Sundance: From buzzy to under-the-radar, a festival for every film fan
Gabrielle Union, left, Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, director Nate Parker, Penelope Ann Miller and Jackie Earle Haley from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
The Cannes Film Festival, a wise man once said, is not only impossible to describe to someone who’s never been there but also “nearly impossible to describe to someone who has been there.” And what’s true of Cannes is becoming increasingly true of Sundance.
That’s because the annual extravaganza in Park City, Utah, has increasingly become several different but overlapping events — each with its own characteristics, priorities and even its own audience.
Sundance Film Festival 2016: Full coverage
Most visible is Hot Ticket Sundance, the festival that journalists, critics and movie business movers and shakers tend to frequent. Its focus is on the films people are talking about and fighting to get into, whether because of high acquisition price, place in the zeitgeist or even actual quality.
A seven-year labor of love for Parker, who starred, wrote and produced in addition to directing, “The Birth of a Nation” deals with the charismatic Nat Turner and the events leading to his 1831 Virginia slave rebellion. Deeply felt, emotional filmmaking, albeit with problematic elements, “Birth” was acquired by Fox Searchlight for a reported Sundance record of $17.5 million.
Stars of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival are photographed in the L.A. Times’ photo and video studio on site in Park City, Utah. The festival runs through Jan. 31.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Shannon is a stars of “Complete Unknown” and “Frank and Lola.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)“Mad Men” veteran Elisabeth Moss is at Sundance with her new film, “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Imogen Poots is the Lola of “Frank and Lola,” in which she stars opposite Michael Shannon.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Danfung Dennis, seated, and Casey Brown are behind the virtual reality experience “Condition One.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Bobby Naderi is one of the stars of “Under The Shadow.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Boyd Holbrook is a star of “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chloe Sevigny from the film “Antibirth” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jared Harris of “Certain Women” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tracy Letts of “Indignation” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Logan Lerman of “Indignation” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kate Lyn Sheil from the film “Kate Plays Christine” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Werner Herzog, director of “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brooklyn Decker from the film “Lovesong” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Casey Affleck of “Manchester by the Sea” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Norman Lear, subject of the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rachel Grady, left and Heidi Ewing, co-directors of “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,” pose for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Abigail Spencer of the series “Rectify” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ellen Page, starring in “Talullah,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Allison Janney of “Talullah” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Josh Groban, from the film “The Hollars,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)John Krasinski of “The Hollars” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Laura Albert, from the film “The JT Leroy Story,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)India Menuez, from the film “White Girl,’ poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Artist Cai Guo-Qiang is the subject of the documentary “Sky Ladder.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Craig Robinson is a star of the film “Morris From America.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Keith Stanfield is an actor in Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic, “Miles Ahead.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Don Cheadle is the star and director of the Miles Davis biopic “Miles Ahead.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Isabelle Allen is an actress from the film “Let’s Be Evil.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Actor Dulé Hill from the film “Sleight.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)James Spinney, left, and Pete Middleton are the writers and directors of the film “Notes on Blindness.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kirsten Johnson is the director of the film “Cameraperson,” a memoir of her work as a documentary cinematographer.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Matt Ross from the film “Captain Fantastic.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Nick Jonas from the film “Goat.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rob Zombie, director of the film “31.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Andre Hyland, director and screenwriter from the film “The 4th.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Viggo Mortensen from the film “Captain Fantastic.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Riley Keough from “The Girlfriend Experience.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ben Schnetzer from the film “Goat.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kate Beckinsale from the film “Love and Friendship.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Taika Waititi, writer and director from the film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Todd Solondz, director from the film “Weiner Dog.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)James Schamus, director for the film “Indignation.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Matt Johnson, director and star of the film “Operation Avalanche.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Winner of the grand jury prize for world drama was Elite Zexer’s “Sand Storm,” a moving story of a mother and daughter in Israel’s Bedouin community caught between tradition and modernity.
