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Festival coverage

Sundance Film Festival

28 January – 3 February 2021

CODA was a prize winner
CODA was a prize winner

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 edition of Sundance largely ran as an online event, taking place over seven days from January 28 to February 3. You can read more about the winners here.

Other years (21)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Superior
    Review preview for Superior

    We’re all so used to seeing onscreen twins played by the same actor that there’s something disconcerting about seeing them played by two, especially in a film so concerned with the blurring of identities.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    On the run, Marian returns to her hometown in upstate New York to hide out with her estranged identical twin sister, Vivian. Struggling to put the past behind her, Marian lies about the reason for her return, leaving her sister in the dark until their two worlds begin to collide.
  • We're All Going to The World's Fair
    Review preview for We're All Going to The World's Fair

    This film is long overdue.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A teenage girl becomes immersed in an online role-playing game.
  • Eight For Silver
    Review preview for Eight For Silver

    A compelling story, effectively told.

    James Gracey · 4 out of 5
    In the late 1800s, a man arrives in a remote country village to investigate an attack by a wild animal but discovers a much deeper, sinister force that has both the manor and the townspeople in its grip.
  • Strawberry Mansion
    Review preview for Strawberry Mansion

    Simple tricks like painting sets pink and amassing large piles of low cost everyday objects enable the filmmakers to create a distinctive fantasy landscape on a very low budget.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    In a world where the government records and taxes dreams, an unassuming dream auditor gets swept up in a cosmic journey through the life and dreams of an ageing eccentric named Bella. Together, they must find a way back home.
  • Jockey
    Review preview for Jockey

    Makes you realise that its not just the horses that have been ridden hard for years but their jockeys, too.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    An ageing jockey is determined to win one last championship, but his dream is complicated when a young rookie shows up claiming to be his son.
  • First Date
    Review preview for First Date

    One of the most tightly written films of the year, this is also one of the funniest.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date with the girl-next door, Kelsey, implodes as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady. A night fuelled by desire, bullets and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park.
  • The Most Beautiful Boy In The World
    Review preview for The Most Beautiful Boy In The World

    Plays out as a not entirely satisfying mix of film history and a particularly melancholic episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

    Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
    Swedish actor/musician Björn Andresen's life was forever changed at the age of 15, when he played Tadzio, the object of Dirk Bogarde's obsession in Death in Venice – a role which led Italian maestro Luchino Visconti to dub him "the world's most beautiful boy".
  • President
    Review preview for President

    Watching Chamisa himself walk through crowds will set your nerves on edge as Neilsson’s camera reveals just how vulnerable he is.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The leader of the opposition MDC party, Nelson Chamisa, challenges the old guard ZANU-PF led by Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as "The Crocodile." The election tests both the ruling party and the opposition – how do they interpret principles of democracy in discourse and in practice?
  • Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street
    Review preview for Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street

    There’s a lot of great archive footage here from pivotal moments in the programme’s history.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    How did a group of rebels create the world’s most famous street? In 1969 New York, this “gang” of mission-driven artists, writers and educators catalysed a moment of civil awakening, transforming it into Sesame Street, one of the most influential and impactful television shows in history.
  • Passing
    Review preview for Passing

    The role is a gift for Negga, who has always evinced considerable talent but has not previously had the chance to demonstrate her abilities to this extent.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    Two African-American women who can "pass" as white choose to live on opposite sides of the colour line in 1929 New York in an exploration of racial and gender identity, performance, obsession and repression.

A–Z of Sundance Film Festival 2021 reviews

Features

  • Hiding in the cosmos
    Jane Schoenbrun on American melancholy and We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
  • Through the screen
    Jane Schoenbrun on intentional ambiguities and We’re All Going To The World’s Fair
  • A believable superhero
    Blerta Basholli and Yllka Gashi on creating a community in Kosovo’s Oscar submission Hive
  • Walking the line
    James Ashcroft on character ambiguities and Coming Home In The Dark
  • Capturing trailblazers
    Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas on fighting prejudice and the importance of journalism in Writing With Fire
  • Keeping it real
    Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dustin Mancinelli talk about bringing home the horror in their debut feature Violation
  • Catching complexity
    Jessica Beshir on the 10-year personal journey to make Faya Dayi
  • Fishing for truth
    Luzzu director Alex Camilleri on the casting and shooting of his debut
  • Transforming the werewolf
    Sean Ellis on reimagining the classic beast for his period horror

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