A still from ‘Didi’ (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Oscar nominee Sean Wang (Best Documentary Short Film, Nai Nai & Wài Pó) originally wrote Didi as a love letter to his friends, pulling memories from his childhood as inspiration for his feature film directorial debut. But along the way, Wang discovered Didi isn’t just a love letter for his friends, it’s also for his family, his hometown, and for anyone who feels they don’t belong.
Izaac Wang leads the cast as Chris Wang, also known as Wang-Wang to his friends and Didi to his mom Chungsing (Joan Chen), grandmother Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua, Sean Wang’s grandmother), and sister Vivian (Shirley Chen). Chris is 13 and preparing to enter the alien world of high school. Is he ready? No. Is anyone?
Sean Wang’s coming-of-age dramedy is set in 2008, which means Chris’s transformative summer comes at a time when Myspace is still a thing. Facebook and DM’ing are busy attempting to push Myspace to the curb, and YouTube has become the go-to place to post videos. As a budding filmmaker, it’s the latter outlet that is Chris’s preferred online destination.
When he’s not online, Chris instigates fights with his sister, who’s about to leave for college at UC San Diego. He also spends time hanging with his much more popular best friends Soup (Aaron Chang) and Fahad (Raul Dial), blowing up mailboxes, creating a little havoc, and trying to act cool around girls. But, basically, he feels like he’s just hanging onto the world by his fingernails.
Life sucks when you’re 13 and your friends are maturing and just days away from moving on without you. A partnership with older skaters briefly allows him a glimpse of the world from a higher rung on the social status ladder. Unfortunately, he overestimates what he can bring to the group and winds up in a worse place than when he met them.
He overestimates his ability to interact one-on-one with a cute classmate as well. Chris makes a horrible mistake during a first date, and it’s enough to send him on a downward spiral. He has no idea how to handle a girl who’s interested in him and overreacts in the worst possible way.
For Chris, being Taiwanese-American also affects his place in the world, even though Fremont, CA is racially diverse. All of this is just too much and he takes out his frustration and anger on his incredibly patient and loving mom, who’s taking care of the family – including the grandmother – all on her own. Chungsing is a talented artist, but Chris ignores her attempts to engage him in conversations about her paintings. Yet when Chris is at his lowest, when he truly feels alone in the world, it’s his mother who proves to be his anchor and helps him understand this phase of his life will pass and that he’s stronger than he gives himself credit for.
‘Didi’ filmmaker Sean Wang (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Filmmaker Sean Wang has an incredible ear for dialogue. Didi’s script allows us to recognize aspects of Chris’s experiences in ourselves, and every line Wang’s written strikes its intended target. By focusing on a story that is deeply personal to him, Wang has transformed this expression of the difficulties and fear of being an outsider into something that is universally relatable.
The best coming-of-age stories are ones filled with flawed characters simply attempting not to succumb to the pressures – real or imagined – of peers and the world at large. With its talented ensemble, led by Izaac Wang, Didi stands out as one of the finest recent examples of the genre.
GRADE: A-
Running Time: 94 minutes
Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Chang Li Hua, Shirley chen, Raul Dial, Aaron Chang, Mahaela Park, Chiron Denk, Sunil Maurillo, Montay Boseman
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Didi screened as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble.
Nivi Pederson and Kali Reis in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ episode 3 (Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO)
We’re halfway through the critically acclaimed True Detective: Night Country six-episode season, and even the arrival of episode three hasn’t made the killer’s identity any clearer. Episode three opens with a trip seven years in the past and a visit with the murder victim at the heart of the investigation.
Ennis Police Officer Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) shows up to arrest Annie Kowtok for trespassing and destruction of the mines and is met with screaming from inside the building. The building turns out to be a birthing center, and Navarro discovers that Annie is currently busy performing midwife duties. Instead of immediately arresting Annie, Navarro finds herself helping with the delivery. The new mom-to-be realizes the baby isn’t crying and becomes hysterical. Annie works to revive the baby, and suddenly, the baby cries out.
Annie holds out her hands to be cuffed and says, “Now we can go.”
