Our Most Anticipated Films For Sundance 2021

We may only be 3 weeks into 2021 and our first  big Film Festival of the year is fast approaching. In just over a weeks time (28th January until 3rd February), Sundance Film Festival will kick-off and just like those festivals that adapted in 2020 this years festival will be virtual. It’s frustrating we can’t watch these fantastic films at our local cinemas, as many are made for the big screen. As we like to say it’s better having a film festival in some shape of form than not having one at all.

Thanks to magic of online, The Peoples Movies will be reviewing the festival. Out of the 78 that will be on show we will bring you a selection of those films. We would love to cover more but it will be impossible so we decided to have a look at the festival’s programme and give you our Top 10 Most Anticipated films from Sundance Film Festival 2021…

CENSOR HORROR 

Anyone who follows The Peoples Movies, you know our love for the horror genre. Sundance has been ground zero for some of the best horrors the past few years and the Midnight strand to watch them. This Welsh horror is the debut directorial feature for Prano Bailey-Bond that pays homage to the video nasties of the 1980’s. Starring Niamh Algar (Calm With Horses, Raised By Wolves) in a film that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Algar plays a film censor attempting to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of her sister.
Premiere – 29th January | More info/buy tickets

CODA DRAMA

What does CODA stand for? Child of Deaf Adults, Siân Heder’s new film is her follow up to her 2016 Sundance film, Tallulah (starring Elliott Page). This time with a heart warming story of the life of a hearing person in a deaf family, 17 year old Ruby (Emilia Jones). As she attempts to keep the family’s fishing boat afloat, who also finds a talent in music. Can she keep the family business afloat and her dreams in music? The characters in the film are genuinely played by actor who are really deaf in real life and their emotions are truly authentic
Premiere –  29th January | Read More/Book

CRYPTOZOO ANIMATION

It’s rare to see an animation selected in the festival, especially one that’s targeted audience is adults. This is the latest film from Dash Shaw (My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea), and another slice of trademark weirdness. Outlandish film about try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these mythical beasts or keep them hidden from the world? Weird and wonderful and a voice that includes Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Lake Bell, need I say more?
Premiere – 29th January | Read More/Book

HOW IT ENDS DRAMA

After dipping her toes into mainstream cinema with the mediocre unwarranted The Craft: Legacy, Zoe Lister-Jones is back in indie cinema comfort zone with this one. It’s the end of the world, ait’s our last day we follow a woman attempting to a party in LA. We follow her last journey and the colourful electric characters she meets on the way, everything that could happen to slow her down will probably happen! The film also has the director alongside Fred Armisen, Helen Hunt, Nick Kroll, and Olivia Wilde in the cast.
Premiere – 29th January | Book/More Info

PASSING DRAMA

This is the directorial feature debut for British actress Rebecca Hall. The film is an exploration of racial and gender identity, in 1929 New York. Based on a novella by Nella Larsen, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are two African American women long time friends. Both women become obsessed how each other lives when both can pass as ‘white’ women. Sundance describe this film as an psychological thriller , makes us wonder there’s more that meets the eye! Great cast that includes André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp with Forest Whitaker producing.
Premiere – 30th January | Book/More Info

LAND DRAMA

Another directorial feature debut for an well known actress, this time Robin Wright. Described by Sundance as a poignant story of one woman’s search, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Wright also takes the lead role as the woman rebuilding her life and reflecting after an near death experience. This film has already been picked up for a April UK release.
Premiere – 31st January | Book/More Info

THE BLAZING WORLD HORROR, FANTASY

After making her directorial debut with her short at Sundance 2018, Carlson Young returns to make her directorial feature length debut with the feature length version of her short. Young also leads this fantasy horror as a woman haunted by the memory of her sister drowning since she was 6. As an adult she’s unravelling to the brink of suicide finds herself sliding into a world were her sister might still be alive. As we said earlier, we love our horror and this one intrigues us, this looks imaginative and unnerving. Vinessa Shaw  and Dermot Mulroney also star
Premiere – 31st January | Book/More Info

PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND HORROR, THRILLER

As we wait for next month’s Willy’s Underground for our doze of Cage rage, later this month the heavens will be shaking and trembling with more Nicolas Cage. Last time we had the Cagemeister at Sundance was with Mandy, this time he’s back for Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono‘s English language debut. Cinephiles will know Sono is equally unhinged and it’s a match made in heaven. This looks totally bonkers and we expect nothing less from these two, extreme action and violence! This is a delirious mash-up of Western, samurai, and post-apocalyptic thriller as a notorious criminal is broke out of prison he must rescue a woman from a dark supernatural universe. To do that he must break an ancient evil curse.
Premiere – 31st January | Book/More Info

THE WORLD TO COME DRAMA, WESTERN

After her performance in Pieces Of A Woman, Vanessa Kirby is hot property in the acting world. With talk of potential Oscar nominations for her, her next film is already award winning, winning at Venice Film Festival last year. This LGBTQ film exquisitely captures the oppression of 18th Century settler life, Abigail (Katherine Waterston) is defeated by grief and the drudgery of rural life. She struggles to stay connected with her husband (Casey Affleck), things change when a new couple (Kirby and Christopher Abbott) arrive, what starts as a friendship between the woman blossoms into a romance. Their secret love is threatened when each women’s relationships with their husbands fall apart.
Premiere – 2nd February | Book/More Info

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH DRAMA, HISTORY

The last minute inclusion of this film surprised many but also got us all excited about this too. Director Shaka King (who learned his craft under Spike Lee) is no stranger to Sundance. What better place to debut his mainstream debut with story of Fred Hampton’s revolutionary rise to lead the Illinois Black Panther Party and the man who would betray him, William O’Neal. Thanks to what looks like amazing performances from Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, this film might be on track for Oscar glory. Off course themes of the film resonate 50 plus years on.
Premiere – 2nd February | Book/More Info