Col Needham's Top Sundance Picks for 2021
I am the Founder and CEO of IMDb and these are the movies which I am most looking forward to seeing at the Sundance Film Festival 2021. The list is in alphabetical order.
The scope of the festival and the quality makes it difficult to pick a subset and these are all taken from my longer Sundance Interest List which contains over 45 movies and the festival is only 7 days long!
The titles I have seen from Sundance 2021 are on this list, which will be updated as the festival progresses.
The scope of the festival and the quality makes it difficult to pick a subset and these are all taken from my longer Sundance Interest List which contains over 45 movies and the festival is only 7 days long!
The titles I have seen from Sundance 2021 are on this list, which will be updated as the festival progresses.
List activity
165K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
20 titles
- DirectorCarlson YoungStarsCarlson YoungUdo KierDermot MulroneyDecades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive young woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sister may still be alive.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsTrina CunninghamMike DavisDon HankinsAn investigation into our landscape's hidden fire stories and on-the-ground experiences of firefighters and residents struggling through deadly fires.
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
- DirectorSean EllisStarsBoyd HolbrookKelly ReillyAlistair PetrieIn rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger - and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.
- DirectorManuel CrosbyDarren KnappStarsTyson BrownShelby DuclosJesse JanzenAfter being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsNick BostromJoshua CookeErik DavisDocumentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.
- DirectorZoe Lister-JonesDaryl WeinStarsZoe Lister-JonesCailee SpaenyWhitney CummingsIn this feel-good apocalyptic comedy, Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) embarks on a hilarious journey through LA in hopes of making it to her last party before it all ends, running into an eclectic cast of characters along the way.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsJoel FryReece ShearsmithHayley SquiresAs the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run.
- DirectorShaka KingStarsLaKeith StanfieldDaniel KaluuyaJesse PlemonsOffered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
- DirectorRobin WrightStarsRobin WrightDemián BichirSarah Dawn PledgeEdee, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world and retreats to the wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.
- DirectorMarion HillStarsIdella JohnsonHannah PepperLucien GuignardA surprise reunion in the South of France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
- DirectorFran KranzStarsJason IsaacsMartha PlimptonAnn DowdThe parents of both the shooter and one of the victims of a school shooting tragedy agree to meet and talk in an attempt to move forward.
- DirectorPhilippe LacôteStarsBakary KonéSteve TientcheuJean Cyrille DigbeuA young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.
- DirectorJerrod CarmichaelStarsJerrod CarmichaelChristopher AbbottTiffany HaddishJerrod Carmichael makes his directorial debut and stars in On the Count of Three, a darkly comic feature about two best friends, Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott), on the last day of their lives.
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
- DirectorNinja ThybergStarsSofia KappelZelda MorrisonEvelyn ClaireBella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.
- DirectorJakub PiatekStarsBartosz BieleniaMagdalena PoplawskaAndrzej KlakOn New Year's Eve 1999, an armed man enters a TV studio during a broadcast, takes the host hostage and makes one demand: to give a message live on air.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsRon MaelRussell MaelBeckA musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.
- DirectorErin VassilopoulosStarsAlessandra MesaAni MesaPico AlexanderOn the run, Marian returns to her hometown to hide out with her identical twin sister, Vivian, altering the trajectory of both their lives.
- DirectorMona FastvoldStarsKatherine WaterstonVanessa KirbyCasey AffleckSomewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.