The ongoing pandemic can’t stall the fountainhead of cinematic creative bursting from the Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 lineup, which was unveiled Thursday.
Sundance festival director Tabitha Jackson told Deadline that the upcoming lineup of 82 features for the virtual and in-person Park City event is “doubling down on festival discovery,” an m.o. that harkens to the Robert Redford-founded event’s indie roots.
Centered in the up-market ski town, Sundance 2022 is set to run January 20-30.
Sundance 2022 boasts a lineup is inclusive, spotlighting representation with films that speak to our time and show off the bandwidth of talent. Among the selection there are documentaries on Princess Diana (opening-day world premiere The Princess from Ed Perkins) and Bill Cosby (W. Kamau Bell’s world premiere We Need to Talk About Cosby); a double dose of Dakota Johnson (Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth and Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s Am I OK? both of which the Fifty Shades of Grey actress produced); and one of late Michael Kenneth Williams’ final performances, that being Abi Damaris Corbin’s 892 about a Marine veteran who is at his wits end as he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life.
“Eighty percent of our feature film program is still for sale and 42% are first-time directors,” said Jackson. “It’s a really energetic festival for people getting to meet this work.”
“Artists figured out a way to make movies despite any challenges presented to them,” Sundance Film Festival director of programming Kim Yutani said about filmmakers’ fortitude to have their voices heard despite the restrictions presented by Covid. Jackson adds that “People were creatively resilient.”
“This year’s program reflects the unsettling and uncertain times we’ve been living in for the past year and a half. The artists in the program, through their bold and innovative storytelling, and their sheer determination to create work in this moment, challenge us to look at the world through different lenses and examine and reevaluate how these stories impact us now and in the future,” Yutani said in a statement.
The numbers speak for themselves: The upcoming edition touted the highest number of shorts submissions ever, besting 2021’s 9,933; while the feature lineup reps an increase over last year’s 72 titles across the U.S. Competition and World Cinema Competition Dramatic and Documentary, Midnight, Shorts Spotlight and NEXT sections, as well as the episodic Indie Series and New Frontier programs.
The 2022 lineup was selected from 14,849 submissions, including 3,762 feature-length films. Of the latter, 1,652 were from the U.S., and 2,110 were international. Overall, 75 of the festival’s 82 feature films announced today will be world premieres.
Of the 82 movies chosen, 43 (52%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as women (vs. 50% for 2021); one was directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as non-binary individuals (down from 4%); 29 (35%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as people of color (vs. 51% from this year’s edition); while eight (10%) are by one or more filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+ (vs. 15% from 2021).
“This year, we look forward to celebrating this generation’s most innovative storytellers as they share their work across a wide range of genres and forms,” Sundance Institute founder and president Redford said today. “These artists have provided a light through the darkest of times, and we look forward to welcoming their unique visions out into the world and experiencing them together.”
“I’m so impressed by, and proud of, the work that the curatorial and production teams have done to plan this festival,” said newly appointed Sundance Institute CEO and former Toronto Film Festival co-head Joana Vicente. “I think audiences will be extremely excited to convene and engage with the incredible stories these artists are telling.”
While Dr. Anthony Fauci eased some concerns about the Omicron variant, saying recently it seemed to be less severe than Delta, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival remains in a position to pivot should the worst-case scenarios prevail. “We designed the festival to be flexible and are ready for whatever comes toward us,” said Jackson, referring to the online availability of movies for ticketholders. The 2022 edition will be the second time the festival has gone virtual during Covid.
As part of Sundance extending its celebration nationwide, eight feature films were chosen for the festival’s Satellite Screens, which will play at seven independent art house cinemas across the U.S. for local audiences during the fest’s closing weekend (January 28-30). Those titles are Alice; Emergency; Every Day in Kaimukī; Free Chol Soo Lee; Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul; La Guerra Civil; Marte Um (Mars One); and Sirens, with additional Short Film participation to be announced.
With nationwide reach, the program will play at Amherst Cinema in Amherst, MA; a/perture cinema in Winston-Salem,NC; Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego; Indie Memphis in Memphis; mama.film in Lawrence, KS; Northwest Film Forum in Seattle; and SNF Parkway Theatre, home of the Maryland Film Festival, in Baltimore.
Day one titles for Sundance 2022 include Emergency, Fire of Love, Fresh, La Guerra Civil, A Love Song, Marte Um (Mars One), The Princess, Tantura, When You Finish Saving the World, and The Worst Person in the World. Lucy and Desi is the fest’s Salt Lake City Opening Night Gala Film, premiering at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center on January 21.
As in past years, Deadline will be on the ground and online covering the films, the deals, the panels, and the word on the streets of Park City and beyond. Additionally, our Deadline Studio will be up and running again as our team speaks with filmmakers about their projects and the festival itself.
Source: Deadline
