118 feature films, predominantly American productions, will be showcased at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival (January 23–February 2, 2020), which holds two international competitions (Dramas and Documentaries). This year, three French films will be presented in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, including the debut feature by Maïmouna Doucouré, Cuties.
Three French feature films will be presented among the twelve productions in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. This is the big surprise of the 2020 edition of one of North America's most prestigious film festivals dedicated to independent filmmaking, which was founded in 1978.
Three French films in competition
The screening of Cuties by Maïmouna Doucouré, a film that deals with the hypersexualization of young girls, will be an opportunity for the director to return to Sundance after first winning the Jury Prize in 2016 for her short film Mother(s), then the Filmmaking Award in 2017 for the screenplay of her debut feature Cuties. As was the case for Mother(s), Ducouré's new film was produced by Zangro for Bien ou Bien Productions.
Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness by Massoud Bakhshi, produced by Jacques Bidou and Marianne Dumoulin for JBA Production, is set in contemporary Iran and tells the story of the complex face-to-face encounter between a woman who accidentally committed a murder and the victim's daughter. This is Massoud Bakhshi's second feature after A Respectable Family, which was released in 2012.
Finally, Jumbo by Zoé Wittock, a majority-French coproduction (with Luxembourg and Belgium), produced by Insolence Productions, explores the curious relationship between an amusement park guard (Noémie Merlant) and the park's new flagship attraction... It is the director's first feature-length film.
Other French films minority-coproduced by France have also been selected (we are awaiting further details on the complete lineup):
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Premieres (Drama)
Spotlight
