Each year, the Sundance Film Festival showcases the groundbreaking work of original storytellers. After an entirely digital festival in 2022, this year, Sundance returns to in-person events while continuing to offer online options (per Variety). The Sundance 2023 Film Festival will take place from January 19-29 on the mountain in beautiful Park City, Utah. Whether joining in on the fun in-person or from home, Sundance 2023 is set to be another year to remember.
NEXT, Spotlight, and Midnight are three of the many programs that will be present at Sundance 2023. Films in the NEXT section stand out with their innovative storytelling, letting their creativity run wild without the need for a massive studio budget. Meanwhile, the Spotlight program features films from all over the world that brings people together through their shared love of cinema. Last but not least, we have Midnight, home of thrillers, horror flicks, and comedies — like My Animal — that transcend the confines of any single genre. Without further ado, here are the movies featured in the Sundance 2023 NEXT, Spotlight, and Midnight programs.
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Bravo, Burkina!
Sundance Institute
Bravo, Burkina! is the debut feature of writer-director and designer, Walé Oyéjidé. The film tells the story of a Burkinabè boy who loses much of what he holds dear while migrating to Italy. Determined to reclaim what he lost, the boy finds a way to do so by traveling back in time. Bravo, Burkina! will explore what it means to exist in two worlds and is being described as a “multidimensional exploration of love and migration.”
Divinity
In Divinity, a scientist becomes obsessed with learning the secret of immortality, working on the film’s titular serum. With the help of a seductive woman, two mysterious brothers decide to abduct the scientist. The film blends retro sci-fi horror with elements of action and comedy, featuring black-and-white cinematography.
Fremont
Butimar Productions / Extra A Productions
After working as an Afghan translator for the U.S. government, 20-something Donya finds herself living a lonely existence in Fremont. Donya takes a job at a fortune cookie factory, later receiving a promotion that allows her to write the fortunes. During this time, something awakens inside Donya, and she uses the opportunity she’s been given to send a special message out to the world.
Kim’s Video
The title of Kim’s Video refers to an old video retail store that received recognition for its rare selections. Before closing down, the owner of the store gave away a collection of 55,000 movies under the condition that Kim’s Video members would continue to have access. A small group of filmmakers challenges themselves to find the collection, with their journey taking them all the way to Sicily.
King Coal
A mix of documentary and fable, King Coal is all about Appalachia, a region known for its history of coal mining. The daughter of a coal miner learns about how entrenched coal is in the culture and identity of the people of Appalachia. But with the world reevaluating its relationship with coal, Appalachia finds itself in a difficult situation regarding its future. King Coal is a beautiful love letter by director Elaine McMillion Sheldon to the place that she called home.
KOKOMO CITY
Two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter-producer D.Smith directs her first feature film with KOKOMO CITY. The film centers on four Black transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia, providing an in-depth look at Black culture, the meanings of gender, as well as individual and collective identity. KOKOMO CITY deals with social issues that have rarely been discussed, offering new perspectives on topics other films have shied away from.
The Tuba Thieves
Deaf director Alison O’Daniel directs her first feature with The Tuba Thieves. In the early-2010s, Los Angeles high schools became the location of a series of robberies, with a large number of tubas being stolen. The Tuba Thieves does not focus on the thieves or missing tubas, but rather presents a cinematic language that connects to the experience of deafness. The film combines the style of a documentary with fictionalized performances.
To Live and Die and Live
Qasim Basir makes his return to Sundance with To Live and Die and Live after being featured at the 2018 festival for A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. In Basir’s new film, Hollywood film director Muhammad returns to Detroit to attend the funeral of his deceased stepfather. Muhammad is given new responsibilities as a provider and a protector, but at the same time, secretly struggles with depression and addiction. As he battles his own demons, he tries to become what his family and friends need him to be.
Young. Wild. Free.
