Sundance 2020 Recap

The Sundance Film Festival brought the world another year of amazing films, panels, and exhibitions. We had the opportunity to learn more about some of the projects and movies that made us excited about the event.

THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS (NEXT)

Divorce is never an easy experience. In Robert Machoian’s new film, The Killing of Two Lovers, he examines the lives of a family being torn apart by the unpredictability of change and the addition of new people. Machoian witnessed the struggle of divorce first hand and wanted to create a story reflecting what divorce was really like.

Clayne Crawford appears in The Killing of Two Lovers by Robert Machoian. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Oscar Ignacio Jiminez.

“I have always wanted to make a film on marriage, a film about the raw, sloppy, imperfect aspects of marriage, but I wasn’t sure how. When two of my sister’s marriages were stretched to the brink of divorce, I finally saw it,” shared Machoian. “Late nights they would call and I would listen to them talk about their husbands erratic and bizarre behaviors, scrambling to do whatever they could to save what was left of the marriage they had let fall apart.” Machoian encouraged his sisters to get a divorce and move on but chose to stay in the situation. It was then that he realized that he has not seen a film really depicted marriage, divorce and everything in between. The process of making this film had the cast looking at different avenues to find inspiration for their characters and the situation they are all experiencing. Clayne Crawford, who plays David, trying to salvage the marriage that is quickly falling apart, looked towards his family and the fear of losing them. “If you haven’t divorced someone that you love, you’ve seen people that have to separate, you know that there was that love there at one time and that’s what interesting about this piece. There’s no traditional villain. Everyone is trying to do the right thing,” shared Crawford. “But sometimes you get to the point that you can’t communicate anymore. So we witnessed it and it’s so heartbreaking - that’s why this piece is so special because anyone can relate to it whether it’s the children, or “Nikki” - everyone is going into this wanting to find happiness and sometimes it’s at the expense of others, which is heartbreaking.” Chris Coy had a very interesting perspective on his character, Derek, Niki’s love interest, who many would think is the bad guy. “He just trying to find love and happiness and all the characters are in a different phrase of that pursuit,” says Coy. “I don’t think anyone of us is wrong in those pursuits...it would be easy to think that this guy’s the homewrecker... but in reality, we’re all human beings and we don’t all have the answers. We’re all just doing our best to figure out what makes this [our heart] beat right and it’s okay if we misstep here and there in that pursuit.” The film covers all perspectives, feelings, and struggles. It’s an uneasy, difficult, and gut-wrecking view of what marriage is really like and the unfortunate reality of divorce and the effects it has. https:// claynecrawford.online/

Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz appear in Nine Days by Edson Oda. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Wyatt Garfield.

NINE DAYS (U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION)

In 2020, the topic of mental illness is still not at the forefront of discussion in this country. First time director, Edson Oda, plans to change all of that in the movie Nine Days. Oda had a star-studded cast in his first time out. The film stars Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgard, Benedict Wong, and Tony Hale. Duke plays a reclusive man who interviews prospective candidates - the personification of human souls - for the opportunity to be born.

The Cast of Nine Days

The film discusses topics like suicide and depression. These topics are still taboo in the Black community. For Duke, that was one of the big reasons he took part in this film. “This story deals with mental health issues in this movie. Once I add my body to it, it becomes Black psychology. That's something that needs to be addressed and come more to the forefront in our media and I knew I could do that. That's why I knew I needed to do this. If I did this, I knew it would be something different and special.” Oda wants audiences to walk away from this film with hope, “Sometimes, life can be freaking hard, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it."

Nubiya Brandon appears in All Kinds of Limbo by Toby Coffey, Raffy Bushman, and Nubiya Brandon. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

ALL KINDS OF LIMBO (NEW FRONTIER EXHIBITION)

Take a moment to gather yourselves For the next few minutes, I ask that you lead me your ears. Now, let it be clear as pure water - this, is not a Black British story Logically I can not be the messenger for any of my countrymen No, this is my story, my lonely island cast into dark shadowing waves that have left me in Limbo.

This exhibition was a lovely surprise to start the event. Nubiya Brandon takes you on a journey of discovery, taking you on a trip of definition and identity. Along with Toby Coffey, Raffy Bushman, musician Raffy Bushman, and the NuShape Orchestra, they take you through the genres of reggae, grime, classical and calypso in a musical journey inspired by the influence of West Indian culture on the UK’s music scene. Immersive technologies, the ceremony of live performance and the craft of theatrical staging bring audiences into an exciting VR space. Brandon shared her reason behind the project. “The story is quite a personal story about my own journey through identity in Britain and I suppose I was challenging the idea of what the English Rose is and what it means to me.” Learn more about the production at https://www. nationaltheatre.org.uk/immersive/ projects/all-kinds-of-limbo

LeAsha Julius appears in Still Here by Zahra Rasool and Sarah Springer. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Viktorija Mickute.

STILL HERE (NEW FRONTIER EXHIBITION)

If there was one exhibit that took a sucker punch to the gut it’s “Still Here.” The exhibition created by lead artists Zahra Rasool and Sarah Springer is an *immersive multimedia installation exploring incarceration, erasure, and gentrification through the lens of one woman who returns to Harlem after 15 years in prison. The artists use VR and AR technologies to bring the character story to life, sharing the story of reclaiming space and identity in a changing black community. We experienced the VR, which took time as the experience the uncertainty of the present. Durra shared her inspiration behind the movie. “I had a dream. I had a dream!” exclaimed Durra. “I had the flu and was analyzing my choices in life. I had this dream about Luxor. You can’t beat shooting in Luxor, so we kind of made it happen.” was emotional and took a toll. In a day and age of the “woke,” this exhibit truly focuses you to take a good look at what the black community experiences in order to survive in a world that is consistently judging on appearance and stereotypes. https:// ajcontrast.com/still-here.

Riseborough and Karim Saleh appear Luxor by Zeina Durra, an official selection of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

LUXOR The cast of Luxor was excited to share their experiences working on the film. Luxor, written and directed by Zeina Durra, tells the story of a British aid worker, Hana, who returns to the ancient city of Luxor. She comes across Sultan, a talented archaeologist, and former lover. Hana finds herself struggling to reconcile the past with Michael Landes was drawn by the beauty of Luxor and working with lead actor Andrea Riseborough. He feels viewers will relate to her. “[Andrea] is such a strong actress that you...follow this woman healing and going on this journey.” Durra feels that viewers will leave the theater with a sense of hope and lessons learned. “I want them to understand what it’s like to be a broken person and put yourself back together. [It’s about] hope, second chances and the guy does not save you!” http://film-clinic.com/films/ luxor.php

The cast of Luxor