Sundance Film Festival 2022 is reaching for the stars. Held from Jan. 20 to Jan. 30, the largest independent film festival in the United States celebrates artistry and convergence, with feature films, short films, indie episodic works and new frontier projects selected to screen. Though this year’s iteration is being held online instead of the event’s usual Park City, Utah location, that hasn’t stopped filmmakers and storytellers from sharing their creations. Read on for Arts editor Vivian Xu’s coverage of the festival.
Lena Dunham is back in the world of feature filmmaking with a film sharp enough to make a mark. The director’s first feature film in 11 years, “Sharp Stick” debuted in the Premieres category of the Sundance Film Festival. Read more...
Photo: Kristine Froseth stars as Sarah Jo in Lena Dunham’s first feature in 11 years, “Sharp Stick.” The film follows Sarah Jo as she has an affair with her married employer and begins to explore her sexuality. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
In a tug-of-war between leaving and staying, one man stands in the middle. Director Alika Tengan’s Sundance Film Festival debut in the festival’s NEXT category, “Every Day In Kaimukī,” explores the internal back-and-forth faced by Hawaiian millennial Naz Kawakami (Naz Kawakami) as he prepares to move from his hometown in Kaimukī to the mainland. Read more...
Photo: “Every Day In Kaimukī” tackles the age-old question of what home means and the concept of belonging through Hawaiian millennial Naz Kawakami. Co-produced by alumnus Jesy Odio, the film follows Kawakami through his internal dilemmas as he plans to move to New York City. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Jesus is taking the wheel – and giving it a honk while he’s at it. Directed and written by alumnus Adamma Ebo, “Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul” is a contender in Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres category. Read more...
Photo: Starring Regina Hall (left) and Sterling K. Brown (right) as a megachurch’s first lady and pastor, respectively, “Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul” explores what happens when powerful institutions go unchecked. The film was directed and written by alumnus Adamma Ebo, who wrote the screenplay during her time at UCLA. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
This post was updated Jan. 30 at 10:28 p.m. “Framing Agnes” sprouted roots from a UCLA filing cabinet. The genre-bending documentary film will premiere in the NEXT category of the Sundance Film Festival and is both directed and written by alumnus Chase Joynt. Read more...
Photo: (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Sundance Film Festival 2022 is shooting for the stars. Organized by the Sundance Institute, the annual independent film festival is the largest of its kind in the United States. Read more...
Photo: Sundance Film Festival 2022 kicked off Thursday with a press conference featuring Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente and other festival organizers. Despite being held online for the second year in a row, Festival Director Tabitha Jackson said the medium will not hinder a moment of creative convergence. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
This post was updated Jan. 30 at 9:54 p.m. Jesse Eisenberg is taking a seat behind the camera. Known for his angsty on-screen roles, the actor has shifted to the director’s chair. Read more...
Photo: Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut, “When You Finish Saving the World” stars Finn Wolfhard (left) and Julianne Moore (right) as a dysfunctional mother-son duo who struggle to see eye to eye. With divergent opinions on what constitutes a value, Eisenberg said the pair eventually learn to appreciate the merit in each other’s individual pursuits. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Underneath the face of a movement lie layers of nuance. Premiering in Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. documentary competition, “Free Chol Soo Lee” explores the story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1970s San Francisco. Read more...
Photo: Alumnus Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s co-directed documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee” explores the life of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant to San Francisco whose wrongful murder conviction was overturned by a grassroots Asian American activism movement. Debuting in the U.S. documentary category of the Sundance Film Festival, Ha said the film also ventures into the long-lasting impacts of the prison industrial complex. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
