SUNDANCE 2024 | Pre-Fest Part 2: Must See Films With Talent Previously Featured On ForReel
Image courtesy of Sundance
IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE
Program: Midnight
Director: Greg Jardin
Writer: Greg Jardin
Synopsis: A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.
Recurring Talent: James Morosini
Why This Is A Must-See: It’s What’s Inside is a film with the kind of alluring premise I want from a Midnight selection at a festival. The tantalizingly summary drums up an incredible sense of mystery and seems to promise a thrilling narrative. And being described as “playful, sexy, and science fiction–infused” in the Sundance description only further heightens my curiosity for what we can expect from this film.
Director Greg Jardin has extensive experience crafting art-forward projects, from music videos to short films. In conjunction with a producing team that includes Raul Domingo (executive producer of Sing Sing) and Colman Domingo (actor in Sing Sing, Rustin, and The Color Purple), it will be exciting to see how Jardin’s background in artistic design in marketing and entertainment comes through in feature film storytelling.
The exciting up-and-coming cast includes Brittany O’Grady (White Lotus), Alycia Debnam-Carey (The 100), Devon Terrell (Rap Sh!t) and James Morosini, an actor and filmmaker who I had the pleasure of speaking with last year about his own SXSW award winning film, I Love My Dad. Much of Morosini’s acting career thus far has been under his own directorial efforts, so I am excited to see how he brings his background in dramedy acting and filmmaking to his role in It’s What’s Inside.
Image courtesy of Sundance
IN A VIOLENT NATURE
Program: Midnight
Director: Chris Nash
Writer: Chris Nash
Synopsis: The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness.
Recurring Talent: Peter Kuplowsky
Why This Is A Must-See: In A Violent Nature is the feature directorial debut of Chris Nash, and the concept sounds so unique and enticing. The Sundance description explains that Chris “skillfully flips the slasher genre on its head by shifting the perspective from the victims to the killer with haunting effect,” and this is the kind of shake up in horror/slasher storytelling that I’m excited to see play out.
But to add onto the interesting premise, the film has producer Peter Kuplowsky involved as well. I had the opportunity to interview Kuplowsky ahead of TIFF 2023 about his curation of that festival’s Midnight program, which included stunning genre-bending hits like Kill, Aggro Drift, Sleep, and When Evil Lurks. Our conversation not only explored his commitment to presenting new and challenging film projects in the genre-bending space, but he also talked extensively about his background as a cinephile and what films inspire his career in the film industry.
Nash’s background with short filmmaking and Kuplowsky’s experience in the industry has me incredibly enthusiastic about this film. In A Violent Nature promises to be a wild experience.
Image courtesy of Sundance
GIRL’S STATE
Program: Premieres
Directors: Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss
Synopsis: Teenage girls from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri navigate a week-long immersive experiment in American democracy, build a government from the ground up, and reimagine what it means to govern.
Recurring Talent: Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss
Following up their highly successful doc Boys State, Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine team up once again to bring audiences back to the world of teen politics with Girls State. This one takes place in Missouri this time, following teams of girls who will aim to tackle hot button topics that are important to them.
The concept is the same as Boys State, but its the perspective of the subjects that makes all the difference - ultimately lining Girls State up to be not only an appropriate, but an entirely necessary companion piece to Boys State. And the way McBaine and Moss tend to conduct their documentaries tends to allow audiences to observe, take it in, and leave plenty of room for robust discussion after.
I spoke with Jesse and Amanda during the VIFF 2023 about their most recent documentary, The Mission, where they discussed tackling challenging topics. For that film, McBaine says, “I like that there’s passionate response on either side. I like that there’s those conversations and difference. I don’t think you don’t hear our point of view in this film…But I do feel like we give people enough space to kind of feel their way though each chapter…” And especially when it comes to a topic as volatile as politics, that is the kind of perspective I hope documentarians have.
“Going [in] with an open heart,” is the perspective that Moss shared with me in that interview, and it’s my hope that Sundance audiences do just that when going into Girls State.