The Sundance Film Festival has announced five new world premieres joining the 2023 lineup, including the documentary about NBA superstar Stephen Curry and the latest feature from Once director John Carney.
Beyond Utopia (U.S. Doc Competition), Earth Mama (Premieres), Flora and Son (Premieres), Past Lives (Premieres) and Stephen Curry: Underrated (Special Screening) are all heading to Park City. The films join a previously announced schedule that includes the new Nicole Holofcener movie, Davis Guggenheim’s Michael J. Fox doc and Anne Hathaway drama Eileen.
“These five new films round out our program in an exciting and emotional way. They are cinematic experiences that delight, entertain, and keep us on the edge of our seats. The works introduce us to new voices, along with directors we’re excited to welcome back to the Festival,” said Kim Yutani, director of programming.
Also announced today is the festival’s Encore Special Screenings, a series where past Sundance titles screen at the festival. CODA (2021 Sundance Film Festival), Klondike (2022 Sundance Film Festival), Navalny (2022 Sundance Film Festival) and Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021 Sundance Film Festival) will also screen as a part of the series.
This year the fest is planned as a hybrid event. The in-person program will run from Jan. 19-29, with films beginning to screen online starting Jan. 24. The on-demand, online offerings will include all 2023 competition titles, including those programmed in the U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary and NEXT sections. The 2023 award–winning films will screen both in person and online on Jan. 28 and 29.
The festival will take place Jan. 19-29. See the additions to the 2023 Sundance Film Festival schedule below.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Beyond Utopia / U.S.A. (Director: Madeleine Gavin, Producers: Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Sue Mi Terry) — Hidden camera footage augments this perilous high-stakes journey as we embed with families attempting to escape oppression, ultimately revealing a world most of us have never seen. World Premiere. Available online.
PREMIERES
Earth Mama / U.S.A (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Savanah Leaf, Producers: Cody Ryder, Shirley O’Connor, Medb Riordan, Sam Bisbee) — A pregnant single mother with two children in foster care embraces her Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family. Cast: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Doechii, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Dominic Fike, Bokeem Woodbine. World Premiere. Fiction.
Flora and Son / U.S.A, Ireland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: John Carney, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Rebecca O’Flanagan, Robert Walpole) — Single mom Flora is at war with her teenage son, petty thief Max. Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, she rescues a beat-up guitar from a dumpster and finds that one person’s trash can be a family’s salvation. Cast: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan, Jack Reynor. World Premiere. Fiction.
Past Lives / U.S.A (Director and Screenwriter: Celine Song, Producers: Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa) — Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny and love, and the choices that make a life. Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro. World Premiere. Fiction.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Stephen Curry: Underrated / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Peter Nicks, Producers: Ryan Coogler, Erick Peyton) — Stephen Curry is one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in the history of basketball. Intimate cinematic video, archival footage, and on-camera interviews reveal Curry’s rise from an undersized college player to a four-time NBA champion. World Premiere. Documentary.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
HollyWood
