This week marks the Sundance Film Festival’s 40th edition. In celebration of the Sundance Institute’s rich history, I’m spotlighting my all-time top 10 favorite films that have played at the Sundance Film Festival over its first four decades. Discover the new films that may be sliding into your top 10 by purchasing a ticket to the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Visit festival.sundance.org for details and more! #Sundance40th
Our Sundance 2024 coverage is sponsored by the Gene Siskel Film Center. One of the last arthouse theaters in Chicago, they present a curated collection of international, independent, and classic cinema reflective of Chicago’s diverse community. Learn more.
“Watching this movie, along with ‘Lost in Translation’ and all of Sofia’s other directorial work, has inspired me to look at film differently and more deeply. I’ve always loved a good story, but Sofia’s films have taught me that the medium speaks more when there is a captivating atmosphere—full of possibility, beauty, and poetry. And Sofia’s atmosphere is a powerhouse because of the details.”
Through Her Eyes: Sofia Coppola and Cailee Spaeny on the visual poetry of “Priscilla”
“Working Girls” is a masterpiece, and not known to enough people. Borden also directed “Born in Flames” two years before the release of this film. The way Borden used sound design in this film was so innovative, and bringing these characters to the screen normalized sex workers. She was ahead of her time, and this film is still so fresh today.
Kirsten Johnson and I view the world in similar ways. We see beauty everywhere, and it was awe-inspiring to see her talent in conveying this beauty. Intimate, personal, and universal, this doc hit all the right notes.
Girlhood is my “Boyhood.” This film is the best and most realistic coming of age film for a girl I’ve ever seen. It immerses you into the rhythmic soul of what it’s like to belong, be complicated, and how it is to be fiercely independent as a woman. The scene set to Rhianna’s song “Diamonds” makes me cry every time. Every frame of this film is gorgeous, anchored by an amazing debut from Karidja Touré.
Promising overlooked women: shining a light on female directors
Adrienne Shelly died way too soon, and was such a remarkable talent. “Waitress” is so funny, and had such a depth in an unconventional way. I love it, and it is one of my favorite films that I return to.
Her life and sudden death were chronicled in the documentary “Adrienne, which is available to stream on HBO Max. It is a loving portrait of the filmmaker, who was on her way to being one of the most influential filmmakers of our time, but was robbed of it when she was murdered in 2006, right before the Sundance premiere of “Waitress”. A single quote that stayed with me after viewing the film was, “Find what’s funny in what’s painful.”
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The buzz that centered around Anna Rose Holmer’s “The Fits” turned out to be true, affirming its status as a Sundance gem for the ages. If you love the art form of cinema, you will highly appreciate this film through its attention to detail in the cinematography, sound design, musical score, and raw performances. Nothing was wasted in the making of this film.
I just saw this film last year, and I loved how raw and poetic it is in its broken structure. When I interviewed the film’s writer and star, Guinevere Turner, she told me, “Before ‘Go Fish,’ almost all of ‘lesbian cinema’ had been a lone woman suffering while questioning, ‘Am I or am I not? Maybe I should or maybe I shouldn’t?’ That kind of fainting couch solitude. And I’m like, ‘If I thought that was what was in store for me, I would have not wanted to be a lesbian’. Those onscreen depictions made you feel like you were the only lesbian anyone knows and it’s going to be really sad.”
The arc of Michelle Rodriguez’s character in Karyn Kusama’s debut feature is empowering, cementing both women’s statuses as being among the best in the business.
Look back: 2020 Cinema Femme Short Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A moderated by Karyn Kusama
Look back: A vintage that gets better with age: a celebration of ‘Jennifer’s Body’ 10 years later
Writer/director Jamie Dack has the power to bring an audience on a journey through the incredible performance of its leading lady, Lily McInerny, particularly in the film’s pivotal tracking shot. This plot could have been so hokey if it was played the wrong way, but with Jamie Dack’s sensitivity and artistry, it becomes so real.
This documentary about the safe space of Estonian saunas for women, who share intimate stories from their lives, is a masterpiece that cleanses your soul.
Anna Hints on the power of Southern Estonia women in their feature debut, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”
Our Sundance 2024 coverage is sponsored by the Gene Siskel Film Center. One of the last arthouse theaters in Chicago, they present a curated collection of international, independent, and classic cinema reflective of Chicago’s diverse community. Learn more.
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