Sundance reveals diverse, robust lineup for 40th
Ejiofor, Soderbergh among auteurs with films debuting at fest
Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun co-star in a love story about a satellite and a buoy, Chiwetel Ejiofor directs a film about the life of Rob Peace, and Will Ferrell takes a road trip with his best friend who is transitioning in three of the films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
Organizers recently announced a diverse and robust lineup of 82 featurelength films from 24 countries for the 40th edition of the festival, which includes the return of one of Sundance’s original prodigies, Steven Soderbergh.
In 1989, Soderbergh helped put Sundance on the map with “Sex, Lies, and Videotape.” This year, he’ll premiere his new genre film “Presence,” about a family who suspects they’re not alone in their suburban home, starring Lucy Liu and Julia Fox.
“That was one of the exciting discoveries of this year,” said Kim Yutani, the festival’s director of programming. “It’s funny to say discovery around Steven Soderbergh because he is such an independent film and now studio film stalwart … ‘Presence’ is a really wildly creative film.”
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who launched “Mississippi Grind” at Sundance and went on to direct “Captain Marvel,” are also back with “Freaky Tales,” set in 1987 Oakland and following four interconnected tales. It stars Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis and Ben Mendelsohn.
Festival organizers are looking forward to looking back, to celebrate 40 years, with an opening night event that honors
another Sundance alum, Christopher Nolan, whose breakthrough “Memento” received the event’s screenwriting award in 2001. “Past Lives” filmmaker Celine Song, the big breakout of the 39th festival, is also being honored.
“It’s not really an anniversary, it’s the 40th edition,” said Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente. “Really it gives you an opportunity to reflect on the legacy, but also be excited about the possibilities and the new talent that we will be launching this year.”
It’s the synthesis of having the veterans standing next to the first and second timers, the discoveries that the festival is famous for, that is most exciting, Yutani added.
Programmers sifted through over 17,000 submissions (a record) from more than 150 countries and territories to
select the feature films, shorts and episodic series that will be featured across the 10-day festival, which will kick off Jan. 18 and run through Jan. 28 in Park
City, Utah.
“There is such boldness and adventurousness and risk taking and such big swings happening in the lineup this year,” said festival and public programming director Eugene Hernandez. “These films, they’re entertaining, they’re moving, they’re provocative.”
Films selected will bring various White Lotus alums to the Utah mountains, including Aubrey Plaza (“My Old Ass”), Murray Bartlett (“Ponyboi”), Will Sharpe (“A Real Pain”) and Meghann Fahy (“Your Monster”), and see “The Worst Person in the World” stars Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie together again in “Handling the Undead.” Reinsve will
also appear with Sebastian Stan in “A Different Man,” about an actor who dramatically transforms his appearance.
Stewart, no stranger to Sundance, has two films: The buoy-satellite love story “Love Me” and “Love Lies Bleeding,” which Yutani called two of the most surprising films of the festival.
“I think both of these films just show what an eye Kristen Stewart has for choosing roles and working with directors who are completely bold, wild geniuses,” Yutani said.
Jesse Eisenberg also has two movies playing: “A
Real Pain,” which he wrote and directed and stars in with Keirnan Culkin, and David and Nathan Zellner’s “Sasquatch Sunset,” which he stars in alongside Riley Keough.
“Jesse is continuing to use his creative connections and curiosities and power to illuminate some really fun and creative and moving stories,” Hernandez said. “He’s such a unique, distinctive American artist.”
Justice Smith is another actor with a double bill. The “Dungeons & Dragons” star will be in “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” a debut feature, and the midnight film “I Saw the TV Glow,” with Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler, that Yutani said shows “a real range.”
Other performances that could have people talking are Alicia Silverstone in a midnight film called “Krazy House,” Carol Kane in Nathan Silver’s “Between the Temples,” and 93-yearold June Squibb playing opposite the late Richard Roundtree in “Thelma,” a thriller in which she takes to the streets after getting duped by a phone scammer.
In addition to the very familiar names on the lineup, Sundance will also feature up-and-comers and other artists diving into new areas. Painter Titus Kaphar is making his feature debut with “Exhibiting Forgiveness” — starring André Holland, Andra Day and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — and Lucy Lawless directs “Never Look Away” about CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth. Ejiofor also directs Jay Will, Mary J. Blige and Camila Cabello in
“Rob Peace,” based on Jeff Hobbs’ biography.
Sundance has many buzzy nonfiction offerings too, including one about WNBA star Sue Bird, another about actor and director Christopher Reeve and one diving into the music festival Lollapalooza.
A documentary that Yutani thinks is going to make a lot of waves at the festival is “Will & Harper” about Ferrell and his friend of 30 years who has transitioned. “They take this really beautiful road trip across the country, and it is enlightening on so many levels,” Yutani said.
