Sundance

Judas and the Black Messiah, Captains of Zaatari Join World Premiere Features; Passes and Tickets on Sale Now

The nonprofit Sundance Institute today adds two more world premiere feature films  to the 2021 Sundance Film Festival lineup. The 2021 Festival will take place digitally via a feature-rich, Sundance-built online platform and in person on Satellite Screens across the country (public health permitting) from January 28-February 3, 2021. Tickets for these additions are now on sale at festival.sundance.org.
 
“We are delighted to welcome these powerful works into our program,” said Festival Director Tabitha Jackson, “In a year where our Festival already exemplifies the vanguard of bold, visionary storytelling from around the world, they help further expand our boundaries.”

The latest films confirmed to join the 2021 Sundance Film Festival slate are:
 
PREMIERES SECTION
 
Judas and the Black Messiah / U.S.A. (Director: Shaka King, Screenwriters: Will Berson, Shaka King, Producers: Ryan Coogler, Charles D. King, Shaka King) — FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther party when J. Edgar Hoover fears charismatic leader Chairman Fred Hampton will emerge as a Black Messiah. O’Neal lives in fear of discovery and cannot escape the deadly trajectory of his betrayal. Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Lil Rel Howery, Martin Sheen. World Premiere
 
Judas and the Black Messiah will premiere on Monday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time on the digital platform, and will also play at the following Satellite Screens:
 
THE PLAZA THEATER PRESENTED BY ATLANTA FILM SOCIETY
1049 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306
 
DAD’S GARAGE DRIVE-IN PRESENTED BY ATLANTA FILM SOCIETY
569 Ezzard St SE , Atlanta, GA, 30312
 
JOURDAN-BACHMAN PIONEER FARMS PRESENTED BY AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY
10621 Pioneer Farms Drive, Austin, TX, 78754
 
SIDEWALK DRIVE-IN
1801 1st Ave. N. , Birmingham, AL, 35203
 
SIDEWALK FILM CENTER AND CINEMA
1821 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, AL, 35203
 
SPOTLIGHT CINEMAS CAPITAL 8 PRESENTED BY THE LUMINAL THEATER
201 Columbia Mall Blvd, Suite 211, Columbia, SC, 29223
 
THE TEXAS THEATRE PRESENTED BY AVIATION CINEMAS
231 W. Jefferson Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75208
 
MOONSTRUCK DRIVE-IN PRESENTED BY HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY
100 Bringhurst St, Houston, TX, 77020
 
FILMSCENE AT THE CHAUNCEY
404 E. College St, #100, Iowa City, IA, 52240
 
THE SPEED ART MUSEUM
2035 S. 3rd Street, Louisville, KY, 40208
 
MALCO SUMMER DRIVE-IN PRESENTED BY INDIE MEMPHIS
5310 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN, 38122
 
RIVERVIEW THEATER PRESENTED BY FILMNORTH
3800 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55406
 
BELCOURT DRIVE-IN
2102 Belcourt Ave, Nashville, TN, 37212
 
THE LOFT OPEN AIR CINEMA
3233 East Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716
 
ADMIRAL TWIN DRIVE-IN PRESENTED BY CIRCLE CINEMA
7355 E Easton St, Tulsa, OK, 74115
 
CIRCLE CINEMA
10 S Lewis Ave, Tulsa, OK, 74104
 
STARLITE DRIVE-IN PRESENTED BY MAMA.FILM
3900 S Hydraulic Ave, Wichita, KS, 67216
 
WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION SECTION
 
Captains of Zaatari / Egypt (Director and Producer: Ali El Arabi) — Mahmoud and Fawzi, two best friends trapped in Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, dream of becoming professional football players. When a world renowned sports academy scout visits the camp, both have a chance to make their dreams come true. World Premiere
 
Captains of Zaatari will premiere on Sunday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time on the Festival’s digital platform.

