Sundance Recap 1

A Ranking of the Feature Films I Watched at Sundance

The last time I attended Sundance film festival, back in January 2020, the pandemic was a mere whisper, one that floated on the thin mountainous air of Park City, Utah into our isolated reality. Even when I landed in Salt Lake City, this time around, or when I took a car into the festival, or when I checked into the hotel and picked up my press badge—it didn’t feel real. It wasn’t until my first film, in the ornate yet cozy Egyptian Theater that Sundance became alive for me again.

While there, not only did I cover 19 films for RogerEbert.com, The Playlist, and IndieWire—between the online and in-person component I watched 107 films in total. Of those movies, 45 were shorts (I have a separate piece ranking my favorite watches) and 62 features. If you want a full ranking of the 62, you can head over to my Letterboxd, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll share my top-25.

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25. Earth Mama (dir. Savanah Leaf)

24. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (dir. Anna Hints)

23. Bravo, Burkina! (dir. Walé Oyéjidé)

22. My Animal (dir. Jacqueline Castel)

21. Fair Play (dir. Chloe Domont)

20. L’immensità (dir. Emanuele Crialese)

19. Judy Blume Forever (dir. Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok)

18. The Disappearance of Shere Hite (dir. Nicole Newnham)

17. Joonam (dir. Sierra Urich)

16. Magazine Dreams (dir. Elijah Bynum)

15. Passages (dir. Ira Sachs)

14. King Coal (dir. Elaine McMillion Sheldon)

13. A Little Prayer (dir. Angus MacLachlan)

12. Shayda (dir. Noora Niasari)

11. Fantastic Machine (dir. Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck)

10. Kokomo City (dir. D. Smith)

9. Slow (dir. Marija Kavtaradzė)

8. Rye Lane (dir. Raine Allen-Miller)

7. Fremont (dir. Babak Jalali)

6. Milisuthando (dir. Milisuthando Bongela)

5. Beyond Utopia (dir. Madeleine Gavin)

4. A Still Small Voice (dir. Luke Lorentzen)

3. Heroic (dir. David Zonana)

2. Past Lives (dir. Celine Song)

1. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (dir. Raven Jackson)