The Sundance Institute has revealed the line-up for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival (18-28 January). The 40th-anniversary edition boasts 82 feature-length films from 24 countries, eight episodic projects and a New Frontier interactive experience. The line-up includes a 40% ratio of first-time feature filmmakers, and 94% of the movies are world premieres across its 90 features and episodic programmes. This year’s edition of the gathering received a record 17,435 submissions from 153 countries. "Sundance’s passion and power shine through in its programming. Curation is Sundance’s secret sauce, and we’re energised by the range of films, stories and artists we’ve watched and selected from around the world," said Sundance’s new director, Eugene Hernandez. "Our programme is tightly curated and covers a broad cross-section of forms, perspectives and genres that we’re looking forward to sharing with audiences. These titles are inventive, and they beautifully represent the kind of ground-breaking work we’ve sought to amplify at Sundance throughout our history," adds director of programming Kim Yutani.

The line-up is once again rich in the latest European cinema and intercontinental co-productions. Jianjie Lin’s Brief History of a Family [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], a co-production between France, China, Denmark and Qatar, delves into family dynamics in post-one-child-policy China, while Shuchi Talati's Girls Will Be Girls, made in collaboration with India and Norway, unfolds in a Himalayan boarding school, exploring themes of desire and romance. The Iranian-French-Dutch co-production In the Land of Brothers [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Gh…
scheda film] by Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi tells the poignant story of an Afghan family's life as refugees in Iran, and Sujo [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], a Mexican-US-French collaboration directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, portrays the life of a young boy amidst the violence of the Mexican countryside.

Norway makes an appearance with Thea Hvistendahl’s Handling the Undead [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], a drama about the newly deceased awakening in Oslo, based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist, as well as the documentaries Ibelin [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Benjamin Ree
scheda film], by Benjamin Ree, a story focusing on the posthumous impact of a Norwegian gamer, and A New Kind of Wilderness [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, depicting a family's isolated life in a Norwegian forest. The UK is represented by Amrou Al-Kadhi's Layla, detailing the struggles of an Arab drag queen, and the Japanese-US-UK documentary Black Box Diaries [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], by Shiori Ito, a hard-hitting doc investigating a sexual-assault case in Japan. Mikko Mäkelä’s Sebastian [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Mikko Mäkelä
scheda film], a UK-Finnish-Belgian co-production, follows the double life of an aspiring writer in London who is employed as a sex worker.

The Belgian documentary entry Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Johan Grimonprez
scheda film] by Johan Grimonprez is a collaborative effort with France and the Netherlands, offering a historical perspective on the pivotal political events of the 1960s. Daniel Hoesl’s latest film, Veni Vidi Vici [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann
scheda film], hailing from Austria, provides an insight into the existence of a billionaire family living life free of any consequences, while the German documentary Eternal You [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Hans Block, Moritz Riesewi…
scheda film] by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, made in collaboration with the USA, explores the intriguing use of AI in creating avatars for deceased loved ones.

The NEXT section, for bold storytelling, will unveil Rich Peppiatt’s raucous anti-establishment comedy Kneecap [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], about the eponymous Irish-language rap group, while the Premieres section welcomes a Saoirse Ronan-led cast in the adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Amy Liptrot, The Outrun [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Nora Fingscheidt
scheda film], written and directed by Nora Fingscheidt. Episodic Pilot Showcase will offer a taste of the Spanish series La Mesías [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda series], about a family torn apart by their mother’s engagement with a cult, which has already been sold to HBO Latin America.

"Since the first edition in 1985, the Sundance Film Festival has aimed to provide a space to gather, celebrate and engage with risk-taking artists who are committed to bringing their independent visions to audiences — the festival remains true to that goal to this day," noted Sundance Institute founder and president Robert Redford, adding: “It continues to evolve, but its legacy of showcasing bold work that starts necessary conversations continues with the 2024 programme."

The 40th edition will take place in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from 25-28 January.

Here is the full list of titles announced so far that have European involvement:

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Brief History of a Family [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Jianjie Lin (China/France/Denmark/Qatar)
Girls Will Be Girls [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Shuchi Talati (India/France/Norway)
Handling the Undead [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Thea Hvistendahl (Norway)
In the Land of Brothers [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Gh…
scheda film] - Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi (Iran/France/Netherlands)
Layla - Amrou Al-Kadhi (UK)
Reinas [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Klaudia Reynicke
scheda film] - Klaudia Reynicke (Switzerland/Peru/Spain)
Sebastian [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Mikko Mäkelä
scheda film] - Mikko Mäkelä (UK/Finland/Belgium)
Sujo [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez (Mexico/France/USA)
Veni Vidi Vici [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann
scheda film] - Daniel Hoesl (Austria)

World Cinema Documentary Competition

Agent of Happiness [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó (Bhutan/Hungary)
Eternal You [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Hans Block, Moritz Riesewi…
scheda film] - Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck (Germany/USA)
Black Box Diaries [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Shiori Ito (Japan/USA/UK)
Ibelin [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Benjamin Ree
scheda film] - Benjamin Ree (Norway)
A New Kind of Wilderness [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Silje Evensmo Jacobsen (Norway)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Johan Grimonprez
scheda film] - Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/France/Netherlands)

NEXT

Kneecap [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] – Rich Peppiatt (Ireland/UK)

Premieres

DEVO - Chris Smith (UK/USA)
The Outrun [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Nora Fingscheidt
scheda film] - Nora Fingscheidt (UK/Germany)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Ian Bonhôte (UK/USA)

Midnight

Kidnapping Inc. [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Bruno Mourral (Haiti/France/Canada)
Krazy House - Steffen Haars, Flip van der Kuil (Netherlands)
Love Lies Bleeding [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Rose Glass (USA/UK)

Episodic

La Mesías [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda series] - Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi (Spain)

Spotlight

Ama Gloria [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Marie Amachoukeli
scheda film] - Marie Amachoukeli (France)
How to Have Sex [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Molly Manning Walker
scheda film] - Molly Manning Walker (UK)

Family Matinee

10 Lives - Christopher Jenkins (UK)

New Frontier

Eno - Gary Hustwit (USA/UK)