he 2023 Sundance Film Festival takes place this year from 19-20 January 2023, offering a glimpse at upcoming movie trends while also elevating stories that impact us all. Diplomatic Courier follows the yearly festival to see how film reflects topics of global significance. This year furthers this exploration with a new assemblage of exciting movies—selections that have also made the 2023 festival the most diverse yet with 53% directed by a woman and 45% directed by a person of color. While keeping this list to full-length features, here are ten movies to look forward to from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
“LA PACERA (THE FISHBOWL)” - Glorimar Marrero Sánchez, World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Glorimar Marrero Sánchez’s “La Pecera (The Fishbowl)” follows Noelia, a woman battling cancer. Noelia returns to Vieques, Puerto Rico, where she grew up, a place dealing with “its own poisoning” after decades of U.S. Army presence. Against the backdrop of Hurricane Irma inching closer, the story focuses on Noelia and the trauma of colonization interwoven in Puerto Rican life.
“20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL” - Mstyslav Chernov, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
In “20 Days in Mariupol,” Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov chronicles the 20 days he and teammates Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko spent in Mariupol, Ukraine, during Russia’s assault. As a part of the only team of international journalists left in the city, they witness the horror of Russia’s siege around them, eventually hiding in a hospital as Russian forces close in. Snippets of their footage were widely disseminated through news media, but this is the larger story the world didn’t see.
“SHAYDA” - Noora Niasari, World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
“Shayda,” by writer-director Noora Niasari, comes at a time where women in Iran and beyond are fighting for their rights. Shayda is an Iranian woman who finds safety in a women’s shelter in Australia with her six-year-old daughter. Frightened by the return of her husband who she fled and divorced, the film chronicles this woman and her reclamation of her human rights.
“5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION” - Lina, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“5 Seasons of Revolution” is the debut feature of independent filmmaker and video journalist Lina. In Damascus as the Arab Spring began, Lina and a group of other hopefuls celebrated the arrival of revolution and its opportunity for transformation. Through multiple identities and methods of survival, the film exhibits Lina’s first-hand experience of living inside this revolution.
“IRON BUTTERFLIES” - Roman Liubyi, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has been perpetual, extending far beyond its full-out invasion on 24 February 2022. In June 2014, when the war in the Donbas region raged, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Roman Liubyi’s “Iron Butterflies” captures this history, its truth, and how it led us to the world we currently witness.
“MILISUTHANDO” - Milisuthando Bongela, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“Milisuthando” is a personal essay film by Milisuthando Bongela, which accounts her memories growing up in a Xhosa community in Transkei, an unrecognized state formed from the apartheid regime in South Africa. The film explores this history and what it means to become human in the context of race.
“TWICE COLONIZED” - Lin Alluna, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“Twice Colonized” directed by Lin Alluna follows Aaju Peter, a Greenlandic Inuit lawyer who specializes in defending the human rights of Indigenous peoples in the Arctic region. The film captures Peter’s campaign to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Parliament and the destructive effects of colonialism that persist.
“DEEP RISING” - Matthieu Rytz, Premieres.
The electric battery revolution has started race to extract rare earth metals, many of which are being sought from the deep seafloor. “Deep Rising,” directed by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa, documents this competition unfolding as extraction companies fight to industrialize the deep sea environment in the name of clean energy.
“DRIFT” - Anthony Chen, Premieres.
“Drift” follows the character of Jacqueline as she struggles to survive on a Greek island after fleeing Liberia. The film portrays Jacqueline’s efforts to survive and her grief beset by the violence that forced her to leave her homeland. Things change when she meets an American tour guide and gives friendship a chance.
“RADICAL” - Christopher Zalla, Premieres.
“Radical” by writer-director Christopher Zalla is a story about Sergio, a teacher who takes a radical approach with his sixth-grade students in Matamoros, Mexico. The radical approach he takes: to let kids become kids again by spurring curiosity and joy in learning.
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10 Movies to Look Forward to from Sundance Film Festival 2023
Photo by Felix Mooneeram via Unsplash.
