Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Sundance >> 2021 >> US Documentary Competition
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Ailey and Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Ailey
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Jamila Wignot)
Alvin Ailey was a visionary artist who found salvation through dance. Told in his own words and through the creation of a dance inspired by his life, this immersive portrait follows a man who, when confronted by a world that refused to embrace him, determined to build one that would.
World premiere
All Light, Everywhere
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Theo Anthony; Stars: Keaver Brenai, Keaver Brenai)
An exploration of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice. As surveillance technologies become a fixture in everyday life, the film interrogates the complexity of an objective point of view, probing the biases inherent in both human perception and the lens.
World premiere
At The Ready
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Maisie Crow)
World premiere
Home to one of the region's largest law enforcement education program, students at Horizon High School in El Paso train to become police officers and Border Patrol agents as they discover the realities of their dream jobs may be at odds with the truths and people they hold most dear.
Cusp
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill)
World premiere
In a Texas military town, three teenage girls confront the dark corners of adolescence at the end of a fever dream summer.
Homeroom
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Peter Nicks)
World premiere
Following the class of 2020 at Oakland High School in a year marked by seismic change, exploring the emotional world of teenagers coming of age against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.
Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It and All Light, Everywhere
Rebel Hearts
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Pedro Kos)
World premiere
A group of pioneering nuns bravely stand up to the Catholic Church patriarchy, fighting for their livelihoods, convictions and equality against an all-powerful Cardinal. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women's March in 2018, these women have reshaped our society with their bold acts of defiance.
Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Mariem Perez; Stars: Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, Karen Olivo, Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado)
Profile of the West Side Story star.
World premiere
Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Questlove; Stars: Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Moms Mabley, Mavis Staples, Abbey Lincoln, Mahalia Jackson, Jesse Jackson, David Ruffin, Sly and Stone the Family, Cal Tjader, Max Roach, Brothers The Chambers, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Hugh Masekela)
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost – until now.
World premiere. Day One Film
Try Harder!
(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Debbie Lum; Writer: Spencer Nakasako)
World premiere
In a universe where cool kids are nerds, the orchestra is world class and being Asian American is the norm, seniors at Lowell High School compete for the top prize: admission to the college of their dreams.
Users
(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2021; Director: Natalia Almada)
World premiere
A mother wonders, will my children love their perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She switches on a smart-crib lulling her crying baby to sleep. This perfect mother is everywhere. She watches over us, takes care of us. We listen to her. We trust her.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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