Sundance Film Festival 2024 Preview

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah. Though there are small changes to online programming availability, Sundance is one of the few festivals that offers a hybrid experience with fantastic and diverse options to see films both on the ground in Park City and Salt Lake City as well as from the comfort of your own home. These are some of the titles we are most excited about checking out, both at the festival in-person (January 18-28) and to stream virtually (January 25-28)

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Hit Man

Native Texan Richard Linklater returns to the festival that launched his career with “Hit Man,” a new film that has been winning over audiences on the festival circuit. It’s a collaboration between Linklater and rising star actor Glen Powell, (who both serve as screenwriters) based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth about a man that goes undercover as a hitman and things get complicated when he runs into a damsel in distress. Linklater has proven adept at telling darkly comedic real life stories as seen in such films as “Bernie,” a film that, funny enough, is also based on a Texas Monthly article written by Hollandsworth. Powell has also proven to be a charming and magnetic screen presence, making this a potentially formidable duo. The film has already been bought by Netflix, so Sundance serves as the next celebration of one of the most storied and distinct directors of the last few decades.

Hit Man is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th.

A Real Pain

Newly minted Emmy winning actor Kieran Culkin (“Succession”) joins actor Jesse Eisenberg for “A Real Pain,” a story of two mismatched cousins reuniting in Poland following the death of their grandmother. Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed the film, returns to Sundance with his sophomore film, after debuting in 2022 with “When You Finish Saving the World.” Though rough around the edges, his first film showed promise, especially in its exploration of complex themes in the screenplay. With the red hot Culkin, this pair should make for an intriguing watch through their European road trip.

A Real Pain is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th and online from January 25th - January 28th.

Winner

In a ripped from the headlines biopic, “Winner” follows the story of Reality Winner, the NSA whistleblower who leaked intelligence information regarding Russian election interference in 2017. The film was directed by Susanna Fogel, who brought “Cat People” to last year's festival, and stars actress of “CODA” (and Sundance) fame Emilia Jones as the titular character. This is the second narrative film to cover the story of Winner, the first being the HBO/Max film “Reality,” starring Sydney Sweeney. With that film being framed as a tense, powder keg thriller based on actual transcripts, it will be interesting to see how much of a different take “Winner” ends up being.

Winner is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th.

Handling the Undead

In the World Cinema category, one of the most intriguing films comes by way of Norway in the Thea Hvistendahl directed film “Handling the Undead.” The film follows three families trying to cope in the wake of a phenomenon that finds the recently dead resurrected. The film is an adaptation of a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who wrote the book “Let the Right One In” which was later adapted into a classic of the horror film genre. As with “Let the Right One In,” Lindqvist adapts his own work into a screenplay co-written with Hvistendahl and the cast is rounded out with actors Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, who shared the screen in the 2022 Sundance Film “The Worst Person in the World.” With its exploration of the question “how would you feel if someone you loved returned?,” “Handling the Undead” will hopefully give audiences something to think about long after the credits roll.

Handling the Undead is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th and online from January 25th - January 28th.

Your Monster

In the Midnight section, “Your Monster” is described as a rom-com that follows an actress that meets, and develops a relationship with a terrifying and charming monster that is living in her closet. Expanding her short film of the same name, filmmaker Caroline Lindy directs Melissa Barrera of the recently disbanded “core four” of the recent “Scream” franchise in the lead role. The rom-com genre is one that is always in need of a fresh take, which makes this horror-tinged spin a film to look out for at this year's festival.

Your Monster is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th.

A New Kind of Wilderness

The documentary “A New Kind of Wilderness” follows the Payne’s, a family with a simple and isolated life on a farm in Norway as they encounter an unfathomable challenge. As the family learns to cope with their new normal, they also face the potential of having to change everything they’ve previously known. The film deftly and compassionately explores themes of grief, resilience and the power, importance and struggle of adaptation in life. It is sure to be one of the most moving and emotional experiences of this year's festival.

A New Kind of Wilderness is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th and online from January 25th - January 28th.

A Different Man

Featuring one of the most unique sounding loglines in this year's festival, “A Different Man” follows an actor named Edward (played by Sebastian Stan) who undergoes a radical medical procedure to transform his appearance. Unfortunately, this transformation leads to Edward losing out on his dream role and he must reconcile with what he has now lost. In recent years, Stan has shown a willingness to take on unique roles and should form an intriguing duo with director Aaron Schimberg in this surreal psychological thriller from A24.

A Different Man is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th.

As We Speak

Part of the Sundance experience is the exploration of topics that rarely have a light shined on them, especially in the way of social and political issues. With “As We Speak,” director J.M. Harper employs Bronx rap artist Kemba to explore how rap lyrics have been used as criminal evidence in cases both in the United States and abroad. With complex topics like art and its relation to the First Amendment and racial bias in both music and the justice system, “As We Speak” is sure to be a conversation starter.

As We Speak is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th and online from January 25th - January 28th.

Freaky Tales

After playing in the Marvel sandbox with “Captain Marvel,” directing duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (“Half Nelson,” “Sugar”) return to Sundance with “Freaky Tales.” Described as four interconnected stories taking place in 1987 Oakland, the Festival describes an underdog story chock full of themes and styles ranging from music, action, and “counterculture spirit.” The cast is stacked, featuring the much in-demand Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, and the final film appearance of Angus Cloud.

Freaky Tales is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th.

Love Me

The Sundance Film Festival has long been a place for heady ideas to be explored, and that is sure to be the case with “Love Me,” the debut feature film from husband and wife filmmaking duo Sam and Andy Zuchero. With a synopsis that details a story of a buoy and a satellite falling in love after humanity's extinction, their human forms are inhabited by recent Emmy winner Steven Yeun (“Beef”) and Kristen Stewart. The film has already won the Alfred B. Sloan prize, which is given each year to a Sundance film that is focused on science or technology. Previous winners include “Another Earth,” “Searching,” and “After Yang.”

Love Me is screening in person at the Sundance Film Festival from January 18th - January 28th and online from January 25th - January 28th.