In other noteworthy dramatic awards, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award went to Chad Hartigan for his “Morris From America,” a deft coming-of-age tale with a twist: 13-year-old Morris, along with his father, are “the only brothers in Heidelberg,” a staid German city. And the director’s award went to Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s “Swiss Army Man,” a film about a flatulent corpse. Really.
Also part of Hot Ticket Sundance, though not eligible to win anything because of the festival’s determination to ghettoize established creators, was Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea.” The kind of powerful, emotional filmmaking that leaves a scar, “Manchester,” to be distributed by Amazon Studios, stars Casey Affleck as a surly misanthrope forced to confront the tragedy that upended his life.
Two of the most satisfying of these, quarantined like “Manchester” in the Premiers section, were New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” and Joshua Marston’s “Complete Unknown.”
The adventure-filled tale of an unlikely alliance between an overweight reprobate of a teenager and a surly loner (the veteran Sam Neill at his best), “Wilderpeople” is very much its own film, warm, playful, comic and eccentric all at once.
“Complete Unknown” is a smooth and pleasingly enigmatic entertainment, a treat for fans of actress Rachel Weisz, who, costarring with the protean Michael Shannon, displays the range of her talent as a woman with the chameleon-like ability to discard lives like second skins.
Sundance documentaries, for their part, were as uniformly strong and fascinating as they’ve been in previous years, and if none of them made it into the Hot Ticket category, that was not for lack of trying.
Imogen Poots, from the film “Frank and Lola,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo & video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Imogen Poots poses for a portrait at the Sundance Film Festival.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Imogen Poots and director Matthew Ross from the film “Frank and Lola” pose for an L.A. Times photo at the Sundance Film Festival.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Louis Black and Karen Bernstein, filmmakers from the film “Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny,” in a portrait taken at the L.A. Times studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chris Hegedus, left, Steven Wise and D.A. Pennebaker of the film “Unlocking the Cage” pose for a portrait in the L.A. Times studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chris Hegedus, director of “Unlocking the Cage,” in a portrait at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jon Shenk, left, subject Daisy Coleman and Bonni Cohen, director from the film “Audrie & Daisy,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo & video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Vincent Piazza from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Daisy Coleman, subject from the film “Audrie & Daisy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Clea DuVall from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Shannon from the films “Complete Unknown” and “Frank and Lola.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Melanie Lynskey from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Shannon from the film “Complete Unknown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ben Schwartz from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Shannon from the films “Complete Unknown” and “Frank and Lola.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jason Ritter, left, Ben Schwartz, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Clea DuVall, director, Melanie Lynskey from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ben Schwartz, left, and Jason Ritter from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jason Ritter from the film “Intervention.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Aaron Brookner, director from the film “Uncle Howard.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Executive producer/narrator Katie Couric, right, and filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig from the film “Under The Gun.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Executive producer/narrator Katie Couric from the film “Under The Gun.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Shannon from the films “Complete Unknown” and “Frank and Lola.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Amandla Stenberg from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Chernus, left, Michael Shannon and director Joshua Marston from the film “Complete Unknown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Chernus, left, Michael Shannon and director Joshua Marston from the film “Complete Unknown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Danfung Dennis, filmmaker, and Casey Brown, producer from the virtual reality experience “Condition One.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ciro Guerra, writer-director from the film “Embrace of the Serpent.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Josh Fox, director from the film “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Christopher Waldorf, left, Chi Chi Mizrahi,, MikeQ, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, co-writer/subject, Sara Jordeno, writer-director, Gia Marie Love, Kenneth “Symba McQueen” Soler-Rios from the film “Kiki.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kahane Cooperman, showrunner/executive producer from the film “The New Yorker Presents.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Frankie Shaw, director-writer stars in “Too Legit.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Dawn Porter, director from the film “Trapped.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Keith Fulton, director, Lou Pepe, director, Jennifer Coffield and A.J. Wright from the film “Bad Kids.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lou Pepe, left, and Keith Fulton, directors from the film “Bad Kids.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jennifer Coffield and A.J. Wright from the film “Bad Kids.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Villar from the film “Carnage Park.