As an avid lover of movies, attending Sundance Film Festival is something that has always been a dream of mine. This year, that dream is coming true. I’ll be covering Sundance Film Festival 2021 for Nashville Noise. Now that they’ve released this year’s films, here are the ones I’m most excited about.
Censor
First-time feature director Prano Bailey-Bond teams with Anthony Fletcher to pen an 80’s style horror film that stars Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves). IMDB synopsis: “After viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister’s disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.”
On the Count of Three
The uber-talented Jerrod Carmichael sets his sights on the big screen with his directorial debut. Carmichael, known as a comedic guy, dips his hand in the world of drama with a loaded cast including Christopher Abbot, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Winkler and J.B. Smoove. There’s also a killer premise about a pair of best friends who have a pact that when the day is done, they will end their lives. On the Count of Three is one of my most anticipated films of 2021.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
The last time we saw a Nicolas Cage film at Sundance (Mandy), it resulted in one of his best films in years. Cage joins forces with first-time English language director Sion Sono where he plays a notorious criminal trying to break an evil curse to save his daughter. The film contains “extreme violence and gore” which, alone, heightens my expectations.
Wild Indian
Wild Indian presents another feature debut for the festival with writer/director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. Variety described it as a story about “two Anishinaabe men who are inextricably bound together after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. After years of separation following wildly divergent paths, they must finally confront how their traumatic secret has irrevocably shaped their lives.” It stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth and Michael Greyeyes.
Another exciting thing about this film is Greyeyes in particular. He’s done so much fantastic work over the last few years with Blood Quantum, True Detective and I Know This Much is True. Pairing him with Eisenberg and Bosworth makes this cast loaded with potential.
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
This is, truly, my most anticipated film of the festival. It features another first-time director, Ahmir Thompson, who you may know better as Questlove. The documentary tackles the Harlem Cultural Festival, where over 300,000 people attended to celebrate African American music and culture.
From Sundance’s press release: “The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost – until now.”
Stay tuned for more of my coverage from the 2021 Sundance Festival.
