Ahead of Sundance 2022, taking place on the festival’s online platform at Festival.Sundance.org January 20-30th (and in person at seven Satellite Screens venues around the US during the festival’s second weekend), the nonprofit Sundance Institute has announced the members of the six prize-awarding juries and the Beyond Film lineup. Among the jurors are Weekend filmmaker and the creator of HBO’s Looking, Andrew Haigh, and Emmy-winning Transparent creator Joey Soloway, while the festival’s Beyond Film program of talks and events includes celebrated LGBTQ+ voices from across film, art, and culture such as Keke Palmer, Roberta Colindrez, Cheryl Dunye, Jeremy O. Harris, Zackary Drucker, Saul Williams, and Chase Joynt.
The Sundance 2022 jurors are: Chelsea Barnard, Marielle Heller, and Payman Maadi for U.S. Dramatic Competition; Garrett Bradley, Joan Churchill, and Peter Nicks for U.S. Documentary Competition; Andrew Haigh, Mohamed Hefzy, and La Frances Hui for World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and Emilie Bujès, Patrick Gaspard, and Dawn Porter for World Cinema Documentary Competition. Joey Soloway for the NEXT competition section. Penelope Bartlett, Kevin Jerome Everson, and Blackhorse Lowe jury the Short Film Program Competition. The jury for Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize is Dr. Heather Berlin, Dr. Mandë Holford, PhD, Tenoch Huerta, Lydia Dean Pilcher, and Shawn Snyder. They deliberated in advance of the Festival and awarded the Prize to After Yang, directed by Kogonada.
SUNDANCE 2022 BEYOND FILM LINEUP:
POWER OF STORY – The Sundance Film Festival’s Power of Story events look to deepen public engagement with the art of storytelling, delve into cinema culture, and celebrate artists whose work propels and reinvents the form as we know it.
ARTISTS UNBOUND
Sunday January 23rd 3-4:30pm MT – Exciting boundaryless artists from a wide cross section of creative practices come together virtually to make sense of the boxes artists can be confined to, how the culture shapes these boxes, and the freedom found in exploding them. The fearlessness of these transgressive visionaries is a testament to creative integrity and its unbreakable link to independence.
Featuring: Jeremy O. Harris (Zola), Roberta Colindrez (Vida), and Zackary Drucker (Framing Agnes)
Moderated by Alex Jung (Vulture)
CINEMA CAFE
Saturday January 22nd – Tuesday January 25th – A series of informal chats brings together special guests for thought-provoking encounters.
CINEMA CAFE: Karen Gillan (Dual) and Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Moderated by Shirley Li (The Atlantic)
Saturday January 22nd 11am -12pm MT
CINEMA CAFE: Eva Longoria Bastón (La Guerra Civil) and Amy Poehler (Lucy & Desi)
Moderated by Mandalit del Barco (NPR)
Sunday January 23rd 11:30am – 12:30pm MT
CINEMA CAFE: Dakota Johnson (Cha Cha Real Smooth, Am I Ok?) and Keke Palmer (Alice)
Moderated by Hannah Giorgis (The Atlantic)
Monday January 24th 11:30am – 12:30pm MT
CINEMA CAFE: Fresh Faces
John Early (My Trip to Spain), Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines), and Donald Elise Watkins (Emergency)
Moderated by Joey Soloway (Transparent)
Tuesday January 25th 11:30am – 12:30pm MT
THE BIG CONVERSATION – The Big Conversation tackles science, art, culture, and the movements that are fueling the imaginations of today’s independent artists. A compelling selection of speakers discuss topics centered on the themes of this year’s program and explore broader trends in art and culture around the world. In considering how artists—through their practice and their work—make meaning of the world, we’re reminded that it’s the big conversation that connects us to the big ideas.
