Sundance preview

Chasing Summer Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Having headed to Park City, Utah, in mid-January for 20 years, I couldn’t help feel sad as I stepped off the plane in Salt Lake City last night for my 21st edition and what is, almost certainly my last visit to the state, at least in the wintertime. History rhymes sometimes and, when I first came, it was Sundance’s 21st birthday (you can read my first diary piece here) and I’d only ever been to one other foreign film festival, so it’s fair to say it was a baptism of fire but two decades, as well as seeing some great, frequently innovative indie film, I’ve also made a clutch of friends for life. Queueing, which I did a hell of a lot of in my early years, is one of the best mixers on the planet.

As the festival eyes its move to Boulder, Colorado, next year, it’s also remembering its history here and the loss of founder Robert Redford,. The press and the Institute have also been mourning the loss of the vibrant and dedicated chief communications officer Tammie Rosen, who also died last year, so I expect I won’t be the only one with mixed emotions as we head into the mighty Eccles theatre or brave the oxygen-light joys of Main Street one final time.

As for the programme, however, there’s plenty to look forward to and, in the spirit of history rhyming, the Scottish presence is strong again here as it was when On A Clear Day had a Salt Lake Gala screening. Documentary Everybody To Kenmure Street may be about a specific day of resistance in Glasgow – against a Home Office planned double deportation – but it is sure to resonate strongly in a US filled with protest about the current activities of ICE. Director Felipe Bustos Sierra told us: “The magical thing about this film is that we've got all these little pockets of people telling us their story and we get to put it all together.”

Also Scottish-produced, though focused on more global affairs is Birds Of War, which charts a love story across the conversations between then-BBC journalist Janay Boulos and then-citizen journalist Abd Alkader Habak as he filed footage from war-torn Syria. They’re already thinking about how to use their film to help future journalists by creating a “local pool of journalists who can tell their own stories and giving them the tools they need and then an outlet”.

Away from documentary, of course, the Premieres section always draws the eye, with the likes of Josephine Decker (Madeline’s Madeline) returning with Chasing Summer, of which Sundance says: “After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down.” They add it turns “the millennial coming-of-age narrative on its head with humour and heart”.

Wicker Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Also returning is Gregg Araki (White Bird In A Blizzard), with I Want Your Sex, which the festival says sees “a sex-forward Los Angeles art gallery hosts a delightfully enigmatic sadomasochistic game”.

Charli xcx continues to be having a moment so it seems appropriate she’s starring in “flashy, tongue-in-cheek hyper-pop mockumentary” The Moment. Charli fans are in for a double treat as she also features in Wicker, which has one of those catchy one-line descriptions that immediately pull you in: “A fisherwoman asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband”. It co-stars Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Colman and sounds as though it might be right on trend for what I’ve come to think as the hardcore folklore trend in recent years – folkcore? - including the likes of Rabbit Trap and Harvest. It’s directed by Save Yourselves! duo Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer.

Other Sundance alumni worth looking out for include Jay Duplass, whose The Baltimorons was, for my money, a walk-and-talk style dramedy and of the sweetest US indie gems of the past year, though it’s not had a UK release yet. He’s bringing See You When I See You which sees a comedy writer battling PTSD after the tragic death of his sister, the festival says he employs his “trademark sense of compassion and empathy at every turn” and we surely need more of that in the world.

The World Dramatic Competition has always struggled for attention compared to the Statesiders at Sundance but in recent years it has thrown up some excellent films, including Cactus Pears, The Virgin Of The Quarry Lake, Girls Will Be Girls and Handling The Undead.

How To Divorce During the War Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Lithuania has been riding high lately with the likes of Toxic and Drowning Dry, so let’s hope Andrius Blazevicius keeps up the batting average with How To Divorce During The War about a couple’s split that occurs as Russia invades Ukraine. I’m also intrigued by the Indonesia-set Levitating, directed by Wregas Bhanuteja. Sundance describes it as “a visceral ride through the esoteric world of trance dance hypnosis, led by Bayu, a young, talented spirit channeler”.

At the risk of blowing the tartan trumpet, I’m returning to Scotland’s strong showing at the festival to wrap up. Firstly, and still in the World Dramatic section is Olive Nwosu’s Lady, which is backed by Screen Scotland. Its synopsis reads: “Determined to live life on her own terms, a mercurial taxi driver is drawn into the underbelly of Lagos’ sex scene, with deathly consequence.”

Finally, shot in Scotland, is The Incomer over in the Next section. Directed by shorts veteran Louis Paxton (Bike Thief, Dollface), making his feature debut, the Sundance synopsis reads: “On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them.” The film stars Domhnall Gleeson and Gayle Rankin and Sundance adds it is a “comedic inflection of Scottish island folklore”.

We’ll be bringing you news and reviews throughout the festival, so check back regularly, hopefully it will bring a last batch of Utah discoveries that we’ll still be talking about this time next year.