Sundance Film Festival 2021

JOHN AND THE HOLE

Year -2021

Category -Feature

Country -United States

Run time -103 min

Company -Mutressa Movies

While exploring the neighboring woods, 13-year-old John (Charlie Shotwell) discovers an unfinished bunker—a deep hole in the ground. Seemingly without provocation, he drugs his affluent parents (Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Ehle) and older sister (Taissa Farmiga) and drags their unconscious bodies into the bunker, where he holds them captive. As they anxiously wait for John to free them from the hole, the boy returns home, where he can finally do what he wants.

In his directorial debut, visual artist Pascual Sisto mines this alarming pulp premise for an enigmatic and unsettling meditation on adolescent angst. Adapted by screenwriter Nicolás Giacobone from his own short story, John and the Hole is both a harrowing psychological thriller and a potent coming-of-age fable exploring the difficult passage from childhood freedom to adult responsibility. Through precise, shallow-focus compositions, immersive sound design, and a suspended sense of time, Sisto conveys John’s uncanny experience of “playing house.” Shotwell’s chilling performance suggests an innocent yearning beneath John’s cold, blank exterior, while Hall, Ehle, and Farmiga are exceptional as his beleaguered family.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Pascual Sisto is a Spanish artist and filmmaker currently based in New York. He earned a BFA in film from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, and an MFA in media arts from the University of California, Los Angeles. His work has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums, including the Centre Pompidou, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, and the 53rd Venice Biennale.

AILEY

Year -2021

Category -Feature

Country - United States

Run time -82 min

Company - Insignia Films

Many know the name Alvin Ailey, but how many know the man? Ailey’s commitment to searching for truth in movement resulted in pioneering and enduring choreography that centers on African American experiences. Director Jamila Wignot’s resonant biography grants artful access to the elusive visionary who founded one of the world’s most renowned dance companies, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Wignot’s approach shares Ailey's love of poetry. Where Ailey conveyed poetry through movement, Wignot crafts visual poetry to evoke Ailey’s memories. Archival footage, layered with audio recordings, expounds on Ailey’s upbringing and establishes the language of his inspiration. Interviews with celebrated company dancers and distinguished choreographers give insight into Ailey’s process and legacy, while the current company of dancers works to bring a tribute to life. Wignot’s portrait is complex, capturing the talent and confidence of a man in the spotlight while also carving out space for Ailey’s vulnerability. Wignot moves between the interior and exterior, the inhale and exhale, to capture Ailey’s reverberating impact.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Jamila Wignot's directing work includes the series The African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, which won the Peabody Award, the Emmy Award, and the NAACP Image Award; Town Hall, a documentary portrait of Tea Party activists; Peabody Award–winning Triangle Fire; and Emmy-nominated Walt Whitman. Wignot’s producing credits include W. Kamau Bell’s Bring The Pain; Musa Syeed's A Stray; and WNET’s The Supreme Court: the Rehnquist Revolution, an IDA Best Limited Series winner.

RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT

Talented, energetic, and full of joy, Rita Moreno has been dazzling audiences for over 70 years. Whether showcased on television, film, or stage, her artistry transcends singing, dancing, and acting, as she continuously reinvents herself and pushes creative limits. Moreno is a pioneer and one of the most authentic performers of our time, and she has the EGOT status to prove it.

With intimate access to her subject, director Mariem Pérez Riera created a loving cinematic journey that details the life of a groundbreaking artist who truly embodies the American Dream. From her early years in Puerto Rico to her childhood as an immigrant in New York City to the racial bias she faced in the studio system, Moreno consistently broke down barriers, overcoming sexism and identity discrimination with pure integrity. Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It is both a revelatory portrait and a celebration of a magnetic, intriguing woman whose courage is an inspiration to all.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Mariem Pérez Riera was born in Puerto Rico and decided at age nine to become a film director. Her documentary Cuando lo pequeño se hace grande, about the Puerto Rican fight against the U.S. Navy presence on the island of Vieques, was awarded internationally. In 2007 she debuted as co-director on Maldeamores, winning several film festival awards. She later directed other documentaries, including Emmy Award–winner Croatto, la huella de un emigrante.

SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

Year-2021

Category -Feature

Country -United States

Run time -117 min

Company -MASS DISTRACTION MEDIA

In 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away. More than 300,000 people attended the summer concert series known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was filmed, but after that summer, the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. It has never been seen. Until now.

Summer Of Soul is a stunning unearthed treasure destined to become a pillar of American music and African American history. In his striking debut as a filmmaker, the legendary musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents this transporting documentary—part concert film, part historical record—about an epic event that radiated the wholesale reevaluation of Black history, culture, fashion, and music. This rich tapestry deftly incorporates an unforgettable musical revue that includes many rare gems, such as a Stevie Wonder drum solo and a duet between Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples. Summer Of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is a drummer, DJ, filmmaker, producer, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and member of the Roots. He is the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. A four-time Grammy winner, Thompson has also released four books, including Mixtape Potluck. He co-produced the Grammy-winning original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton. Thompson also hosts his own podcast, Questlove Supreme, on iHeartRadio.

THESE DAYS

Year -2020

Category -Series

Country -United States

Run time -22 min

When COVID began, we relied on online interactions within social media and streaming platforms to provide some semblance of community. Days turned into weeks and then into months, but nothing got better—especially for singles like Mae, a thirty-something professional dancer navigating the dating scene in an era that forced personal interactions to go online.

We are proud to present the pilot episode of this distinctly relevant series about life, love, and friendship, set within the awkwardness of 2020.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Adam Brooks is a Canadian-born filmmaker living in New York City. He co-created the TV series Imposters and was a writer, director, and producer on the Golden Globe-winning series Mozart in the Jungle. Brooks wrote and directed Definitely, Maybe, and The Invisible Circus, and he directed Almost You. His writing credits include French Kiss, Beloved, Practical Magic, and the Academy Award–nominated short Duke of Groove.

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