More than Half of 2020’s Sundance Dramatic Competition Films Directed by People of Color
But festival shows slight dip in female directors in main competition lineup
Brian Welk | December 4, 2019 @ 1:31 PM
Last Updated: December 4, 2019 @ 1:32 PM
All photos courtesy of Sundance Institute
More than half of the movies competing for the U.S. Dramatic prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival come from directors who identify as people of color.
Sundance reports that 53%, or nine of 17 directors across 16 films listed in competition as part of the 2020 lineup, are non-white. 118 feature films were announced as part of the lineup on Wednesday, and 34%, or 40 of the films, were directed by one or more filmmakers of color. And specifically across the 65 directors in all four competition categories, 56 films in all, 38% of the directors are people of color.
That’s right on par with the initial wave of films announced for 2019’s slate, which featured 36% as directed by people of color. However, that number changed slightly as more films were subsequently announced to the full lineup.
Directors of color in the U.S. Dramatic competition include: Esteban Arango for “Blast Beat,” Angel Manuel Soto for”Charm City Kings” and Ekwa Msangi for “Farewell Amor.”
Just under half of the directors in the U.S. Dramatic competition were women, which is slightly below last year when nine of the 16 films had a woman directing. However, the number of women directors represented at the festival overall saw an improvement from last year. Women directed 44% of the films announced Wednesday, or 52 films of the 118 in all.
That number could change as more films are added, but it would beat out last year, in which women directed only 47 of the features, or 39%, of the films in the festival. In 2018, 37% of all the films were directed by women, and in 2017, the total was only 34%.
Some of the films directed by women in the competition slate include Radha Blank’s “The 40-Year-Old Version,” Ekwa Msangi’s “Farewell Amor,” Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Eleanor Wilson alongside Alex Fischer for the film “Save Yourself!,” Josephine Decker’s “Shirley,” Tara Miele’s “Wander Darkly,” and Janicza Bravo’s “Zola.”
Other female directors represented on the lineup include new films by Miranda July, Dee Rees, Sara Colangelo, Amy Ziering and Julie Taymor.
Among LGBTQ+ representation, 5% of the 65 directors in competition are LGBTQ+, but 15% of all the filmmakers in the festival identify as such.
The 2020 Sundance Film Festival takes place in Park City, Utah from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.
10 Movie Hits Launched at Sundance in 2018, From 'Won't You Be My Neighbor' to 'Eighth Grade' (Photos)
Even though last year's Sundance didn't see studios break the bank to acquire a movie, the Park City festival was still the launch pad for several future indie hits that competed or premiered there. Here are the biggest ones from the last 12 months.
“Colette” ($5.1 million domestic) — Our list opens with Keira Knightley's portrayal of the author of the "Claudine" novels, who strikes out on her own after her manipulative husband takes the novels to Paris and claims that he wrote them. Bleecker Street bought the film for $4 million and saw a minor return on the film.
“Leave No Trace” ($6 million) -- "Winter's Bone" director Debra Granik won praise from indie circles for her gentle direction of a single father and his teenage daughter's wayward journey from one home to another after being caught living off the grid.
"Tully" ($9.4 million) -- The buzz for Charlize Theron's performance as a weary single mother began with a surprise screening at Sundance, going on to gross just under $10 million domestically.
“Three Identical Strangers” ($12.3 million) — Director Tim Wardle received a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for his competition-screened telling of triplets who were separated at birth thanks to an unethical behavioral science experiment. “Strangers” was one of four documentaries in 2018 to gross over $12 million at the box office, the first time that has ever happened in a calendar year.
“Eighth Grade” ($13.5 million) — It was snubbed by the Sundance jury AND the Academy, but “Eighth Grade” was still a striking debut for both its director, Bo Burnham, and its lead star, Elsie Fisher. The coming-of-age tale earned one of the highest opening per screen averages of the year, as A24 also held free screenings for teens to get around the film’s R rating.
“RBG” ($14 million) — Last year saw Ginsburg Mania hit a fever pitch, highlighted by the success of Magnolia Pictures’ documentary on the Supreme Court Justice released in the middle of a blockbuster-loaded May. And now it has earned Magnolia its second straight Oscar nomination, joining last year's doc "I Am Not Your Negro"
“Sorry to Bother You” ($17.5 million) — Boots Riley’s directorial debut became an instant cult classic with its bizarre imagery and cutting social commentary. It was purchased by Annapurna in an effort to built its distribution wing and became its first legit indie box office hit.
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” ($22.8 million) — Morgan Neville’s ode to Mister Rogers might have been shockingly snubbed from the Oscars, but it was still the most talked about film at Sundance and one of the most popular docs of the past decade. Released in the summer, it now ranks as one of the top 10 highest grossing nonfiction films of all-time.
“Searching” ($26 million) — The feature debut of Indian-American filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty made a huge splash in Sundance’s Next section and made a mint after being released by Sony in the late summer. Made on a paltry $1 million budget and bought for $5 million, “Searching” stars John Cho and tells the story of a father searching for his disappeared daughter, with almost the whole film being told on smartphone and computer screens.
“Hereditary” ($44.1 million) — The biggest box office hit of Sundance 2018 was a midnight section film produced by A24. “Hereditary” earned critical and audience acclaim for its disturbing portrayal of grief and its destructive power, and was declared by many to be the finest performance of Toni Collette’s career.
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Several films that premiere or compete in Park City go on to become the indie darlings of tomorrow
Even though last year's Sundance didn't see studios break the bank to acquire a movie, the Park City festival was still the launch pad for several future indie hits that competed or premiered there. Here are the biggest ones from the last 12 months.
