The Sundance Film Festival returns January 19 through 29 with a slate of independent features from filmmakers worldwide. The 2023 festival features selections picked from a record-breaking 4,061 submissions. The chosen few include documentaries and dramas from Black creators, examining figures, stories, and slices of life that speak to the unique experiences of members of the Black diaspora.
The films will be on view in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort starting on Jan 19, with a selection of films available online across the country from January 24 through the 29th.
From documentaries about legendary culture definers like Little Richard, and Nikki Giovanni, to dramas centering on generational trauma and healing, immigrant experiences, and twists of supernatural horror, the robust offerings from Black directors, producers, and stars are sure to shape the box office and awards noms of 2023.
Take a look at a few of the selections from Black creators highlighted at the festival below:
01
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Archival footage and visually innovative treatments of poetry take the viewer on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni as she gives personal reflections on her life and legacy.
02
Young. Wild. Free.
Starring Algee Smith, Sanaa Lathan, Sierra Capri, and Mike Epps, this one finds High school senior Brandon drowning in responsibilities when his world is turned upside down…after being robbed at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams.
03
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
From director and screenwriter Raven Jackson and produced by Barry Jenkins, this decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi is an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us. Starring Moses Ingram.
04
Little Richard: I Am Everything
This documentary celebrates the life and legacy of Little Richard, revealing the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll and finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Through archival and performance footage, the revolutionary icon’s life unfurls onscreen – including all of its switchbacks and contradictions.
05
Bravo, Burkina!
A Burkinabé boy flees his village and migrates from West Africa to Italy. Disillusioned by heartbreak and haunted by memories of home, he eventually travels through time in hope of regaining all he has lost.
06
To Live and Die and Live
Muhammad returns home to Detroit to bury his stepfather and is thrust into settling his accounts – but his struggles with depression and addiction may finish him before he finishes the task.
07
Magazine Dreams
An amateur bodybuilder struggles to find human connection as his relentless drive for recognition pushes him to the brink.
08
Talk To Me
This supernatural thriller sees a group of friends discovering how to conjure spirits using an ancient embalmed hand. With the power to communicate with the other side in their grasp, they become hooked on the new thrill…until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world.