In the present time, the police gear up to hunt for Raymond Clark. (It was revealed at the end of episode two that his body was not among the bodies of the researchers found frozen.) Officer Hank Prior (John Hawkes) takes it upon himself to get locals to help, a decision Navarro views as a liability. Navarro – now a State Trooper – reminds Hank they want Clark alive, and he questions if they actually do.
Meanwhile, Ennis Police Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) is at the station trying to get hold of Hank for going rogue. Officer Peter Prior (Finn Bennett) informs her the forensics tech is on his way, and surviving researcher Lund is still in a coma but now minus both his legs.
Clark’s belongings from his secret trailer are in the evidence room, and Liz tells Peter to contact Navarro to have her come in and look through the 19 boxes. She also wants Peter to work on cracking Annie K’s phone, but Peter reminds her he’s not a hacker. Liz is sure he’ll figure it out.
Peter wants the truth about the Wheeler case, the last case Liz worked with Navarro. Liz says it was a murder-suicide. William Wheeler was in and out of jail for sexual assault, assault and battery, and many more things. The last time he was out, he took up with an 18-year-old girl and beat her badly. However, the girl refused to report him even though Liz and Navarro could see the evidence and knew the truth.
As Liz tells the story, a flashback shows what happened but it’s not the same story she’s telling. She claims Wheeler killed the girl and then shot himself, but we see Wheeler is still alive when she and Navarro enter his residence. He’s sitting in a chair, whistling.
Liz claims Navarro blames her for the murder-suicide because they should have acted earlier. She and Navarro butted heads over it and Navarro was transferred to the troopers.
Navarro’s still out with Hank and the civilians when she takes an orange she found earlier and throws it out into the middle of nowhere. It rolls back to her feet as a voice whispers, “Help us!” Spooky!
Kali Reis and Jodie Foster in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ episode 3 (Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO)
Later, Liz and Navarro set to work going through the boxes of Clark’s belongings. They can’t help but wonder what they’re missing as they lay everything out. Liz looks at a picture from spring 2016; she believes Annie and Clark were already dating at that time. Liz compares photos of Annie to each other, determining their proximity in time based on the fading blue streak in Annie’s hair.
Navarro notes Annie and Clark look happy together.
Liz wants to play her “ask questions game” to try and work through this. Navarro begrudgingly obliges and asks why they kept their relationship a secret. Liz has a question of her own and wants to know if Navarro is still sleeping with Eddie Qavvik. Navarro fights back, asking if Liz is still sleeping with Chief Ted Connelly. Peter enters the evidence room and Liz shushes Navarro, not wanting Peter to know about Connelly. Navarro assures her that everybody already knows.
Liz wonders if Navarro really thinks no one knew about Clark and Annie K. If so, then who took a candid photo of them together by the water? It’s unusual since most of their photos were either selfies or timed. They look for more candid photos and find one with her hair dye smeared on it.
Liz and Navarro question Susan, Annie’s hairdresser, and Navarro asks why she lied about knowing Ray Clark. Susan reveals she used to go to the Tsalal Research Facility and give them haircuts. Annie asked to go with her, so she let her go once because Annie was obsessed with visiting the facility. Annie and Clark hit it off, and they talked all night.
Ray Clark was fixated on Annie’s tattoo, and Susan explains Annie got it because she dreamt about it in high school. The dreams stopped once she got the tattoo. Susan believes Clark was crazy about Annie and that she was the one who changed when they started dating.
Annie didn’t want anyone to know that they were together. Susan admits she was seeing a guy at the research facility by the name of Oliver Tagaq. Liz has never heard of him, and Susan explains he left right before Annie disappeared. When Liz asks for his location, Susan suggests he’s somewhere out on the ice and doesn’t want to be found.
Susan drops the bombshell news that she did call the police after Annie was found. She didn’t leave her name, and it was Hank who took her call.
Liz radios Peter to get hold of his dad and to start looking for Oliver Tagaq.
