for the project, which was ultimately sold to Netflix, a vote of confidence in the promise of Cutler’s storytelling and his fabulous subject. —CL “The Whale” Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins Darren Aronofsky got his start at the Sundance Film Festival when his feature debut “Pi” world premiered in Park City in 1998 and won him the festival’s Directing Award. The director then leveled up to Cannes (“Requiem for a Dream”) and most notably Venice (“The Wrestler,” “Black Swan,” “mother!”), where he won the Golden Lion with “The Wrestler.” Could a return trip to Sundance be in the cards for Aronofsky? The director is back in fine form with “The Whale,” the story of a reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. The movie is based on Samuel D. Hunter’s critically acclaimed 2012 play of the same name. Best of all, Brendan Fraser is starring in the lead role in what many fans are hoping is a dramatic comeback for the actor. —ZS “What If?” Director: Billy Porter Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali The category is… queer coming-of-age high-school dramedy from “Pose” icon and LGBTQ trailblazer Billy Porter, making his feature directorial debut as the start of what already looks to be a busy filmmaking career. “What If?” makes a big for a new kind of teen comedy, here with a queer twist in following two high-school kids — one a bashful teen boy and the other a trans girl — as they navigate a senior-year relationship. The film stars discoveries Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali as Kelsa and Kahl who, after posting about his crush online, gets the support of the student body to go for it. “What If?” is backed by queer cinema pioneer Christine Vachon (of Killer Films) as producer, which positions the film already as appointment LGBTQ viewing. —RL “When You Finish Saving the World” Director: Jesse Eisenberg Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Julianne Moore Jesse Eisenberg has been busy since earning a Best Actor nomination for his turn as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network” in 2010. In addition to acting in a parade of indies and studio movies, his short stories and other writings have been published dozens of times in The New Yorker and McSweeney’s, he’s written plays that were performed on Broadway and the West End, and last year wrote the audio drama “When You Finish Saving the World.” Eisenberg, however, has never directed a film until now: He adapted and is directing a film version of his audio play, enlisting Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”) to reprise his role and tapping Julianne Moore to play Wolfhard’s mother. The comedy-drama from A24 tells the story of three different family members at different stages of their lives, with Emma Stone, Dave McCary, and Moore as producers. —CL