In the episodic section, Debra Granik has “Conbody vs Everybody,” about a former convict who starts a gym, and Richard Linklater has a three-part documentary series “God Save Texas.”
Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss also return with their “Boys State” follow-up, “Girls State,” an opening day film that Yutani said “sets the tone for how we want our festival to be seen.”
“It’s such a rich, rich combination of films that I think exhibit some really wild and adventurous creativity,” Hernandez said. “To have that same level of creativity and ingenuity happening, the same creativity and ingenuity that drew us all to the festival when we started going back in the ’90s … it’s really exciting.”
ONGOING ARTHAUS AT THE MEZZ, MARRIOTT RENAISSANCE, 12 N. 7th St., Allentown. 610-841-4866. Law & Disorder:
Protest Imagery from Vietnam to Roe as well as commissioned photographs of the iconic courthouses in Lehigh and Northampton Counties (Architecture of Justice) by Ed Eckstein. Through Jan. 13.
ALLENTOWN ART MUSEUM, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown. 610-432-4333. Angela Fraleigh:
Threaded with Moonlight: Fraleigh’s newest body of work, inspired by the museum’s rich textile holdings and the long history of textiles as a medium associated with female labor. Through March 17. The Making of Gustave Baumann’s El Velorio (The Wake): Exhibition focuses on Baumann’s El Velorio
(The Wake) (1927), featuring works from the museum’s collection: the graphite and pastel sketches of his initial idea, the carved wood blocks from which the completed woodcut was printed, and individual color proofs. Through April 28. Nostalgia for My Island: Puerto Rican Painting from the Museo de Arte de Ponce (1786-1962): Explores this innovative period in Puerto Rican art through 20 exceptional works from the Museo de Arte de Ponce. The exhibition highlights a rich array of approaches and voices, including paintings by earlier Puerto Rican masters Jose Campeche y Jordan (17511809) and Francisco Oller y Cestero (1833-1917), whose work offered inspiration to twentieth-century artists. Through April 28. allentownartmusuem.org.
AMERICA ON WHEELS, 5 N. Front St., Allentown. 610-432-4200. What’s Cooler Than Cool?:
AirCooled Engines-No radiator, no water, no kidding!: Seventeen vehicles from a 1920s style Pembleton Brooklands Race Car and a 1934 Franklin Airman Club Sedan to a 1989 Trabant on display. Through April 14. americaonwheels. org.
APOLLO GRILL, 85 W. Broad St., Bethlehem. Glorious Places:
An exhibit of 16 paintings by contemporary artist Tina Cantelmi. Sales of paintings directly benefit the Judith Adele Agentis Charitable Foundation. Through Jan. 2. us.givergy.com.
ARETE GALLERY, 122 S. Main St., New Hope. 610283-9001. John Lennon Artwork:
Select works of art created by Lennon and endorsed with his personal chop mark, and rare posters and photographs, with theme of peace and love. Through Dec. 25. aretegallery.com.
BETHLEHEM TOWN HALL ROTUNDA GALLERY, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem. Dark Skies:
Lehigh Valley photographer Scott Krycia provides a glimpse into the mysteries and untold stories in the cosmos. Through Dec. 21. bfac-lv.org.
HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS, Bethlehem. 610-882-0450. Unspun:
Stories of Silk: Three-part exhibit organized by Historic Bethlehem Museum and Sites examines the local impact of the textile from its beginnings with cocooning attics, where raw silk from silkworms was spun to becoming a leader in the fashion industry in the early 1900s. Begin the journey at the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, 66W. Church
St. with a replica of a 1750s coccoonery, learn about the early Moravians experiments with silk in the attic of the Brethren’s House, follow the legendary stories of Moravian women and silk, including the Single Sisters’ secret gifts to notable historical figures and try your hands at silk embroidery, as it was taught at the Moravian Ladies Seminary. The journey continues at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 N. New Street with dresses, undergarments and housewares. The exhibition concludes at the National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second St. to learn the stories of the women who worked in the factories that mass produced the products of the silk industry and their place in the push for workers rights. Through Jan. 28. historicbethlehem. org
KALMBACH MEMORIAL PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, 200 Cotton St., Macungie. 610-965-1140. Betty Allender: Through Dec. 31.
KEMERER MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem. 800360-8687. Trees of Historic Bethlehem Tour:
Catch a glimpse of over 25 trees across three historic sites decorated by members of the Bethlehem Garden Club. Through Jan. 7. historicbethlehem.org.
KETTLE CREEK ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER, 8050 Running Valley Road, Stroudsburg. 570-629-3061. Photo Contest:
Winners of the Monroe County Natural Resources Photo Contest. Through Jan. 31. mcconservation.org.
