Larry Gleeson at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, with the day’s festival update, on January 28th, 2021. (Photo credit: HollywoodGlee)
Today is Ignite Day, presented by Adobe, at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Here’s to the next generation of independent storytellers! Today’s screenings include exciting directorial debuts that are sure to be talked about all year long. See them here first. Carey Williams’s R#J is told entirely through social media and smartphone screens; Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.’s Wild Indian tells a story that spans centuries with an assured visual style that evokes fascination and dread; and in El Planeta, Amalia Ulman blurs the line between fact and fiction.
Also, there two big world premieres on deck today. First, at 1:00 p.m. MT, see Night of the Kings, the second feature of Ivory Coast director Philippe Lacôte. Later on, at 7:00 p.m. MT, Shaka King returns to the Festival with Judas and the Black Messiah, a historical drama that tells the story of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) and his betrayal at the hands of William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) in 1969
And, don’t forget to check out what’s brewing in Cinema Café, presented by Audible. Today, a thought-provoking talk with actors Emilia Jones (CODA), Patti Harrison (Together Together, Weirdo Night), and Tyson Brown (First Date) is happening. Also, get ready for Come Together, another Big Conversation—this one supported by our friends at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Expect a mind-expanding talk on the intersection of science and technology, as explored through the lens of film and television.
Rounding out the day, make room for tonight’s Sound & Vision Speakeasy at 9:00 p.m. MT, presented by Southwest Airlines, featuring musical performances by artists like Bardo (Chicano Batman) and Frances Forever. You’ll only be able to access this one live, and we guarantee you won’t want to miss it.
Sundance Film Festival Executive Director, Tabitha Jackson, left, hosts the Sundance Dailies, with special guest, Kim Yutani, Festival Programming Director, on January 29th, 2021.
A very busy day at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Beginning with the first episode of the Sundance Dailies hosted by Festival Executive Director, Tabitha Jackson, in a morning show Entertainment Tonight televison format, with an appearance by Festival Programming Director, Kim Yutani, a brief rundown of some of the day’s events were highlighted. Yutani pointed out the diligence of the programming staff in seeking out hidden voices outside the United States and recommended the entire International Film offerings including documentaries, dramas, etc.
Mother Schmuckers
I caught Belgian Cinema offering Mother Schmuckers as part of the midnight section, One For the Road from Thailand, Luzzu, the first Malta film to screen at Sundance, Screen Australia’s Swimming with Sharks, and the riveting documentary, President, from Zimbabwe, and last but not least, the United States’ John and the Hole.
Other events highlighted during the Sundance Dailies included:
Cinema Café: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson & Shaka King | 10:30 a.m. MT Talent:Directors Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)) and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), moderator Hannah Giorgis (Staff Writer, The Atlantic). A culture of conversation with featured guests and thought-provoking insights.
The Big Conversation: The Past Is Present: A Personal Journey Through Race, History and Filmmaking | 1:00p.m. MT Talent: Filmmaker Raoul Peck and Tabitha Jackson (Sundance Film Festival Director). “History is not the past, it’s the present.” James Baldwin’s words reverberate throughout Raoul Peck’s work, his activism, and his remarkable filmmaking career. Peck joins Festival director Tabitha Jackson in a conversation about white supremacy, history, creative expression, and his personal journey from the Academy Award-nominated I Am Not Your Negro to his upcoming work Exterminate All the Brutes, which interrogates over 600 years of history— from the Native American genocide to the systemized enslavement of Africans, to Hitler’s extermination of the European Jews—a history to which our present is inextricably bound. Don’t miss this one!
Day 3
Passing
Tomorrow will be another full day with Faya Dayi, Passing, R#J, and A Glitch in the Matrix scheduled. Also, be sure to check out another round of free event offerings. You’ll be glad you did! They are as follows:
*FREE EVENT SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
* (All of these activities are free to view globally. Sign up for an account at Festival.Sundance.org to access. All times are U.S. Mountain time.)
