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Amid a production lull, buyers are desperate for new movies. Luckily, Sundance has plenty for sale \u2014 for those willing to gamble on discovery titles.<\/p>\n
In 2020, the Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a splashy premiere for Netflix\u2019s new Taylor Swift documentary. When the 2021 edition gets underway on Thursday, there will be none of that. As a virtual affair, this year\u2019s Sundance is a back-to-basics event, one where a plethora of smaller-scale films without distribution will vie both for awards and acquisition.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t let the relative lack of A-list names suggest that sales activity will be sluggish. Amid a dearth of production, streaming arms race, and the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel coming into view, buyers are hungry for new product.<\/p>\n
The result is an environment where theatrical distributors are bracing for competition from streamers for titles that are usually their bread and butter, while buyers of all breeds are expecting to consider films that in other years they might have passed on.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause COVID has been more impactful than originally anticipated, there is a dearth of active production. Streamers are now in a position where there is a shortage of new product to present to their paying customers,\u201d said Kevin Iwashina, SVP, non scripted advisory, Endeavor Content. \u201cHistorically, acquiring films and documentaries was done opportunistically. Because of today\u2019s reality, acquisitions has become a need.\u201d<\/p>\n
As has been the case recently, the titles with obvious commercial potential are likely to spawn strong interest from streamers, whose deep pockets will drive bidding to levels unsustainable for theatrical play. That includes Day One movies \u201cCODA\u201d from Sian Heder and Questlove\u2019s \u201cSummer Of Soul (\u2026Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)\u201d as well as Rebecca Hall\u2019s racial drama \u201cPassing\u201d and Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones\u2019 \u201cHow It Ends,\u201d featuring an ensemble cast of familiar names.<\/p>\n
But discovery titles make up the bulk of a 70-plus-film slate. That\u2019s 40 percent slimmer than last year and the vast majority do not have distribution, meaning buyers should have an easier time diving into corners of the lineup that are usually under-explored.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like it is a bit of a sellers market, but because the slate is a little more experimental, it will be interesting to see what really moves fast,\u201d said Julie Dansker, head of new content sales at Shout! Studios, which is looking for acquisitions at the festival.<\/p>\n
That means a movie as unusual as \u201cCryptozoo,\u201d Dash Shaw\u2019s hand-drawn psychedelic exploration of 60s counterculture and cryptids, has garnered early buzz from buyers and representation from UTA. And Endeavor has \u201cThe Blazing World,\u201d first-time filmmaker Carlson Young\u2019s otherworldly excavation of her subconscious.<\/p>\n
Theatrical buyers say they\u2019re eager to explore the lineup, especially as Sundance marks the first festival since the coronavirus vaccine campaign has begun. While TIFF was \u201cwait and see,\u201d Sundance buyers are hopeful that theatrical exhibition could return in earnest later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch like the rest of the industry, the implications of the pandemic on the buyers have gone in waves. But this feels like the first time, when you talk to buyers, there\u2019s a clear feeling that theaters are going to reopen,\u201d said UTA\u2019s Nick Shumaker.<\/p>\n
In response to price ceilings that are increasingly defined by streamers, distributors say they plan to continue to get creative. It\u2019s an environment that spawned such record-breaking deals as Neon and Hulu\u2019s $15-million-plus purchase of \u201cPalm Springs\u201d and Apple and A24\u2019s $12 million \u201cBoys State\u201d pickup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that we could see some interesting new models and creative partnerships between the more traditional theatrically focused companies like A24 and Neon for example, and the streamers, who can benefit from working with those companies with strong brands and a reputation for quality not to mention a real expertise in the marketing of independent films,\u201d said ICM\u2019s Oliver Wheeler.<\/p>\n
Sundance organizers, with their custom-made virtual platform, hope to recreate the buzz and social experience around a first screening at the Eccles. They\u2019re pushing everyone to watch a film during its live premiere window; there are two to five movies to choose from per window, with five blocks per day over the most of the festival\u2019s seven-day run.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe speed at which the word-of-mouth gets to buyers and gets to decision-makers \u2014 we\u2019re really trying to push it into warp speed,\u201d said Cinetic Media\u2019s Jason Ishikawa. That means that while critics have gotten early access to many films with the idea that their reviews can go live shortly after a premiere ends, buyers have been largely shut out of any early screener access.<\/p>\n
Such a system just could work to keep the Sundance\u2019s late-night dealmaking tradition alive during the pandemic; just swap the condo meetings for Zoom sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of requests to prescreen, but we\u2019ve resisted those requests,\u201d Ishikawa said. \u201cWe really want to utilize the platform that Sundance has created. If we start to make exceptions, it starts to crack. We really believe in the system and we hope it works. It\u2019s much more robust than any virtual festival has ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a new virtual format comes increased access: Anyone in the US with a computer is able to buy tickets for the full lineup. Expect buyers to be combing Twitter to collect feedback; one of this year\u2019s closest analogues to cocktail chatter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m optimistic that a virtual festival could give us some helpful data on our acquisitions titles. If a more democratized set of viewers around the country all give feedback across social media, we can use this feedback to help with sales,\u201d said Deb McIntosh, SVP, Film Advisory, Endeavor Content.<\/p>\n
Below are 12 acquisitions titles that could sell big.<\/p>\n
\u201cCODA\u201d<\/p>\n
Domestic: ICM Partners and CAA \/ International: Path\u00e9 International<\/p>\n
Writer-director Sian Heder\u2019s film follows Ruby, a CODA (child of deaf adults) who finds herself torn between pursing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents when their fishing business is threatened. Heder, in her follow-up to Netflix\u2019s 2016 Sundance acquisition \u201cTallulah,\u201d has reportedly crafted a crowd-pleasing tearjerker whose commercial promise will easily spark a bidding war between theatrical distributors and deep-pocketed streamers.<\/p>\n
Summer Of Soul (\u2026Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
\nA still from Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Mass Distraction Media.All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and\/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and\/or photos is strictly prohibited.
