The 2021 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 28 to February 3, 2021. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the festival combined in-person screenings at the Ray Theatre in Park City, with screenings held online as well as on screens and drive-ins in 24 states and territories across the United States.[1][2]
 Festival poster | |
| Location | Park City, Utah |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Hosted by | Sundance Institute |
| No. of films | 72 |
| Festival date | January 28 to February 3, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Website | sundance |
Films
editU.S. Dramatic Competition
edit- CODA, written and directed by Siân Heder
- I Was a Simple Man, written and directed by Christopher Makoto Yogi
- Jockey, directed and co-written by Clint Bentley
- John and the Hole, directed by Pascual Sisto
- Mayday, written, directed and co-produced by Karen Cinorre
- On the Count of Three, directed by Jerrod Carmichael
- Passing, written, directed and produced by Rebecca Hall
- Superior, directed by Erin Vassilopoulos
- Together Together, written and directed by Nikole Beckwith
- Wild Indian, written and directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
U.S. Documentary Competition
edit- Ailey, directed and co-produced by Jamila Wignot
- All Light, Everywhere, written and directed by Theo Anthony
- At the Ready, directed by Maisie Crow
- Cusp, directed by Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt
- Homeroom, directed and co-produced by Peter Nicks
- Rebel Hearts, directed, co-written and co-edited by Pedro Kos
- Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, directed, co-produced and co-edited by Mariem Pérez Riera
- Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove
- Try Harder!, directed and co-produced by Debbie Lum
- Users, directed by Natalia Almada
Premieres
edit- Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, directed by James Redford
- Bring Your Own Brigade, written, produced and directed by Lucy Walker
- The Cursed (original festival title: Eight for Silver), written and directed by Sean Ellis
- How It Ends, written, directed and produced by Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones
- In the Earth, written and directed by Ben Wheatley
- In the Same Breath, directed and co-produced by Nanfu Wang
- Judas and the Black Messiah, directed and co-written by Shaka King
- Land, directed by Robin Wright
- Marvelous and the Black Hole, directed by Kate Tsang
- Mass, written and directed by Fran Kranz
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, written and directed by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
- My Name Is Pauli Murray, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen
- Philly D.A., directed by Ted Passon, Yoni Brook and Nicole Salazard
- Prisoners of the Ghostland, directed by Sion Sono
- The Sparks Brothers, directed by Edgar Wright
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, directed by Marilyn Agrelo
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
edit- The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet, directed by Ana Katz
- El Planeta, written and directed by Amalia Ulman
- Fire in the Mountains, written and directed by Ajitpal Singh
- Hive, written and directed by Blerta Basholli
- Human Factors, written and directed by Ronny Trocker
- Luzzu, written and directed by Alex Camilleri
- One for the Road, directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya
- The Pink Cloud, written and directed by Iuli Gerbase
- Pleasure, written and directed by Ninja Thyberg
- Prime Time, directed and co-written by Jakub Piątek
World Cinema Documentary Competition
edit- Faya Dayi, written, directed and produced by Jessica Beshir
- Flee, directed and co-written by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- Misha and the Wolves, directed by Sam Hobkinson
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, written and directed by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
- Playing with Sharks, directed by Sally Aitken
- President, directed by Camilla Nielsson
- Sabaya, directed and edited by Hogir Hirori
- Taming the Garden, directed by Salomé Jashi
- Writing with Fire, directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Midnight
edit- Censor, directed and co-written by Prano Bailey-Bond
- Knocking, directed by Frida Kempff
- A Glitch in the Matrix, directed by Rodney Ascher
- Coming Home in the Dark, directed and co-written by James Ashcroft
- Mother Schmuckers, written and directed by Lenny Guit and Harpo Guit
- Violation, written and directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli
Next
edit- The Blazing World, directed and co-written by Carlson Young
- Cryptozoo, written and directed by Dash Shaw
- First Date, written and directed by Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp
- Ma Belle, My Beauty, directed by Marion Hill
- R#J, directed and co-written by Carey Williams
- Searchers, directed by Pacho Velez
- Son of Monarchs, written and directed by Alexis Gambis
- Strawberry Mansion, written and directed by Albert Birney ans Kentucker Audley
- We're All Going to the World's Fair, written, directed and edited by Jane Schoenbrun
Spotlight
edit- Night of the Kings, directed by Philippe Lacôte
- The World to Come, directed by Mona Fastvold
Shorts
editU.S. Fiction
edit- Ava from My Class, directed by Youmin Kang
- Bambirak, directed by Zamarin Wahdat
- BJ's Mobile Gift Shop, directed by Jason Park
- Bruiser, directed by Miles Warren
- Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma, directed by Topaz Jones, rubberband.