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Mickey Keating, director from the film “Carnage Park.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rebecca Hall from the film “Christine.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tahir Jetter, director from the film “How to Tell You’re a Douchebag.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Alex Ross Perry from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jenny Slate from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Thomas Middleditch from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Nick Kroll, left, Brett Gelman, Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Jenny Slate, Jeff Baena, director, and Lauren Weedman from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jeff Baena, director, from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Paulina Garcia from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Diego Luna, director of “Mr. Pig.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Maya Rudolph, star of “Mr. Pig”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Actors Danny Glover, from left, Maya Rudolph and “Mr. Pig” director Diego Luna.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Writer-director Richard Tanne, from left, Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers, from “Southside With You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tika Sumpter from “Southside With You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Actor Waleed Zuaiter from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Writer-director Jason Lew, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Boyd Holbrook, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Elisabeth Moss, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Elisabeth Moss, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Boyd Holbrook, from left, Octavia Spencer, writer-director Jason Lew, Elisabeth Moss and Waleed Zuaiter, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Octavia Spencer, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Octavia Spencer, from “The Free World.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Bobby Naderi, from “Under the Shadow.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Bobby Nader, from “Under The Shadow.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jeff Daniels Phillips, right, and Richard Brake from the film “31.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ashley Bell, left, Pat Healy, Mickey Keating, Michael Villar and James Landry Hébert from the film “Carnage Park.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ashley Bell from the film “Carnage Park.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rebecca Hall from the film “Christine.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rebecca Hall and director Antonio Campos from the film “Christine.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Dylan Gelula from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Writer-director Kerem Sanga from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brianna Hildebrand, left, Kerem Sanga, writer-director, Brianna Hildebrand, Dylan Gelula and Mateo Arias from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brianna Hildebrand, left, Kerem Sanga, writer-director, Brianna Hildebrand, Dylan Gelula and Mateo Arias from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brianna Hildebrand from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Mateo Arias from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Mateo Arias from the film “First Girl I Loved.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Thomas Middleditch from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lauren Weedman from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brett Gelman from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Adam Pally from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Nick Kroll from the movie “Joshy.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Maya Rudolph from the film “Mr. Pig.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Maya Rudolph from the film “Mr. Pig.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Danny Glover from the film “Mr. Pig.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Haerry Kim from the film “Spa Night.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Haerry Kim, left, director Andrew Ahn and Joe Seo from the film “Spa Night.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Andrew Ahn from the film “Spa Night.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Joe Seo from the film “Spa Night.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Asif Kapadia, filmmaker from “Ali & Nino,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo & video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Alysia Reiner, left, and Sarah Megan Thomas from the film “Equity.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Alysia Reiner from the film “Equity.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Sarah Megan Thomas from the film “Equity.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Steven Caple Jr., writer and director for the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jorge Lendeborg Jr. from the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Moises Arias from the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rafi Gavron, left, Ezri Walker, Steven Caple Jr., Moises Arias and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. from the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ezri Walker from the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Moises Arias from the film “The Land.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Yoshiki from the film “We are X.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Stephen Kijak, left, and Yoshiki from the film “We are X.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Co-directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg from the film “Weiner.