Three French features and four short films have been programmed this year at the Sundance Film Festival (from January 18 through 28), and will allow a good range of French cinematographic creativity to be presented: thriller, documentary, animation, and VR. See you soon in the snow at Park City.
Feature films
Samuel Collardey will have the honor of presenting the only French film in competition (in the World Cinema Documentary section), with the world premiere of A Polar Year, shot in a small village in Greenland.
Following in the footsteps of Raw (presented last year at Sundance, in the Spotlight section), the horror thriller Revenge (photo), Coralie Fargeat's debut feature, will delight Midnight viewers. It is a fine homage from the festival to French genre cinema, often considered the poor cousin in the French film realm.
In a very different tone, children will discover, in another world premiere, the animated film White Fang, based on Jack London's novel White Fang. It is the first animated feature by Alexandre Espigares, who co-directed Mr Hublot, which won the award for Best Animated Short Film at the Oscars in 2014.
World Cinema Documentary Competition:
Park City at Midnight:
Sundance Kids:
Spotlight:
- You Were Never Really Here de Lynne Ramsay (minoritary)
- Foxtrot by Samuel Maoz (minoritary)
- I Am not a Witch by Rungano Nyoni (minoritary)
- The Death of Stalin by Armando Iannucci (minoritary)
Short films
With no less than four short works – two of which are VR productions – selected at the Sundance Film Festival, France reinforces its presence at this key, independent cinema event.
After its presentation at the Venice International Film Festival , Aria by Myrsini Aristidou will receive its first screening in the USA. The international shorts competition will also allow North American audiences to discover Ultraviolet (photo), the new film by Marc Johnson, who attracted attention three years ago with the intriguing Yúyú.
But the New Frontier showcase offers the main reason for celebrating. Entirely absent last year, French productions are back in force in this section dedicated to immersive works. Atlas V, a company recently established by Antoine Cayrol and Arnaud Colinart, will reveal exclusive presentations of its two latest creations: BattleScar and Spheres. With a cast that is 100% USA – Rosario Dawson and Jessica Chastain – these VR films are sure to be a major event.
More information on our Short Cuts page.
