Feature

2021 Sundance Film Festival is in Full-Swing Online

Director: Sian Heder Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur Sales agent: CAA/ICM Buzz: This drama about a girl who is the only hearing person in her deaf family is said to be emotionally stirring

Park City, Utah. The Sundance Film Festival looks different this year; it’s virtual. There are 71 Features, 50 shorts, 4 indie series, 14 New Frontier Projects debuting on digital platform & satellite screens nationwide. One highly anticipated film that has gotten excellent reviews is Coda (Pictured above). The film was directed by Sian Heder and stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, and Marlee Matlin. It’s about a girl who is the only hearing person in her deaf family.

The Sundance Festival is taking place digitally on a Sundance-built online platform and in-person on Satellite Screens across the country (public health permitting) from January 28-February 3, 2021. Additionally, Festival attendees can gather in virtual waiting rooms, participate in live Q&As, and congregate in new, inspired online environments to interact in a range of ways both new and familiar.

The films were selected from 14,092 submissions including 3,500 feature-length films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,377 were from the U.S. and 2,132 were international. Director demographics are available in an editor’s note below.

Here’s a video about the first day of the festival:

Above, is a scene from “President” by Camilla Nielsson. COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE.

“Of course, the pandemic year demanded adaptation,” said Keri Putnam, Sundance Institute’s Executive Director. “On a deeper level, we also recognize the urgency of supporting independent storytellers at a time of great upheaval in the film and media fields. We’re proud this edition of the Festival is fiercely independent and will reach people everywhere, celebrating both the theatrical experience at our Satellite Screens and streaming on our platform.”

“This Festival is a singular response to a singular year – both in design and curation – and we are excited about the new dimensions of possibility it will reveal. But at its core is something that speaks to our most enduring values,” said Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. “For thousands of years humans have gathered to tell stories and make meaning. In this pandemic year, we gather to celebrate a constellation of artists with unique perspectives that express this current moment and who together are saying, ‘We exist. This is who we are. And this is what we see.’”

“The work in this year’s program is groundbreaking, imaginative, and formally daring,” said Kim Yutani, the Festival’s Director of Programming. “With over half the program made by first-time directors, a sense of discovery remains true to us at Sundance. This year’s Festival presents irrefutable evidence that despite the challenges, the independent voice is as strong as ever.”

The full 2021 slate of works, including 71 feature-length films, representing 29 countries and 38 first-time feature filmmakers. 14 films and projects announced today were supported by Sundance Institute in development, through direct granting or residency Labs. 66 of the Festival’s feature films, or 93% of the lineup announced today, will be world premieres. These films were selected from 14,092 submissions including 3,500 feature-length films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,377 were from the U.S. and 2,132 were international. Director demographics are available in an editor’s note below.