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Penelope Ann Miller from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Armie Hammer from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Gabrielle Union from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Gabrielle Union, left, Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Nate Parker, director, Penelope Ann Miller and Jackie Earle Haley from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Nate Parker, director from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jackie Earle Haley from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Aja Naomi King from the film “The Birth of A Nation.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jessie Kahnweiler, star-director-producer, from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Illeana Douglas, star-producer, left, Jill Soloway, executive producer, Rebecca Odes, executive producer, Jessie Kahnweiler, star-director-producer, and Andrea Sperling, producer, from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jill Soloway, executive producer from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jessie Kahnweiler from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rebecca Odes, executive producer from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Illeana Douglas from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Illeana Douglas from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Andrea Sperling, producer from the film “The Skinny.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)DeWanda Wise from the film “How to Tell You’re a Douchebag.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jenna Williams, from the film “How to Tell You’re a Douchebag.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Alano Miller, left, DeWanda Wise, Tahir Jetter, Charles Brice and producers Julius Pryor IV and Marttise Hill from the film “How to Tell You’re a Douchebag.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jennifer Ehle, from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jennifer Ehle, left, Michael Barbieri, Mauricio Zacharias, Paulina Garcia, Ira Sachs, director, Theo Taplitz and Greg Kinnear, from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Greg Kinnear from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michael Barbieri, left, and Theo Taplitz from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director and co-writer Ira Sachs, left, and co-writer Mauricio Zacharias from the film “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ira Sachs, director/co-writer from the film, “Little Men.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Mary Stuart Masterson from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Miles Joris-Peyrafitte from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Amandla Stenberg from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Scott Cohen from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Owen Campbell from the film “As You Are.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Parker Sawyers from the film “Southside With You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tika Sumpter from the film “Southside With You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Richard Tanne, writer-director from the film “Southside With You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jeff Feuerzig, director from the film “The JT Leroy Story.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Robert Jumper, left, director Tim Sutton, Anna Rose and Maica Armata from the film “Dark Night” in the L.A. Times photo & video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Pieter-Jan De Pue from the film “The Land of the Enlightened.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Michal Huszcza, left, Michal Marczak, director, and Kris Baganski from the film “All These Sleepless Nights” get cozy.
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Abigail Spencer from the series “Rectify.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Robert Greene and actress Kate Lyn Sheil from the film “Kate Plays Christine.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Actress Kate Lyn Sheil from the film “Kate Plays Christine.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Executive Producer Jim McNiel from the film “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World.”
( L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Werner Herzog, director of the film “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World.”
( L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Laura Albert from the film “The JT Leroy Story.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jeff Feuerzig and subject Laura Albert from the film “The JT Leroy Story.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jason Benjamin, director from the film “Suited.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jenni Konner, producer, left, Jason Benjamin, director, and Lena Dunham, producer, from the film “Suited.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jared Harris from the film “Certain Women.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jared Harris from the film “Certain Women.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Q., director of the film “Brahman Naman.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Q., director of the film “Brahman Naman.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Naman Ramachandran, left, Q., and Shashank Arora with Werner Herzog.
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tanmay Dhanania, left, Shashank Arora, Naman Ramachandran, Steve Barron, producer, Q., director, Sid Mallya, screenwriter, from the film “Brahman Naman.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ralph Rodriguez, left, Brian “Sene” Marc, Morgan Saylor, Adrian Martinez, India Menuez, Justin Bartha, Elizabeth Wood, filmmaker, and Anthony Ramos from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brian “Sene” Marc from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Morgan Saylor from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Anthony Ramos from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Adrian Martinez from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)India Menuez from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Justin Bartha from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Elizabeth Wood from the film “White Girl.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Gavin Free for Lazer Team levitates.
