2024 Sundance Wrap with RIDEPLAY tv

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which took place from January 18 to 28, was a milestone event for the independent film community. Marking the 40th edition of the festival, it showcased a diverse and innovative selection of films, episodic works, and immersive experiences from around the world. The festival also offered a hybrid format, allowing audiences to enjoy the films both in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and online nationwide. RIDEPLAY tv had front row seats to the action and we will share our experience.

The 40th Edition Celebration Screenings and Events featured some of the classic works of independent cinema that have premiered at the festival over the years, such as Sex, Lies, and Videotape, the debut film of Steven Soderbergh that won the Audience Award in 1989; Paris is Burning, the seminal documentary about the New York drag ball scene, directed by Jennie Livingston; Reservoir Dogs, the breakthrough film of Quentin Tarantino that premiered in 1992; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, the fantasy drama that won the Grand Jury Prize and the Cinematography Award in 2012, directed by Benh Zeitlin.

The festival opened with the world premiere of The First Lady, a biopic of Michelle Obama starring Viola Davis and directed by Ava DuVernay. The film received a standing ovation and rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. It was one of the 20 films in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, which also featured notable titles such as The Lost Daughter, a psychological drama starring Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson, based on the novel by Elena Ferrante; The Pink Cloud, a sci-fi thriller about a mysterious phenomenon that forces people to stay indoors; and CODA, a heartwarming comedy-drama about a hearing girl in a deaf family, which won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award, the Directing Award, and a Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.

The NEXT section, presented by Adobe, featured some of the most innovative and original works in the festival, such as We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, a horror film that explores the dark side of online culture, directed by Jane Schoenbrun; Ma Belle, My Beauty, a romantic drama about a polyamorous relationship, directed by Marion Hill; Strawberry Mansion, a surreal comedy about a dream auditor, directed by Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney; and Cryptozoo, an animated fantasy about a secret sanctuary for mythical creatures, directed by Dash Shaw.

The Midnight section offered some of the most thrilling and entertaining films of the festival, such as Eight for Silver, a Gothic horror film about a werewolf curse, directed by Sean Ellis; Censor, a homage to the 1980s video nasties, directed by Prano Bailey-Bond; Knocking, a psychological thriller about a woman who hears mysterious noises in her apartment, directed by Frida Kempff; and Mother Schmuckers, a gross-out comedy about two brothers who lose their dog, directed by Lenny and Harpo Guit.

The U.S. Documentary Competition also presented some of the most compelling and relevant nonfiction films of the year, such as Flee, an animated documentary about a refugee’s harrowing journey from Afghanistan to Denmark, which won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award; Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a music documentary that unearthed the footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, featuring performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and more, which won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award; In the Same Breath, a powerful exposé of the COVID-19 pandemic and its mishandling by the Chinese and American governments, directed by Nanfu Wang; and Rebel Hearts, a portrait of the rebellious nuns who challenged the patriarchal Catholic Church in the 1960s, directed by Pedro Kos.

The World Cinema Dramatic Competition and the World Cinema Documentary Competition also showcased some of the most exciting and diverse voices from across the globe, such as Hive, a drama about a Kosovo war widow who starts a beekeeping business, which won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award, and the Directing Award; Flee, an animated documentary about a refugee’s harrowing journey from Afghanistan to Denmark, which won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award; Pleasure, a provocative and controversial exploration of the porn industry, directed by Ninja Thyberg; and Writing with Fire, a documentary about India’s first all-female news network, which won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change and the Audience Award.

The Premieres section presented some of the most anticipated films of the year, featuring star-studded casts and acclaimed directors, such as Passing, a drama about racial identity in the 1920s, starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, and directed by Rebecca Hall; Land, a survival drama starring and directed by Robin Wright; Judas and the Black Messiah, a biopic of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield, and directed by Shaka King; and The Sparks Brothers, a documentary about the influential pop duo Sparks, directed by Edgar Wright.

The New Frontier section, which celebrated its 15th anniversary, showcased some of the most cutting-edge and immersive works in the festival, such as All Light, Everywhere, a documentary that explores the history and ethics of surveillance technologies, directed by Theo Anthony; The Changing Same: Episode 1, a virtual reality experience that traces the legacy of racial violence in America, directed by Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, and Yasmin Elayat; Namoo, an animated VR film that follows the life of a painter, directed by Erick Oh; and Tinker, a mixed reality installation that invites participants to interact with a whimsical world, created by Lou Ward.

The Spotlight section, presented by Audible, featured some of the best films from other festivals, such as Minari, a drama about a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in Arkansas, directed by Lee Isaac Chung; Night of the Kings, a fantasy film set in an Ivory Coast prison, directed by Philippe Lacôte; The World to Come, a period romance starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, directed by Mona Fastvold; and The Truffle Hunters, a documentary about the secretive and lucrative world of truffle hunting in Italy, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw.

The Family Matinee section offered some of the most suitable films for younger audiences, such as Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, a documentary about the legendary actress and activist, directed by Mariem Pérez Riera; Marvelous and the Black Hole, a comedy about a rebellious teenager who befriends a quirky magician, directed by Kate Tsang; The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, an animated film about a man and his dog who face various challenges in life, directed by Ana Katz; and The Elephant in the Room, a documentary about a boy who lives with his grandparents and their elephant, directed by Katrine Philp.

The Special Screenings section featured some of the most unique and one-of-a-kind events in the festival, such as Life in a Day 2020, a crowdsourced documentary that captures a single day on Earth, directed by Kevin Macdonald; Bring Your Own Brigade, a documentary that investigates the causes and solutions of the wildfire crisis, directed by Lucy Walker; Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, a documentary about the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, directed by James Redford; and The Rita Moreno Conversation, a live event that featured a conversation with the iconic actress, moderated by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Short Film Program showcased some of the most original and diverse voices in filmmaking, such as White Eye, a drama about a man who tries to retrieve his stolen bike, directed by Tomer Shushan; Wiggle Room, a comedy about a wheelchair-bound girl who schemes to get money from an insurance company, directed by Sam Guest and Julia Baylis; Lizard, a drama about a girl who gets expelled from Sunday school, directed by Akinola Davies Jr.; and Five Tiger, a drama about a woman who gets involved in a sex trafficking ring, directed by Nomawonga Khumalo.

The Episodic section featured some of the most bold and innovative stories told in multiple episodes, such as 4 Feet High, a dramedy about a wheelchair-using teenager who joins a school for the first time, created by María Belén Poncio and Rosario Perazolo Masjoan; Seeds of Deceit, a documentary series about a fertility doctor who used his own sperm to inseminate his patients, created by Miriam Guttmann; Would You Rather, a comedy series about a group of friends who play a twisted game of choices, created by Lise Akoka and Romane Guéret; and Exposed, a thriller series about a journalist who uncovers a conspiracy involving a nuclear power plant, created by Omri Givon.