The 2022 Sundance Film Festival has released its 2022 lineup, featuring entries in its Feature Films and Indie Episodic programs, and, once again, there are several LGBTQ+ films premiering in Park City. The upcoming festival will embrace a hybrid model of in-person screenings at iconic Park City theaters, satellite screenings across the United States, and online screenings, as it continues its long tradition of showcasing diverse, impactful work from across the world.
Queer talent with projects appearing at this year’s festival includes: Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Tig Notaro, Kiersey Clemons, Alan Cumming, Jojo T. Gibbs, Sean Hayes, and more. Below is a sample of the 2022 festival’s queer-inclusive lineup.
PREMIERES
A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated fiction and nonfiction films of the coming year.
AM I OK?
U.S.A. / World Premiere / Fiction
Directors: Stephanie Allynne, Tig Notaro, Screenwriter: Lauren Pomerantz, Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Erik Feig, Dakota Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Lauren Pomerantz
Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she’s moving to London, Lucy reveals a long-held secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos.
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Sean Hayes.
NEXT
Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. NEXT presented by Adobe.
FRAMING AGNES
Canada, U.S.A. / World Premiere / Documentary
Director: Chase Joynt, Producers: Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt
After discovering case files from a 1950s gender clinic, a cast of transgender actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access.
Cast: Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Silas Howard, Chase Joynt, Max Wolf Valerio
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
THE COW WHO SANG A SONG INTO THE FUTURE
Chile, France, U.S.A, Germany / World Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Francisca Alegría, Screenwriters: Fernanda Urrejola, Manuela Infante, Producers: Tom Dercourt, Alejandra García
Cecilia and her children travel to her aging father’s dairy farm after he has a heart attack. Back in her childhood home, Cecilia is met by her mother, a woman dead for many years, whose presence brings to life a painful past chorused by the natural world around them.
Cast: Leonor Varela, Mia Maestro, Alfredo Castro, Marcial Tagle, Enzo Ferrada, Luis Dubó.
MARTE UM (MARS ONE)
Brazil / DAY ONE / World Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Gabriel Martins, Producer: Thiago Macêdo Correia
In Brazil, a lower-middle-class Black family of four tries to keep their spirits up and their dreams going in the months that follow the election of a right-wing president, a man who represents everything they are not.
Cast: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Souza, Cícero Lucas.
DOS ESTACIONES
Mexico / World Premiere
Director and Screenwriter: Juan Pablo González, Screenwriters: Ana Isabel Fernández, Ilana Coleman, Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Ilana Coleman, Bruna Haddad, Makena Buchanan
In the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.
Cast: Teresa Sánchez, Tatín Vera, Rafaela Fuentes, Manuel García-Rulfo.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Documentaries by some of the boldest filmmakers working around the world today.
SIRENS
U.S.A., Lebanon / World Premiere
Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Rita Baghdadi, Producer: Camilla Hall
On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.
WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY
U.K.
Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Joe Hunting
Filmed entirely inside the world of VR, this vérité documentary captures the excitement and surprising intimacy of a burgeoning cultural movement, demonstrating the power of online connection in an isolated world. World Premiere.
INDIE EPISODIC
A dedicated showcase for emerging creators of independently produced content for episodic platforms. Presented by DoorDash.
MY TRIP TO SPAIN
Director and Screenwriter: Theda Hammel, Producers: Allie Jane Compton, John Early
Alexis, a successful trans woman, is heading to Spain to get some cosmetic surgery. She has asked her embittered old friend Charlie to housesit while she’s away. During the handoff, he tries his best to convince her to cancel, while simultaneously pursuing a sexual liaison with her brooding gardener Bruno.
Cast: John Early, Theda Hammel, Gordon Landenberger.
U.S LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS
A showcase of short films that demonstrate a vital piece and reflection of independent filmmaking.
CHAPERONE
USA / Short Film Program
Director: Sam Max, Producers: Zachary Quinto, Russell Kahn, Lio Mehiel, Patrick Murray, Katie Schiller
An older man picks up a younger man in his car. As they drive, and subsequently settle into an austere rental house in the country, the details of their arrangement become guttingly clear.
Cast: Russell Kahn, Zachary Quinto
STARFUCKERS
USA / Short Film Program
Director and Writer: Antonio Marziale
An intimate evening between a film director and an escort is disrupted when a familiar face arrives.
Cast: Antonio Marziale, Cole Doman, Jonathan Slavin