The Sundance Film Festival returns in person to Park City on Thursday, after a three-year pandemic-induced hiatus. Celebrities will once again take a pause from the endless circuit of awards season activities in Los Angeles to fish out their shearlings and head to the mountains, where there’s much to be excited about this year. Below, the standout films to pay attention to and, if you’re heading to the festival, the events to pad your schedule with.
Opening Night Gala Celebration Will Honor Ryan Coogler
The first night of the festival will kick off on Thursday with the ticketed Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance presented by IMDbPro celebration at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse. The dinner event, which raises funds for the Institute, will honor several filmmakers with ties to the film festival. “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler will be presented with the inaugural Sundance Institute | Variety Visionary Award, and Luca Guadagnino will receive the Sundance Institute International Icon Award. Vanguard award honorees include W. Kamau Bell for nonfiction and Nikyatu Jusu, who directed last year’s audience award-winning film “The Nanny,” for fiction.
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The Films Everyone Will be Talking About
Every since the New Yorker article titled “Cat Person” took off, the film adaptation has been hotly anticipated, and the movie arrives at Sundance (costarring Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun). “You Hurt My Feelings” stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a novelist struggling to write her second book; “Magazine Dreams” features Jonathan Majors as a wannabe bodybuilder in a performance that is already generating buzz. Daisy Ridley leads “Sometimes I Think About Dying” as Fran who, yes, thinks about dying. And Otessa Moshfegh’s book “Eileen” gets the movie treatment with Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in the leads.
A New Slate of Music Documentaries
Five-part documentary series “Willie Nelson & Family,” the first authorized screen project on the country musician, will debut during the festival on Tuesday, following a first screening set for Friday in Salt Lake City. Folk-rock duo Indigo Girls are the focus of director Alexandria Bombach’s “It’s Only Life After All,” and the band will perform during A Taste of Sundance Thursday. Director Lisa Cortés takes on the late Black queer rock-‘n’-roll icon Little Richard in “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” which will premiere on the opening night of the festival as part of the U.S. Documentary competition lineup.
Actors Making Their Directorial Debut in Competition
Comedian Randall Park makes his directorial debut with “Shortcomings” starring Justin H. Min and Sherry Cola as a young couple in San Francisco. The film, which premieres Sunday, explores a multiplicity of Asian American identities within a coming-of-age relationship story. Actress Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, who’s directed music videos for artists like Ben Platt and Remi Wolf, teamed up to codirect the mockumentary “Theater Camp.” The film is cowritten by Gordon and Lieberman in collaboration with newly married actor couple Platt and Noah Galvin; Platt, Galvin and Gordon lead the cast, which also includes Amy Sedaris and Patti Harrison.
Two Iconic Models Get the Doc Treatment
Brooke Shields and Bethann Hardison are the subjects of their own documentaries this festival. “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” takes its name from the Louis Malle film Shields starred in at age 12, before she became a household name courtesy of her Calvin Klein campaign and role in “Blue Lagoon.” The film is directed by Lana Wilson, last at Sundance with her Taylor Swift doc “Miss Americana.” “Invisible Beauty” tells the story of the life of model, agent and activist Bethann Hardison, done alongside director Frédéric Tcheng of “Halston” and “Dior and I.” The film follows Hardison’s impact on the fashion industry throughout the several decades she’s been a force.
Gucci Returns to Park City
Gucci returns to Park City with a celebration of “Invisible Beauty,” over the weekend. The fashion house has a 15-year history of supporting documentary film and is once again partnering with the Sundance Institute.
The Inaugural Indigenous House presented by IllumiNative
Female-led Native social justice organization IllumiNative, founded by Crystal Echo Hawk, is debuting its Indigenous House on Main Street. The two-day festival pop-up will host panel discussions and serve as a gathering space to celebrate and connect Native creatives in the film and entertainment industry.
Influencer Skiing With UTA House and Free People
UTA House is returning to Park City with a full slate of programming. There will be a panel discussion with several female filmmakers, and celebration of comedy with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat. Barry’s Bootcamp will host daily classes, and Free People is bringing talent to the slopes with an Influencer Ski Day.
Party at Tao Park City
Looking for a break from all of the screenings and panels and earnest networking? Trek over to the Tao Park City (or catch a ride with car sponsor Acura). Performance highlights throughout the pop-up run include a late night appearance by Diplo, DJ sets by Mel Debarge and Rachel Winters, and a Chase Sound Check performance by DJ Pee .Wee, aka Anderson .Paak.