Navarro thinks it has to do with Annie leading protests against the mines, and half the town would want Annie gone. Liz disagrees and then mocks Navarro for believing in the voodoo stuff when it comes to the reappearance of Annie’s tongue and the researchers found frozen solid in the ice.
John Hawkes, Jodie Foster, and Kali Reis in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ episode 3 (Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO)
Hank visits the rink and asks his son, Peter, what Liz and Navarro are up to. Their discussion is cut short when an angry Navarro shows up demanding to know why Hank ignored Susan’s call about Annie K and Clark’s relationship. Hank claims Annie K was sleeping with half of Ennis. Liz steps in to calm down Navarro and threatens to file a negligence report on him for Annie’s murder case. He snidely remarks that maybe he should file a report on her for playing Mrs. Robinson with his kid. That earns him a cup of water tossed in his face by Liz.
There’s a blizzard in North Bay, and the forensic tech can’t make it. That’s devastating news as they’re running out of time before they must hand the bodies – and the case – over to Anchorage. Peter suggests using his cousin, who’s a veterinarian, to examine the bodies.
Navarro interrupts Eddie Qavvik (Joel Montgrand) as he’s ice-fishing to ask about Oliver Tagaq. He doesn’t recognize the name, so she asks him to ask around. He’ll do it for a price…he wants her to tell him something about herself in exchange for intel on Oliver.
Navarro storms off but then returns, desperate for his help. Eddie asks about her mom who was a local girl and then moved to Boston. Her dad was an abusive man, so her mom took her and her sister back to Alaska. She admits her mom was not okay. She had episodes, heard voices, and eventually left and never returned. She was murdered and her killer was never found.
Liz’s stepdaughter, Leah (Isabella Star LaBlanc), attends a rally against the mines and the miners. They have a moment of silence for another stillborn baby who just passed away in Ennis.
Liz is at home going through Annie’s file when she hears the faint sounds of “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. Leah arrives home and she and Liz argue about Leah’s recent activities. Liz doesn’t want her involved in the protests and orders her to wipe the Kakiniit tattoo off her face. She accuses Liz of not caring about the native population.
Navarro is walking back to her SUV when she also hears the faint sound of a woman singing “Twist and Shout.” She sees a child running and chases after her, slipping and falling on the ice. She hits her head and is knocked out. While unconscious, she has a vision of a child holding a stuffed polar bear and whispering, “Tell my mommy.”
She comes to and groans. She’s barely on her feet when she receives a call from Kenny Hogan who’s at the bar covering for Qavvik. Her sister, Julia, had an episode. She was screaming that someone was coming, and then she started crying and praying. He says she ran off, and he’s not sure of her whereabouts.
Navarro finds her sister, and she admits she thinks bad thoughts.
Peter arrives home really late from work and tries to assure his wife, Kayla (Anna Lambe), who’s already in bed that this is just one case. Things will go back to normal after it’s over. Kayla is smart and knows Liz will call him and he’ll go running every time.
As if to prove Kayla’s point, their conversation is interrupted by Liz calling him. That’s followed by a text message wanting to know if he found Oliver yet.
Kali Reis and Jodie Foster in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ episode 3 (Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO)
December 23rd – the sixth day of night.
Liz shows up to a gathering for the loss of the most recent baby and feels incredibly uncomfortable. She rushes into the bathroom to gather herself. The water turns black, thanks to the mines, while she’s trying to wash her hands.
Peter’s cousin arrives to assess the bodies. He appears to be in over his head but does think they died before they froze. When people or animals die from the cold, they just go to sleep. It’s a peaceful death. It’s obvious these men were all in shock and scared. They possibly died from cardiac arrest, but they can’t be sure until they are properly examined.
Navarro joins Liz and Peter at the rink and announces that she found Oliver via the unofficial “Mukluk Telegraph.” Peter doesn’t believe it because there’s no record of him. Navarro explains Oliver’s living in a nomad camp on the North Shore.
Oliver’s not happy to have been found and threatens to shoot Liz and Navarro for being on Native land. They inform him his ex-colleagues at Tsalal have all died, and he seems shocked by this information.
Oliver becomes agitated and demands they leave.
