With the final weeks of 2021 upon us it’s time to start looking onward, and if Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 lineup is any indication, we have PlentyNext year will bring many women-helmed films. Women directors dominate this year’s program: about 62 percent of Competition titles are directed or co-directed by women.
Six of the 10 films that were shown in the U.S. Six of the 10 films screening in the United States are from women directors. They include “Master,” Mariama Diallo’s occult drama that deals with racism on the campus of an elite New England university, and “Alice,” Krystin Ver Linden’s pic about a woman in servitude in 1800s Georgia who escapes her captor and discovers a shocking reality.
Eight of the nine titles in the U.S. were made by women directors. The Documentary Competition. Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ “The Janes,” a look inside the underground collective that supported women seeking safe abortions from 1969-1973, and Shalini Kantayya’s “TikTok, Boom,” an investigation into the world’s most downloaded app and the controversies surrounding it, are among the highlights.
Five of the 10 films that will screen in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition are directed or co-directed. Featured titles include “Leonor Will Never Die,” Martika Ramirez Escobar’s portrait of a retired filmmaker who falls into a coma after a television lands on her head, transporting her into the world of her unfinished screenplay.
Five of the 10 World Cinema Documentary Competition offerings are also made by women helmers. Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen’s “Calendar Girls” and Rita Baghdadi’s “Sirens” are among the titles set to screen. The former is a look inside a dance team for women over 60 in Florida, and the latter focuses on the Middle East’s first all-female metal band.
“The Janes” isn’t the only film focused on the Jane Collective in this year’s lineup. Also set to screen is “Call Jane,” Phyllis Nagy’s drama inspired by the collective. Premieres features Elizabeth Banks-starrer. It is joined by Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro’s “Am I OK?,” a story about lifelong BFFs whose relationship is thrown into chaos after a long-held secret is revealed, and Amy Poehler’s “Lucy and Desi,” a doc honoring Lucille Ball.
Other highlights from this year’s program include “Fresh,” Mimi Cave’s look at the horrors of modern-day dating, and “Happening,” Audrey Diwan’s Venice-winning abortion drama. The first is shown in the Midnight section, and the second in Spotlight.
So far, 82 features have been announced, and “43 (52%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as women (vs. 50% for 2021); one was directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as non-binary individuals (down from 4%); 29 (35%) were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as people of color (vs. 51% from this year’s edition); while eight (10%) are by one or more filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+ (vs. 15% from 2021),” per Deadline.
“This year, we look forward to celebrating this generation’s most innovative storytellers as they share their work across a wide range of genres and forms,” said Sundance Institute founder and president Robert Redford. “These artists have provided a light through the darkest of times, and we look forward to welcoming their unique visions out into the world and experiencing them together.”
Per a press release from Sundance, “Feature films will premiere in person in Utah, before premiering online with a live Q&A and premiere party on The Spaceship. Subsequent screenings will take place in-person and in on-demand windows on the platform.”
The Festival will be held from January 20-30. Below are the titles of the women-directed Competitions.
U.S. U.S.
The Dramatic Competition showcases the world premieres for fiction feature films. Festivalgoers have a chance to see new voices in American independent film. Recent films that have been premiered in this section include CODA and Passing, Minari.
892 / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Abi Damaris Corbin, Screenwriter: Kwame Kwei-Armah, Producers: Ashley Levinson, Salman Al-Rashid, Sam Frohman, Kevin Turen, Mackenzie Fargo) — When Brian Brown-Easley’s disability check fails to materialize from Veterans Affairs, he finds himself on the brink of homelessness and breaking his daughter’s heart. No other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says “I’ve got a bomb.“ Cast: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, Selenis Leyva. World Premiere.
Alice / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Krystin Ver Linden, Producer: Peter Lawson) — When a woman in servitude in 1800s Georgia escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor, she discovers the shocking reality that exists beyond the treeline…it’s 1973. True stories inspired. Cast: Common, Jonny Lee Miller and Gaius Charles. World Premiere.