With today’s stats, the program includes 73 feature-length films, representing 30 countries and 39 first-time feature filmmakers. 14 films and projects announced today were supported by Sundance Institute in development, through direct granting or residency Labs. 68 of the Festival’s feature films, or 93% of the lineup announced today, will be world premieres. These films were selected from 14,092 submissions including 3,500 feature-length films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,377 were from the U.S. and 2,132 were international. Director demographics are available in an editor’s note below.



The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Clemency, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Zola, On The Record, Boys State, The Farewell, Honeyland, One Child Nation, The Souvenir, The Infiltrators, Sorry to Bother You, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Precious, The Cove, Little Miss Sunshine, An Inconvenient Truth, Napoleon Dynamite, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Reservoir Dogs and sex, lies, and videotape. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute. 2021 Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors – Acura, SundanceTV, Chase Sapphire, Adobe; Leadership Sponsors – Amazon Studios, AT&T, DoorDash, Dropbox, Netflix, Omnicom Group, Southwest Airlines® , WarnerMedia; Sustaining Sponsors – AMC, Audible, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Dell Technologies, Documentary Plus, GEICO, IMDbPro, Stella Artois®, Unity Technologies, University of Utah Health, White Claw Hard Seltzer, Zoom; Media Sponsors – The Atlantic, IndieWire, Los Angeles Times, NPR, The New York Times, Variety, Vulture, The Wall Street Journal. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. sundance.org/festival
 
Sundance Institute
As a champion and curator of independent stories for the stage and screen, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, film composing, and digital media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs which are dedicated to developing new work and take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally, are supported largely through contributed revenue. Sundance Co//ab, a digital community platform, brings artists together to learn from each other and Sundance Advisors and connect in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Clemency, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Zola, On The Record, Boys State, The Farewell, Honeyland, One Child Nation, The Souvenir, The Infiltrators, Sorry to Bother You, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Fruitvale Station, City So Real, Top of the Lake, Between the World & Me, Wild Goose Dreams and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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EDITOR NOTE: DIRECTOR DEMOGRAPHICS
The data we are sharing reflects information provided directly by the artists. Some artists chose to not self identify in all data areas.
 
FULL SLATE: Across 141 films and projects, 49%, or 69, were directed by one or more women; 4% or 6, were directed by one or more non-binary individuals; 50%, or 71, were directed by one or more artists of color; 15% or 21 by one or more people who identify as LGBTQ+.
 
U.S. COMPETITION:
Dramatic: 50% of the 10 directors in this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition identify as women; 40% as BIPOC. Documentary: 64% of the 11 directors in this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition identify as women; 73% as BIPOC; 9% as LGBTQ+.
 
WORLD COMPETITION:
Dramatic: 50% of the 10 World Dramatic Competition identify as women.
Documentary: 42% of the 12 directors in the World Documentary Competition identify as women.
 
FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS: Of the feature film submissions, 1,377 were from the U.S. and 2,132 were international; 27% were directed by one or more women; 2% were directed by one or more non-binary individuals; 42% were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as BIPOC; 11% by one or more filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+.
 
ALL FEATURES: Of the 73 feature films, 45% were directed by one or more women; 3% were directed by one or more non-binary individuals; 42% were directed by one or more filmmakers who identify as BIPOC; 8% by one or more filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+.
 
NEW FRONTIER: Of the 32 artists across the 14-project section, 44% identify as women, 9% as non-binary, 44% as BIPOC, and 22% as LGBTQ+.
 
SHORTS: Comprising 50 films, 48% or 24 of all short films announced today chose to indicate they were directed by one or more women; 2% or 1 was directed by one or more non-binary individuals; 64% or 32 were directed by one or more artists of color; 20% or 10 by one or more people who identify as LGBTQ+. Of the 60 directors across the section, 42% indicated they identify as women, 2% as non-binary, 56% as BIPOC, and 20% as LGBTQ+.