The winter season brings a wonderland of snow to Utah, but it also brings one of the biggest events of the year: Sundance Film Festival. This annual happening attracts visitors from all over the world, romancing them with the opportunity to explore the area, experience our breathtaking outdoor scene, ski, mix, mingle, make memories and, of course, view a host of avant-garde films from some of the most influential people in the industry. Writers, actors, directors and the like fill Park City with star power and massive talent shifting the conversation from Utah’s scenery to the screen.
The festival kicks off on January 18, 2018 and goes until January 28, 2018 and we’ll be celebrating 110 films from 29 countries at our Park City lounge, 875 Main. On the evening of January 19th, from 7 to 9 p.m., we’ll host an intimate fête with complimentary beverages, live music and charcuterie. Each night from January 20 through the 27th, we’ll host Sundance After Six at 875 Main. Needless to say, this is a special time for Victory Ranch residents.
Deciding which films to watch can be quite the task. You can check out the Sundance featured films to view them all or follow our guide on the 20 films you’re not going to want to miss at Sundance 2018.
Butterflies
Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik, Producers: Tolga Karaçelik, Diloy Gülün, Metin Anter)
In the Turkish village of Hasanlar, three siblings—all of whom don’t know each other nor anything about their late father—wait to bury his body. As they start to find out more about their father and about each other, they also start to know more about themselves.
Ophelia
United Kingdom (Director: Claire McCarthy, Screenwriter: Semi Chellas, Producers: Daniel Bobker, Sarah Curtis, Ehren Kruger, Paul Hanson)
A mythic spin on Hamlet through a lens of female empowerment: Ophelia comes of age as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Gertrude, and her singular spirit captures Hamlet’s affections. As lust and betrayal threaten the kingdom, Ophelia finds herself trapped between true love and controlling her own destiny.
Anote’s Ark
Canada (Director: Matthieu Rytz, Producers: Bob Moore, Mila Aung-Thwin, Daniel Cross, Shari Sant Plummer, Shannon O’Leary Joy)
How does a nation survive being swallowed by the sea? Kiribati, on a low-lying Pacific atoll, will disappear within decades due to rising sea levels, population growth and climate change. This exploration of how to migrate an entire nation with dignity interweaves personal stories of survival and resilience.
King In The Wilderness
U.S.A. (Director: Peter Kunhardt, Producers: George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt)
From the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. remained a man with an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence in the face of an increasingly unstable country. A portrait of the last years of his life.
Inventing Tomorrow
U.S.A. (Director: Laura Nix, Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix)
Take a journey with young minds from around the globe as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Watch these passionate innovators find the courage to face the planet’s environmental threats while navigating adolescence.
Un Traductor
Canada, Cuba (Directors: Rodrigo Barriuso, Sebastián Barriuso, Screenwriter: Lindsay Gossling, Producers: Sebastián Barriuso, Lindsay Gossling)
A Russian Literature professor at the University of Havana is ordered to work as a translator for child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when they are sent to Cuba for medical treatment. Based on a true story.
Generation Wealth
U.S.A. (Director: Lauren Greenfield, Producers: Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers)
Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. A simultaneous personal journey and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism and greed.
This Is Home
U.S.A., Jordan (Director: Alexandra Shiva, Producers: Lindsey Megrue, Alexandra Shiva)
This is an intimate portrait of four Syrian families arriving in Baltimore and Maryland and the struggle to find their footing. With eight months to become self-sufficient, they must forge ahead to rebuild their lives. When the travel ban adds further complications, their strength and resilience are put to the test.
I Think We’re Alone Now
U.S.A. (Director: Reed Morano, Screenwriter: Mike Makowsky, Producers: Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fernando Loureiro, Roberto Vasconcellos, Peter Dinklage, Mike Makowsky)
The apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse—until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship.
Colette
United Kingdom (Director: Wash Westmoreland, Screenwriters: Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Producers: Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley)
A young country woman marries a famous literary entrepreneur in turn-of-the-century Paris. At her husband’s request, Colette pens a series of bestselling novels published under his name. But, as her confidence grows, she transforms not only herself and her marriage, but the world around her.
The Cleaners
Germany, Brazil (Directors: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Screenwriters: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Producers: Christian Beetz, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Fernando Dias, Mauricio Dias)
When you post something on the web, can you be sure it stays there? Enter a hidden shadow industry of digital cleaning, where the Internet rids itself of what it doesn’t like: violence, pornography and political content. Who is controlling what we see…and what we think?
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
U.S.A. (Director: Marina Zenovich, Producers: Alex Gibney, Shirel Kozak)
This intimate portrait examines one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians. Told largely through Robin’s own voice and using a wealth of never-before-seen footage, the film takes us through his extraordinary life and career and reveals the spark of madness that drove him.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
U.S.A. (Director: Desiree Akhavan, Screenwriters: Desiree Akhavan, Cecilia Frugiuele, Producers: Cecilia Frugiuele, Jonathan Montepare, Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub)
In 1933, after being caught having sex with the prom queen, a girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center. Based on Emily Danforth’s acclaimed and controversial coming-of-age novel.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville, Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma)
Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred’s ideal of good neighbors?
Burden
U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Heckler, Producers: Robbie Brenner, Jincheng, Bill Kenwright)
After opening a KKK shop, Klansman Michael Burden falls in love with a single mom who forces him to confront his senseless hatred. After leaving the Klan and with nowhere to turn, Burden is taken in by an African-American reverend and learns tolerance through their combined love and faith.
Search
U.S.A. (Director: Aneesh Chaganty, Screenwriters: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian, Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Adam Sidman, Natalie Qasabian)
After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her. A thriller that unfolds entirely on computer screens.
What They Had
U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Elizabeth Chomko, Producers: Keith Kjarval, Bill Holderman, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Alex Saks, Andrew Duncan)
Bridget returns home to Chicago at her brother’s urging to deal with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and her father’s reluctance to let go of their life together.
Jane Fonda in Five Acts
U.S.A. (Director: Susan Lacy, Producers: Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin, Emma Pildes)
Girl next door, activist, so-called traitor, fitness tycoon, Oscar winner: Jane Fonda has lived a life of controversy, tragedy and transformation—all while being exposed to the public eye. An intimate look at one woman’s singular journey.
Sorry to Bother You
U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Boots Riley, Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams)
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success which propels him into a macabre universe.
Half The Picture
U.S.A. (Director: Amy Adrion, Producers: Amy Adrion, David Harris)
At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors tell the stories of their art, lives and careers. Having endured a long history of systemic discrimination, women filmmakers may be getting the first glimpse of a future that values their voices equally.
Sundance 2018 is shaping up to be another fun and thought-provoking event with a host of activities centered around the festival itself. At Victory Ranch, we’re looking forward to being apart of the happenings and contributing to one of the most celebrated events in the nation. To buy tickets to the festival, click here.
*Photos Courtesy of The Tracking Board, Screen Daily, Eye Steel Film, The New York Times, Generation Wealth, IMBd & Deadline Hollywood