\n\u201cSummer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)\u201d<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Sundance Institute<\/p>\n
Worldwide: Cinetic Media<\/p>\n
The subject of The Roots drummer Ahmir \u201cQuestlove\u201d Thompson\u2019s directorial debut is the Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of concerts attended by 300,000 the same summer as Woodstock. And yet awareness of the so-called Black Woodstock has been minimal \u2014 until now. Working with archival footage that\u2019s sat in a basement for five decades, Thompson blends exceptionally rare entertainment (a Stevie Wonder drum solo, a duet between Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples) with an overarching social critique that asks why such celebrations of Black culture have been suppressed for so long. It\u2019s bound to be a powerful combination irresistible for streamers looking to deliver to subscribers a film that\u2019s perfect for this moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn and the Hole\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: UTA and ICM<\/p>\n
Visual artist Pascual Sisto\u2019s directorial debut will premiere at Sundance after being named a Cannes official selection last year, one of just three Sundance picks that bear the Cannes laurels. Scripted by Oscar-winning \u201cBirdman\u201d co-writer Nicol\u00e1s Giacobone, \u201cJohn in the Hole\u201d promises a very unconventional coming-of-age story: It\u2019s set in the unsettling reality of a 13-year-old who holds his family captive in a hole in their backyard. Such strong credentials suggest \u201cJohn and the Hole\u201d could end up at the top of theatrical buyers\u2019 lists.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow It Ends\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: Endeavor Content<\/p>\n
Filmmaking and life partners Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones\u2019 collaborations have long been a fixture on the festival circuit, but \u201cHow It Ends\u201d marks the first time they\u2019ve shared the directors chair. Filmed in Los Angeles\u2019 empty streets amid the pandemic, the movie follows a woman (Lister-Jones) on a journey to her last party before the world ends. She runs into an eclectic cast of characters on her way, played by Olivia Wilde, Bradley Whitford, Helen Hunt, Finn Wolfhard, Fred Armisen, Pauly Shore, and many, many more. The title is sure to attract strong interest from distributors of the couple\u2019s past projects, including IFC Films and Searchlight, while others will be lured by the commercial appeal of its stacked cast.<\/p>\n
\u201cCryptozoo\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: UTA<\/p>\n
Four years after introducing TIFF to his unique hand-drawn style and singular voice with \u201cMy Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,\u201d Dash Shaw\u2019s sophomore effort promises to be just as inimitable and even more psychedelic. Set in the counterculture of the 60s, the film follows cryptozookeepers struggling to capture a rare beast when they begin to consider the ethics of keeping these creatures in captivity. Lake Bell, Michael Cera, and Alex Karpovsky lead the voice cast. This is an obvious choice for specialty distributors like GKIDS, but as Netflix showed with \u201cI Lost My Body,\u201d unusual and ambitious animation can have a place on more mainstream platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cPassing”<\/p>\n
Worldwide: Endeavor Content<\/p>\n
For her directorial debut, Rebecca Hall adapts Nella Larsen\u2019s Harlem renaissance novella about the story of two Black women (Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga) who each \u201cpass\u201d as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in 1929 New York. The psychological thriller explores the idea of \u201cpassing\u201d in racial identity, motherhood, sexuality, and the performance of femininity. It\u2019s the first project from Nina Yang Bongiovi\u2019s multicultural film fund, AUM Group. Among the most anticipated films on the slate, \u201cPassing\u201d could command a high price from a streamer attracted to its timely message or a theatrical distributor with the right plan to launch such a thought-provoking film.<\/p>\n
\u201cEight for Silver\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: CAA and ICM<\/p>\n
Sean Ellis\u2019 last Sundance film, 2013\u2019s \u201cMetro Manila,\u201d earned an Audience Award. For his latest effort, Ellis once again directs, produces, writes, and shoots, trying his hand at a period horror film centered around a werewolf and a community\u2019s grappling with a very human tragedy. The red-hot genre combined with Ellis\u2019 track record should make the title attractive to the likes of A24, Neon, and IFC.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlee\u201d<\/p>\n
Domestic: 30WEST\/International: Cinephil<\/p>\n
Another Cannes selection comes from Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who directs this animated documentary about a child refugee (a former classmate of Rasmussen\u2019s) fleeing his home in Afghanistan to safety in Denmark. Such bold storytelling was already bound to attract the attention of savvy distributors who might be able to position the film as a 2022 Oscar contender in animation, documentary, and international feature categories all at once. It\u2019s an equation made more appealing by the recent announcement that executive producers Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will lend their voices to the English version.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the Count of Three\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: UTA<\/p>\n
