“R#J”
Director: Carey Williams
Screenwriters: Carey Williams, Rickie Castaneda, Alex Sobolev
Cast: Camaron Engels, Francesca Noel, David Zayas, Diego Tinoco, Siddiq Saunderson, Russell Hornsby
Sundance Synopsis: A re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, taking place through their cell phones, in a mash-up of Shakespearean dialogue with current social media communication.
Category: NEXT
Pay Attention: Produced by Timur Bekmambetov, among others, this was one of the first films to begin filming in the pandemic. Also, potential acquisition player.
“Son of Monarchs”
Director and Screenwriter: Alexis Gambis
Cast: Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Alexia Rasmussen, Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez, Noé Hernández, Paulina Gaitán, William Mapother
Sundance Synopsis: “After his grandmother’s death, a Mexican biologist living in New York returns to his hometown, nestled in the majestic monarch butterfly forests of Michoacán. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his hybrid identity, sparking a personal and spiritual metamorphosis.”
Category: NEXT
Pay Attention: Already won this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Sundance Synopsis: “During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost – until now.”
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition and Day One film
Pay Attention: Have you ever heard of this event? And if you haven’t? Shouldn’t we have?
“The Sparks Brothers”
Director: Edgar Wright
Sundance Synopsis: “How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.”
Category: Premieres
Pay Attention: No, it’s not Wright’s highly anticipated “Last Night in SoHo,” but it is his first crack at documentary filmmaking. Worth a peek.
“Wild Indian”
Director and Screenwriter: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Cast: Michael Greyeyes, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, Phoenix Wilson, Julian Gopal
Sundance Synopsis: “Two men are inextricably bound together after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. After years of separation following wildly divergent paths, they must finally confront how their traumatic secret has irrevocably shaped their lives.”
Category: U.S. Dramatic
Pay Attention: 1. Outside of his studio fare, Eisenberg only makes interesting choices. Even if they don’t always click. 2. Corbine, Jr. is another member of that Directors to Watchlist we mentioned earlier.
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival runs from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Wednesday, Feb. 3.