A call comes in from the hospital that Anders Lund has been in and out of consciousness. Navarro and Liz head to the hospital to question him. They’re briefed on the state of his appearance, but nothing can prepare them for seeing it for themselves. Most of both legs are missing, gangrene is taking over his hands, and his eyes are a milky blue color.
Liz attempts to ask him what happened on the ice, and he begins wailing incoherently. He finally says, “We woke her, and now she’s out there in the ice.”
Lund adds that she came for them in the dark.
Chaos breaks out as hunters fight inside the hospital. As Liz runs out to handle it, suddenly Lund sits up and says in a very Exorcist-ish voice, “Hello, Evangeline. Your mother says hello. She’s waiting for you.”
Lund then flatlines.
Season four episode three ends with Peter revealing he’s cracked Annie’s phone. They watch a video of Annie saying she found it. She’s breathless and frightened as she tells her camera, “My name is Annie Kowtok. If anything happens to me…” She doesn’t get a chance to finish the sentence as the phone is ripped away. She screams repeatedly, and then the video ends.
Gru, his family, and the minions are back for the first Despicable Me film in seven years. The trailer for Despicable Me 4 shows Gru’s family has expanded to three girls and a baby boy, Gru Jr., who refuses to even smile at his dad. The first look at the new family-friendly animated sequel also reveals that Gru’s about to come face-to-face with a new bad guy – and bad woman – voiced by Will Ferrell and Sofia Vergara.
Steve Carell returns as Gru, Kristen Wiig’s back as Lucy, and Miranda Cosgrove returns as Margo. Dana Gaier voices Edith, Madison Polan is Agnes, Steve Coogan is Silas Ramsbottom, and Pierre Coffin handles the voices of the weird yellow minions once again.
In addition to newcomers Will Ferrell (voicing Maxime Le Mal) and Sofia Vergara (voicing Valentina), newcomers to the world of Despicable Me include Joey King (Bullet Train), Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert), and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live).
“Following the 2022 summer blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru and Lucy and their girls — Margo, Edith, and Agnes — welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad,” reads Illumination’s synopsis. “Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.”
Two-time Oscar nominee Chris Renaud directs, with Patrick Delage co-directing from a screenplay by Mike White and Ken Daurio. (Daurio’s written every Despicable Me film.) Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman serve as producers.
Despicable Me 4 opens in theaters on July 3, 2024.
A still from ‘Every Little Thing’ (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Grab your tissues and prepare to have your heart stolen by delicate yet fierce creatures in Every Little Thing. Directed by Sally Aitken and inspired by Fastest Things on Wings (written by hummingbird rehabilitator Terry Masear), this inspirational and moving documentary focuses on one cycle of hummingbird rescues. The sorrow and joy of watching these tiny birds go from sick and injured to, in the best-case scenario, being set free to thrive in the wild is told with a loving touch and truly astounding cinematography.
Masear has been rescuing hummingbirds in Southern California since 2004. During that period, she’s come to understand these gorgeous little birds in a way not many people can. With the most delicate of touches and a soothing voice, Masear assures the tiny creatures that they are safe and that she’ll do everything in her power to set them up for success in the wild.
Rescuers, or as she calls them, “finders,” reach out daily during peak hummingbird season (April through July), and Terry dispenses no-nonsense advice. She delivers instructions without sugarcoating the potential outcomes, warning the finders of the fragility of these beautiful birds. If she and the finders don’t do everything right, these damaged, injured, and sick birds will die.
The film allows us an up close and personal look at not only the birds but also at what makes Terry Masear tick. Every Little Thing briefly touches on horrific traumas in Masear’s past and on the incredible relationship Terry shared with the love of her life, her husband Frank – a rebel and renaissance man. They were together for 33 years, but now her tiny patients are her family.
However, Terry insists she’s not lonely; she still feels Frank’s presence.
Perhaps it’s her own personal traumas that make Masear the perfect person to rehabilitate the most delicate of creatures. As she notes, everything the little birds go through, people go through. And Masear has an incredible ability to empathize with the injuries suffered by these birds through no fault of their own.
