2022 Sundance Film Festival

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol, it was initially intended to be an in-person/virtual hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022, it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor of a wholly virtual festival due to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 9, 2021.

Films

U.S. Dramatic Competition

• Alice, written and directed by Krystin Ver Linden
• Breaking (premiered as 892), directed and co-written by Abi Damaris Corbin
• Cha Cha Real Smooth, written, produced and directed by Cooper Raiff
• Dual, written, produced and directed by Riley Stearns
• Emergency, directed by Carey Williams
• I'll Be Your Mirror (premiered as blood), directed by Bradley Rust Gray
• Master, written and directed by Mariama Diallo
• Nanny, written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu
• Palm Trees and Power Lines, directed and co-written by Jamie Dack
• Watcher, written and directed by Chloe Okuno

U.S. Documentary Competition

• Aftershock, produced and directed by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee
• Descendant, directed by Margaret Brown
• The Exiles, directed by Ben Klein and Violet Columbus
• Fire of Love, directed, co-written and co-produced by Sara Dosa
• Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi
• I Didn't See You There, directed by Reid Davenport
• The Janes, directed by Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes
• Jihad Rehab, directed by Meg Smaker
• Navalny, directed by Daniel Roher
• TikTok, Boom., directed by Shalini Kantayya

Premieres

• 2nd Chance, directed by Ramin Bahrani
• Am I OK?, directed by Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro
• Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, directed by Nina Menkes
• Call Jane, directed by Phyllis Nagy
• ', directed and co-produced by Rory Kennedy
• Emily the Criminal, written and directed by John Patton Ford
• God's Country, directed and co-written by Julian Higgins
• Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, directed by Sophie Hyde
• Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul., written, directed and co-produced by Adamma Ebo
• jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, directed by Clarence "Coodie" Simmons and Chike Ozah
• La Guerra Civil, produced and directed by Eva Longoria Bastón
• Living, directed by Oliver Hermanus
• Lucy and Desi, directed and co-produced by Amy Poehler
• My Old School, directed by Jono McLeod
• The Princess, directed by Ed Perkins
• Resurrection, written and directed by Andrew Semans
• Sharp Stick, written, directed and co-produced by Lena Dunham
• To the End, directed by Rachel Lears
• We Need to Talk About Cosby, directed by W. Kamau Bell
• When You Finish Saving the World, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

• Brian and Charles, directed by Jim Archer
• The Cow Who Sang a Song Into The Future, directed by Francisca Alegría
• Dos Estaciones, directed by Juan Pablo González
• Gentle, directed by Anna Eszter Nemes and László Csuja
• Girl Picture, directed by Alli Haapasalo
• Klondike, written, directed and edited by Maryna Er Gorbach
• Leonor Will Never Die, written and directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar
• Marte Um (Mars One), directed by Gabriel Martins
• Utama, directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
• You Won't Be Alone, written and directed by Goran Stolevski

World Cinema Documentary Competition

• All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen
• Calendar Girls, directed by Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen
• A House Made of Splinters, directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont
• Midwives, directed by Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing
• The Mission, directed by Tania Anderson
• Nothing Compares, directed by Kathryn Ferguson
• Sirens, directed by Rita Baghdadi
• Tantura, directed by Alon Schwarz
• The Territory, directed and co-produced by Alex Pritz
• We Met in Virtual Reality, directed by Joe Hunting

Midnight

• Babysitter, directed by Monia Chokri
• Fresh, directed by Mimi Cave
• Hatching, directed by Hanna Bergholm
• Meet Me in the Bathroom, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace
• Piggy, written and directed by Carlota Pereda
• Speak No Evil, directed and co-written by Christian Tafdrup

Next

• The Cathedral, written, directed and edited by Ricky D'Ambrose
• Every Day in KaimukÄ« by Alika Tengan
• Framing Agnes, directed by Chase Joynt
• A Love Song, written, directed, produced and co-edited by Max Walker-Silverman
• Mija, directed by Isabel Castro
• Riotsville, U.S.A., directed by Sierra Pettengill
• Something in the Dirt, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Spotlight

• After Yang, written, directed and edited by Kogonada
• Happening, directed and co-written by Audrey Diwan
• Neptune Frost, directed by Saul Williams
• ', directed by Bianca Stigter
• The Worst Person in the World, directed by Joachim Trier

Awards

The following awards were given out:

Grand Jury Prizes

• U.S. Dramatic Competition – Nanny (Nikyatu Jusu)
• U.S. Documentary Competition – The Exiles (Ben Klein and Violet Columbus)
• World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Utama (Alejandro Loayza Grisi)
• World Cinema Documentary Competition – All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen)

Audience Awards

• Festival Favorite – Navalny (Daniel Roher)
• U.S. Dramatic Competition – Cha Cha Real Smooth (Cooper Raiff)
• U.S. Documentary Competition – Navalny (Daniel Roher)
• World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Girl Picture (Alli Haapasalo)
• World Cinema Documentary Competition – The Territory (Alex Pritz)
• NEXT – Framing Agnes (Chase Joynt)

Directing, Screenwriting and Editing

• U.S. Dramatic Competition – Jamie Dack for Palm Trees and Power Lines
• U.S. Documentary Competition – Reid Davenport for I Didn't See You There
• World Cinema Dramatic Competition – Maryna Er Gorbach for Klondike
• World Cinema Documentary Competition – Simon Lereng Wilmont for A House Made of Splinters
• Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – K.D. Dávila for Emergency
• Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary – Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput for Fire of Love
• NEXT Innovator Prize – Chase Joynt for Framing Agnes

Special Jury Prizes

• U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast – The cast of 892
• U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision – Bradley Rust Gray for blood
• U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision – Margaret Brown for Descendant
• U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change – Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee for Aftershock
• World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting – Teresa Sánchez for Dos Estaciones
• World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit – Martika Ramirez Escobar for Leonor Will Never Die
• World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence in Verité Filmmaking – Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing for Midwives
• World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft – Alex Pritz for The Territory

Short Film Awards

• Short Film Grand Jury Prize – The Headhunter's Daughter
• Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction – If I Go Will They Miss Me
• Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction – Warsha
• Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction – Displaced
• Short Film Jury Award: Animation – Night Bus
• Short Film Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast – A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here
• Short Film Special Jury Award for Screenwriting – Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver

Special Prizes

• Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize – After Yang
• Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction – Su Kim for Free Chol Soo Lee
• Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction – Amanda Marshall for God's Country
• Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction – Toby Shimin
• Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction – Dody Dorn
• Sundance Institute/NHK Award – Hasan Hadi for The President's Cake

Acquisitions

• 2nd Chance: Showtime Documentary Films (North American distribution)
• A Love Song: Stage 6 Films and Bleecker Street (worldwide distribution); Cinetic Media (North American sales); Films Boutique (International sales)
• Aftershock: Onyx Collective and ABC News
• Alice: Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions (North American distribution)
• Am I OK?: Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max
• Breaking: Bleecker Street (US distribution)
• Brian And Charles: Focus Features (worldwide rights; US distribution); Universal Pictures (International distribution)
• Calendar Girls: Juno Films (North American distribution)
• Call Jane: Roadside Attractions (US distribution)
• Cha Cha Real Smooth: Apple TV+
• Descendant: Netflix and Higher Ground Productions
• Dual: RLJE Films (US distribution)
• Emily the Criminal: Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions (US distribution); Universal Pictures (International distribution)
• Fire of Love: National Geographic Documentary Films
• Free Chol Soo Lee: MUBI (select territories including North America)
• Fresh: Searchlight Pictures and Hulu
• God's Country: IFC Films (North American distribution)
• Good Luck To You, Leo Grande: Searchlight Pictures and Hulu (US distribution)
• Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul: Focus Features, Peacock and Monkeypaw Productions
• Leonor Will Never Die: Music Box Films (North American distribution)
• Living: Sony Pictures Classics (select territories including North America)
• Mars One: Magnolia Pictures (international sales)
• My Old School: Magnolia Pictures (North American distribution)
• Nanny: Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Productions
• Navalny: Warner Bros. Pictures (North American theatrical distribution)
• Neptune Frost: Kino Lorber
• Nothing Compares: Showtime Documentary Films
• Piggy: Magnet Releasing (US distribution); Filmax (distribution in Spain)
• Resurrection: IFC Films and Shudder (North American distribution)
• Sharp Stick: Utopia (US distribution)
• Speak No Evil: Shudder (select territories including North America)
• The Cathedral: MUBI (North American distribution)
• The Territory: National Geographic Documentary Films
• Utama: Kino Lorber (US distribution)
• Watcher: IFC Midnight and Shudder (North American distribution); Focus Features and Universal Pictures (International distribution)

References