ACOUSTIC RANGE
Saturday January 22nd 2-3:30pm MT
Reflecting on how artists respond to what’s happening around the world, this conversation focuses on electrifying musicians and their creative process heightening the cinematic story through music and ambience. With origins in live performance, this group has expanded their reach to composing for feature length films, animation and musicals, and will be discussing their work premiering at Sundance and beyond.
Featuring: Daniel Hart (The Green Knight), Saul Williams (Neptune Frost), and Drum & Lace (Summering)
Moderated by Dan Wilcox (KCRW)
FOUR HISTORIES OF REBEL ART
Sunday January 23rd 2-2:30pm MT
At this special event celebrating Sundance Institute’s 40th anniversary, we take a joyous look into the rebel histories of award-winning, renowned filmmakers who premiered their shorts and debut films at the Festival. We’ll explore what their stories mean for the future of Sundance, consequent trailblazers, and independent cinema.
Featuring: Christine Choy (The Exiles), Cheryl Dunye (Greetings from Africa), Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs)
Moderated by Eugene Hernandez (Deputy Executive Director of Film at Lincoln Center)
THE STORY OF US: RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE
Monday January 24th 2-3:30pm MT
Legal Scholar and civil rights advocate Kimberlé W. Crenshaw returns to the Sundance Film Festival to moderate a conversation interrogating how censorship, legislation, and storytelling are creating a distorted national narrative, and the crucial role of new cinematic genres in challenging these myths.
Featuring: CJ Hunt (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), David Blight (Sterling professor of American History, Yale University), Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny), Việt Thanh Nguyễn (Pulitzer Prize-winning writer)
Moderated by Kimberlé W. Crenshaw (Executive Director, African American Policy Forum)
MACHINE YEARNING
Tuesday January 25th 2-3:30pm MT
Cinema’s fascination with robots and machine intelligence goes back almost as far as cinema itself, even if some of film and television’s greatest characters might not pass the Turing test (though, eerily, others would). Today’s study of robotics, engineering, artificial intelligence, neural networks , etc. yields an array of fascinating applications, new technologies, and complex questions, and the artificial beings once so fanciful to Fritz Lang or Philip K. Dick now involve as much science as fiction. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Featuring: Cynthia Breazeal (Associate Director, MIT Media Lab), Lisa Joy (Westworld), Kogonada (After Yang)
HOW TO FEST: DAILY – Festival director Tabitha Jackson will bring together artists, programmers, and film lovers to explore themes that are driving the festival and the projects featured in it. Daily from January 21st-25th at 10am MT. on festival.sundance.org.
BEYOND FILM PRESENTS
HOW TO LIVE (After you Die)
Monday January 24th 9pm-11pm MT
Renowned for her crystalline, deeply humane reflections on spirituality, technology, and the natural world, multiple Emmy Award-winning artist Lynette Wallworth turns the lens on herself in the solo performance HOW TO LIVE (After You Die). With tenderness, intimacy, and wry humor, Wallworth recounts her coming-of-age in a radical Christian community and, by travelling through her acclaimed works, charts an artist’s journey to reclaim her voice. This presentation will be followed by a live conversation with Lynette Wallworth and moderated by Tabitha Jackson.
Performance by Lynette Wallworth.
OSCAR’S COMEBACK
Monday January 24th 11:45am – 1:45pm MT
Director Lisa Collins and co-director Mark Schwartzburt have created an epic that brilliantly transports black film pioneer Oscar Micheaux into our politically polarized present. Seventeen years in the making, Oscar’s Comeback, features profoundly resonant themes and an incredible kaleidoscope of characters, including Micheaux as the godfather of independent cinema. This special showcase will include a lively conversation with the creators and a sneak peek at scenes from the five hour film.
