Sundance has released its Jury and lineup and women are at the very forefront! Half of the jury is made of female filmmakers and more than 20 films in the competition are directed by women.
This comes as very encouraging news following the publication of a report by The Center for the Study of Women in Television stating than women only made up 7% of directors working on the top 250 films of 2016 (down 2% from 2015).
Out of the many female voices, which will be heard at this year’s Sundance, we can already mention Landline, directed by Gillian Robespierre, and starring John Turturro and Jenny Slate about two sisters in ‘90s New York discovering their father’s affair.
Novitiate, directed by Maggie Betts, and staring an all female cast, including Margaret Qualley, Melissa Leo and Dianna Agron. In 1960s Vatican II era, the film follows a young women training to become a nun and struggling with issues of faith and sexuality.
Lemon, directed by Janicza Bravo and starring Judy Greer, Gillian Jacobs and Michael Cera, about a man watching his life unraveling after his blind girlfriend leaves him.
The Jury will include fantastic women personalities, including Emmy Award-winning producer of Life, Animated, Julie Goldman, and Jeaninne Oppewall, Academy Award nominated production designer for her work in L.A Confidential, Seabiscuits and The Good Shepherd. Jessica Williams, star of Jim Strouse’s The Incredible Jessica James, also playing in the Festival, will host the Awards.
Another highlight is Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut with her upcoming film commissioned by Refinery29 as part of a series of twelve short films directed by women “exploring the dynamic of power”.
Stewart has been a regular at Sundance, having already appeared in seven Sundance titles including last year’s Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways in 2010. Her short film, Come Swim, is described as “…a diptych of one man’s day, half impressionist and half realist portraits”.
The Sundance Film Festival will take place from Thursday, January 19 to Sunday, January 29 in Park City, Utah.
#Peace.Love.Sundance2017