Masear views these birds as her children, and although it’s emotionally hazardous to get attached, she forms bonds with the little hummers. The love she feels for these wounded birds is clear in how she describes their individual personalities and characteristics.
Jimmy, a baby who fell out of his nest, is a real character who shows off for the camera, and Masear refers to him as a maniac who she’s sure will succeed in the wild because he’s a real tyrant. Masear’s decades-long experience working with these birds allows her to quickly assess and cater to the specific needs of other featured rescued birds, including Wasabi, the Sidney Twins, Charlie, Cactus, Sugar Baby, Raisin, and the adorable couple Mikhail & Alexa. The results aren’t always pretty, but even in death Masear makes sure these birds know they were loved.
As Masear points out, when people see a hurt or downed hummingbird, it’s difficult to remain detached. “How can anything spin its wings 50 times per second and not tap into some magical realism?” asks Terry.
Hummingbirds live in the moment, and although they look frail, their instincts tell them to eliminate the competition. She calls them warriors, an unusual yet appropriate description of the tiny birds. But for these hummers to have a chance to become masters of their chosen territories, they need a human warrior who’ll move heaven and earth to give them that opportunity. Masear is that hero for Southern California hummingbirds.
Every Little Thing’s unexpectedly emotional journey leaves audiences hopeful about the continuing success of hummingbirds and about humanity’s goodness. “Our curse as humans is that we need to know the things we do matter,” says Masear. This beautiful, uplifting film shows that, in Masear’s words, the compassion that goes into saving a bird is what matters.
GRADE: A
Running Time: 93 minutes
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Every Little Thing screened as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Callum Vinson as Thomas, Amanda Seyfried as Mickey, and John Doman as Gee in ‘Long Bright River’ (Photo by: David Holloway/PEACOCK)
Emmy winner Amanda Seyfried‘s following up starring roles in The Dropout and The Crowded Room limited series with Peacock’s Long Bright River. Seyfried will also serve as an executive producer on the suspense thriller based on Liz Moore’s New York Times bestselling novel.
Author Moore and Nikki Toscano (The Offer) are writing the limited series and will executive produce, along with Pascal Pictures’ Amy Pascal and Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, and Amanda Lewis. Toscano is guiding the series as showrunner, and Hagar Ben-Asher (Dead Women Walking) is directing and executive producing the first episode.
“Long Bright River tells a story about the collective power of an underserved community,” said Liz Moore and Nikki Toscano. “We are thrilled that Amanda Seyfried will lead this series about how those initially perceived as victims can band together to regain their power. Moore’s family history and her work with harm-reduction and community-service organizations in Philadelphia informed the series, which aims to portray with compassion the lives of those struggling with addiction and the family members who love them.”
Per Peacock: “Long Bright River is a suspense thriller series that tells the story of Mickey (Seyfried), a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins in the neighborhood, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case.”
Amanda Seyfried’s credits also include Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, Mank, and Things Heard and Seen.
Season one of NBC’s The Irrational has been on such a lengthy midseason break that viewers could almost be excused for forgetting there are still more new episodes to come. The drama starring Jesse L. Martin will finally return after a three-month break with episode eight, “Scorched Earth,” airing on Monday, January 29, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
“Scorched Earth” Plot: Alec takes a case involving a young burn victim and arson that forces him to confront some trauma from his past. Phoebe and Rizwan compete for an important research grant.
Jesse L. Martin stars as Professor Alec Mercer, Maahra Hill is Marisa, Travina Springer is Kylie, Molly Kunz is Phoebe, and Arash DeMaxi plays Rizwan. Executive producers include Arika Lisanne Mittman, Mark Goffman, Sam Baum, and David Frankel.
Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Maahra Hill as Marisa in ‘The Irrational’ Season 1 Episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Season 1 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
A new spin on the procedural genre, The Irrational follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Martin) as he lends his unique expertise on an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding psychology and human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.
