Alright, it’s January. There is no rest for the wicked, and it’s that time of year again. The Sundance Film Festival approaches imminently later this week, and as usual, it’s an essential time for indie films to kick off the year. Sundance has no shortage of talent or movies to choose from. As is typically the case, there’s a diverse array of indie dramas, comedies, documentaries, horror movies, thrillers, political movies, social docs, experimental films, lo-fi NEXT titles, and so much more.
Sundance Film Festival 2024: New Films From Steven Soderbergh, Debra Granik, Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Returning notable filmmakers to keep an eye on include Rose Glass with the thriller “Love Lies Bleeding” starring Kristen Stewart; Steven Soderbergh, who’s back with a surprise ghost tale in “Presence”; Susanna Fogel follows up 2023’s Sundance entry, “Cat Person” with a new take on the Reality Winner story (“Winner”); Nate Silver returns with a comedy starring Jason Schwartzman and the great Carol Kane (“Between The Temples”); Jesse Eisenberg comes back with another directorial effort, “A Real Pain,” co-starring “Succession” star Kieran Culkin; Ryan Fleck and Ana Boden circle back to their indie roots with “Freaky Tales” co-starring folks like Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn and doc filmmakers like Bao Nguyen (“The Greatest Night In Pop”), Gary Hustwit (“Eno”) and Jesse Moss (“War Game”) returning with docs we should all know about.
Filmmakers to keep an eye on include renowned painter and artist Titus Kaphar and his drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness” featuring André Holland, Andra Day, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor; breakout director Jane Schoenbrun returning with A24 indie, “I Saw The TV Glow”; Nora Fingscheidt’s “The Outrun” with Saoirse Ronan; Kobi Libii’s “The American Society of Magical Negroes” sounds like a wicked satire and many more. The Spotlight section also includes at least two titles worth seeing that we’ve already reviewed at another festival, chiefly Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” with Glen Powell and “How To Have Sex” from filmmaker Molly Manning Walker.
The Sundance Film Festival runs January 18 – 28. Happy Sundancing! Have a great festival, and check out our most anticipated picks below.
Follow along with all our coverage of the 2024 Sundance Film.
“A Different Man”After undergoing facial reconstructive surgery, a man becomes fixated on an actor in a stage production based on his former life. Aaron Schimberg, known for “Chained for Life” (2018) and “Go Down Death” (2013), writes and directs this drama featuring Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Owen Kline, star alongside Adam Pearson from “Under the Skin.”
“A Real Pain”Following his directorial debut, “When You Finish Saving the World,” which also debuted at Sundance, Jesse Eisenberg returns with a story about mismatched cousins who reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. Eisenberg stars next to Kieran Culkin with Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, and Kurt Egyiawan.
“Between The Temples”Director Nathan Silver, screenwriter C. Mason Wells, and DP Sean Price Williams, the team behind the delicious black comedy “Thirst Street,” reunite for a comedy about a cantor in a crisis of faith who finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher reenters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student. Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane star alongside Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, and Madeline Weinstein.
“Exhibiting Forgiveness”Internationally renowned artist and painter Titus Kaphar makes his directorial debut with a tale (that he also wrote) about a Black artist on the path to success derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. André Holland, John Earl Jelks, Andra Day, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor star.
“Eno”Visionary artist Brian Eno — known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, among many others; pioneering ambient music, being instrumental in glam rock, and being one of the most influential musicians and producers of the 20th Century—finally gets his documentary due. Documentary filmmaker Gary Hustwit (known for his design doc trilogy “Helvetica,” “Objectified,” and “Urbanized”) directs with a twist; like many of Eno’s regenerative conceptual projects, the film is different every time it is seen.