Featuring: Lisa Collins, Mark Schwartzburt (Oscar’s Comeback)
In conversation with: Jacqueline Stewart (Chief Artistic and Programming Officer, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
SUNDANCE COLLAB AT THE FESTIVAL – Sundance Collab is a digital destination for independent artists at all stages of their creative journeys to learn and connect. This global community is a safe and nurturing space of inclusion and belonging. Learn more at https://collab.sundance.org
SUNDANCE COLLAB ROUNDTABLE: MY SHORT FILM’S LONG JOURNEY TO SUNDANCE
Friday January 21st 4:30pm-6pm MT
A candid roundtable discussion with festival filmmakers about the process of getting their short films made and seen, from conception through Sundance exhibition, and a sneak peek at their films playing at this year’s festival.
Featuring: Olive Nwosu (Egungun), William David Caballero (Chilly and Milly), and Sky Hopkina (Kicking the Clouds) Moderated by Liz Nord (Director of Content, Sundance Collab)
SUNDANCE COLLAB CREATOR MEETUP: NAVIGATING YOUR FIRST MAJOR FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday January 27th 10am – 11:30am MT
Creator Meetups feature candid discussions with artists and media professionals around timely and critical issues in the film and television industry, followed by breakout groups where creators can meet and continue their conversations. Discussions with Sundance filmmakers on how to prepare for, and make the most out of, your first major film festival experience.
Featuring: Kara Durrett (Producer, Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul) and Chase Joynt (Director, Framing Agnes)
Moderated by Abiram Brizuela (Director, Sundance Artist Community)
DAILY ARTIST MEETUPS – Presented by the Sundance Collective – The Festival’s Daily Artist Meetups provide an opportunity for Festivalgoers to meet independent storytellers from the Sundance Institute artist community and beyond. Each session is preceded by a thought-provoking conversation between Sundance Artists and leads from various Institute programs.
Friday January 21st 11:30am-1pm MT
Daily Artist Meetup: Welcome To The 2022 Sundance Film Festival
Featuring: Tabitha Jackson (Director, Sundance Film Festival & Public Programs), Gina Duncan (Producing Director, Sundance Institute), Shari Frilot (Chief Curator, New Frontier and Sr. Film Programmer, Sundance Film Festival), Karim Ahmad (Director, Outreach & Inclusion, Sundance Institute), Brenda Coughlin (Director, Engagement & Advocacy, Sundance Institute)
Saturday January 22nd 11:30am – 1pm MT
Daily Artist Meetup: The Leap From Short To Feature
Featuring: Francisca Alegría (Writer/Director, The Cow Who Sang A Song Into the Future), Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny)
Sunday January 23rd 11:30am – 1pm MT
Daily Artist Meetup: Cinema from Kahiki to Kaimukī
Featuring: Alika Maikau Tengan (Writer/Director, Every Day In Kaimukī)
Moderator: Cheryl Hirasa, (Interim Executive Director, Pacific Islanders in Communications)
Monday January 24th 11:30am – 1pm MT
Daily Artist Meetup: Creative Financing, A Case Study on Jockey
Featuring: Clint Bentley (Writer/Director/Producer) and Greg Kwedar (Writer/Producer)
Tuesday January 25th 11:30am – 1pm MT
Daily Artist Meetup: The Future Of Streaming
Featuring: Leaders from top streaming services.
CALLING ALL ARTISTS: THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS RECRUITING
Presented by Women at Sundance
Friday January 21st 2-3:30pm MT
Artists are urgently needed to interpret the present crisis and imagine a climate-just future. Hear from our recruiters: youth and Indigenous movement leaders, policymakers, and scientists, and join the discussion about how we can work together collectively like never before.
Recruiters: Andrea Ixchíu Hernández (Maya K’iche’ leader and filmmaker, Guatemala), Geeta Persad (climate scientist, USA), Vanessa Nakate (climate justice activist, Uganda), Farhana Yamin (climate legal advisor, UK)
Moderated by Megha Agrawal Sood (Head of Climate Story Unit, Doc Society), Emily Wanja (Global Community Manager, Climate Story Unit, Doc Society)
RESTORING THE FUTURE
Saturday January 22nd 4pm – 6pm MT
The past two years have incubated new and evolving movements in the media arts system, creating pathways to a radically aspirational future. In this participatory worldbuilding experience, step into a portal to that future with artists, activists, and industry members. Together they will share prototypes, provocations, and artifacts from an imagined future media-arts ecosystem centered in justice, abundance, and joy.
