This year’s Sundance film festival marks a historic moment: it is the first without founder Robert Redford, who died last September at 89, and the last to be held in Utah, its home since 1978. Events are planned to commemorate a figure who helped nurture American independent cinema, but the festival also promises a roster of films to generate conversation.
Among the narrative highlights is “The Gallerist,” directed by Cathy Yan and starring Natalie Portman as an art dealer caught up in a scheme involving a dead body. The comedy, set during Art Basel Miami, features a supporting cast including Jenna Ortega, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Zach Galifianakis, Sterling K Brown, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Brühl and Charli xcx.
Charli xcx appears in three films this year, including the mockumentary “The Moment,” in which she plays an exaggerated version of herself, reflecting on the “Brat summer” of 2024. The singer has cited “This Is Spinal Tap” as inspiration, and the film is expected to be one of the festival’s hottest tickets.
Documentaries are also a strong draw. This week, all five Oscar nominees for best documentary came from last year’s festival, and this year’s lineup includes films on Billie Jean King and Brittney Griner. The most anticipated is Alex Gibney’s “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie,” based on Rushdie’s memoir, featuring footage shot by his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Rushdie has described the film as less a true-crime story than “a love story.”
With its final Park City edition, Sundance continues its tradition of spotlighting bold voices, even as it prepares to move to a new home.
