Strap in movie nerds, Sundance is coming to Seattle again.
In what is now its second digital go-around, Robert Redford's little film fest will serve premieres of films that could set the tone for the next year of movie-going. Or they could suck. We don’t know. We haven’t seen them yet. Usually, people need to jet down to where Real Housewife Meredith Marks lives to see these movies, but one of the few positive things to come out of this pandemic is more accessible film fests, so we're getting another digital Sundance this year.
From January 20 to 30, Sundance 2022 showcases new U.S. and international features, documentaries, shorts, and special programming (which is very metaverse-y!). This year's fest initially planned to be hybrid, with a virtual fest and an in-person one in Utah, though Omicron dashed those plans. The show is indeed still going on, with tickets to virtual showings available through the festival website. For people around Seattle: Northwest Film Forum is again operating as a "Satellite Screen," which basically just means you'll get to see some of the films from Sundance in Seattle and in a theater. You can still get member passes and individual tickets through the NWFF website. That starts next weekend. We'll cover the movies playing at NWFF on Slog over the next week.
If you get tickets to Sundance's virtual screenings, you'll be able to view them through the platform Sundance is bringing back from last year. It’s pretty good, and there’s a "How To Fest Online" guide that should answer any questions. The lowdown is that you'll need to make sure to plan out what you want to see. This means going through the process of adding favorites to your schedule, purchasing those tickets to secure your seat, and making sure things don't overlap.
If you get a ticket to a premiere screening, you'll have a three-hour window to start watching it. That's plenty of time to make sure you can still watch if you start a bit late, though we recommend starting as close to the start time as you can if you want to participate in any virtual post-film discussions. For a film's second screening, which takes place two days after its premiere, you'll have a much more relaxed window that gives you 24-hours to watch. They are limited in capacity, so make sure you plan it out. Probably try to catch your favorites at their premieres.
When it comes to how you watch them, the tech section outlines how you can use a variety of browsers, with the recommended ones being Safari, Edge, and Opera for high definition. You can watch it via Chrome and Firefox, though those will be in standard definition. Sorry fans of Internet Explorer (whoever you weirdos are), that is not supported. If you're looking to get fancy, you can also stream from your computer to your TV with Chromecast, AirPlay, or Wi-Fi. If you don't have that fancy tech, you can always use an HDMI, VGA, or DVI cable. There also is a festival app that you can get on AppleTV, FireTV, Android, Roku, and iOS to watch as well.
First off, grab single-film tickets fast. There are a lot available but they get picked up quickly.
One you can see today, Thursday, is Emergency, a dark comedy about a group of Black and Latino college students who are looking to have a night out but face an unexpected crisis when they find a white girl passed out who drunkenly wandered into their home. Fair warning: This type of comedy is stressful, as the situations the characters find themselves in begin to spiral out of control rapidly.
On Friday, there's the highly-anticipated science-fiction drama After Yang. The second film from writer-director Kogonada, whose debut film Columbus remains outstanding, this new film centers around a family trying to save a robotic member of their family.
On Saturday, there's another science-fiction film called Dual about a woman who must face down a clone she got to comfort her family members when faced with a terminal illness.
On Sunday, there is the premiere of the mind-melting Something In The Dirt about two unlikely friends who discover a room in their apartment building that seems to have supernatural qualities that could change the course of their lives.
We got you.
International Documentary Feature – World Cinema: Documentary Competition, Dir. Rita Baghdadi
Friday, January 28: 6 pm
International Documentary Feature – Premieres, Dir. Eva Longoria Bastón
Saturday, January 29: 3 pm
International Narrative Feature – World Cinema: Dramatic Competition, Dir. Gabriel Martins
Saturday, January 29: 8 pm
Sunday, January 30: 4 pm
U.S. Documentary Feature – Documentary Competition, Dir. Julie Ha, Eugene Yi
Sunday, January 30: 5:30 pm
Julie Ha and Eugene Yi's documentary feature explores the story of Chol Soo Lee, a 20-year-old Korean immigrant who was unjustly convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1973. After years of imprisonment, journalist K.W. Lee starts to look into Chol Soo Lee's case and soon galvanizes "a first-of-its-kind pan-Asian American grassroots movement to fight for Chol Soo Lee’s freedom, ultimately inspiring a new generation of social justice activists." The film also studies the effects of becoming a symbol for a movement has on Lee, who starts to self-destruct once out of prison.
U.S. Dramatic Feature – Premieres, Dir. Adamma Ebo
Sunday, January 30: 7.30 pm
Read more about Northwest Film Forum's partnership with Sundance here. And if you're interested in a virtual Sundance experience, go here.
