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| Top L to R: Better Luck Tomorrow, Dogtown and Z-Boys
Second Row L to R: Fool’s Fire, Nitrate Kisses, Real Women Have Curves
Bottom Row L to R: Swoon, Y Tu Mamá También Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute |
The Legacy section – formerly known as From the Collection – showcases films from the festival's past, including archival and restoration screenings of fiction and nonfiction alongside special events.
Legacy screenings will include director appearances and select cast members in attendance, inviting audiences to start new conversations about old favorites as well as discovering previously missed gems. Screenings include new restorations of every film: the 2002 Sundance Film Festival version of Better Luck Tomorrow (Justin Lin); a digital 4K restoration of Dogtown and Z-Boys (Stacy Peralta); a 35th anniversary screening of Fool’s Fire (Julie Taymor); Nitrate Kisses (Barbara Hammer); a 25th anniversary screening of Real Women Have Curves (Patricia Cardoso); a 35th anniversary screening of Swoon (Tom Kalin); and a 25th anniversary screening of a 4K restoration of Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón).
The Legacy program will also include a two-part session on the final weekend of the Festival called Sundance Film Festival presents: Cinema Interruptus featuring Memento, featuring a 4K restoration and a communal discussion of Christopher Nolan's film.
Additional programming for the category will be announced in the coming weeks. The Legacy programme will run from January 27-31.
Eugene Hernandez, director of Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming said “Each year we honor the legacy of our founder Robert Redford and the history of the Sundance Film Festival by looking back at just a few of the films and filmmakers who have shaped our history.
“Our first festival in our new home in Boulder, Colorado will bring change, but as we evolve, we'll keep at our core what we celebrate: our rich history. Sundance will always uplift independent voices, and our Legacy slate is a beautiful example of that. We are also pleased to announce Letterboxd’s co-partnership for the Legacy category – it’s great to collaborate with organisations that build momentum and excitement for a culture of cinematic discovery, and we look forward to having them at the Festival with us in January.”
Kim Yutani, director of programming, Sundance Film Festival added: “Revisiting and becoming newly acquainted with films from our previous line-ups in a theatrical setting, in community, and with some of the talent behind the films is a rare treat – even more so when these projects have been restored
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming back these artists and know that audiences will enjoy the opportunity to complement the new films we will soon be announcing with these classics.”
Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Sundance Institute and UCLA Film & Television Archive jointly establishing the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA to ensure the long-term preservation of independent film. The Collection currently holds material from more than 1,000 titles. The Legacy programme will be co-presented by film review platform Letterboxd.
Legacy film line-up
Better Luck Tomorrow, USA, (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Justin Lin, Screenwriters: Ernesto Foronda, Fabian Marquez, Producers: Julie Asato, Ernesto Foronda) – To escape the crushing pressure of academic perfection, a group of high-achieving teens lead a secret, thrill-seeking double life of petty crime that quickly spins out of control. Cast: Karin Anna Cheung, John Cho, Roger Fan, Sung Kang, Parry Shen, Jason Tobin. Fiction.
• 25th anniversary. Better Luck Tomorrow premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Dramatic Competition. It was subsequently released with small changes in the edit. The original 2002 Sundance Film Festival cut of Better Luck Tomorrow was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in collaboration with Sundance Institute and Perfect Storm Entertainment, with funding provided by Chris Quintos Cathcart, co-CEO of Unapologetic Projects. The 4K restoration utilised the original 35 mm camera negatives, 35 mm Sundance Film Festival print, and DA-88 sound materials and was supervised by filmmaker Justin Lin at Resillion and Deluxe Audio Services.
• Dogtown And Z-Boys, US, (Director and Screenwriter: Stacy Peralta, Screenwriter: Craig Stecyk, Producer: Agi Orsi) – The Z-Boys: outcast surf rats from the run-down Dogtown neighborhood in Venice, California, who revolutionised skateboarding with their innovative style and attitude. An exploration of the birth of a cultural phenomenon, narrated by Sean Penn and featuring old-school skating footage, a blistering soundtrack, and interviews with Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Tony Hawk. Documentary.
25th Anniversary of the US Release. Dogtown and Z-Boys premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Documentary Competition and won the Audience Award: Documentary and Directing Award: Documentary. 2027 marks the 25th anniversary of its theatrical release. The 4K digital restoration was undertaken from the original 35 mm elements by Sony Pictures Classics. The restoration was approved by the filmmakers.
• Fool’s Fire, US, (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Julie Taymor, Producer: Kerry Orent) – A captured dwarf, Hopfrog, is forced to become jester to a tyrannical king. But when the king is gifted with another little person, whom the king debases and shames, Hopfrog plots a terrible revenge. Based on the story Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe. Cast: Michael J. Anderson, Tom Hewitt, Mireille Mossé. Fiction.