Molly Kunz as Phoebe in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan and Molly Kunz as Phoebe in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Maahra Hill as Marisa in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Travina Springer as Kylie in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Molly Kunz as Phoebe and Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer in season 1 episode 8 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ season 18’s Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Comfort Fedoke, Cat Deeley, Nigel Lythgoe, and Allison Holker (Photo Credit: Fox)
JoJo Siwa is slipping back into Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance season 18 judging panel following Nigel Lythgoe’s exit from the upcoming season. Lythgoe was accused of sexual assault by former SYTYCD judge Paula Abdul, with two additional women also making assault claims. In early January 2024, Lythgoe announced he was stepping down from judging season 18.
JoJo Siwa will be joining a panel that includes Emmy-nominated choreographer/So You Think You Can Dance All-Star Allison Holker and professional dancer/Dancing with the Stars choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Cat Deeley is returning to host and serve as a producer on the dance competition for season 18.
Siwa was a host of the reality series on season 17.
SYTYCD has earned 72 Emmy nominations, winning 17 times. Season 18, which is dramatically changing up the formula, will premiere on Fox on March 4, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Fox released this description of the upcoming season:
“Season 18 will infuse the long-running hit with a new format reflecting the authentic experience of building a successful career in dance, as so many So You Think You Can Dance alums have. Each week, contestants will compete in new, intense dance challenges that will give them a real taste of the career, from performing in a music video or a football halftime show to going toe-to-toe on stage with a Broadway performer.
In the end, it will be up to the judges to decide their fate. Eliminations will take place weekly, with the Top 3 finalists competing in the season’s spectacular finale, but only one will win the $100,000 grand prize and be crowned the winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 18.
This season will also debut new storytelling elements to further capture the authentic ups and downs experienced by professional dancers. For the first time ever, in addition to the big spectacle dance numbers that So You Think You Can Dance has long been famous for, viewers will get a documentary-style inside look at the contestants’ dynamics, following them throughout the competition as they go through their personal and competitive journeys, including the daily struggles, new relationships, personality clashes and more.”
A still from In ‘The Summers’ by Alessandra Lacorazza (Courtesy of Sundance Institute.)
In the Summers took home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Porcelain War was named the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary winner at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Sujo and A New Kind of Wilderness were also recognized with Grand Jury Prizes during the awards ceremony held on February 26, 2024 at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.
Daughters, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, was named the Festival Favorite Award winner and also received the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.
“This year was especially meaningful to all of us for being the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival,” stated Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “We congratulate all of our artists in the program this year for their contributions to an incredible slate and Festival experience. Something we were pleasantly surprised by was how much room there was to look ahead during a time of reflection on our rich history as a launchpad for countless stories and artists that have shaped the culture over four decades. We celebrated that rich legacy while enjoying eleven days of meeting the visionaries of tomorrow. It was a joy to hear from audiences that were encountering stories that entertained, moved and challenged them.”
91 feature-length films and episodic works screened at this year’s festival. In addition, 53 short films entertained the crowd during the 40th edition of Sundance.
“The past week has been a whirlwind in the best possible way, and it’s incredibly rewarding to be here at the Awards Ceremony celebrating our storytellers as we launch into the final weekend of the Festival,” said Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “This is a great moment to appreciate what we’re thankful for: jurors who were committed to engaging with these works and who brought their own projects to the Festival at some point during our history, artists who were generous with their stories and their time, audiences eager to join the conversation, our home state hosting us, and our incredible staff and volunteers that make this event possible.”
2024 Sundance Film Festival Awards Winners:
GRAND JURY PRIZES
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to In The Summers / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Alessandra Lacorazza, Producers: Alexander Dinelaris, Rob Quadrino, Fernando Rodriguez-Vila, Lynette Coll, Sergio Lira, Cristóbal Güell) — On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cast: René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos, and Sharlene Cruz.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Porcelain War / U.S.A., Ukraine (Director and Screenwriter: Brendan Bellomo, Director: Slava Leontyev, Producers and Screenwriters: Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Producers: Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann) — Under roaring fighter jets and missile strikes, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay behind and fight, contending with the soldiers they have become. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s hard to destroy their passion for living.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Sujo / Mexico, U.S.A., France (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez, Producers: Diana Arcega, Jewerl Keats Ross, Virginie Devesa, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre) — When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable. Cast: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernández, Kevin Aguilar.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to A New Kind of Wilderness / Norway (Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, Producer: Mari Bakke Riise) — In a forest in Norway, a family lives an isolated lifestyle in an attempt to be wild and free, but a tragic event changes everything, and they are forced to adjust to modern society.