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY LINDERMAN AND FAIRCHILD-MARTINDALE LIBRARIES, 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem. Where Do We Go From Here?:
Maps and atlases from the Duncan Payne and Lehigh Libraries collections. Unique hand-colored maps
in Linderman Library and reproductions of 30 city views from Braun’s atlases displayed in Fairchild-Martindale Library. Through Dec. 20. lehigh.edu.
LOWER MACUNGIE LIBRARY, 3450 Brookside Road, Macungie. 610966-6864. Glenn Kratzer: Through Dec. 31.
MVA GALLERY-MODERN VISUAL ARTS, 35 E. Elizabeth Ave., Bethlehem. 610-936-0737. Amazing Abstracts:
Artists from every region of the U.S. present extraordinary abstract images from “drip” paintings to color field impressions to geometric designs. Through Jan. 11.
Celebrate Art:
Holiday selection of art with a variety of themes and styles. Through Jan. 10. mvaartgallery.com.
MARTIN ART GALLERY, MUHLENBERG COLLEGE, 24th and Chew streets, Allentown. 484-664-3100. Andrew Soria:
Welcome to the Neighborhood: A love letter to a city and its culture, conveyed through a series of pop surrealism cityscapes. Through Jan. 5. muhlenberg. edu.
MARTIN GUITAR MUSEUM, 510 Sycamore St., Nazareth. Joan Baez:
Musician & Artist: Journey through her life’s work, from her early interest in the arts through her impact on popular music, civil rights, anti-war movements, and humanitarian causes. The exhibit includes Baez’s iconic 1929 Martin 0-45 and signature prototype, original paintings and drawings, rare photographs, and tour memorabilia, handwritten lyrics, letters, setlists, more. Through April
30. martinguitar.com.
MUSEUM OF INDIAN CULTURE, 2825 Fish Hatchery Road, Allentown. 610-797-2121. The Great Native American Toolkit:
Prehistoric stone tools and pottery used by the ancient Mississippian (Mound Builder) cultures, Northeastern Woodland Lenape / Delaware / Iroquois, and Anasazi / Pueblo of the Southwest, and ancient bone fishing tools carved by Alaskan Natives. Through Jan. 28. Native American Beadwork: Evolution, Economics, and Artistry: The exhibit traces the progression of imported glass beads as a medium of trade, artistic expression, and identity for indigenous peoples throughout North America. Through April 27. museumofindianculture.org.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF INDUSTRIAL HISTORY, 602 E. 2nd St., Bethlehem. 610-694-6644. New & Improved! The Age of Convenience in the Home:
Exhibit examines what it means to strive for the American Dream following World War II through the end of the 1970s. Through June 29. nmih.org.
NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem. Wyso’s Ukraine:
Original art by Frank Wysochansky. Through Dec. 31. frankwyso. org.
NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, MONROE CAMPUS, 2411 Route 715, Bethlehem. Wyso’s Heaven and Hell:
Frank Wysochansky had the deepest respect for the spiritual and prayerful monastic life as depicted in many of these paintings. Through Dec. 31. frankwyso. org.
RICHLAND LIBRARY, 44 S. Main St., Quakertown. 717-866-4939. Etchings:
Joanne Isaac. Through Dec. 20.
SIGAL MUSEUM, 342 Northampton St., Easton. 610-253-1222. Forged by Fire:
the Heroism, Honor, and History of Firefighting: Explores the history of firefighting in Northampton County tracing the roots of local fire prevention back to William Penn and the Great Fire of London in 1666, highlighting Colonial Era town planning, Moravian technological innovations for moving water, the bucket brigade, the horse-drawn steamer engine and the formation of volunteer firefighting companies. Through July 7. sigalmusuem.org.
STONY RUN WINERY,
150 Independent Road, Breinigsville. 610-398-7231. Marianne Knipe, Jeanne Stock and James Wood: Through Jan. 30.
STUDIO B FINE ART GALLERY, 39A East Philadelphia Ave., Boyertown. Vivid:
Annual holiday exhibition. Through Dec. 31. studiobbb.org.
THE GALLERY AT ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 330 Ferry St., Easton. 610-905-1767. The Gallery at St. John’s Presents “The Holiday Show”:
Holiday gifts created by fine artists and craftsman. Through Dec. 17. elca.org.
GALLERY840, 840 Hamilton St., Allentown. 6th Annual Holiday Art & Gift Shop:
A collection of paintings that include winter scenes, florals, abstracts, more. Also hand-crafted items like wire wrapped jewelry, felted hats, pottery, assorted glassware, more. Through Dec. 22. gallery840. net.