- Doublespeak, directed by Hazel McKibbin
- i ran from it and was still in it, directed by Darol Olu Kae
- In the Air Tonight, directed by Andrew Norman Wilson
- LATA, directed by Alisha Mehta
- Raspberry, directed by Julian Doan
- The Touch of the Master's Hand, directed by Gregory Barnes
- White Wedding, directed by Melody C Roscher
- Wiggle Room, directed by Sam Guest and Julia Baylis
- Yoruga, directed by Federico Torrado Tobón
- You Wouldn't Understand, directed by Trish Harnetiaux
International Fiction
edit- The Affected, directed by Rikke Gregersen
- Black Bodies, directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall
- The Criminals, directed by Serhat Karaaslan
- Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss, directed by Sonny Calvento
- Five Tiger, directed by Nomawonga Khumalo
- Flex, directed by Josefin Malmén, David Strindberg
- Like the Ones I Used to Know (Les Grandes claques), directed by Annie St-Pierre
- Lizard, directed by Akinola Davies, Jr.
- The Longest Dream I Remember, directed by Carlos Lenin
- Mountain Cat, directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
- Unliveable, directed by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho
- The Unseen River, directed by Phạm Ngọc Lân
- We're Not Animals, directed by Noé Debré
Non-Fiction
edit- A Concerto Is a Conversation, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
- Dear Philadelphia, directed by Renee Osubu
- The Field Trip, directed by Meghan O'Hara, Mike Attie and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
- My Own Landscapes, directed by Antoine Chapon
- The Rifleman, directed by Sierra Pettengill
- Snowy, directed by Kaitlyn Schwalje and Alex Wolf Lewis
- Spirits and Rocks: An Azorean Myth, directed by Aylin Gökmen
- Tears Teacher, directed by Noemie Nakai
- This Is the Way We Rise, directed by Ciara Lacy
- To Know Her, directed by Natalie Chao
- When We Were Bullies, written, directed and produced by Jay Rosenblatt
- Up at Night, directed by Nelson Makengo
Animation
edit- The Fire Next Time, directed by Renaldho Pelle
- Forever, directed by Mitch McGlocklin
- The Fourfold, directed by Alisi Telengut
- Ghost Dogs, directed by Joe Cappa
- GNT, directed by Sara Hirner and Rosemary Vasquez-Brown
- KKUM, directed by Kang-min Kim
- Little Miss Fate, directed by Joder von Rotz
- Misery Loves Company, directed by Sasha Lee
- Souvenir Souvenir, directed by Bastien Dubois
- Trepanation, directed by Nick Flaherty
Awards
editThe following awards were given out:[3]
Grand Jury Prizes
edit- U.S. Dramatic Competition – CODA (Siân Heder)
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Summer of Soul (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Hive (Blerta Basholli)
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen)
Audience Awards
edit- U.S. Dramatic Competition – CODA (Siân Heder)
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Summer of Soul (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Hive (Blerta Basholli)
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Writing with Fire (Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh)
- NEXT – Ma Belle, My Beauty (Marion Hill)
Directing, Screenwriting and Editing
edit- U.S. Dramatic Competition – Siân Heder for CODA
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Natalia Almada for Users
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Blerta Basholli for Hive
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Hogir Hirori for Sabaya
- Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch for On the Count of Three
- Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary – Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno for Homeroom
- NEXT Innovator Price - Dash Shaw for Cryptozoo
Special Jury Prizes
edit- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast – The cast of CODA
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Best Actor - Clifton Collins Jr. for Jockey
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker - Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt for Cusp
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Nonfiction Experimentation - Theo Anthony for All Light, Everywhere
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Vérité Filmmaking - Camilla Nielsson for President
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change - Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh for Writing with Fire
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting - Jesmark Scicluna for Luzzu
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision - Baz Poonpiriya for One for the Road
Short Film Awards
edit- Short Film Grand Jury Prize - Lizard
- Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction - The Touch of the Master's Hand
- Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction - Bambirak
- Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction - Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
- Short Film Jury Award: Animation - Souvenir Souvenir
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting - Wiggle Room
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Screenwriting - The Criminals
Special Prizes
edit- Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize - Son of Monarchs
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction - Nicole Salazar for Philly D.A.
