The 2021 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 28 to February 3, 2021. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the festival combined in-person screenings at the Ray Theatre in Park City, with screenings held online as well as on screens and drive-ins in 24 states and territories across the United States.[1][2]
 Festival poster | |
| Location | Park City, Utah |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Hosted by | Sundance Institute |
| No. of films | 72 |
| Festival date | January 28 to February 3, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Website | sundance |
FilmsEdit
U.S. Dramatic CompetitionEdit
- CODA by Siân Heder
- I Was a Simple Man by Christopher Makoto Yogi
- Jockey by Clint Bentley
- John and the Hole by Pascual Sisto
- Mayday by Karen Cinorre
- On the Count of Three by Jerrod Carmichael
- Passing by Rebecca Hall
- Superior by Erin Vassilopoulos
- Together Together by Nikole Beckwith
- Wild Indian by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
U.S. Documentary CompetitionEdit
- Ailey by Jamila Wignot
- All Light, Everywhere by Theo Anthony
- At the Ready by Maisie Crow
- Cusp by Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt
- Homeroom by Peter Nicks
- Rebel Hearts by Pedro Kos
- Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It by Mariem Pérez Riera
- Summer of Soul by Questlove
- Try Harder! by Debbie Lum
- Users by Natalia Almada
PremieresEdit
- Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir by James Redford
- Bring Your Own Brigade by Lucy Walker
- The Cursed by Sean Ellis original festival title Eight for Silver
- How It Ends by Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones
- In the Earth by Ben Wheatley
- In the Same Breath by Nanfu Wang
- Judas and the Black Messiah by Shaka King
- Land by Robin Wright
- Marvelous and The Black Hole by Kate Tsang
- Mass by Fran Kranz
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World by Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri
- My Name is Pauli Murray by Betsy West, Julie Cohen
- Philly D.A. by Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicole Salazard
- Prisoners of the Ghostland by Sion Sono
- The Sparks Brothers by Edgar Wright
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street by Marilyn Agrelo
World Cinema Dramatic CompetitionEdit
- The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet by Ana Katz
- El Planeta by Amalia Ulman
- Fire in the Mountains by Ajitpal Singh
- Hive by Blerta Basholli
- Human Factors by Ronny Trocker
- Luzzu by Alex Camilleri
- One for the Road by Nattawut Poonpiriya
- The Pink Cloud by Iuli Gerbase
- Pleasure by Ninja Thyberg
- Prime Time by Jakub Piątek
World Cinema Documentary CompetitionEdit
- Faya Dayi by Jessica Beshir
- Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- Misha and the Wolves by Sam Hobkinson
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
- Playing With Sharks by Sally Aitken
- President by Camilla Nielsson
- Sabaya by Hogir Hirori
- Taming the Garden by Salomé Jashi
- Writing with Fire by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
MidnightEdit
- Censor by Prano Bailey-Bond
- Knocking by Frida Kempff
- A Glitch in the Matrix by Rodney Ascher
- Coming Home in the Dark by James Ashcroft
- Mother Schmuckers by Lenny Guit and Harpo Guit
- Violation by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli
NextEdit
- The Blazing World by Carlson Young
- Cryptozoo by Dash Shaw
- First Date by Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp
- Ma Belle, My Beauty by Marion Hill
- R#J by Carey Williams
- Searchers by Pacho Velez
- Son of Monarchs by Alexis Gambis
- Strawberry Mansion by Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley
- We're All Going to the World's Fair by Jane Schoenbrun
SpotlightEdit
AwardsEdit
The following awards were given out:[3]
Grand Jury PrizesEdit
- U.S. Dramatic Competition – CODA (Siân Heder)
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Summer of Soul (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Hive (Blerta Basholli)
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen)
Audience AwardsEdit
- U.S. Dramatic Competition – CODA (Siân Heder)
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Summer of Soul (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Hive (Blerta Basholli)
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Writing with Fire (Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh)
- NEXT – Ma Belle, My Beauty (Marion Hill)
Directing, Screenwriting and EditingEdit
- U.S. Dramatic Competition – Siân Heder for CODA
- U.S. Documentary Competition – Natalia Almada for Users
- World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Blerta Basholli for Hive
- World Cinema Documentary Competition – Hogir Hirori for Sabaya
- Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch for On the Count of Three
- Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary – Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno for Homeroom
- NEXT Innovator Price - Dash Shaw for Cryptozoo
Special Jury PrizesEdit
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast – The cast of CODA
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Best Actor - Clifton Collins Jr. for Jockey
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker - Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt for Cusp
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Nonfiction Experimentation - Theo Anthony for All Light, Everywhere
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Vérité Filmmaking - Camilla Nielsson for President
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change - Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh for Writing with Fire
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting - Jesmark Scicluna for Luzzu
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision - Baz Poonpiriya for One for the Road
Short Film AwardsEdit
- Short Film Grand Jury Prize - Lizard
- Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction - The Touch of the Master's Hand
- Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction - Bambirak
- Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction - Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
- Short Film Jury Award: Animation - Souvenir Souvenir
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting - Wiggle Room
- Short Film Special Jury Award for Screenwriting - The Criminals
Special PrizesEdit
- Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize - Son of Monarchs
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction - Nicole Salazar for Philly D.A.
- Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction - Natalie Qasabian for Run
- Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction - Juli Vizza
- Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction - Terilyn Shropshire
- Sundance Institute/NHK Award - Meryam Joobeur for Motherhood
AcquisitionsEdit
Sources:[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
- Ailey: Neon
- All Light, Everywhere: Super LTD
- Bring Your Own Brigade: CBSN
- Censor: Magnet Releasing (US distribution); Vertigo Releasing (UK distribution); Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (worldwide)
- CODA: Apple TV+
- Cryptozoo: Magnolia Pictures
- Cusp: Showtime Documentary Films
- El Planeta: Utopia
- Faya Dayi: MUBI (select territories, including UK and Latin America)
- First Date: Magnet Releasing
- Flee: Neon and Participant (US distribution); Curzon Artificial Eye (UK distribution); Haut et Court (French distribution)
- A Glitch in the Matrix: Magnolia Pictures (US distribution); Dogwoof (UK distribution)
- Hive: Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber (US distribution)
- Homeroom: Hulu (US distribution)
- How It Ends: American International Pictures (US distribution; through United Artists Releasing)
- I Was a Simple Man: Strand Releasing
- Jockey: Sony Pictures Classics
- John and the Hole: IFC Films
- Luzzu: Kino Lorber (US distribution); Peccadillo Pictures (UK distribution)
- Marvelous and the Black Hole: FilmRise
- Mayday: Magnolia Pictures
- Misha and the Wolves: Netflix (US distribution); BBC Storyville (UK distribution)
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World: Juno Films
- On the Count of Three: Annapurna Pictures and Orion Pictures (US distribution; through United Artists Releasing)
- Passing: Netflix
- Playing with Sharks: National Geographic Documentary Films
- Pleasure: A24 (Later acquired by NEON)
- Prisoners of the Ghostland: RLJE Films
- Rebel Hearts: Discovery+
- Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It: Roadside Attractions
- The Sparks Brothers: Focus Features (US distribution); Universal Pictures (International distribution)
- Strawberry Mansion: Music Box Films (US distribution); Alief (International distribution)
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street: Screen Media Films (US distribution); LevelFilm (Canada)
- Summer of Soul: Searchlight Pictures and Hulu (worldwide); Star (select territories)
- Superior: Factory 25 (US distribution); Visit Films (international sales); Creative Artists Agency (US sales)
- Together Together: Bleecker Street (US distribution); Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (International distribution)
- Violation: Shudder
- Wiggle Room: Searchlight Pictures
- Wild Indian: Vertical Entertainment
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Will Meet Audiences Where They Are". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 15, 2020). "Sundance 2021 Full Lineup: Pandemic, Politics, Rita Moreno, Octavia Butler, 'Passing' & 'Sesame Street' Pack Semi-Virtual Festival". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Sundance 2021 Deals Complete List
- ^ Welk, Brian (January 31, 2021). "Sundance 2021: What Has Sold So Far, From 'CODA' to 'Flee' (Photos)". TheWrap. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ MUBI Takes UK, Lat Am, Italy, France, Germany, More, On Sundance Title ‘Faya Dayi’ — Deadline
- ^ Showtime Documentary Films takes world on Sundance entry ‘Cusp’|News|Screen
- ^ Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Wein Sundance Player ‘How It Ends’ Sells to MGM’s American International Pictures (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety
- ^ ‘Homeroom’ Trailer: Peter Nicks’ Trilogy-Ending Documentary From EP Ryan Coogler For Hulu — Deadline
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (May 26, 2021). "Sundance Pic 'Wild Indian' Lands U.S. Deal At Vertical Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ ‘John and the Hole’ Trailer Reveals Disturbing Story of Boy Holding His Family Hostage in a Literal Hole (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety
- ^ "Sundance Film 'I Was a Simple Man' Acquired by Strand Releasing for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". May 11, 2021.
External linksEdit
Media related to 2021 Sundance Film Festival at Wikimedia Commons