Flavor Of Italy at the Sundance Film Festival 2023
Two Italian movies in the lineup, and Italian director Luca Guadagnino honored with the Sundance International Icon Award.
The Sundance Film Festival, created by Robert Redford 45 years ago, returned to Park City in person after two years online. Italian cinema was celebrated from the opening night when Luca Guadagnino, the filmmaker of Bones and All, received the Sundance International Icon Award. The prize recognizes “an international auteur who creates distinctive cinematic universes and has made a lasting impact on filmmaking, most notably through a commitment to storytelling and an unwavering creative vision,” says the mention.
“Luca Guadagnino is a true visionary of cinema, and we are thrilled to honor him with this special award,” says Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO, who has a background as an indie film producer and previously headed the Toronto Intl. Film Festival and New York’s Independent Filmmaker Project. “Whether it’s with writing, directing, or producing, he has had an undeniable impact on the Sundance Film Festival community and the film industry as a whole with his unique storytelling abilities.”
Guadagnino has, indeed, strong roots at Sundance, making his festival debut in 2010 with “I Am Love,” which he wrote, directed, and produced. In 2017, Guadagnino returned to Park City with “Call Me By Your Name,” which became an eventual Oscar winner. He also made the documentary “The Truffle Hunters,” which played at the festival in 2020. Moreover, Italy will be present at the festival with two films: “Le Otto Montagne,” the adaptation of the novel by Paolo Cognetti, starring Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi, directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, and “L’immensità” by Emanuele Crialese, starring Luana Giuliani, Penélope Cruz, and Vincenzo Amato. The two Italian films, produced by Wildside – Fremantle group, will be part of the Spotlight section of the festival.
“Sundance is so unique — it is a place of discovery,” Vicente said to Variety. The discovery-focused event welcomes thirty-two directors making their feature debuts, 20 of which are women.
Filmmakers may be unknown, but some of the talents in the movies aren’t: Cynthia Erivo carries Anthony Chen’s “Drift”; Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway co-star in “Eileen”; Gael García Bernal plays a gay luchador in Roger Ross Williams’ “Cassandro”; and Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor pioneer the pregnancy of the future in “The Pod Generation.”
“I think the films we show are speaking to the moment,” says Kim Yutani, Sundance’s director of programming. “There are the outwardly political stories that have to do with Ukraine, such as ’20 Days in Mariupol’ and ‘Iron Butterfly,’ but another exciting thing that emerged this year is the Iranian voices.” Yutani’s team selected three films — “Persian Version,” “Joonam,” and “Shayda” — directed by women of Iranian descent.
This year’s Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 – 29 in Utah: Park City and vicinities.
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Two Italian movies in the lineup, and Italian director Luca Guadagnino honored with the Sundance International Icon Award.
The Sundance Film Festival, created by Robert Redford 45 years ago, returned to Park City in person after two years online. Italian cinema was celebrated from the opening night when Luca Guadagnino, the filmmaker of Bones and All, received the Sundance International Icon Award. The prize recognizes “an international auteur who creates distinctive cinematic universes and has made a lasting impact on filmmaking, most notably through a commitment to storytelling and an unwavering creative vision,” says the mention.
“Luca Guadagnino is a true visionary of cinema, and we are thrilled to honor him with this special award,” says Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO, who has a background as an indie film producer and previously headed the Toronto Intl. Film Festival and New York’s Independent Filmmaker Project. “Whether it’s with writing, directing, or producing, he has had an undeniable impact on the Sundance Film Festival community and the film industry as a whole with his unique storytelling abilities.”
Guadagnino has, indeed, strong roots at Sundance, making his festival debut in 2010 with “I Am Love,” which he wrote, directed, and produced. In 2017, Guadagnino returned to Park City with “Call Me By Your Name,” which became an eventual Oscar winner. He also made the documentary “The Truffle Hunters,” which played at the festival in 2020. Moreover, Italy will be present at the festival with two films: “Le Otto Montagne,” the adaptation of the novel by Paolo Cognetti, starring Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi, directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, and “L’immensità” by Emanuele Crialese, starring Luana Giuliani, Penélope Cruz, and Vincenzo Amato. The two Italian films, produced by Wildside – Fremantle group, will be part of the Spotlight section of the festival.
“Sundance is so unique — it is a place of discovery,” Vicente said to Variety. The discovery-focused event welcomes thirty-two directors making their feature debuts, 20 of which are women.
Filmmakers may be unknown, but some of the talents in the movies aren’t: Cynthia Erivo carries Anthony Chen’s “Drift”; Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway co-star in “Eileen”; Gael García Bernal plays a gay luchador in Roger Ross Williams’ “Cassandro”; and Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor pioneer the pregnancy of the future in “The Pod Generation.”
“I think the films we show are speaking to the moment,” says Kim Yutani, Sundance’s director of programming. “There are the outwardly political stories that have to do with Ukraine, such as ’20 Days in Mariupol’ and ‘Iron Butterfly,’ but another exciting thing that emerged this year is the Iranian voices.” Yutani’s team selected three films — “Persian Version,” “Joonam,” and “Shayda” — directed by women of Iranian descent.
This year’s Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 – 29 in Utah: Park City and vicinities.