Master / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Mariama Diallo, Producers: Joshua Astrachan, Brad Becker-Parton, Andrea Roa) — Three women strive to find their place at an elite New England university. Each of them fights to survive in this environment of privilege as the insidious specter racism haunts campus in increasingly supernatural ways. Cast: Regina Hall and Zoe Renee. Talia Ryder, Taliabalsam, Amber Gray. World Premiere.
Nanny / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Nikyatu Jusu, Producers: Nikkia Moulterie, Daniela Taplin Lundberg) — Aisha is an undocumented nanny working for a privileged couple in New York City. As she prepares to welcome the son she left behind in Senegal with her, a supernatural force threatens her American dream, which she has been meticulously constructing. Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams. World Premiere.
Palm Trees and Power Lines / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jamie Dack, Screenwriter: Audrey Findlay, Producers: Leah Chen Baker, Jamie Dack) — Seventeen-year-old Lea spends her summer aimlessly tanning with her best friend, tiptoeing around her fragile mother, and getting stoned with a group of boys from school. This monotony is disrupted by an encounter with Tom, a man twice her age, who promises an alternative to Lea’s unsatisfying adolescent life. Cast: Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker. Gretchen Mol. World Premiere.
Watcher / U.S.A. (Director: Chloe Okuno, Screenwriter: Zack Ford, Producers: Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan, Mason Novick) — A young woman moves into a new apartment with her fiancé and is tormented by the feeling that she is being stalked by an unseen watcher in an adjacent building. Cast: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman, Ciubuciu Bogdan Alexandru. World Premiere.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Documentaries from America that are world-premieres that highlight the ideas, people, and events that have shaped our lives today. Recent films that have premiered here include Summer of Soul, Boys State, Crip Camp, A Disability Revolution, APOLLO 11 Knock Down The House and American Factory.
Aftershock / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee) — Following the preventable deaths of their partners due to childbirth complications, two bereaved fathers galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises of our time – the U.S. maternal health crisis. World Premiere.
Descendant / U.S.A. (Director: Margaret Brown, Producers: Essie Chambers, Kyle Martin) — Clotilda, the last ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States, arrived in Alabama 40 years after African slave trading became a capital offense. It was quickly destroyed and its existence denied. After a century shrouded in secrecy and speculation, descendants of the Clotilda’s survivors are reclaiming their story. World Premiere.
The Exiles / U.S.A. (Directors: Ben Klein, Violet Columbus, Producers: Maria Chiu, Ben Klein, Violet Columbus) — Documentarian Christine Choy tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre, in order to find closure on an abandoned film she began shooting in 1989. World Premiere.
Fire Of Love / U.S.A. (Director: Sara Dosa, Producers: Shane Boris, Ina Fichman, Sara Dosa) — Intrepid scientists and lovers Katia & Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded. Through their archival footage, a tragic love triangle between Katia and Maurice, as well as volcanoes. World Premiere. DAY ONE
Free Chol Soo Lee / U.S.A. (Directors: Julie Ha, Eugene Yi, Producers: Su Kim, Jean Tsien, Sona Jo, Julie Ha, Eugene Yi) — After a Korean immigrant is wrongly convicted of a 1973 San Francisco Chinatown gang murder, Asian Americans unite as never before to free Chol Soo Lee. A former street hustler becomes a symbol of a historic movement. But once out, he self-destructs, threatening the movement’s legacy and the man himself. World Premiere.
The Janes / U.S.A. (Directors: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes, Producers: Emma Pildes, Daniel Arcana, Jessica Levin) — In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on Chicago’s South Side. Seven women were arrested. The accused were part a clandestine group. They created an underground service for women who wanted illegal abortions at a reasonable price. They were called JANE. World Premiere.
Jihad Rehab / U.S.A. (Director: Meg Smaker, Producers: Meg Smaker, Bryan Storkel) — A group of Al-Qaeda members are transferred from Guantanamo to a secretive rehabilitation center for Islamic extremists. World Premiere.
TikTok, Boom. / U.S.A. (Director: Shalini Kantayya, Producers: Ross M. Dinerstein. Shalini Kantayya, Danni Mynard) — With TikTok now crowned the world’s most downloaded app, these are the personal stories of a cultural phenomenon, told through an ensemble cast of Gen-Z natives, journalists and experts alike. This film seeks to answer, ‘why is an app, best known for people dancing, the target of so much controversy?’ World Premiere.
