We are always so excited about Sundance Film Festival, and especially now when we have four films presented in three different categories in 2022!
We have already talked a bit about our story at Sundance, so let’s go straight to these exceptional movies in the lineups for U.S. Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“SIRENS” by Rita Baghdadi in the World Cinema Documentary Competition
“Sirens” is Rita Baghdadi’s third documentary feature. As director, producer, and cinematographer, Rita’s singular vision is gentle yet emotionally powerful. Her film and its incredible subjects inspire all who seek light through the darkness.
“MASTER” by Mariama Diallo in the U.S. Dramatic Competition
Writer-director Mariama Diallo’s first feature is an ingenious blend of horror, drama, psychological thriller, and social critique. Master demonstrates the expressive power of genre storytelling through a deeply unnerving aesthetic, delivering a visceral and emotional reflection on racism and white supremacy. What begins as a search for belonging becomes a chilling struggle for survival. Diallo shrewdly reframes a basic horror trope; escaping an evil force, asking what escape is possible for communities of color to confront a racial terror everywhere.
Cooper Raiff follows up his 2020 SXSW Grand Jury Prize-winning debut feature, Shithouse, with a tale of young love that brims with emotional honesty. He writes, directs, produces, and stars in this charmer that respects all its characters’ struggles; even in moments when its protagonist can’t see beyond himself. Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast including Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, and newcomers Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante, Cha Cha Real Smooth is made for the hopeless romantic living inside us all.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a collaboration between POSTRED and Supervising Sound Editor Chris Chae.
“KLONDIKE” by Maryna Er Gorbach in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Writer-director Maryna Er Gorbach creates a meaningful, empathetic ode to resilience as KLONDIKE viscerally delineates the couple’s dawning uncertainty of life in a warzone. The camera pans the damage to their home and village in poignant recognition. The fabric of their lives has been permanently altered.
Klondike is a collaboration between POSTRED and Supervising Sound Editor Srdjan Kurpjel. Apart from sound editing and foley by our sound team, Zviad Mgebry created the music for the film.
We want to wish the best of success to all four films!
