After the Christmas and New Year, you would expect some clam in the air, but not in Salt Lake. In Park City, Utah, January is never a quiet time. The city will soon be buzzing with photographers and movie-goers, eager to have a glance at their favorite celebrities. The 2020 Sundance Festival will begin the year with yet another independent cinema milestone when the festival will start on January 23.
The excitement that one feels for movies that you have not watched a trailer for is unmatched. And we are not talking about a big-budget, big production house movie. The beauty of an independent cinema lies in the very fact that it is raw, undiscovered, and still sets the mood of the cinema for the rest of the year.
The Sundance Film Festival has given some out of the box, and amazing, box-office hits in previous years. Movies such as Manchester by the Sea, Get Out, and The Big Sick are a few such examples.
The festival has given hits and made some big names in the industry. Some of the most successful directors first debuted through the Sundance festival. Dee Rees, has an Oscar nomination to her name through her 2017 Sundance debut, Mudbound, will be returning this year with her new feature. The Last Thing He Wanted stars Anne Hathaway in the leading role, the story of a journalist who gets involved in arms dealing somehow. Netflix, which also produced Mudbound, is producing this new film for her as well.
Mainstream online movie streamers such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and A24 have been a great support for movies at the Sundance festival. In the past, these streamers have bought movies, bypassing all bidders by quoting highest for one film and setting an online release strategy that would give a fair advantage over theaters. Some have faced losses as well.
Josephine Decker is another name to look forward to for her return through Shirley, an unconventional biopic of horror writer Shirley Jackson. Eliza Hittman, who debuted at the 2017 Sundance festival, is back with a politically outlined film Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Miranda July will be returning after 2011 with her Richard Jenkins, and Debra Winger starred in the project, Kajillionaire.
Some of the lesser-known filmmakers have upped their game this year with their new releases. A24’s Zola, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, and Bill Benz’s The Nowhere Inn are drawing quite the attention and hype at the 2020 Sundance Festival.
Documentaries such as Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s On the Record, Laurent Bouzereau’s Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, and The Fight, from the creators of Weiner, will share the spotlight this year.
2020 Sundance Film Festival will hopefully add new pieces to your list of favorite movies. You can check here for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Tickets.
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