Sundance announces its lineup, preparing for one last celebration in Park City

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In just under two months, the Sundance Film Festival will begin with a special task. As it holds its final event in Park City, Utah – the location it’s become so closely associated with – the festival needs to celebrate its history and everything it has achieved there.

We also need to build enthusiasm for the festival’s move to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.

In a recent video interview from Los Angeles, John Nein, a senior programmer and director of strategic initiatives, explained, with a smile, that it’s possible to feel two different emotions or hold two seemingly opposing ideas at the same time.

Sundance announced its 2024 film selection on Wednesday, including 90 feature films and seven series. Several of these projects are expected to be among the most talked-about and influential films of the year.

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Boulder, Colorado, was chosen to host the festival, beating out Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. This move is expected to usher in a new chapter for the event.

This year’s lineup includes several highly anticipated films, such as Cathy Yan’s satirical comedy “The Gallerist,” featuring Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega; David Wain’s new comedy, “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass,” with Zoey Deutch and Jon Hamm; and the debut of “The Moment,” starring Charli XCX as a fictionalized version of herself, a pop star.

Olivia Wilde’s new film, “The Invite,” features a dinner party that takes a dark turn, with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton playing her neighbors. Meanwhile, Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe team up in “The Weight,” a survival story directed by Padraic McKinley and set in 1930s Oregon.

I’m really excited about the documentaries they’re showing! There are some fascinating portraits of incredible people lined up. They’re doing one on Courtney Love called “Antiheroine,” and another on Brittney Griner, the basketball star, about her time in Russia – it’s called “The Brittney Griner Story.” Plus, they’ve got a film on Billie Jean King (“Give Me the Ball”) and even one about Nelson Mandela (“Troublemaker”). It’s a really strong lineup!

The festival will honor its history by showcasing new work from returning filmmakers. Highlights include Gregg Araki’s daring film “I Want Your Sex” with Emma Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, Alex Gibney’s documentary “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie,” which is based on the author’s own account, and the pilot episode of Nicole Holofcener’s new series, “Worried.”

According to Nein, former Sundance Film Festival attendees are contacting the festival on their own, eager to help or just experience Park City one last time. He was speaking with festival director Eugene Hernandez and programming director Kim Yutani when he shared this.

That really captures the spirit of our community,” says Nein. “Everyone is excited about the Sundance Film Festival continuing and supporting artists, and we’re seeing that same energy directed towards Boulder as well.

He believes these two things go together. The way they respect the past is the same way they’re supporting artists today, ensuring they have the chance to succeed and keep the artistic legacy alive.

The upcoming Sundance Film Festival is already filled with emotion, especially after the passing of Robert Redford in September. As the founder of the Sundance Institute and a key figure for the festival for many years, Redford’s contributions will be honored as part of celebrations recognizing Sundance’s connection to Utah and Park City.

One of the highlights will be a showing of the 1969 film “Downhill Racer,” featuring Robert Redford as a determined ski racer. Redford frequently mentioned this film when discussing his commitment to creative freedom.

Organizing this year’s festival was challenging enough, but it was made even harder by having to leave Park City and Redford, and by the recent loss of Sundance’s head of communications, Tammie Rosen.

Yutani faces new challenges every year, and still feels the impact of having to cancel its in-person events in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic.

“The past five years have been challenging,” says Yutani. “This year, I’ve focused on appreciating the present moment. I want to fully experience the incredible work from these filmmakers—they have such unique and inventive ideas. It’s about being receptive to their vision and not letting past issues or future concerns distract us.”

Hernandez notes that each year, many first-time filmmakers attend the festival without any preconceived notions or expectations.

Hernandez explains that while the festival will honor its history and past performers, it’s also designed to showcase emerging talent. He believes the event will offer something fresh for many attendees, regardless of their previous experience.

This year’s festival isn’t avoiding tough global issues. Many of the American films selected for competition focus on international and immigrant experiences, which are especially relevant in today’s cultural and political climate.

Yutani highlighted Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park,” a story about a Korean American woman dealing with past abuse, and Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei’s “The Friend’s House Is Here,” which follows two women in Tehran’s art world, as examples of the types of narratives the team was excited about.

We were really drawn to a lot of what we saw,” Yutani explains. “These films especially caught our attention because they offer such unique and powerful perspectives. We hadn’t quite seen these stories told like this before.”

Several other films stood out in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, including NB Mager’s “Run Amok,” a provocative story about a high school musical. Giselle Bonilla’s “The Musical,” starring Rob Lowe, explores a love triangle between a teacher and a principal. And Josef Kubota Wladyka’s “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” offers a look inside the vibrant Japanese ballroom dancing world.

Both the Midnight and Next sections promise several promising new films, such as Tamra Davis’ documentary “The Best Summer,” which explores the 90s music scene with members of the Beastie Boys, the Amps, and Sonic Youth. Also featured are Ian Tuason’s horror film adapted from a podcast, “undertone,” the quirky comedy “Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant” by the New Zealand team THUNDERLIPS, and “zi,” directed by Kogonada and starring Haley Lu Richardson of “White Lotus” and “Columbus.”

The Premieres section will also feature several notable films, including Iliza Shlesinger’s comedy special, “Chasing Summer”; Jay Duplass’s “See You When I See You” with Cooper Raiff and David Duchovny; and “The S—heads” directed by Macon Blair and starring Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Kieran Culkin recently won an Oscar for his performance in “A Real Pain,” a film that first debuted over a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Sundance has a history of launching the careers of now-famous directors like Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”) and Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”). Several other films that gained attention at Sundance last year – including “Train Dreams,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” “Sorry, Baby,” and “The Perfect Neighbor” – are still being considered for awards.

Yutani chuckles, explaining that while it might seem insignificant, it’s actually quite important. Every year, the films they select for the festival find success in their own unique ways. Once the festival program is announced, the films take on a life of their own, and the team is always intrigued to see how audiences and the industry respond.

I’ll never forget being at the very first showing of “Sorry, Baby.” It was amazing to introduce Eva Victor’s film – and she just got a Golden Globe nomination, which is fantastic! – and then stay and watch the audience experience it for the first time. It was a really special night.

I was at the screening, and it was amazing. Yutani said it’s one of those moments where you just know a filmmaker’s career is about to take off. It’s really rewarding for those of us who get to see that potential first – it feels special to be among the first to recognize a truly great film.

It appears the people running Sundance are primarily focused on continuing to showcase fresh and emerging talent.

According to Hernandez, what truly sets these artists apart is their incredibly fresh and original approach to storytelling.

Given the current challenges to inclusivity – a value central to the Sundance Film Festival – this year’s lineup feels like a strong statement against those challenges.

Hernandez remembers feeling deeply touched and inspired when he first learned about “Bedford Park” and the program, realizing that as programmers, they had a unique ability to make a difference.

According to Hernandez, Mr. Redford stated in 2017 that the Sundance Film Festival will always prioritize independent filmmakers and their stories, no matter who is in office. Hernandez feels fortunate to be able to continue that important work.

“And we’ll take that with us to Boulder in 2027 and beyond,” says Hernandez.

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2025-12-10 20:02