Sundance kicks off today! Connor Estes Top 5 picks for Sundance

  • January 23, 2025
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Connor Estes' 5 Picks for Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival is back again from January 23 - February 2nd. It's happening even if it might not stay in Utah in the future. Whether you're a veteran Sundancer, or this time of year is just another couple work weeks in the bitter cold of January, this year's lineup of over 90 films has a variety for everyone. And don't forget that you can watch most films online from the comfort of your warm couch!

Single tickets are still available and don't forget that Sundance hosts their Local Lens series offering free in-person and online screenings for us Utahns! 

Being my first year reporting for KRCL at Sundance, I wanted to share my 5 picks for films I'm looking forward to seeing at this year's festival. 

Move Yo Body: The Birth Of House (Documentary)

When they dropped the lineup this year, this caught my attention first. House music is a complicated and often misunderstood genre. These days people may roll their eyes when they hear yet another person not so subtley mentioning they're a house Dj. While that eye roll may be warranted, it also shows how pervasive house music is in our culture. And the global phenonmon of house music started in the neighborhoods on South Side of Chicago in the mid 1980's with a bunch of young musicians. Like so many visionary black artists before, the pioneers of house music still remain largely unknown, not recieving the credit they deserve. I'm excited to see how this film tells their story, and even more excited to see how this will shed more light on artists that deserve more recognition.

Third Act (Documentary)

Robert A. Nakamura is often referred to as “the godfather of Asian American media”. This film, directed by his son Tadashi Nakamura, looks at what it means to age as an artist who's been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. My mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's last year, so I'm very eager to see the story of a son viewing his father changing and how he deals with his father's legacy and deterioration of his body. Slap a money back guarantee for crying on this one. Tadashi's story of his father is sure to be as intimate as it gets. This is why I love documentary film. There's almost nothing I love more than seeing immensely human stories that have us assesing what's most important in life. 

Serious People (Fiction)

Some stories are just best suited for film. "A successful music video director and expectant father pushes his work-life balance to the extreme as he hires a doppelgänger to work in his stead." This film looks deep at what it takes to be authentic to yourself and career while honoring your family. In this completely unscripted film, Co-directors Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson make their feature directorial debut. Without even seeing the film, I know we are going to be seeing a lot more of these filmmakers in the future.

SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Documentary)

For music lovers (aka KRCL listeners!) this is the one to see at the festival. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is back to the world of music documentaries after his crtically acclaimed 2021 film, Summer of Soul (or…When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Through the lens of Sly Stone himself, the film digs deep into the burden of what it means to be a black artist in America. Archival footage is promised, and of course a wonderful soundtrack. You know this will be at a future KRCL's Music Meets Movies, but my advice? Don't wait! See it premeire at Sundance.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Documentary)

I'm writing this just two days after the Inaguration of President Trump. Already the lens I'm viewing this film through is changing. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine happening nearly two years ago in February, Russia has been transforming  primary schools across the country into recruicment stages. A teacher at one of these schools felt the immense conflict of this and wanted to expose what's happening to Russian children. With no end to the war in sight, this film is sure to give us a view into the more subtle but damaging ways it's impacting children in Russia. This film was made secretly over two years, and I feel honored to be able to view something that I'm sure has put all the filmmakers and the teacher in danger. 

That's my picks for the festvial but there's so many others I'm excited to see as well. Be sure to tune in to Radioactive every weeknight from 6-7PM during the festival! We will feature a variety of interviews with filmmakers, film reviews from the Sundance team, and some tips and tricks to navigate the fest. 


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