Sundance celebrates 40 years as Sundance 2024 kicks off

Sundance 2024 is well underway in Park City. Here's what to expect from the event both in Utah and online.

It’s been snowing in Park City this year, and it’s bitterly cold. For an industry still not fully back on its feet after the pandemic, as well as having suffered the twin shocks of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year, the temperature, however, seems surprisingly hot. Plenty of the 90-odd titles that are being screened at the Festival are attracting attention from critics, fans, and distributors alike.

So, what to watch? Picking up that essential pre-festival buzz were:

Love Me

Long after humanity’s extinction, a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love.

My Old Ass

The summer before college, bright-yet-irreverent Elliott comes face-to-face with her older self during a mushroom trip.

Will & Harper

When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.

The Outrun

After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands — where she grew up — hoping to heal. 

Thelma

When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.

I Saw the TV Glow

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

Didi

In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year- old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

For some of these, you're just going to have to take the critics' word on it, at least for a while. Park City performances are full, and even the online screening package tickets have sold out, but you can watch at least a selection of some of the individual films for $25 each or get unlimited access to the short films shown at the festival for the same price. Details here.

Sundance 2024: More than film

Sundance is a lot more than just a film festival though, which is what makes it such an essential event.

The Beyond Film program gives you the chance to listen to filmmakers, artists, and changemakers discuss some of the most pressing industry topics today. Events are underway in-person now, covering a wide range of subjects such as the role of A, both in production and as a subject, interviews with the likes of Steven Soderbergh and Chiwetel Ejiofor, an exploration of how to go about career-building and forging a creative identity, and plenty more. Rcordings will be available online beginning January 25. 

There’s also a huge range of Partner Events taking place too, as everyone from vendors to organizations such as the ACLU, the charities, to drinks companies and more align their brands with the festival.

This opening weekend, Adobe is one of the vendors setting up a distinct presence at the event. Adobe on Main is hosting filmmakers at 558 Main Street, Park City, Utah, where it says visitors can grab a bite, relax and recharge, hear from storytellers behind the Festival's hottest films, and join the company’s community events. 

There’s an interesting program of events on offer, including today’s session on Collaboration in the Cutting Room (1.30pm -2.30pm MST) and Monday’s Adobe Live @ Sundance Film Festival 2024, which runs from 9:00am - 2:00pm MST and will be streaming community interviews and how-tos online from Main Street.

Other events of note include:

Indigenous House - Main Street, Park City

IllumiNative is bringing its house back to the Sundance Film Festival. The Main Street gathering spot will run Jan. 19-21 and feature music, art and food celebrating Native culture.

The IMDb Studio - Acura House of Energy, 480 Swede Alley, Park City, Jan. 19-21

The creative hub of IMDb for celebrity portraits, interviews and social videos with Getty Images photographer Monica Schipper.

Canon Creative Studio - Park City Museum, 528 Main St., Jan. 19-22

At the Canon Creative Studio, there will be panel programming spotlighting the latest trends in independent filmmaking

Indie Directors and Creators Spotlight - The Cabin, 427 Main St., Park City, Jan. 20-21

Presented by Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment, the two-day activation will celebrate diverse voices in filmmaking as well as highlight new and upcoming talent.

And let's finish on a note of diversity. As Adobe writes in its blog, of the 82 feature films announced this year, 47% were directed by filmmakers who identify as women and 45% were directed by filmmakers who identify as people of color — a number that continues to increase every year. "It’s never been more important to support the incredible work of independent filmmakers from around the world and all backgrounds," says the company, and four decades of Sundance has been a big part of that effort.