PARK CITY (UTAH), Dec 6 (ZIZ): Today, the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization, disclosed the lineup for the highly anticipated 2024 Sundance Film Festival, featuring an impressive array of 82 films, eight episodic titles, and an innovative New Frontier interactive experience. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the festival will take place from January 18 to 28, 2024, welcoming attendees in person to Park City and Salt Lake City, with select titles available nationwide online from January 25 to 28, 2024. This milestone edition aims to honor the legacy of Sundance in nurturing pioneering narratives and championing independent artists.
Commencing at noon MT on January 18, the Festival’s inaugural premieres in Park City will showcase the diverse offerings from this year’s lineup across various categories. To mark the occasion, the Institute will host the Opening Night Gala, “Celebrating 40 Years Presented by Chase Sapphire®,” on the evening of January 18. The event, a fundraiser supporting the year-round endeavors of the Sundance Institute, promises to be an evening of celebration and philanthropy.
Film debuts will unfold in Park City from January 18, with additional screenings scheduled in both Park City and Salt Lake City throughout the Festival. A selection of titles will also be accessible online from January 25, encompassing all Competition titles (U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT), alongside additional features from the episodic and shorts programs. The curated online showcase, available exclusively via festival.sundance.org, allows independent storytelling enthusiasts nationwide to partake in the Festival experience. Details regarding the short film selections and 40th edition programming for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival will be disclosed on December 12.
Robert Redford, Founder and President of the Sundance Institute, reflected on the Festival’s journey since its inception in 1985, affirming its steadfast commitment to providing a platform for bold, independent visions that provoke vital conversations.
Joana Vicente, CEO of Sundance Institute, expressed pride in the Festival’s role in advancing their mission to support audacious artistic endeavors. She underscored the significance of this edition in celebrating stories that inspire reflection, empathy, and a celebration of our shared humanity.
Eugene Hernandez, Director of Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming, emphasized the Festival’s programming prowess in curating a diverse array of films, stories, and artists globally. He highlighted the Festival’s historical role in introducing new talents, fostering connections, and creating spaces for unique storytelling experiences.
Kim Yutani, Director of Programming at the Sundance Film Festival, spoke of the Festival’s unifying strength in showcasing the vitality of independent storytelling. She lauded the carefully curated program, representing diverse forms, perspectives, and genres that promise to captivate audiences.
The unveiled lineup includes 82 feature-length films from 24 countries, with 40% of the featured directors presenting their first-ever feature films. Impressively, 11 of the announced feature films and projects received support from Sundance Institute through grants or residency labs during their development phase.
An overwhelming majority, 94%, of the Festival’s 90 feature films and episodic programs are world premieres, underscoring the event’s focus on showcasing fresh, groundbreaking content.
Among the announcements was the recipient of the 2024 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, an accolade acknowledging outstanding depictions of science and technology in a feature film. The award this year was granted to “Love Me,” selected for screening in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category.
The Sundance Film Festival, an artistic venture under the Sundance Institute, aims to impact artists worldwide through various programs, with proceeds from ticket sales contributing to nurturing emerging talents year-round via labs, grants, fellowships, and residencies.
The selection process involved reviewing a record-breaking 17,435 submissions from 153 countries or territories, including 4,410 feature-length films. Notably, 1,679 submissions hailed from the U.S., while 2,741 were international. Furthermore, the eight episodic projects were chosen from 573 submissions, and there were 385 New Frontier entries. For detailed director demographics, refer to the editor’s note below.
SUNDANCE 2024 Lineup: Feature Films, Episodic Works, and New Frontier
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
- Between the Temples / U.S.A.
Director: Nathan Silver - Dìdi (弟弟) / U.S.A.
Director: Sean Wang - Exhibiting Forgiveness / U.S.A.
Director: Titus Kaphar - Good One / U.S.A.
Director: India Donaldson - In The Summers / U.S.A.
Director: Alessandra Lacorazza - Love Me / U.S.A.
Directors: Sam Zuchero, Andy Zuchero - Ponyboi / U.S.A.
Director: Esteban Arango - A Real Pain / U.S.A., Poland
Director: Jesse Eisenberg - Stress Positions / U.S.A.
Director: Theda Hammel - Suncoast / U.S.A.
Director: Laura Chinn
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
- As We Speak / U.S.A.
Director: J.M. Harper - Daughters / U.S.A.
Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae - EVERY LITTLE THING / Australia
Director: Sally Aitken - FRIDA / U.S.A., Mexico
Director: Carla Gutiérrez - Gaucho Gaucho / U.S.A., Argentina
Directors: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw - Love Machina / U.S.A.
Director: Peter Sillen - Porcelain War / U.S.A., Ukraine
Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev - Skywalkers: A Love Story / U.S.A.
Director: Jeff Zimbalist - Sugarcane / U.S.A., Canada
Director: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie - Union / U.S.A.
Directors: Stephen Maing, Brett Story
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
- Brief History of a Family / China, France, Denmark, Qatar
Director: Jianjie Lin - Girls Will Be Girls / India, France, Norway
Director: Shuchi Talati - Handling the Undead / Norway
Director: Thea Hvistendahl - In the Land of Brothers / Iran, France, Netherlands
Directors: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi - Layla / U.K.
