It’s that time year! The 2024 Sundance Film Festival is days away and before you get those snow boots ready and head out to Park City, we’re here to give you a short list of films that should be on your radar before you head to the festival. So be sure to check these out because they come highly recommended! From Richard Roundtree’s last film to incredibly captivating documentaries about labor unions, prison recidivism, and artificial intelligence, don’t let these flicks pass you by at Sundance!
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Suncoast
For fans of The Last of Us, Nico Parker’s performance gutted us during that pilot episode of Season 1. You can expect the same from her role as Doris, in this gut-wrenching coming-of-age story about a girl making peace with her brother being in hospice care as well as trying to fit in with a group of peers at her school. While balancing the weight of her brother’s mortality and trying to make friends and be “normal,” she’s dealing with her mother (Laura Linney), who challenges her at every turn. It seems that nothing that Doris does is ever good enough, but at the same time, Doris’ mother has her own battles and inner demons she’s fighting as her son is in a comatose state.
The story also is set during the same time as the Terri Schivao case, which was quite controversial at the time, and these characters are staying at Suncoast, the same hospice center as Schiavo. Woody Harrelson also stars as a man who forms and fosters a connection with Doris, and the two build an unlikely friendship. Directed and written by Laura Chinn, Suncoast is semi-autobiographical from Chinn’s own experiences in the early 2000s.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
NEXT
Tendaberry
In the Next category is the film Tendaberry. Twenty-three-year old Dakota (Kota Johan) is in love with her boyfriend Yuri (Yuri Plskun). The two spend a significant amount of time together and are barely apart. However, when he has to take care of his sick father who lives in Ukraine, Dakota’s life is turned upside down as she finds herself forging a new path on her own in solitude. She stumbles into new platonic relationships, some good and some bad, but through this process she learns a bit more about herself along the way.
Directed by Elizabeth Anderson, in her first feature film, Tendaberry stylistically is shot in a series of moving images as if you’re viewing Dakota’s life in real time. It feels organic, authentic and unapologetic. The story also speaks to issues of gentrification and immigration, which are still pressing social issues that affect communities and the greater New York City area where this story takes place. If you’re into hard-hitting stories with a show that isn’t t afraid to show the flaws of its protagonist, add this one to your list.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Have you heard of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing? Pre-dating digital AI fembots like Alexa and Siri, there was educational software branded with the face of a Haitian cover model named Mavis Beacon. It was quite revolutionary at the time because no computer software had an Black person representing its brand and certainly not a Black woman. In the documentary Seeking Mavis Beacon, filmmaker Jazmin Renee Jones along with colleague Olivia McKayla Ross go on a mission to search for the real Mavis Beacon — a woman named Renee L’Esperance.
Through this journey, Jazmin learns how marketing was used to manipulate consumers, and she also learns quite a bit about herself throughout as Mavis made a huge impact on her life. For those who remember the typing software of late 1980s, this documentary will definitely resonate with you and provide gems of information that will pleasantly surprise you. There’s also a few appearances from another Black revolutionary in the world of tech in this documentary, which is Bina48 from our next Sundance selection Love Machina.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Love Machina
What if you could capture the essence of a human’s personality? In the documentary Love Machina, filmmaker Peter Sillen navigates the lives of Martine and Bina Rothblatt, a loving and adoring married couple who want their romance to be sealed forever in the form of humanoid AI named Bina48. The development of artificial intelligence has not only changed the way we use technology, but also is now the cultural zeitgeist of our era. This documentary also highlights Bina’s perceptions and ideas of what it is to be Black, while other Black futurists challenge white developers on Bina’s programming and thoughts on her own idea of Blackness.
It’s an incredibly riveting true story of an interracial queer couple cultivating and crafting together some of the most advanced tech you will ever see. The doc also pays homage to the late great Octavia E. Butler, who we love here at Black Girl Nerds. If you’re a tech geek and have a soft spot for love stories, this is a documentary that’s worth checking out.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
Union
By the year 2025, 1 in 100 people will be employed in the largest online retailer in the world — Amazon. The documentary Union, directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story, examines the labor group known as the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), a collective of workers who have joined together for bargaining rights for better pay, working conditions, and benefits from Amazon, Inc. This underdog story featuring union labor leader Chris Smalls is based out of his community of New York’s Staten Island and the JFK8 district of Amazon’s warehouse. He along with a crew of ambitious employees managed to galvanize into an historic effort to start a movement that got the attention of U.S. Congress.
Union demonstrates the power of community organizing and the faith behind an idea and what it takes to move that forward, but it doesn’t come without its set of challenges. If you’re into David vs. Goliath-style stories and documentaries that are incredibly informative about the state of our current economic climate, be sure to add Union to your watch list.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
As We Speak
The documentary film As We Speak directed by J.M. Harper presents a unique narrative structure in the form of simulated re-enactments, animated scenes, and informative social commentary that digs deeper into the details of hip-hop culture and music in ways you’ve never seen before. The weaponization and criminalization of rap music and Black artists is as old as time, but this doc explores how lyrics are used as character evidence in trials against Black defendants. This “evidence” is not only indicative of the flaws of the criminal justice system but oftentimes forces defendants into plea deals even when innocent of the crimes held against them.
The film is centered around artist Kemba, who travels to find out more about racial bias in music and speaks to various drill artists, legal experts, and scholars to understand why these biases exist. This is definitely a documentary that will foster discussions long after its run. If topics that deal with racial justice and inequity in music and culture pique your interest, add this to your checklist of films to see.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
Daughters
You’re going to need a box of tissues for this one. Seriously, grab the entire box. In the documentary Daughters, a Washington D.C. jail sheds light on the Date With Dad program. Now running for the last 12 years, its a special event where daughters are given the opportunity to dance with their incarcerated fathers in jail. Each inmate is required to complete ten weeks of training to qualify for entry to participate. This includes therapy sessions with Chad, a fatherhood life coach. Filmmakers Angela Patton and Natalie Rae take us on an 8-year journey as each of these young girls prep to meet their fathers. Some are ambivalent about the opportunity, and some are waiting with bated breath.