NEXT INNOVATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY ADOBE
The NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe was presented to Little Death / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jack Begert, Screenwriter: Dani Goffstein, Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Andy S. Cohen, Dylan Golden, Brendan Naylor, Sam Canter, Noor Alfallah) — A middle-aged filmmaker on the verge of a breakthrough. Two kids in search of a lost backpack. A small dog a long way from home. Cast: David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffmann, Dominic Fike, Talia Ryder, Jena Malone, and Sante Bentivoglio.
FESTIVAL FAVORITE AWARD
Selected by audience votes from the feature films that screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the Festival Favorite Award was presented to Daughters / U.S.A. (Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae, Producers: Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee, Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi Raycroft) — Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.
A scene from ‘Daughters’ by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to Daughters / U.S.A. (Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae, Producers: Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee, Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi Raycroft) — Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Dìdi (弟弟) / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sean Wang, Producers: Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush) — In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to Ibelin / Norway (Director: Benjamin Ree, Producer: Ingvil Giske) — Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to Girls Will Be Girls / India, France, Norway (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Shuchi Talati, Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne) — In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. Cast: Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, and Kesav Binoy Kiron.
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to Kneecap / Ireland, U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Rich Peppiatt, Producers: Jack Tarling, Trevor Birney) — There are 80,000 native Irish speakers in Ireland. 6,000 live in the North of Ireland. Three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. This anarchic Belfast trio becomes the unlikely figurehead of a civil rights movement to save the mother tongue. Cast: Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Michael Fassbender, Josie Walker, and Simone Kirby.
Ed Archie NoiseCat in ‘Sugarcane’ (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute / Photo by Emily Kassie)
JURY AWARDS FOR DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING & EDITING
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie for Sugarcane / U.S.A., Canada (Director: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Director and Producer: Emily Kassie, Producer: Kellen Quinn) — An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Alessandra Lacorazza for In The Summers / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Alessandra Lacorazza, Producers: Alexander Dinelaris, Rob Quadrino, Fernando Rodriguez-Vila, Lynette Coll, Sergio Lira, Cristóbal Güell) — On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cast: René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos, and Sharlene Cruz.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Benjamin Ree for Ibelin / Norway (Director: Benjamin Ree, Producer: Ingvil Giske) — Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi for In The Land Of Brothers / Iran, France, Netherlands (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi, Producers: Adrien Barrouillet, Frank Hoeve, Charles Meresse, Emma Binet, Arya Ghamavian) — Three members of an extended Afghan family start their lives over in Iran as refugees, unaware they face a decades-long struggle ahead to be “at home.” Cast: Hamideh Jafari, Bashir Nikzad, and Mohammad Hosseini.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Jesse Eisenberg for A Real Pain / U.S.A., Poland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jesse Eisenberg, Producers: Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Emma Stone, Jennifer Semler, Ewa Puszczyńska) — Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, and Kurt Egyiawan.
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Carla Gutiérrez for FRIDA / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Carla Gutiérrez, Producers: Katia Maguire, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Loren Hammonds, Alexandra Johnes) — An intimately raw and magical journey through the life, mind, and heart of iconic artist Frida Kahlo. Told through her own words for the very first time — drawn from her diary, revealing letters, essays, and print interviews — and brought vividly to life by lyrical animation inspired by her unforgettable artwork.
