The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Sorry to Bother You, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Eighth Grade, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Precious, The Cove, Little Miss Sunshine, An Inconvenient Truth, Napoleon Dynamite, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Reservoir Dogs and sex, lies, and videotape. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2020, the Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute’s year-round programs for independent artists. Look for the Official Partner seal at their venues at the Festival.
BAD HAIR _ Tuesday, January 28th 11:59 PM Library Center Theatre Park City Theaters
Los Angeles, 1989. Anna Bludso (Elle Lorraine) is a scarred survivor of a scalp burn from a mild relaxer perm. She also has the smarts and ambition to be the next on-air star at Culture, a music video TV show. After years of struggling to be seen for her ideas and hard work, Anna fears the worst when her dreadlocked boss is replaced by Zora (Vanessa Williams), an ex-supermodel with a silver tongue. Zora warns Anna that her nappy look has got to go, so Anna bites the bullet and gets a weave. Turns out, her flowing new hair is the key to success—but it arrived with a mind of its own, and it bites back! Writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White People, 2014 Sundance Film Festival) triumphantly returns with this brilliant satirical psychological thriller that is bound to get Park City talking all over again. CAST: Elle Lorraine, Vanessa Williams. Jay Pharoah
Lena Waithe, Blair Underwood and Laverne Cox,
CATEGORY World Cinema Documentary Competition
SOFTIE_ Wednesday, January 29th 2:30 PM Egyptian Theatre Park City Theaters (main image)
Boniface “Softie” Mwangi has long fought injustices in his country as a political activist. Now he’s taking the next step by running for office in a regional Kenyan election. From the moment Boniface decides to run, telling his wife, Njeri, in passing with a hesitant laugh, he responds to each challenge with optimism. But running a clean campaign against corrupt opponents becomes increasingly harder to combat with idealism alone. And Boniface soon finds that challenging strong political dynasties is putting his family at risk. Should country really come before family, as he’s always believed?
Sam Soko is a director and producer based in Nairobi. His work on sociopolitical projects in music and film has allowed him to connect and work with artists around the world. CAST:
YEAR 2020 COUNTRY Kenya RUN TIME 96 min LANGUAGE English / Kiswahili/Kikuyu SUBTITLES Yes with English subtitles
Sylvie’s Love_U.S. Dramatic Competition Thursday, January 30th 8:30 PM The MARC Theatre Park City Theaters
The jazz is smooth and the air sultry in the New York summer of 1957. Sylvie helps around her father’s record store as she waits for her fiancé to return from war—until sweet saxophonist Robert walks in looking for a day job to subsidize his residency at the Blue Morocco lounge. This chance meeting kindles a deep passion in each of them unlike anything they’ve felt before. Sylvie’s mother immediately disapproves and reminds Sylvie of her engagement, while Robert’s band books their first big gig overseas. As time passes, the sexual revolution begins, and Motown becomes king, the two fall in and out of each other’s arms, but never out of love. USA
Tessa Thompson
Nnamdi Asomugha
Eva Longoria
Aja Naomi King
Wendi Mclendon-Covey
Jemima Kirke
Sundance 2020 runs until Feb 2.