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction - Natalie Qasabian for Run
- Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction - Juli Vizza
- Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction - Terilyn Shropshire
- Sundance Institute/NHK Award - Meryam Joobeur for Motherhood
Acquisitions
editSources:[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
- Ailey: Neon
- All Light, Everywhere: Super LTD
- Bring Your Own Brigade: CBSN
- Censor: Magnet Releasing (US distribution); Vertigo Releasing (UK distribution)
- CODA: Apple TV+
- Cryptozoo: Magnolia Pictures
- Cusp: Showtime Documentary Films
- El Planeta: Utopia
- Faya Dayi: MUBI (select territories, including UK and Latin America)
- First Date: Magnet Releasing
- Flee: Neon and Participant (US distribution); Curzon Artificial Eye (UK distribution); Haut et Court (French distribution)
- A Glitch in the Matrix: Magnolia Pictures (US distribution); Dogwoof (UK distribution)
- Hive: Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber (US distribution)
- Homeroom: Hulu (US distribution)
- How It Ends: American International Pictures (US distribution; through United Artists Releasing)
- I Was a Simple Man: Strand Releasing
- Jockey: Sony Pictures Classics
- John and the Hole: IFC Films
- Luzzu: Kino Lorber (US distribution); Peccadillo Pictures (UK distribution)
- Marvelous and the Black Hole: FilmRise
- Mayday: Magnolia Pictures
- Misha and the Wolves: Netflix (US distribution); BBC Storyville (UK distribution)
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World: Juno Films
- On the Count of Three: Annapurna Pictures and Orion Pictures (US distribution; through United Artists Releasing)
- Passing: Netflix
- Playing with Sharks: National Geographic Documentary Films
- Pleasure: A24 (later acquired by NEON)
- Prisoners of the Ghostland: RLJE Films
- Rebel Hearts: Discovery+
- Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It: Roadside Attractions
- The Sparks Brothers: Focus Features (US distribution); Universal Pictures (International distribution)
- Strawberry Mansion: Music Box Films (US distribution); Alief (International distribution)
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street: Screen Media Films (US distribution); LevelFilm (Canada)
- Summer of Soul: Searchlight Pictures and Hulu (worldwide); Star (select territories)
- Superior: Factory 25 (US distribution); Visit Films (international sales); Creative Artists Agency (US sales)
- Together Together: Bleecker Street (US distribution); Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (International distribution)
- Violation: Shudder
- We're All Going to the World's Fair: HBO Max and Utopia
- Wiggle Room: Searchlight Pictures
- Wild Indian: Vertical Entertainment
References
edit- ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Will Meet Audiences Where They Are". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 15, 2020). "Sundance 2021 Full Lineup: Pandemic, Politics, Rita Moreno, Octavia Butler, 'Passing' & 'Sesame Street' Pack Semi-Virtual Festival". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Sundance 2021 Deals Complete List
- ^ Welk, Brian (January 31, 2021). "Sundance 2021: What Has Sold So Far, From 'CODA' to 'Flee' (Photos)". TheWrap. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ MUBI Takes UK, Lat Am, Italy, France, Germany, More, On Sundance Title ‘Faya Dayi’ — Deadline
- ^ Showtime Documentary Films takes world on Sundance entry ‘Cusp’|News|Screen
- ^ Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein Sundance Player ‘How It Ends’ Sells to MGM’s American International Pictures (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety
- ^ ‘Homeroom’ Trailer: Peter Nicks’ Trilogy-Ending Documentary From EP Ryan Coogler For Hulu — Deadline
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (May 26, 2021). "Sundance Pic 'Wild Indian' Lands U.S. Deal At Vertical Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ ‘John and the Hole’ Trailer Reveals Disturbing Story of Boy Holding His Family Hostage in a Literal Hole (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety
- ^ "Sundance Film 'I Was a Simple Man' Acquired by Strand Releasing for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". May 11, 2021.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 4, 2021). "HBO Max & Utopia Pick Up Sundance Coming-Of-Age Horror 'We're All Going To The World's Fair'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to 2021 Sundance Film Festival at Wikimedia Commons