On the eve of Sundance Film Festival January Februrary 2 many filmmakers and executives had already descended upon Park City for the edition. As attendees sample the blend of work from established talents and the promise of discoveries, amid the customary mingling and business side of things there will be real stories of heartbreak.
The devastating LA County wildfires are likely to have impacted many from the Los Angeles region who make the journey to the Utah mountains. In the coming days attendees will learn to what extent, if any, the understandable preoccupation will slow down acquisitions activity beyond what it has already become. There will be deals; it is just that they take longer these days as systemic industry changes have turned US buyers in particular into a cautious breed as they reckon with a tricky landscape.
Streamers and studios tend to make the first big moves, and that could well be true this year, even though they have generally eased off the pedal as festival buyers. What will be telling is how the smaller independent buyers engage. They are fewer in number and some Toronto selections remain on the table.
Yet fortune favours the brave. That echoed other notable festival acquisitions by independents throughout the year. Another pressing matter is where Sundance will be headquartered from onwards. Screen has heard from several sources that Sundance will relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio. Bernard has a clear idea of where he would like to see Sundance relocate.
But first, to business. Below is a suggested list of 15 films expected to captivate buyers and audiences. All times are in local Mountain Time. Brides UK Dir. Nadia Fall World Cinema Dramatic Competition Debutante feature director and Screen Star of Tomorrow Fall has just taken up her new role as artistic director of the Young Vic and brings the story of a pair of teenage girls in who flee their troubled lives in a misguided plan to travel to Syria.