COMPETITION WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC CINEMA
Ten films by emerging filmmaking talent from around the globe offer new perspectives and innovative styles. Recent films that have premiered here include Hive and Luzzu, The Souvenir. Yardie. Yardie. The Nile Hilton Incident. Second Mother.
The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future / Chile/France/U.S.A/Germany (Director and Screenwriter: Francisca Alegría, Screenwriters: Fernanda Urrejola, Manuela Infante, Producers: Tom Dercourt, Alejandra García) — Cecilia and her children travel to her aging father’s dairy farm after he has a heart attack. Cecilia returns to her childhood home where she is met by her mom, a woman who has not been seen in many years. Her presence brings to life a painful past, which is also echoed in the natural world. Cast: Leonor Varela, Mia Maestro, Alfredo Castro, Marcial Tagle, Enzo Ferrada, Luis Dubó. World Premiere.
Gentle / Hungary (Directors: Anna Eszter Nemes, László Csuja, Screenwriters: László Csuja, Anna Eszter Nemes, Producers: András Muhi, Gábor Ferenczy) — Edina, a female bodybuilder, is ready to sacrifice everything for the dream she shares with Adam, her partner and trainer: to win the world championship. She is shocked by the strange love she meets on her way to her goal, and it makes her realize the difference between her dreams as well as her true self. Cast: Eszter Csonka, György Turós, Csaba Krisztik. World Premiere.
Girl Picture / Finland (Director: Alli Haapasalo, Screenwriters: Ilona Ahti, Daniela Hakulinen, Producers: Leila Lyytikäinen, Elina Pohjola) — Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö are girls at the cusp of womanhood, trying to draw their own contours. In three consecutive Fridays two of them experience the earth-moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she’s never experienced before: pleasure. Cast: Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino. World Premiere.
Klondike / Ukraine/Turkey (Director and Screenwriter: Maryna Er Gorbach, Producers: Maryna Er Gorbach, Mehmet Bahadir Er, Sviatoslav BulakovskyI) — The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia – Ukraine during the start of war. Irka refuses her to leave her house, even though the village is taken by the armed force. They find themselves in the middle of an air-crash disaster on July 17, 2014. Cast: Oxana Cherkashyna, Sergey Shadrin, Oleg Scherbina, Oleg Shevchuk, Artur Aramyan, Evgenij Efremov. World Premiere.
Leonor Will Never Die / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Martika Ramirez Escobar, Producers: Monster Jimenez, Mario Cornejo) — Fiction and reality blur when Leonor, a retired filmmaker, falls into a coma after a television lands on her head, compelling her to become the action hero of her unfinished screenplay. Cast: Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon. World Premiere.
COMPETITION FOR THE WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Ten documentaries from some of today’s most innovative filmmakers. In recent years, films have been shown in this category by Flee, Honeyland and Sea of Shadows. Shirkers, This Is Home and Last Men in Aleppo are some examples.
Calendar Girls / Sweden (Directors, Screenwriters and Producers: Maria Loohufvud, Love Martinsen) — A coming-of-golden-age look at Florida’s most dedicated dance team for women over 60, shaking up the outdated image of “the little old lady,” and calling for everyone to dance their hearts out, while they still can. World Premiere.
Midwives / Myanmar (Director: Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Producers: Bob Moore, Ulla Lehman, Mila Aung-Thwin, Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing) — Two midwives work side-by-side in a makeshift clinic in Myanmar. World Premiere.
The Mission / Finland (Director and Screenwriter: Tania Anderson, Producers: Isabella Karhu, Juho-Pekka Tanskanen) — A revelation of the inner lives of young LDS missionaries, as they leave their homes for the first time and embark upon the most emotionally, physically and psychologically challenging period of their life. World Premiere.
Nothing Compares / Ireland, U.K. (Director: Kathryn Ferguson, Producers: Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie) — The story of Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on Sinéad’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens. World Premiere.
Sirens / U.S.A., Lebanon (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Rita Baghdadi, Producer: Camilla Hall) — On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars. World Premiere.
Source: Women And Hollywood