January 22, 2023
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has begun, offering a glimpse at upcoming movie trends while also elevating stories that impact us all. Diplomatic Courier’s Whitney DeVries looks to 10 global films to anticipate from this year’s festival.
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he 2023 Sundance Film Festival takes place this year from 19-20 January 2023, offering a glimpse at upcoming movie trends while also elevating stories that impact us all. Diplomatic Courier follows the yearly festival to see how film reflects topics of global significance. This year furthers this exploration with a new assemblage of exciting movies—selections that have also made the 2023 festival the most diverse yet with 53% directed by a woman and 45% directed by a person of color. While keeping this list to full-length features, here are ten movies to look forward to from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
“LA PACERA (THE FISHBOWL)” - Glorimar Marrero Sánchez, World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Glorimar Marrero Sánchez’s “La Pecera (The Fishbowl)” follows Noelia, a woman battling cancer. Noelia returns to Vieques, Puerto Rico, where she grew up, a place dealing with “its own poisoning” after decades of U.S. Army presence. Against the backdrop of Hurricane Irma inching closer, the story focuses on Noelia and the trauma of colonization interwoven in Puerto Rican life.
“20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL” - Mstyslav Chernov, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
In “20 Days in Mariupol,” Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov chronicles the 20 days he and teammates Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko spent in Mariupol, Ukraine, during Russia’s assault. As a part of the only team of international journalists left in the city, they witness the horror of Russia’s siege around them, eventually hiding in a hospital as Russian forces close in. Snippets of their footage were widely disseminated through news media, but this is the larger story the world didn’t see.
“SHAYDA” - Noora Niasari, World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
“Shayda,” by writer-director Noora Niasari, comes at a time where women in Iran and beyond are fighting for their rights. Shayda is an Iranian woman who finds safety in a women’s shelter in Australia with her six-year-old daughter. Frightened by the return of her husband who she fled and divorced, the film chronicles this woman and her reclamation of her human rights.
“5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION” - Lina, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“5 Seasons of Revolution” is the debut feature of independent filmmaker and video journalist Lina. In Damascus as the Arab Spring began, Lina and a group of other hopefuls celebrated the arrival of revolution and its opportunity for transformation. Through multiple identities and methods of survival, the film exhibits Lina’s first-hand experience of living inside this revolution.
“IRON BUTTERFLIES” - Roman Liubyi, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has been perpetual, extending far beyond its full-out invasion on 24 February 2022. In June 2014, when the war in the Donbas region raged, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Roman Liubyi’s “Iron Butterflies” captures this history, its truth, and how it led us to the world we currently witness.
“MILISUTHANDO” - Milisuthando Bongela, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“Milisuthando” is a personal essay film by Milisuthando Bongela, which accounts her memories growing up in a Xhosa community in Transkei, an unrecognized state formed from the apartheid regime in South Africa. The film explores this history and what it means to become human in the context of race.
“TWICE COLONIZED” - Lin Alluna, World Cinema Documentary Competition.
“Twice Colonized” directed by Lin Alluna follows Aaju Peter, a Greenlandic Inuit lawyer who specializes in defending the human rights of Indigenous peoples in the Arctic region. The film captures Peter’s campaign to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Parliament and the destructive effects of colonialism that persist.
“DEEP RISING” - Matthieu Rytz, Premieres.
The electric battery revolution has started race to extract rare earth metals, many of which are being sought from the deep seafloor. “Deep Rising,” directed by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa, documents this competition unfolding as extraction companies fight to industrialize the deep sea environment in the name of clean energy.
“DRIFT” - Anthony Chen, Premieres.
“Drift” follows the character of Jacqueline as she struggles to survive on a Greek island after fleeing Liberia. The film portrays Jacqueline’s efforts to survive and her grief beset by the violence that forced her to leave her homeland. Things change when she meets an American tour guide and gives friendship a chance.
“RADICAL” - Christopher Zalla, Premieres.
“Radical” by writer-director Christopher Zalla is a story about Sergio, a teacher who takes a radical approach with his sixth-grade students in Matamoros, Mexico. The radical approach he takes: to let kids become kids again by spurring curiosity and joy in learning.
