Many, myself included, were looking forward to going back to Utah this January, reuniting with the film community and discovering new films in the different theaters of Park City. Unfortunately, despite a very strong COVID protocol, Omicron threw a wrench in those plans and we are now all Sundancing from home. Despite this change of plans, my excitement for this new crop of films, which the Sundance programming team has curated for us, remains. Year after year, it sparks our curiosity to see the new projects of some of our S/W alums included in the lineup. So without further ado, here are the films we look forward to checking out the most.

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Features

With every new edition of the festival, we seem to find more and more of our alums making their way into the feature competition and this year we’re excited to see six of our previously featured filmmakers with new projects in the line-up:

• 2nd Chance by Ramin Bahrani (Plastic Bag) – Established filmmaker Bahrani is back at Sundance with his new documentary 2nd Chance playing in the Premieres category. The story of bankrupt pizzeria owner Richard Davis and his invention of the modern-day bulletproof vest, the filmmaker’s latest film continues his fascination with the perilous pursuit of the American dream.
• A Love Song by Max Walker-Silverman (Lefty/Righty) – A young documenter of the American West, Walker-Silverman translates many of his favored themes into his debut feature, a tender character portrait of two elderly widows reconnecting after decades apart. 
• Mija by Isabel Castro (Darlin) – In NEXT, Castro makes her feature debut in this excellent Doc which explores the pressure upon 1st and 2nd generation Americans of undocumented families as they experience rising fame and success in the music industry. 
• Nanny by Nikyatu Jusu (Suicide by Sunlight) – In the U.S. Dramatic competition, Nikyatu Jusu (Suicide by Sunlight) returns to Sundance with her feature debut Nanny. A film the director describes as a “character study with supernatural horror elements.
• Palm Trees and Power Lines by producer Leah Chen Baker (Youth) – Also in the U.S. Dramatic category, producer Leah Chen Baker (Youth) features with Palm Trees and Power Lines. Directed by Jamie Dack, the film is an adaption of a 2018 short of the same name and centers around a “disconnected teenage girl named Lea”.

The feature version of Jim Archer’s Brian and Charles is set to screen at this year’s Sundance.

Palm Trees and Power Lines isn’t the only short to feature adaptation in the programme though, as the 2022 Sundance line-up contains three features that were developed from short films we originally featured on S/W:

• Emergency by Carey Williams – Back at Sundance following his feature debut R#J playing in the 2021 program, Williams features this year with the adaptation of 2018 short Emergency, which won a Special Jury Prize at that year’s festival. Expanding the narrative into what the director describes as a “college comedy” on the surface, but is really a “love story” about two friends, Williams thinks it’s an important story to share because “it’s the kind of relationship that we don’t see very often from two young black men”.
• Brian and Charles by Jim Archer – In the World Dramatic competition, Archer will debut the adaptation of sci-fi(ish) comedy short Brian and Charles. Speaking to the director about what we can expect from the feature version, he explained: “Essentially the core of the story is still the same, it’s this weird relationship between a man and a robot”.
• Cerdita (Piggy) by Carlota Pereda – In the Midnight section, Carlota Pereda returns to the world of Cerdita (Piggy) with her feature adaptation of that short, which follows an overweight teen as her attempts to flee a pack of bullies leads to a long walk home that will change the rest of her life.

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Shorts

Sundance is notoriously the festival that receives the most short film submissions (10,374 this year), thus the unveiling of the program is always an anticipated announcement within the short film community. Featuring a short already featured on S/W, and films that are already some of our favorites from past festivals, this lineup once more debunks the strict premiere requirements myth that is sometimes associated with prestigious festivals.

Below are the short films featured in this year’s programme, which are from filmmakers previously featured on Short of the Week:

• Champ by Hannah Peterson (East of the River) – After basketball practice one night, Genevieve reveals a dark secret about their coach to her teammates. Wielding strategy and grit off the court, Genevieve works together with her teammates to find a way to retaliate.
• Daddy’s Girl by Lena Hudson (Too Long at the Fair) – A young woman’s charming but overbearing father helps her move out of her wealthy older boyfriend’s apartment.
• Deerwoods Deathtrap by James P. Gannon (Smoke Bomb Boys, The Christmas Light Killer) – Fifty years ago, Betty and Jack were hit by a train and survived. This is their story.
• Long Line of Ladies by Rayka Zehtabchi (Are You Still There?, (SHn(y)oof)) and Shaandiin Tome – A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once dormant coming-of-age ceremony of the Karuk tribe of northern California.

Percolate Galactic’s Rendang of Death – already available to watch on Short of the Week

• Rendang of Death by Percolate Galactic – In a quaint Padang restaurant, filled with people enjoying their lunch break, two bros put their friendship to the test when it turns out that only one plate remains of their favorite dish: The Rendang of Death. [watch on Short of the Week now]
• Shark by Nash Edgerton (Bear, Spider) – Shark tells the continuing adventures of Jack, who loves to prank — but in his latest relationship, he may have finally met his match.
• Soft Animals by Renee Zhan (Pidge, Hold Me (Ca Caw Ca Caw), Reneepoptosis) – Two ex-lovers cross paths in a train station. Their animal instincts take over as they reminisce.

Nash Edgerton’s Shark will complete his “prank” trilogy.

• Swallow The Universe by Nieto (Far West) – A blood-and-thunder saga of a young child lost in Manchuria’s deep jungles. His sudden presence creates complete anarchy in the fauna’s primitive world, which was until then perfectly organized.
• Training Wheels by Alison Rich (The Other Morgan) – A socially inept woman rents one man to prepare for another.
• You’ve Never Been Completely Honest by Joey Izzo (My Daughter’s Boyfriend, Stepsister, I Was There Too) – Through animation and reenactment, You’ve Never Been Completely Honest brings to life Gene Church’s original, never-before-heard interview recounting the harrowing physical torture and brainwashing he endured at a secretive, four-day business seminar in California in 1970.

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The shorts will all be available when the festival starts on January 20th, tickets are still available on the Sundance website.

To view more shorts from the festival, check out our dedicated Sundance Channel.