Jerrod Carmichael\u2019s directorial debut sees the comedian stepping away from his network-sitcom roots and toward a much darker vision. Rooted in drama and action, the satire revolves around two friends\u2019 suicide pact, exploring race and mental health along the way. With a script from \u201cRamy\u201d co-creators Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch and a cast that includes Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, JB Smoove, and Henry Winkler, \u201cOn the Count of Three\u201d has major breakout potential that will interest distributors of all breeds.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne for the Road\u201d<\/p>\n
Domestic: CAA<\/p>\n
With his 2012 debut \u201cCountdown\u201d chosen as Thailand\u2019s Oscar entry and his sophomore effort \u201cBad Genius\u201d a favorite on the festival circuit (before spawning an in-development English remake), Nattawut \u201cBaz\u201d Poonpiriya\u2019s third feature already showed huge promise. Couple that with the fact that \u201cOne for the Road\u201d is produced by Wong Kar-Wai, and this buddy drama\/road movie is one of the festival\u2019s most anticipated foreign selections. The film follows a New York City bar owner who returns to his native Thailand to embark on a road trip with his estranged friend. While US distributors erred by passing over \u201cBad Genius,\u201d \u201cOne for the Road\u201d should interest arthouse distributors whose audiences would respond to marketing around Wong\u2019s contribution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Blazing World\u201d
\nCarlson Young appears in The Blazing World<\/i> by Carlson Young, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and\/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and\/or photos is strictly prohibited.
\nWorldwide: Endeavor<\/p>\n
Carlson Young rose to fame on Disney Channel\u2019s \u201cAs the Bell Rings,\u201d but her directorial debut \u201cThe Blazing World\u201d couldn\u2019t be farther from the House of Mouse\u2019s light and bright programming. Inspired by a series of dreams that led her to \u201ctotal spiritual surrender\u201d and excavation of childhood trauma, the film follows a woman (Young) who slides deeper and deeper into her twisted inner life as she tries to exorcise her demons. \u201cThe Blazing World\u201d will stand out to distributors seeking bold filmmaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cEl Planeta\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: UTA<\/p>\n
Amalia Ulman and her debut film landed on UTA\u2019s radar courtesy of fellow multimedia artist Miranda July. While the two share obvious sensibilities \u2014 Ulman\u2019s art takes the form of Instagram posts, performances, and an app \u2014 the Argentine artist realizes a vision entirely her own in \u201cEl Planeta,\u201d which she wrote, directed, and stars in. Set in post-crisis Spain, the film follows a mother and daughter who bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they deserve, bonding over their impending eviction. The movie could spark the interest of distributors ready to introduce Ulman\u2019s unique perspective to the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cAiley\u201d<\/p>\n
Domestic: Cinetic\/International: Dogwoof<\/p>\n
Peabody- and Emmy-winner Jamila Wignot\u2019s latest documentary focuses on Alvin Ailey, the visionary choreographer, and is told in his own words along with a new commission inspired by his life. Wignot\u2019s work is a fixture on PBS, but Ailey\u2019s status as a Black, gay pioneer of racial integration in the arts could make the film interesting to a wide swath of distributors. That\u2019s especially true now that Barry Jenkins is working on an Ailey biopic for Searchlight; the two films could benefit from each other in the same vein as \u201cRBG\u201d and \u201cOn the Basis of Sex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHomeroom\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: Cinetic and CAA<\/p>\n
In the final installment of his trilogy exploring the interconnected narratives of health care, criminal justice, and education in America, Peter Nicks returns to Oakland, where he follows a high school class of 2020 over the course of their senior year. That was always the plan, but the pandemic offered both unexpected conflict for Nicks\u2019 subject and perhaps even more interest from audiences still struggling with a COVID world. Kino Lorber released the trilogy\u2019s second installment, \u201cThe Force;\u201d the specialty distributor and its peers will definitely consider the finale, as will others seeking to represent on some of the most pressing issues of our time.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsers\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide: Endeavor<\/p>\n
Natalia Almada has made a name for herself with her 2009 Sundance Documentary Directing Award-winning \u201cThe General\u201d and as a MacArthur genius-grant recipient. Ambitious in its birth-to-death scope, \u201cUsers\u201d explores how humans relate to tech and the role that it plays in society. This evergreen documentary will appeal to theatrical distributors eager to hold it for release when the time is right. The movie is readymade for a big-screen theatrical experience (think \u201cSamsara\u201d and \u201cKoyaanisqatsi\u201d).<\/p>\n
View this article at IndieWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sundance 2021 Market: 15 Movies That Could Sell Big in a Year of Virtual Discovery: Amid a production lull, buyers are desperate for new movies. Luckily, Sundance has plenty for sale \u2014 for those willing to gamble on discovery titles. In 2020, the Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a splashy premiere for Netflix\u2019s new
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