Featuring: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon (Producer, To The End), Andria Wilson Mirza (Director, ReFrame), Yasmin Dunn (Director of Education & Outreach, Hollywood Commission)
Facilitated by: Karim Ahmad (Director, Outreach & Inclusion, Sundance Institute), Brenda Coughlin (Director, Engagement & Advocacy, Sundance Institute), Tony Patrick (Artist, Beyond the Breakdown, Sundance ‘21)
NEW FRONTIER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ON THE SPACESHIP – Sundance’s Artist Spotlight series aims to bring New Frontier artists into conversation with audiences about their provocative works and artistic practice in stimulating, informative, and engaging ways.
Online, The Spaceship’s Cinema House will host Artist Spotlight presentations by each of the New Frontier artist teams. Afterwards, artists will be available to mingle and engage in conversation with audiences.
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: This is Not a Ceremony
Friday January 21at 1pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: ATUA
Friday January 21st 4pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: The Inside World
Saturday January 22nd 12pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: On The Morning You Wake (To the End of the World)
Saturday January 22nd 7pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Child of Empire
Sunday January 23rd 12pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Suga’- A Live Virtual Dance Performance
Monday January 24th 7pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: The State of Global Peace
Tuesday January 25th 6pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: They Dream in My Bones – Insemnopedy II
Wednesday January 26th 12pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Diagnosia
Wednesday January 26th 2pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Gondwana
Wednesday January 26th 8pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Seven Grams
Thursday January 27th 2pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Surrogate
Thursday January 27th 7pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: 32 Sounds
Wednesday January 27th 9pm MT
New Frontier Artist Spotlight: Flat Earth VR
Friday January 28th 12pm MT
Web 3.0 / NFT Meetups
Saturday January 22nd 2pm MT Online
Sunday January 23rd 2pm Online
Friday January 28th 2pm Online
Facilitated by Amelia Winger-Bearskin (Banks Preeminence Chair AI & the Arts, University of Florida) & Jesse Damiani (Founder, Postreality Labs)
ADDED NEW FRONTIER PROGRAMMING – Festivalgoers who are attending The Spaceship can spend a night on earth in Amsterdam, at IDFA DocLab’s interactive playground do {not} play. Experimental soulmates from the beginning, 2022 marks a sweet sixteen birthday for both New Frontier & IDFA DocLab.The Spaceship Filmmaker Receptions, online parties which will take place January 26-27th, and are designed to enable filmmakers to meet their festival wide audiences.
SUNDANCE ASCAP MUSIC CAFÉ
Friday January 21st–Monday January 24th 3pm daily
The Sundance ASCAP Music Café returns to its virtual stage in the Festival Village, marking its 24th year celebrating the discovery of new musical voices and film’s marriage of sight and sound. From January 21 to 24, the Café will feature two days of musical performances from acclaimed talent and rising stars and two days dedicated to ASCAP Screen Time conversations with top ASCAP composers and collaborators from around the globe. Musical performances will include The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical creators Barlow & Bear, six-time Grammy-nominee Brandy Clark, award-winning actor/singer Evan Rachel Wood and Grammy-nominated guitarist/singer-songwriter Zane Carney as EVAN + ZANE, three-time Emmy-nominated Only Murders in the Building composer Siddhartha Khosla and more. Additional information can be found here.
Daily programming, panels and events from partners will also be available at: https://festival.sundance.org/village/
Take a look at the LGBTQ+ highlights at Sundance 2022 here and read the full festival film lineup here.
Ticket packages and single tickets for Sundance 2022 are on sale now at Festival.Sundance.org.
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