Each year, filmmakers, cinephiles, and the creme-de-la-creme of the entertainment industry make their way to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival to be the first to watch some of the most buzzed-about films of the year.
People like Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, and Radha Blank have had career-defining moments at Sundance. This year, just like every other major cultural event, the largest independent film festival in the United States will look very different. Instead of gathering in theaters, coffee shops, and parties, Sundance attendees will be convening around their screens from the comfort and safety of their homes.
Since Sundance is virtual this year, it’s more accessible than ever. Moreover, from feature films and documentaries to shorts and experimental programs, the selections at Sundance this year prove how diverse Black storytelling has become. Here are a few of the highlights.
Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson appear in Passing by Rebecca Hall, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Edu Grau.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Passing
Based on the acclaimed novella by Nella Larsen. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga star in Passing, a film set in New York in 1929. The narrative follows two Black women living on opposite sides of the color line. Sundance has called the movie an “exploration of racial and gender identity, performance, obsession, and repression.”
A still from Ailey by Jamila Wignot, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jack Mitchell.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Ailey
Directed by Jamila Wignot, Ailey is a documentary that follows legendary dancer and choreographer, Alvin Ailey. Told using Ailey’s own words and performances, the film is described as an “immersive portrait [following] a man who, when confronted by a world that refused to embrace him, determined to build one that would.”
A still from Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Mass Distraction Media.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
During the summer of 1969, over 300,000 people gathered in Upper Manhattan for the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was an event that celebrated Black music and culture while promoting Black pride and unity. For over 50 years, the vibrant footage from the festival sat forgotten in a basement. Now, in his directorial debut, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is bringing it to life once again.
Camaron Engels and Francesca Noel appear in R#J by Carey Williams, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Charles Murphy.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
R#J
In his feature film debut, Carey Williams puts his unique spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in R#J. Told exclusively using smartphones and social media with Black and brown actors at the center, this is a new vision of the Montagues and Capulets.
Darrel Britt-Gibson, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield appear in Judas and the Black Messiah by Shaka King, an official selection of the Premieres section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Glen Wilson.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Director Shaka King turns his lens on the revolutionary Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) in the year leading up to his death. As much as the film centers on the charismatic young leader who died for Black freedom, it also centers on William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), an FBI Informant who infiltrated Hampton’s inner circle, ultimately handing the FBI and the Chicago Police Department the blueprint to Hampton’s apartment.
A still from My Name is Pauli Murray by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, an official selection of the Premieres section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Pauli Murray Foundation.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
My Name is Pauli Murray
Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s contributions to America have been well documented. However, Pauli Murray, the legal trailblazer who influenced both Supreme Court Justices, has been overlooked in history. Murray was a non-binary Black lawyer, activist, poet, and priest who helped transform the world.
A still from Traveling the Interstitium with Octavia Butler by Sophia Nahli Allison, Idris Brewster, Stephanie Dinkins, Ari Melenciano and Terence Nance, an official selection of the New Frontier program at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ari Melenciano.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Traveling the Interstitium with Octavia Butler
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Helmed by experimental documentary filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, Traveling the Interstitium with Octavia Butler is an interactive WebXR experience that draws inspiration from Butler’s words and stories brought forth in a fusion of art, film, science, music, and technology.
A still from Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma by Topaz Jones and rubberband., an official selection of the Shorts Program at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma
In his directorial debut, Topaz Jones takes his audience back in time to Chicago in 1970 at the birth of the Black ABCs. Created by Black educators, the alphabet flashcards delivered Black-centered educational materials to a white-washed educational system. With his short film, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, Jones delivers 26 scenes that give the Black ABCs a 21st-century update.
Komi Olaf appears in Black Bodies by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, an official selection of the Shorts Program at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Yvonne Stanley.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Black Bodies
Following her award-winning 2018 short film Haven, social activist Kelly Fyffe-Marshall presents Black Bodies, a searing 4-minute film that centers on a Black man coming to grips with what it means to be Black in America.
A still from Dear Philadelphia by Renee Osubu, an official selection of the Shorts Program at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Luis Lopez.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Dear Philadelphia
Photographer and filmmaker Renee Maria Osubu’s documentary short Dear Philadelphia is a reflection of three fathers in North Philadelphia who are all grappling with forgiveness and community.
Poster image of The Changing Same: Episode 1 by Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster and Yasmin Elayat, an official selection of the New Frontier program at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
The Changing Same: Episode 1
Artists Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, and Yasmin Elayat have come together for a virtual reality experience where the viewer travels through time and space to witness the connected historical experiences of racial injustice in America. Beginning with a present-day police altercation, the Afrofuturistic piece zips back in time to a slave warehouse.
A still from Faya Dayi by Jessica Beshir, an official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Merkhana Films.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
Faya Dayi
In her documentary film debut, Mexican Ethiopian director Jessica Beshir reveals the world of khat, a flowering plant, and Ethiopia’s cash crop. Many Ethiopians have harvested the stimulant plant for generations. Today, the youth of Ethiopia are searching for something more, even if that means leaving behind the only home they’ve ever known.
