Misha and the Wolves had its world premiere as part of this year s Sundance Film Festival.
It was a Sundance Film Festival like no other. Rather than take place in the cinemas and snow-flecked streets of Utah’s Park City, the 2021 edition was virtually virtual, with screenings of the more than 70 features, 50 shorts and four indie series taking place via an online screening platform and some socially distanced screenings across America. But despite that, and a disrupted year for movie production, that didn’t mean the quality was lacking – far from it. Record prices were paid to acquire titles and, like previous years, there are plenty of exciting tales to look forward to seeing on a cinema screen or streaming service near you in the next 12 months.
A documentary about students at an El Paso High School who are interested in pursuing careers in law enforcement.
Director Maisie Crow says 900 schools in Texas have “some sort of criminal justice class or program.” As a Marfa resident herself, who covers the complexities of life along the U.S.-Mexico border through her work as editor-in-chief of the Big Bend Sentinel and Presidio Internacional newspapers, Crow told Texas Standard she was especially interested in exploring the role of law enforcement in Far West Texas.
“One of the things I love most about El Paso is its relationship to Juarez,” Crow said. “It really is one city divided by a border, and these kids really do live a cross-border life. I mean, they have community both in Juarez and in El Paso, and that was very important to me to make that clear in the film.”
Glen Wilson / Via Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Produced by Ryan Coogler, the second feature from Shaka King is a formidable work of art. A late addition to the Sundance lineup, the film stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton, the young chair of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter, and Lakeith Stanfield as William O’Neal, the undercover FBI informant who joins the group and betrays them. Kaluuya carries a grounded gravitas and is nothing short of sensational in his tour de force portrayal of the charismatic activist. Meanwhile, Stanfield’s chameleonlike nature serves his frantic character well here; it’s hard to pin down where his head’s at as he scrambles to survive. Throw in a handful of other notable performances (courtesy of Dominique Fishback,
Awards for the 2021 Sundance festival were presented Tuesday evening. The festival, which was held virtually online for the first time, started on Thursday and ends today.
Sundance from home: A virtual wrap on 2021’s unprecedented all-digital festival [Los Angeles Times]
This year’s Sundance Film Festival, its first virtual incarnation, ran Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 and Times film staffers were collectively glued to our TVs, laptops, smartphones and other devices to join in the annual celebration of independent cinema. Critic Justin Chang and reporters Mark Olsen and Jen Yamato discuss a most unusual festival experience and nod to some standout films and a few rather puzzling decisions by the festival’s awards juries.
JUSTIN CHANG: At a normal Sundance Film Festival, Jen and Mark, we wouldn’t be writing to each other. We’d be sitting around that big kitchen in the L.A. Times condo, snacking on pizza and gummy bears, exchanging quick notes on the movies we’ve seen and strategizing about what to see and write about next. Then some of us would don our beanies and parkas and head out into the snow while doing the kinds of quick travel-time calcula