Director: Amrou Al-Kadhi - Malu / Brazil
Director: Pedro Freire - Reinas / Switzerland, Peru, Spain
Director: Klaudia Reynicke - Sebastian / U.K., Finland, Belgium
Director: Mikko Mäkelä - Sujo / Mexico, U.S.A., France
Directors: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez - Veni Vidi Vici / Austria
Director: Daniel Hoesl
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
- Agent of Happiness / Bhutan, Hungary
Director: Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó - The Battle for Laikipia / Kenya, U.S.A.
Director: Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi - Black Box Diaries / Japan, U.S.A., U.K.
Director: Shiori Ito - Eternal You / Germany, U.S.A.
Directors: Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck - Ibelin / Norway
Director: Benjamin Ree - IGUALADA / Colombia, U.S.A., Mexico
Director: Juan Mejía Botero - Never Look Away / New Zealand
Director: Lucy Lawless - A New Kind of Wilderness / Norway
Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen - Nocturnes / India, U.S.A.
Director: Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan - Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat / Belgium, France, Netherlands
Director: Johan Grimonprez
NEXT
- Desire Lines / U.S.A.
Director: Jules Rosskam - Kneecap / Ireland, U.K.
Director: Rich Peppiatt - Little Death / U.S.A.
Director: Jack Begert - REALM OF SATAN / U.S.A.
Director: Scott Cummings - Seeking Mavis Beacon / U.S.A.
Director: Jazmin Renée Jones - Tendaberry / U.S.A.
Director: Haley Elizabeth Anderson
PREMIERES
- The American Society of Magical Negroes / U.S.A.
Director: Kobi Libii - And So It Begins / U.S.A., Philippines
Director: Ramona S. Diaz - DEVO / U.K., U.S.A.
Director: Chris Smith - A Different Man / U.S.A.
Director: Aaron Schimberg - Freaky Tales / U.S.A.
Directors: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden - Ghostlight / U.S.A.
Director: Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson - Girls State / U.S.A.
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss - Look Into My Eyes / U.S.A.
Director: Lana Wilson - Luther: Never Too Much / U.S.A.
Director: Dawn Porter - My Old Ass / U.S.A.
Director: Megan Park - The Outrun / U.K., Germany
Director: Nora Fingscheidt - Power / U.S.A.
Director: Yance Ford - Presence / U.S.A.
Director: Steven Soderbergh - Rob Peace / U.S.A.
Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor - Sasquatch Sunset / U.S.A.
Director: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner - Sue Bird: In The Clutch / U.S.A.
Director: Sarah Dowland - Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story / U.K., U.S.A.
Director: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui - Thelma / U.S.A.
Director: Josh Margolin - Will & Harper / U.S.A.
Director: Josh Greenbaum - Winner / U.S.A., Canada
Director: Susanna Fogel
MIDNIGHT
- I Saw the TV Glow / U.S.A.
Director: Jane Schoenbrun - In A Violent Nature / Canada
Director: Chris Nash - It’s What’s Inside / U.S.A.
Director: Greg Jardin - Kidnapping Inc. / Haiti, France, Canada
Director: Bruno Mourral - Krazy House / Netherlands
Directors: Steffen Haars, Flip van der Kuil - Love Lies Bleeding / U.S.A., U.K.
Director: Rose Glass - The Moogai / Australia
Director: Jon Bell - Your Monster / U.S.A.
Director: Caroline Lindy
EPISODIC
- Better Angels: The Gospel According To Tammy Faye / U.S.A.
Director: Dana Adam Shapiro - Conbody VS Everybody / U.S.A.
Director: Debra Granik - God Save Texas / U.S.A.
- God Save Texas: Hometown Prison
Director: Richard Linklater - God Save Texas: The Price of Oil
Director: Alex Stapleton - God Save Texas: La Frontera
Director: Iliana Sosa
- God Save Texas: Hometown Prison
- LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA / U.S.A.
Director: Michael John Warren - The Synanon Fix / U.S.A.
Director: Rory Kennedy
Episodic Pilot Showcase
- Me/We / U.S.A.
Director: Nzingha Stewart - La Mesías / Spain
Directors: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi - Penelope / U.S.A.
Director: Mel Eslyn
SPOTLIGHT
- àma Gloria / France
Director: Marie Amachoukeli - Hit Man / U.S.A.
Director: Richard Linklater - How to Have Sex / U.K.
Director: Molly Manning Walker - The Mother of All Lies / Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Director: Asmae El Moudir
FAMILY MATINEE
- Out of My Mind / U.S.A.
Director: Amber Sealey - 10 Lives / U.K.
Director: Christopher Jenkins
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
- War Game / U.S.A.
Director: Jesse Moss, Tony Gerber
NEW FRONTIER
- Being (the Digital Griot) / U.S.A.
Lead Artist: Rashaad Newsome - Eno / U.S.A., U.K.
Director: Gary Hustwit