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Anne Fontaine, director from the film “Agnus Dei.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chloe Sevigny, left, Danny Perez and Natasha Lyonne from the film “Antibirth.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chloe Sevigny from the film “Antibirth.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Chloe Sevigny from the film “Antibirth.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Natasha Lyonne from the film “Antibirth.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rachel Grady, co-director from the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Heidi Ewing, co-director, Norman Lear, Rachel Grady, co-director, from the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Norman Lear from the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Heidi Ewing, co-director from the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Heidi Ewing, co-director from the film “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kenneth Lonergan, director from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lucas Hedges, left, Kenneth Lonergan, director, and Casey Affleck from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lucas Hedges, left, and Casey Affleck from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lucas Hedges, left, and Casey Affleck from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Lucas Hedges from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Casey Affleck from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Casey Affleck from the film “Manchester by the Sea.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Writer-director Sian Heder from the film “Talullah.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)John Benjamin Hickey, left, Allison Janney, Ellen Page, Sian Heder, writer-director, and Tammy Blanchard from the film “Talullah.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Ellen Page from the film “Talullah.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Roger Ross Williams from the film “Life Animated.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Allison Janney from the film “Talullah.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)John Benjamin Hickey from the film “Talullah.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Tammy Blanchard from the film “Talullah.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Riley Keough, left, So Yong Kim, director-writer, and Jena Malone from the film “Lovesong.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Riley Keough, left, Jessie Gray, Bradley Rust Gray, co-writer/producer, Jena Malone, So Yong Kim, director-writer, Rosanna Arquette, Sky Gray, Brooklyn Decker, Ryan Eggold for the film “Lovesong.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Brooklyn Decker from the film “Lovesong.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Rosanna Arquette from the film “Lovesong.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jena Malone from the film “Lovesong.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jena Malone, left, and Riley Keough from the film “Lovesong.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Director Roger Ross Williams from the film “Life Animated.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Jonathan Freeman, left, Owen Suskind, Gilbert Gottfried and director Roger Ross Williams from the film “Life Animated.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)John Krasinski, left, Charlie Day, Margo Martindale, Sharlto Copley and Josh Groban from the film “The Hollars.”
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)David Wheeler, left, Nicole Hockley, Mark Barden from the film “Newtown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Kim Snyder, left, director, and Maria Cuomo Cole, producer, from the film “Newtown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Nicole Hockley, David Wheeler, Maria Cuomo Cole, producer, Kim Snyder, director, and Mark Barden from the film “Newtown.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Todd Solondz, director of the film “Wiener-Dog,” poses for a portrait in the L.A. Times photo & video studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
( Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)The grand jury prize here went to Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s “Weiner.” A searing snapshot of how modern political campaigns are run and the way our current culture of public shaming works, it’s so intimate and invasive that you frankly wonder why the subject, disgraced former congressman and abortive New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, agreed to participate.
The documentary directing award went to Roger Ross Williams for “Life, Animated,” about an autistic boy whose life is changed by Disney animation, while the documentary audience award went to Brian Oakes’ “Jim: The James Foley Story,” about the U.S. journalist executed by Islamic State.
On the world documentary front, both the grand jury prize and the audience award went to Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s “Sonita,” the deftly done story of a young Afghan woman in Tehran who dreams of rap stardom while her family plans to sell her as a bride.
Also noteworthy, though not winners, are two other films about unusual individuals:
“Maya Angelou and Still I Rise.” The opportunity to spend time exploring the rich and complex life, as painful as it was joyous, of this exceptional writer was as nourishing as it sounds.
“Uncle Howard.” Filmmaker Aaron Brookner’s poignant attempt to connect with and memorialize his late uncle Howard, the idol of his youth, director of “Burroughs, The Movie,” and an exemplar of the 1980s downtown New York hipster scene.
With everything from demonstrations run by Samsung to “Factory Farm,” an unflinching look inside a slaughterhouse sponsored by Animal Equality, on view, virtual reality was present enough at Sundance 2016 to be its own mini-festival.
This was especially so at the festival’s New Frontier section, a pioneer for several years running in presenting VR to eager viewers, which this year showcased more than 30 examples of the technology in action, including “theBlu, Encounter,” a mesmerizing underwater experience that has an 80-foot blue whale floating serenely by, and “The Leviathan Project,” which cleverly incorporates touch into the VR world.
Most impressive was “Real Virtuality: Immersive Experience,” which truly immerses you so completely in a complex alternate reality, including moving through an enormous neon-lit city, that you’d swear you’d actually been there. No one really knows where VR is going, but experiences like this make you eager to go along.
MORE:
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Sundance 2016: Nine new VR pieces you need to know
Sundance: the breakout stars, the parties, the photos
Nate Parker hopes ‘The Birth of a Nation’ challenges ‘privilege and comfort’
Fox Searchlight makes big buy for ‘The Birth of a Nation’; next year’s Oscars may not be so white
Breakout film: Nate Parker’s ‘The Birth of a Nation’ injects itself into diversity debate
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