2024 Sundance Film Festival Announces 91 Projects Selected For 40th Edition

Posted on December 7, 2023 by admin

2024-Sundance-Film-Festival-91-Projects-For-40th-Edition

Top L–R: Girls State, Seeking Mavis Beacon, The American Society of Magical Negroes, Layla.
Center L–R: Being (the Digital Griot), Freaky Tales, Love Me, Presence.
Bottom L–R: Porcelain War, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, In the Land of Brothers, A Real Pain.

Yesterday, the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced the 82 films, eight episodic titles, and a New Frontier interactive experience selected for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival will take place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25–28, 2024. This year marks the 40th edition of the Festival, bringing together audiences in Utah and beyond to celebrate Sundance’s rich history of supporting engaging new stories and groundbreaking independent artists. In-Person Ticket Packages and Passes and Online Ticket Packages and Passes are currently on sale and single film tickets go on sale January 11 at 10 a.m. MT.

To kick things off, the Festival will begin at noon MT on January 18 with premieres in Park City, showcasing the range of offerings in this year’s lineup across categories. Adding to the festivities, on the evening of January 18, the Institute will host the Opening Night Gala: Celebrating 40 Years Presented by Chase Sapphire®. The fundraiser will benefit the year round artist support work of the Sundance Institute.

Films will debut in Park City starting January 18, with additional showings in Park City and Salt Lake City over the course of the Festival. Select titles also become available online beginning January 25, including all Competition titles (U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT), as well as additional selections from the feature, episodic, and shorts programs. Audiences can experience the curated online selection exclusively via festival.sundance.org. The online program, as noted below per listing, will allow fans of independent storytelling across the country to enjoy a sampling of the Festival lineup from wherever they are. The short film selections and 40th edition programming for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival will be announced on December 12.

“From the first edition in 1985, Sundance Film Festival has aimed to provide a space to gather, celebrate, and engage with risk-taking artists that are committed to bringing their independent visions to audiences — the Festival remains true to that goal to this day,” said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President. “It continues to evolve, but its legacy of showcasing bold work that starts necessary conversations continues with the 2024 program.”

“The Institute takes great pride in the role the Festival plays in advancing our mission to support artists creating audacious work,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “This year is especially significant as we look back on our history of showcasing stories that surprise and delight, spark empathy and reflection, and honor our shared humanity. We’re all thrilled for this opportunity to celebrate the power of storytelling as we gather in January to introduce captivating works from acclaimed filmmakers and discover more new voices.”

“Sundance’s passion and power shines through its programming. Curation is Sundance’s secret sauce and we’re energized by the range of films, stories, and artists we’ve watched and selected from around the world,” said Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “This Festival has had a vital history of first impressions: introductions to new talent, new friends, new worlds — our commitment to our artists and our audiences is fundamental to our work. Our programming team, lead by Kim Yutani, has curated 11 days of exciting new voices and stories for the many audiences we serve whether they’re joining us in Utah or experiencing the Festival offerings from afar. Sundance 2024 will be a special year for discovery and community.”
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Official Trailer For Zombie Comedy FINAL CUT From Michel Hazanavicius

Posted on June 26, 2023 by admin

Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and starring Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo, Matilda Lutz, Finnegan Oldfield, the French zombie comedy is set for release in theaters on July 14.

The film screened earlier this month during the Tribeca Film Festival.

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

Oscar® winner Michel Hazanavicius’ remake of Shin’ichirô Ueda’s cult hit One Cut of the Dead follows a director (Romain Duris, L’Auberge Espagnole) charged with making a live, single-take, low-budget zombie flick in which the cast and crew, one by one, actually turn into zombies.

Featuring hysterically unhinged performances from Oscar® nominee Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), Matilda Lutz (Revenge), and Finnegan Oldfield (Corsage), Final Cut is a sly love letter to the art of filmmaking and a blood-soaked, hilarious genre farce with a meta-to-the-max premise.

Film Review: The Struggle And Hope In “The Bicycle Thieves”

Posted on July 3, 2016 by admin

By Armando Inquig

The Bicycle Thieves lays bare the harsh reality of life in post-war Italy. Released in 1948, during a time of deep economic struggle, the film captures the raw aftermath of war with a simplicity that makes its message all the more powerful. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, it’s one of the defining works of Italian neorealism, and still widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.

The story follows Antonio Ricci, a down-on-his-luck man in Rome trying to provide for his family. Things start to look up when he finally lands a job putting up advertising posters — but the job depends on having a bicycle. His wife, Maria, sacrifices their bed linens to get the bike back from a pawn shop, and Antonio heads out to work, hopeful for the first time in a long while.

But his luck quickly turns. While he’s up on a ladder hanging a poster, someone steals his bicycle. He gives chase, but the thief vanishes into the crowd.

What follows is a long and often heartbreaking day as Antonio and his young son, Bruno, comb the city trying to find the bike. Their search takes them through different parts of Rome, each offering a glimpse into the city’s wide economic gap. At a bustling market full of stolen goods, they come up short. At one point, they find someone who may know the thief, and they track down a suspect. But Antonio can’t prove anything, and the man walks free.

As the day wears on, Antonio’s desperation grows. Eventually, in a moment of hopelessness, he tries to steal a bicycle himself — only to be caught in front of a crowd, and most painfully, in front of Bruno. The bike’s owner, seeing their situation, decides not to press charges.

The film ends with Antonio and Bruno walking away together, hand in hand, fading into the crowd. The bicycle — and the hope it once brought — is gone.

De Sica paints a painfully honest picture of what poverty can do to a person. Antonio is not a hero or a villain — just a man pushed to his breaking point by a world that doesn’t seem to care. His story still resonates, not because of the time or place, but because of the emotions it captures so clearly: struggle, pride, shame, and love.

The Bicycle Thieves is moving, human, and unforgettable.

The Criterion Collection recently released the film on Blu-ray in a 4K digital restoration. This special edition also includes a 2003 documentary on screenwriter and longtime De Sica collaborator Cesare Zavattini, directed by Carlo Lizzani.