Overwhelmed by the demands of his day-to-day life, a high-school senior looks for an escape. He instantly falls for a bad girl who seemingly is the epitome of freedom, but also danger. Young. Wild. Free. showcases the two teens dreaming, having fun, and making mistakes, all set against the backdrop of L.A.
Joyland
Film Constellation / Sundance Institute
Joyland had its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. In the film, Haider’s wife gives birth to a daughter, disappointing his family as they continue to wish for a son. Haider, however, becomes a dancer at an erotic theater where he falls for a transgender star.
L’Immensità
Warner Bros. Pictures
Premiering at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, L’Immensità now arrives at Sundance. Penélope Cruz plays Clara, a mother who moves to 1970s Rome with her three children and unfaithful husband. As Clara witnesses Rome changing before her very eyes, she focuses on understanding and building a stronger relationship with her children.
Other People’s Children
Ad Vitam, Sundance Institute
Rachel is a high school teacher who genuinely enjoys her life. But as a woman in her 40s without any children, she grapples with the social pressures of needing to have become a mother by that age. She finds herself attaching to the daughter of the man she loves, but contemplating what it means to really be a mother. Other People’s Children had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2022.
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)
Hipgnosis is a now-defunct English design group responsible for some of the greatest cover art in rock music. Their list of artwork contributions includes Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon as well as Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. Anton Corbin’s Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) gives audiences an in-depth look at Hipgnosis’ creative genius.
The Eight Mountains
Pietro and Bruno meet in an Italian mountain village, developing a strong friendship over several summers. The two eventually go their own paths, but are reunited when Pietro returns to the mountain following the death of his father. The Eight Mountains is the winner of the Jury Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
birth/rebirth
Rose works in a morgue and is fascinated by reanimation. Celie works as a maternity nurse and spends her time caring for her daughter. birth/rebirth sets Rose and Celie on a collision course as the two women are responsible for reanimating a girl from the dead.
In My Mother’s Skin
In My Mother’s Skin is set in the Philippines during 1945, the final year of World War II. To save her dying mother, a young girl seeks the help of a powerful fairy. However, the fairy is not exactly benevolent, as evidenced by the fairy eating people’s flesh and destroying anyone in its path.
Infinity Pool
In Infinity Pool, James and Em Foster visit an expensive resort where James becomes responsible for a fatal accident. They quickly learn that the resort is not what it seems, uncovering a dark past of violence, surreal horrors, and hedonistic tourism. Infinity Pool features Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth in the lead roles.
My Animal
Band With PicturesGood Movies
Heather serves as the protagonist of My Animal, a goalie and teenage social outcast who lives with her alcoholic mother. Her life changes after meeting a figure skater named Jonny, with whom Heather develops a romantic relationship. But Heather harbors a dark secret, one that may explain why she never leaves the house every full moon…
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls
XYZ FIlms
Struggling occultist Onyx accepts an invitation from his idol Bartok the Great to a dark ritual. The ritual is supposed to awaken an ancient demon but Onyx fears that Bartok is not to be trusted. Onyx, along with a new group of friends, finds themselves in a new fight for survival. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls is being called a “joyful celebration of weirdos of all kinds.”
Polite Society
Polite Society features Ria Khan, an aspiring martial artist and the younger sister of Lena Khan. When Lena drops out of art school to marry someone after a month of dating, Ria takes it upon herself to prevent her sister from becoming a trophy wife. Her plan? Executing a heist by kidnapping her older sister from the wedding.
Run Rabbit Run
Sarah, a fertility doctor, celebrates her daughter Mia’s seventh birthday. Coinciding with the appearance of a rabbit at their door, Mia suddenly begins to exhibit very strange behavior, including learning things that she couldn’t possibly know. In Run Rabbit Run, Sarah is forced to confront a mysterious ghost from her past.
Talk to Me
A group of friends learns how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. They use the supernatural ability for their own entertainment, but inadvertently cause the collapse of a barrier separating the physical world from the spirit world. Talk to Me is a violent, gory horror-thriller that follows Mia as she attempts to set things right.
