Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal and Saoirse Ronan stand out in guide to 2024 Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Institute will launch the Sundance Film Festival 2024 on January 18, with special screenings of 82 films in various categories until January 28, directed by 101 filmmakers representing 24 countries. The festival will return to Personal Priority in Park City, Utah, and debut a new film space titled Family Matinee for the little ones at home.

The guide to Sundance highlights competition titles divided into the Spotlight, Premieres, Episodic section (with eight special titles) and Midnight Selection categories, along with a new interactive New Frontiers section. This year, 94% of films will have their world premiere at the festival, according to the organization.

Among the cast of actors who stand out in the titles presented, is Kristen Stewart Love Lies BleedingSteven Yoon In love meSaoirse Ronan in The OutrunMichael Fassbender in Neckcapand Pedro Pascal in Strange stories. The films will compete in Drama, Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary and Next Selection.

A selection of independent dramas includes titles such as show of forgiveness, Directed by Titus Kafer, it follows the story of an artist (Andre Holland) who expresses his sense of freedom from the past through his paintings, leading him to seek forgiveness and oblivion until his estranged and addicted father returns in search of reconciliation. is In addition love meDirected by Sam and Andre Zucchero – making their directorial debut -, it tells the story of “a boy and a satellite who fall in love on the Internet”, led by Kristen Stewart and Steve Yoon, which defies expectations about tone and metaphor. creates Its plot takes place in the middle of a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity has disappeared.

There are other contenders in this selection didiDirected by Sean Wang, it focuses on the life of a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy, who learns in the last month of summer before starting school that his family could not afford: flirting, stalking, and a mother’s love Isaac Wang, Joan Chen, The film, starring Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua, will be screened virtually to the public.

The list also highlights the tape PonyboyDirected by Esteban Arango, between the templesDirected by Nathan Silver, NiceDirected by India Donaldson, in the summerDirected by Alessandra Lacorazza, SuncoastDirected by Laura Chin, state of stressDirected by Theda Hamel, and A real painDirected by Jesse Eisenberg.

Among the selection of documentaries stand out non-fiction films viz Frida, directed by Carla Gutierrez, presents the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in an “intimate and dangerous” way, told for the first time through her own words, drawn from her diaries, revealing letters, essays and interviews. for its part, Gaucho GauchoDirected by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, it details the lives of a community of Argentine cowboys and cowgirls called “gauchos” living on the frontier of the modern world.

The porcelain warDirected by Brendan Bellomo, highlighting the beauty amidst the devastation caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia, it captures art through the eyes of Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya and Andrey, who become soldiers and remember the passion to live. Skywalkers: A Love StoryDirected by Jeff Zimbalist, follows a pair of acrobats who embark on a journey to climb the world’s tallest skyscraper to save their careers and relationships.

Other titles like Sugar caneDirected by Julian Brave Noisette and Emily Casey, follows the investigation of abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school located on a nearby sugarcane reservation; When SanghDirected by Stephen Maying and Brett Storey, Amazon Workers Union (ALU), tells the story of the progress of a group of Amazon workers and former workers from Staten Island, in a struggle that confronts one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies. Unionize following the emergence of complaints about labor abuses and unfair rules for workers.

One of the biggest attractions of the Sundance Film Festival lies in its worldwide selection, which embraces films that show a fresh, imaginative and intelligent approach to telling recognizable and empathetic stories.

A selection of world tapes are available to the public online such as A brief history of the familyDirected by Jianzhi Lin, it depicts the life of a middle-class family in China in the wake of the one-child policy and the challenges of putting untold secrets, unfulfilled expectations and neglected feelings under the microscope.

It will be released from director Shuchi Talati Girls will be girlsWhich explores 16-year-old Meera’s sexual awakening, romance from the Himalayas and her desire for adventure, but her rebellion is thwarted by her mother, who has never found her freedom in her skin.

On the exciting side, Handling the undeadDirected by Thea Hwistendahl, it highlights the afterlife, resurrection, and what this can mean for those who see their loved ones again.

tape Come on, Vidy, ViciFrom director Daniel Hossl, it captures the lives of the Maynards and their children living a near-perfect million-dollar family life, in which Ammon is a passionate hunter, but does not shoot animals, because the family’s wealth allows them to be completely free. of results.

for its part, swell upBy directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, Sujo’s life turns in front of the lens when her father, a cartel gunman, is murdered. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo through every stage of her life in the isolated Mexican countryside, becoming increasingly clear that her father’s fate may be inevitable.

With good cinema come good moments, and during the opening ceremony of the fortieth edition, tributes will be paid to various artists who have contributed significantly to the festival’s legacy, honoring actress and filmmaker Kristen Stewart; filmmakers Christopher Nolan, Maite Alberdi and Celine Song; and journalist and producer Pat Mitchell, with awards at its annual opening gala and fundraiser.

The fundraiser will take place on January 18, the opening night of the event. Stewart, who will appear in two films at this year’s Sundance, including the American Drama Competition film love me And a midnight movie Love Lies BleedingAccording to the Sundance Institute, the Visionary Award will be received “in recognition of his work as an uncompromising artist and his contribution to the field of independent cinema.”

Director of Oppenheimer, Nolan will receive a new award from Sundance called the Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award. Song and Alberdi will each receive the annual Vanguard Award, and their respective films, Past Lives and The Eternal Memory, will each premiere at Sundance in 2023.

Geet will get the fiction prize and Alberdi will get the non-fiction prize.