In collaboration with Picturehouse, this year’s Sundance London will present 12 feature films selected from the festivals Utah edition, along with various panels to complement the films.
We’ve hand-picked a number of the most highly anticipated events that will take place over the course of the festival from 30th May – 2nd June, with tickets available to purchase here.
The Last Tree (Saturday 1st June – 18:00; Sunday 2nd June – 12:00)
A compelling drama about a British boy of Nigerian heritage relocating from Lincolnshire to inner-London and the struggle he undergoes with his mother as he begins to lose his cultural heritage and attempts to build his own identity. Shola Amoo (A Moving Image) makes his homecoming to Sundance London after his acclaimed short film Dear Mr Shakespeare played at in 2017 with his follow-up The Last Tree, a lyrical coming-of-age film where he shows an accomplished grip on his craft. He will also be in attendance for the Shorts to Feature panel.
Late Night (Thursday 30th May – 19:05)
Directed by Nisha Ganatra and starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, Late Night follows a legendary late-night talk show host whose world is turned upside down when she hires her only female staff writer. Originally intended to smooth over diversity concerns, her decision has unexpectedly hilarious consequences as the two women separated by culture and generation are united by their love of a biting punchline.
The Nightingale (Saturday 1st June – 20:30; Sunday 2nd June – 15:00 & 15:20)
The Babadook director Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale stars Aisling Franciosi as Clare, a young Irish convict, who loses everything she holds dear after her family is horrifically attacked in 1820s Tasmania. Driven to track down and seek revenge against the British officer who oversaw the horror, she enlists the service of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy. Marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past, Billy reluctantly agrees to take her through the interior of Tasmania. On this brutal quest for blood, Clare gets much more than she bargained for.
Corporate Animals (Saturday 1st June – 22:00 (sold out) & 22:15; Sunday 2nd June – 13:00 (sold out) & 13:20)
Corporate Animals stars an ensemble cast with Demi Moore leading this absurdist dark comedy about a CEO who takes her employees on a team-building caving weekend turned bad once they get trapped underground. Directed by Patrick Brice (Creep) and written by Peep Show co-writer Sam Bain who are both panellists on the Comedy and Collaboration panel. The film also stars Ed Helms (The Hangover, Jeff Who Lives at Home) and Jessica Williams (Booksmart, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Daily Show) in supporting roles. This film is sure to keep you laughing until the credits.
Woman and Independence Panel (Friday 31st May – 17:00)
Journalist Kate Muir will be joined by Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Sophie Hyde (Animals) and Sundance Director of Programming Kim Yutani for an engrossing conversation from industry professionals and filmmakers about what independence means to them and how it can shift change in how they work. This will be a topical conversation that you won’t want to miss. Find a full list of panellists here.
Embracing Risk – Panel (Friday 31st May – 15:00)
Emphasising the festival’s theme this year – Risk Independence – film writer Wendy Mitchell will be moderating a panel of leading filmmakers compromising Alison Klayman (Director, The Brink), Marie Therese Guirgis (Producer, The Brink); Daniel Scheinert (Director, The Death of Dick Long) who will discuss the necessity of taking risks to tell their stories.
Shorts to Feature: A Two-Way Street – Panel (Saturday 1st June – 16:30)
A companion event to the exciting Short Film Tours at Sundance London is the Shorts to Feature: A Two Way Street panel which explores the differences in craft between short and
