Category Archives: Coming-of-Age

Big Girls Don’t Cry Premieres at Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Posted on by

Big Girls Don’t Cry premiered Saturday, January 24, at the Sundance Film Festival, screening at The Ray Theatre in Park City as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The afternoon screening was preceded by a red carpet press line, where the film’s creative team gathered for photos and interviews ahead of the first public showing.

In attendance were writer-director Paloma Schneideman, lead cast members Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, and Noah Taylor, along with producers and executive producers connected to the project. The atmosphere reflected the film’s debut status, with the team marking its introduction to festival audiences following its New Zealand production.

Set in rural New Zealand in 2006, Big Girls Don’t Cry follows 14-year-old Sid Bookman over the course of a formative summer as she navigates early desire, shifting friendships, and the influence of the early internet. The film centers on observation rather than spectacle, placing its young protagonist in everyday situations that quietly shape her sense of identity and belonging.

The premiere screening in Park City was the film’s first stop at the festival, with additional in-person and online screenings scheduled as Sundance continues through the end of January.

Share

Extra Geography Premieres at Sundance 2026 in World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Posted on by

Extra Geography premiered Friday, January 23, at the Sundance Film Festival, screening at The Library Theatre in Park City as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The screening was preceded by a red carpet appearance from director Molly Manners and members of the cast, marking the film’s first public showing.

The debut feature, written by Miriam Battye, centers on two high-achieving students at a British girls’ boarding school whose tightly controlled routines are disrupted by a self-imposed summer project to fall in love.

The film stars Marni Duggan and Galaxie Clear, with Alice Englert and Aoife Riddell also appearing. Extra Geography is Manners’ first feature following her work in television, including the Netflix series One Day.

Following its premiere night in Park City, the film continues its Sundance run with additional public screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City through February 1, giving festival audiences multiple opportunities to catch the film during the final days of the festival.

Share

Sundance ’26: BURN Brings Hyper-Color and Chaos to the NEXT Section

Posted on by

burnOne of the films at Sundance this year that feels like it’s daring people to either love it or walk out is BURN, the new feature from Makoto Nagahisa, who previously made We Are Little Zombies. It’s premiering in the festival’s NEXT section, which feels like exactly where it belongs.

The movie centers on Ju-Ju (played by Nana Mori), a runaway teen who ends up in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, falling in with a loose group of kids living on the edge. At first, it feels like she’s finally found somewhere to land. That doesn’t last. What starts as freedom slowly turns into something tighter, darker, and harder to escape.

Visually, BURN is doing a lot, neon colors, hyper-stylized shots, constant motion. It’s bright, almost playful on the surface, even when the story underneath is clearly heading somewhere painful. That contrast is the point. The movie looks fun right up until it very much isn’t, and it doesn’t really warn you when the switch happens.

Nagahisa has always been good at capturing youth culture in a way that feels chaotic instead of nostalgic, and BURN seems to push that even further. It’s not trying to explain its characters or soften their choices. It just drops you into their world and lets things unravel.

Director Bong Joon Ho has already weighed in on the film, calling it intense and even frightening, which tracks. This feels like one of those Sundance titles people will be arguing about afterward, not whether it’s good or bad, but whether they were ready for it at all.

BURN premieres January 25, with additional screenings throughout the festival.

Share

“Magnetosphere” Trailer Debuts Ahead of Digital Release and Comic-Con Screening

Posted on by

MagnetosphereThe trailer for “Magnetosphere” has been released, offering a new glimpse at director Nicola Rose’s sophomore feature. The nostalgic, coming-of-age drama will debut digitally across North America on July 22, 2025, with a special screening scheduled for San Diego Comic-Con on July 27.

A Canadian-American co-production, “Magnetosphere” is written and directed by Nicola Rose and produced by Rusty Halo Productions, Pine Pathways Productions, and Baum 18 Media, in association with Parka Pictures.

Set in 1997, the story centers on Maggie Campion, a kid with a secret, she can see sounds, hear colors, and her senses do other unusual things. After moving across the country with her family, everything changes as she meets people who help her understand her differences.

The cast features Shayelin Martin (Wild Goat Surf), Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Patrick McKenna (The Red Green Show), Debra McGrath (Little Mosque on the Prairie), Tara Strong (The Powerpuff Girls), Mikayla Kong (Accused), Tania Webb (Better Days), Zooey Schneider (Li’l Stompers), and TikTok and YouTube star Steven He, best known for his viral “Emotional Damage” skits.

Following its digital release, “Magnetosphere” will be showcased at Comic-Con, where cast member Dani Bowman (Love on the Spectrum) is also expected to attend the screening.

Share