Sundance’s 2018 lineup reflects cultural crossroads
In film circles these days it’s hard to separate what’s going on in the real world from what’s happening on screen. Socially relevant topics such as diversity and abuse of power are fueling filmmakers and factoring in selections by major film festivals.
So issues of inclusion, diversity and abuse of power run through the Sundance Film Festival’s choices for its 2018 feature film programs, announced this week. All told, 110 feature films have been selected for the festival that runs from Jan. 18 to 28 in Park City, Utah.
Among the films chosen for the high-profile Premieres section are Brad Anderson’s “Beirut” starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike; Ben Lewin’s “The Catcher Was a Spy” featuring Paul Rudd; Joshua Marston’s “Come Sunday” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor; David Zellner and Nathan Zellner’s “Damsel” with Robert Pattinson; and Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.”
Also among the premieres are Jesse Peretz’s “Juliet, Naked” starring Rose Byrne and Claire Mccarthy’s “Ophelia” with Daisy
Ridley. “Winter’s Bone” filmmaker Debra Granik returns to the festival with what is currently billed as the “Untitled Debra Granik Project.”
The festival’s director of programming Trevor Groth pointed out in an interview that many of the titles in the U.S. Dramatic Competition feature complicated, rich female lead performances, prize winner, “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore,” was the first to belong to a streaming service, appearing on
Netflix less than a month after the festival. The 2017 edition of the festival also saw the world premieres of films dealing with racism and sexism such as “The
Big Sick,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Mudbound” and “Get Out” — all players in this year’s film awards season.
The presidential inauguration coincided with last year’s event as well, bringing an added resolve and air of shared purpose and commitment among attendees. This year the festival will happen amid the evolving revelations of sexual harassment and abuse within the entertainment industry.
Cooper said the festival is still exploring ways to address the issue, including a code of conduct that had long applied to staff and volunteers being expanded to include the whole festival population. “I feel a responsibility to have community around this,” Cooper said.
’Then the election happened’
If the festival’s organizers have found themselves unexpectedly responding to cultural shifts, filmmakers too have seen their work take on new and expanded meaning in the face of the current political environment.
In “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” director and co-screenwriter Desiree Akhavan and her producer and co-screenwriter Cecilia Frugiuele adapted the novel