35th anniversary. Fool’s Fire premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Dramatic Competition. This new restoration was created by the nonprofit IndieCollect in collaboration with Julie Taymor and with support from the Golden Globe Foundation, using a 6.5K scan of the original 35 mm negative and a soundtrack restored by Endpoint Audio Labs from the optical track negative. Featuring an extended conversation with Julie Taymor and clips from The Making of Fool’s Fire, exploring the film’s artistry and cutting-edge use of high definition.
• Nitrate Kisses, US, (Director: Barbara Hammer) – A liberating portrait of queer sexuality that weaves striking images of four lesbian and gay couples with archival footage, interviews, sexual imagery, and queer cinema dating back to the 1930s to unearth forbidden and long-invisible histories. Documentary.
Nitrate Kisses had its US premiere at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Documentary Competition. Nitrate Kisses was preserved by the Academy Film Archive. The original 16 mm A/B-rolls were scanned at 4K and restored by BB Optics. The mono mix was digitized from the original 16 mm mag track. The restoration was funded by Frameline and supervised by The Estate of Barbara Hammer and Brydie O’Connor.
• Real Women Have Curves, US, (Director: Patricia Cardoso, Screenwriters: George LaVoo, Josefina López, Producers: George Lavoo, Effie Brown) – Ana, a first-generation Mexican American teenager, fights for her independence and her curves in a war of wills with her mother. Based on the play by Josefina López. Cast: America Ferrera, George Lopez, Ingrid Oliu, Lupe Ontiveros, Brian Sites. Fiction.
25th anniversary. Real Women Have Curves premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Dramatic Competition and took home the Audience Award: Dramatic and the Special Jury Prize for Acting for America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros. Supervised by director Patricia Cardoso and director of photography Jim Denault, this new 4K restoration was undertaken by Criterion in collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures, Sundance Institute, and the Academy Film Archive from the 35 mm original camera negative.
• Swoon, US, (Director and Screenwriter: Tom Kalin, Producers: Christine Vachon) – The true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who kidnapped and brutally murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago in 1924. The revelation that these wealthy Jewish college students had a sexual relationship scandalized the nation. After their arrest and trial, they were sentenced to life plus 99 years. Cast: Craig Chester, Michael Kirby, John A. Mudd, Daniel Schlachet, Natalie Stanford, Michael Stumm, Ron Vawter. Fiction.
35th anniversary. Swoon premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival as part of the US Dramatic Competition and took home the Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic. Swoon was restored by the Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive in collaboration with Frameline, Strand Releasing, and Sundance Institute in 4K from the original 16 mm A/B camera negatives, 35 mm interpositive, 35 mm dupe negative, and 35 mm magnetic track. The restoration was supervised by Tom Kalin and Ellen Kuras at Roundabout Entertainment, Inc. and Deluxe Audio Services. Restoration funding was provided by the Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive with additional support from Frameline, Ellen Kuras, Strand Releasing, and Sundance Institute.
• Y Tu Mamá También, Mexico, (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Alfonso Cuarón, Screenwriter: Carlos Cuarón, Producer: Jorge Vergara) – After their girlfriends jet off for the summer, a pair of Mexico City teenagers become bewitched by an older Spanish woman they meet at a wedding. When she agrees to accompany them on a road trip, the three form an increasingly intense and sensual bond. Cast: Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel Verdú. Fiction.
25th anniversary. Y tu mamá también screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Special Events category. Newly restored by Esperanto Films in 4K under the supervision of filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. A Janus Films release.
Legacy Special Events
Sundance Film Festival presents: Cinema Interruptus featuring Memento
A unique tradition established at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs (CWA) by film critic Roger Ebert and CWA founder and sociology professor Howard Higman, Cinema Interruptus is communal film criticism in two sessions. As Memento screens, participants can yell “Stop!” at any point to make a comment or ask a question, after which the film will resume. Critic and author Josh Larsen – who hosted Interruptus at CWA on campus from 2017 to 2024 – will moderate the discussion and keep things on track, with the goal of finishing the entire movie by the end of the second session.
• Memento, US, (Director: Christopher Nolan) – A former insurance investigator who now suffers from anterograde amnesia uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife’s murderer. Fiction.
Memento had its U.S. festival premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival in the US Dramatic Competition and it took home the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Restored in 4K from original interpositive materials by Umbrella with approval from director Christopher Nolan. Cinema Interruptus is also part of Sundance's Offscreen program, to be announced in its entirety soon.