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Sundance Dailies with Tabitha Jackson and Utah at-large correspondent, John Cooper. Tomorrow’s guests include Eugenio Derbez (CODA) and Rebecca Hall (Passing). Presented by Acura. Trust me, you’ll want to tune in.
10:30 – 11:15 a.m. Cinema Café with Rita Moreno & Sonia Manzano promises a culture of conversation and thought-provoking insights.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Artist Meetup: Positionality in the Editing Room. Featuring Carla Gutierrez and Malika Zouhali-Worrall in conversation with Carrie Lozano. Join up and engage in conversation around technical and philosophical topics affecting the storytelling field.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. The Big Conversation: Barbed Wire Kisses Redux. The year 1992 was a watershed one for LGBTQ+ film, giving birth to the term “New Queer Cinema” and introducing a revolutionary generation of films and filmmakers with energetic irreverence and disruptive aesthetics. At the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, B. Ruby Rich convened and moderated a panel of preeminent artists (including the late Derek Jarman) to discuss their work and the historic moment of its emergence. This year, Rich and other LGBTQ+ titans including Andrew Ahn, Greg Araki, Silas Howard, Isaac Julien, and Rose Troche, gather 30 years later to look back and imagine forward in this contemporary edition of Barbed Wire Kisses.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Producers Celebration. A celebration of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival producers and the Sundance Institute Creative Producing fellows with the presentation of the Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Awards.
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Beyond the Screen: Exploring Genre. Beyond the Screen will illuminate the creative process behind some of the most anticipated films in the 2021 Sundance Film Festival as their creators discuss the art and craft behind their projects.
10:00 – 11:30 p.m. Speakeasy: Conjuring the Collective – Womxn at Sundance promises an evening of dynamic performance and energizing conversation. Continuing the tradition of gathering and celebrating the womxn in the Festival community, this year’s event will reclaim the idea of a coven as a source of magic, healing, and power.
As we all struggle with the challenges of adapting to the Sundance-built, all-digital, online platform the efforts are paying off as we overcome the obstacles and minute bumps in the robust infrastructure. With that being said here are some most excellent events happening on Day 2 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival:
Sundance Dailies | 9:00 a.m. MT Talent: Tabitha Jackson (Sundance Film Festival Director) and John Cooper (Emeritus Director, Sundance Film Festival); The Sparks Brothers director Edgar Wright, and Ron Mael and Russell Mael (Sparks). The Sundance Dailies will take place live each morning with host Tabitha Jackson, special correspondent John Cooper, and an assortment of special guests and some of the highlights you need to know about the festival of the day ahead featuring artist interviews, witty banter, free inspiration, and radical ideas. It’s the Sundance way of being together, even when we’re apart. Presented by Acura.
Sundance executive Director, Tabitha Jackson, left, and filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson during the Q & A following the world premiere of Summer of Soul…(Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Thursday, January 29th, 2021.
Cinema Café: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson & Shaka King | 10:30 a.m. MT Talent:Directors Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)) and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), moderator Hannah Giorgis (Staff Writer, The Atlantic). A culture of conversation with featured guests and thought-provoking insights.
The Big Conversation: The Past Is Present: A Personal Journey Through Race, History and Filmmaking | 1:00p.m. MT Talent: Filmmaker Raoul Peck and Tabitha Jackson (Sundance Film Festival Director). “History is not the past, it’s the present.” James Baldwin’s words reverberate throughout Raoul Peck’s work, his activism, and his remarkable filmmaking career. Peck joins Festival director Tabitha Jackson in a conversation about white supremacy, history, creative expression, and his personal journey from the Academy Award-nominated I Am Not Your Negro to his upcoming work Exterminate All the Brutes, which interrogates over 600 years of history— from the Native American genocide to the systemized enslavement of Africans, to Hitler’s extermination of the European Jews—a history to which our present is inextricably bound. Don’t miss this one!
Stay tuned for more as this film festival is just getting started!
Larry Gleeson at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, with the day’s festival update, on January 28th, 2021. (Photo credit: HollywoodGlee)
