The 2021 Sundance Film Festival has been a dream come true. Yes, just like many others I wish I was getting to partake in this event live with other film critics from around the world, but sadly we couldn’t do that. I still was able to make the best of this festival and over the past 5 days I was able to rattle off 20 films, and more than 25 reviews and articles. It was a difficult, but engaging process, and I am so thankful for Sundance for giving me this opportunity.
I also want to give thanks to Sundance for making this an easy and smooth transition into the Virtual Style. Any question was answered promptly, and while there might have been a few hitches, the apps and website were as crisp as you could get. They did a really fantastic job in adapting, and I think more festivals should replicate what Sundance was able to pull off.
In my final article, I want to highlight all of Sundance. I am going to start this off by announcing the winners of the different competitions, but then I will announce the best of the fest for me. Included will be the movies, performances, directing, and screenplays that I thought were the best of Sundance.
Sundance Award Winners
- U.S. Dramatic Audience Award
- CODA
- U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury
- CODA
- U.S. Dramatic: Directing
- Sian Heder, CODA
- Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
- Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, ON THE COUNT OF THREE
- Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award
- Kristina Motwani, HOMEROOM
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast
- CODA
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting
- Clifton Collins Jr., JOCKEY
- U.S. Documentary Audience Award
- SUMMER OF SOUL (… OR WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
- U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Award
- SUMMER OF SOUL (… OR WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
- U.S. Documentary: Directing
- Natalia Almada, USERS
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Nonfiction Experimentation
- Theo Anthony, ALL LIGHT, EVERYWHERE
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker
- Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt, CUSP
- World Dramatic Audience Award
- HIVE
- World Dramatic Grand Jury Award
- HIVE
- World Dramatic: Directing
- Blerta Basholli, HIVE
- World Dramatic Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
- ONE FOR THE ROAD
- World Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting
- Jesmark Scicluna, LUZZU
- World Documentary Audience Award
- WRITING WITH FIRE
- World Documentary Grand Jury Prize
- FLEE
- World Documentary: Directing
- Hogir Hirori, SABAYA
- World Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change
- WRITING WITH FIRE
- World Documentary Special Jury Award: Verite Filmmaking
- PRESIDENT
- NEXT Innovator Award
- CRYPTOZOO
- NEXT Audience Award
- MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY
- Short Film Special Jury Award: Grand Jury Prize
- LIZARD
- Short Film Special Jury Award: U.S. Fiction
- THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND
- Short Film Special Jury Award: International Fiction
- BAMBIRAK
- Short Film Special Jury Award: Acting
- Deanna Gibson, WIGGLE ROOM
- Short Film Special Jury Award: Nonfiction
- DON’T GO TELLIN’ YOUR MOMMA
- Short Film Special Jury Award: Screenwriting
- Serhat Karaaslan, THE CRIMINALS
- Short Film Special Jury Award: Animation
- SOUVENIER SOUVENIER
Now onto my personal rankings of the fest. The reviews can be found by clicking the title.
Best Films
- Mass
- CODA
- On the Count of Three
- Prisoners of the Ghostland
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Together Together
- The Dog Who Wouldn’t be Quiet
- At the Ready
- Marvelous and the Black Hole
- Cryptozoo
- Jockey
- John and the Hole
- Human Factors
- Prime Time
- Passing
- MAYDAY
- Land
- R#J
- I Was a Simple Man
- Wild Indian
Best of the Rest
- Directing
- Fran Kranz, MASS
- Sian Heder, CODA
- Sion Sono, PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND
- Jerrod Carmichael, ON THE COUNT OF THREE
- Shaka King, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
- Ana Katz, THE DOG WHO WOULDN’T BE QUIET
- Ronny Trocker, HUMAN FACTORS
- Clint Bentley, JOCKEY
- Pascual Sisto, JOHN AND THE HOLE
- Karen Cinnore, MAYDAY
- Actor – Lead and Supporting
- Jason Isaacs, Mass
- Christopher Abbott, On the Count of Three
- Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Clifton Collins Jr., Jockey
- Bartosz Bielenia, PRIME TIME
- Troy Kotsur, CODA
- Ed Helms, Together Together
- Nic Cage, Prisoners of the Ghostland
- Jerrod Carmichael, On the Count of Three
- Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Actress – Lead and Supporting
- Emilia Jones, CODA
- Ann Dowd, Mass
- Martha Plimpton, Mass
- Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Marlee Matlin, CODA
- Patti Harrison, Together Together
- Tessa Thompson, PASSING
- Robin Wright, LAND
- Rhea Pearlman, MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE
- Sofia Boutella, PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND
- Screenplay
- MASS
- ON THE COUNT OF THREE
- CODA
- PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND
- JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
- TOGETHER TOGETHER
- JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
- THE DOG WHO WOULDN’T BE QUIET
- MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE
- CRYPTOZOO
Closing Thoughts
- Of the group, I think Mass is the only one with real Oscar potential, aside from an Original Song from CODA.
- When it comes to pure favorite, for all its cliches, CODA touched me the absolute most. I love that it embraced the cliches and embraced the formula and it worked because everyone bought in.
- Jason Isaacs, Emilia Jones, and Christopher Abbott all gave my favorite performances of the entire festival.
- The most fun I had while watching a movie is easily Prisoners of the Ghostland.
- Mass is the best overall script for just how well it can pull emotions and tell a story, but On the Count of Three is right there as well.
- Cryptozoo will forever be one of the most insane film experiences I have ever seen.
- Some disappointment, some excitement, and some gems, overall I think this was an outstanding first Sundance.
2021 Sundance Coverage
2021 Film Rankings
Jacob is a Graduate of Western Kentucky University where he earned a History/Film Studies Degree. He is a film critic and co-founder of the Music City Drive-In. He is also a member of the North American Film Critics Association and the Music City Film Critics’ Association. You can find him on Twitter @Tberry57.
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