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Sound was presented to Gaucho Gaucho / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Producers: Cameron O’Reilly, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Matthew Perniciaro) — A celebration of a community of Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as Gauchos, living beyond the boundaries of the modern world.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change was presented to Union / U.S.A. (Directors: Stephen Maing, Brett Story, Producers: Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone) — The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) — a group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island — takes on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble was presented to the cast of Dìdi (弟弟) / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sean Wang, Producers: Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush) — In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance was presented to Nico Parker for Suncoast / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Laura Chinn, Producers: Jeremy Plager, Francesca Silvestri, Kevin Chinoy, Oly Obst) — A teenager who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time. Inspired by a semi-autobiographical story. Cast: Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson, and Nico Parker.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Craft was presented to Nocturnes / India, U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Anirban Dutta, Director: Anupama Srinivasan) — In the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas, moths are whispering something to us. In the dark of night, two curious observers shine a light on this secret universe.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation was presented to Johan Grimonprez for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Johan Grimonprez, Producers: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety) — In 1960, United Nations: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe denouncing America’s color bar, while the U.S. dispatches jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from its first African post-colonial coup.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Original Music was presented to Peter Raeburn for Handling the Undead / Norway (Director and Screenwriter: Thea Hvistendahl, Screenwriter: John Ajvide Lindqvist, Producers: Kristin Emblem, Guri Neby) — On a hot summer day in Oslo, the newly dead awaken. Three families faced with loss try to figure out what this resurrection means and if their loved ones really are back. Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Cast: Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Bahar Pars.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Preeti Panigrahi for Girls Will Be Girls / India, France, Norway (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Shuchi Talati, Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne) — In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. Cast: Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, and Kesav Binoy Kiron.
A Special Jury Award for NEXT presented by Adobe was presented to Desire Lines / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jules Rosskam, Screenwriter: Nate Gualtieri, Producers: André Pérez, Amy E. Powell, Brittani Ward) — Past and present collide when an Iranian American trans man time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on a dizzying and erotic quest to unravel his own sexual desires. Cast: Theo Germaine and Aden Hakimi.
John Cena (Peacemaker) stars as a failed actor who agrees to take on the most challenging (and freeing) role of his life in Prime Video’s Ricky Stanicky. The nearly three-minute trailer introduces a trio of best friends who’ve blamed everything wrong on their imaginary best friend. Enter Cena as that imaginary friend.
Zac Efron (The Iron Claw), Andrew Santino (Dave), and Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You) star as the BFFs. The cast also includes Lex Scott Davis, Anja Savcic, Jeff Ross, and William H. Macy.
“When three childhood best friends pull a prank gone wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble! Twenty years after creating this ‘friend,’ Dean, JT, and Wes still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior. When their spouses and partners get suspicious and demand to finally meet the fabled Mr. Stanicky, the guilty trio decide to hire washed-up actor and raunchy celebrity impersonator ‘Rock Hard’ Rod to bring him to life,” reads Prime Video’s synopsis. “But when Rod takes his role of a lifetime too far, they begin to wish they’d never invented Ricky in the first place.”
The R-rated comedy debuts on Prime Video on March 7, 2024.
Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber) directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jeff Bushell, Brian Jarvis, James Lee Freeman, Pete Jones, and Mike Cerrone. Paul Currie, Thorsten Schumacher, John Jacobs, and Michael De Luca produce.
Poster for ‘Ricky Stanicky’ (Photo Credit: Prime Video)
Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) is attached to star in and executive produce Mindy Kaling’s untitled comedy series* set up at Netflix. Kaling (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Never Have I Ever) is writing and executive producing the 10-episode season along with Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) and David Stassen (History of the World).
Stassen is serving as showrunner. Additional executive producers include Howard Klein (3 Arts Entertainment), Jeanie Buss, and Linda Rambis.
“When a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon is appointed President of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “Ambitious and often overlooked, Isla will have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she was the right choice for the job, especially in the unpredictable, male-dominated world of sports.”
Kate Hudson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) will play Isla Gordon. Isla’s described as the only sister in a family of competitive brothers. Per Netflix: “Isla Gordon has been overlooked and underappreciated her whole life. But when she is unexpectedly appointed President of the Los Angeles Waves, she finally has the chance to prove she deserves to be part of the family business as much as everyone else.”
Hudson’s recent credits include Deepwater Horizon, Marshall, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Truth Be Told, and A Little White Lie.