Each girl has a unique experience as they encounter a dance with their father, but they all have a collective reaction that is universal. When it’s time to part ways as the day ends, each daughter knows it’s the last time they will see their father for quite some time. This is one of the most emotionally charged documentaries you’ll witness. Its thought-provoking coverage around the human condition and how this groundbreaking program has changed recidivism rates demonstrates how valuable the relationship between a father and his daughter truly is.
The film is available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
EPISODIC
Conbody VS Everybody
The film festival offers more than films. You can also catch episodic programs at the festival as well. Under the episodic category, one riveting series worth having on your radar is Conbody VS Everybody. Directed by Oscar-nominated director Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), the series explores the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals on the path to recovery while fighting to break the cycle of recidivism as they rebuild their lives back.
The docuseries, recorded over an 8-year time period, follows Coss Marte, the owner and founder of Conbody, a gym he developed that emboldens and inspires former prisoners to get fit. He came up with the concept during his own personal health journey while he was in prison and decided to train and employ other prisoners to be a part of his business. Syretta Wright (pictured above) served in prison for 22 years and is now fighting to break free from her parole. She’s also a fitness trainer and readjusting back to society.
The series highlights other former prisoners and some of the challenges they face as privileges they no longer have are new struggles they are dealing with. As they acclimate to gentrified New York, the economics of living and renting businesses out in the big city determine the fate of their future. If you love stories with a redemptive arc, this is a docuseries you don’t want to miss.
Limited episodes are available to screen in-person and online. Click here for more information.
PREMIERES
Thelma
Inspired by true events based on a personal experience of director Josh Margolin’s grandmother is the film Thelma. After Thelma Post (June Squibb) is scammed by a telemarketer for thousands of dollars, she decides to take matters into her own hands by getting her money back. June Squibb stars in her first leading role after her 70+ year career as a veteran actor in this action-comedy.
In his last film, Thelma also stars the late Richard Roundtree in one of the most emotional and heartwarming performances you will see of his on screen, especially knowing he just passed in October of last year. His friendship with Thelma blossoms as he becomes a significant part of her journey to regain what belongs to her. Thelma’s grandson (Fred Hechinger) is a ne’er-do-well kid who just wants to do right by his grandmother and provide what’s best for her. Meanwhile his parents, played by Clark Gregg and Parker Posey, offer some of the best comic relief in this film as these two argue and try to make sense of a complicated situation once Thelma disappears to find her stolen money.
Sometimes the best stories are the stories inspired by real people. Although Josh’s real grandmother didn’t go down the wild path Thelma does in this fictional account of her story, the core themes of this narrative about family, loyalty, friendship, and determination parallel and share that same universe.
The film is available to screen online and in-person. Click here for more information.
Power
You may be familiar with the phrase “defund the police” but what happens when you overfund the police? This documentary Power, under the Premiere category, presents us with the consequences and actions of the militarization of law enforcement throughout the decades. The doc shows archival clips of civil rights leaders such as Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton discussing issues of policing and its crimes against African-Americans to clips of our current administration supporting more funding to police. While this body of government is here to serve and protect, where is the oversight when they go too far?
Director Yance Ford directs, most notably known for his work in the compelling documentary Strong Island. The title suggests that police have power that leaves citizens in the very cities they reside powerless, which raises the question of who is serving who and are we truly being protected?
The film is only available in-person. Click here for more information.
FAMILY MATINEE
10 Lives
For fans of animated films and interest in a story about loyalty and friendship, 10 Lives is a film you should check out during your time at the festival. You don’t have to be a cat lover to appreciate this universal story about a science student named Rose (Simone Ashley), who develops an affection for her recently adopted kitten Beckett (Mo Gilligan), who takes her on an emotional adventure.
Directed and written by Christopher Jenkins, 10 Lives examines and unveils the unconditional love we have with our fur babies and how that the love they have for us is mutual. The animation adds a cute whimsical style to this narrative that will melt your heart. It’s a film that is for all ages and the whole family can sit together (along with their pets) and enjoy 10 Lives while bonding together.
The film also features actor Sophie Okonedo who voices the character of Grace, a conduit for Beckett between the real world and the eternal as he navigates his ten lives.
The film is only available in-person. Click here for more information.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
It’s the ’60s and the world is rife with civil rights issues all around the world. About the one thing that is truly universal in this world is music. Jazz musician Louis Armstrong is sent to the Congo as a U.S. ambassador to deflect attention from Africa’s first post-colonial coup — hence a Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat. This stunning documentary is directed by Johan Grimonprez.
This story infuses rich sounds of Black American jazz, eyewitness accounts, and official government texts from mercenaries and operatives of the CIA. The story shares how institutions used jazz musicians as cover for covert operations to assassinate prestigious political leaders. If you’re into historical spy documentaries, don’t let this one get away from you.
The film is available to screen online and in-person. Click here for more information.
Igualada
Francia Marquez is one of the fiercest heroines you will ever witness. The Black Colombian activist will have you on the edge of your seat in this documentary as her bold words and rhetoric will make you fear for her safety. In a country where equality and freedom is almost an anomaly, the film takes you through Francia’s monumental presidential campaign run and her grassroots effort to embolden and inspire a community. The film is directed by Juan Mejía Botero. If you’re into docs about strong social justice causes, then this is the one for you.
The film is available to screen online and in-person. Click here for more information.
The Festival is taking place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25–28, 2024.
