Sundance 2022 Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Early in Margaret Brown’s exquisite new documentary “Descendant,” Africatown, AL resident Joycelyn Davis calls out the possible narrative pitfalls of chronicling the recovery of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to arrive in the United States in 1860 — 50 years after the international slave trade was abolished. Just after a town hall in which marine archeologist Dr.

Society teaches you to be polite. If someone offers you an oatmeal cookie, for example, you’re probably going to say, “Thank you,” and take it, even if you really dislike those chalky, unsatisfying discs.

“You can write about it, but Americans don’t read.” A firm non-believer in spoon-feeding, Academy Award-nominated documentary pioneer Christine Choy (“Who Killed Vincent Chin?”) may very well never set foot in her home country of China again. “How the f*ck can I explain to anyone where I’m from?” maintains Choy, born to a Korean father who abandoned the family shortly following her birth.

One part autobiographical exorcism, two parts social warning, and a double-serving of real-world body horror, “Happening” combines just a handful of elements into a potent force. A bracing lead performance paired with patient yet informative directing accomplishes what few versions of this story could: it allows the story to tell itself without any heavy-handed monologuing or obsequious showboating.

Films can be a form of escapism. Sitting down in a dark cinema with a big screen and great sound immerses you in the action playing out in front of you.

Beginning on the eve of music manager Doris Muñoz’s 26th birthday, Isabel Castro’s lyrical documentary, “Mija,” uses Muñoz’s story — both her status as a manager of Latinx artists and as the only American-born member of her undocumented family — to explore the complicated dynamics that plague undocumented families. Adopting a fly-on-the-wall approach that prioritizes Muñoz’s subjectivity — sometimes to a fault — “Mija” is nevertheless a personal and sincere portrait of Muñoz’s struggles, and her ability to adapt in the face of changing social and professional upheavals.

Yellow wildflowers in the dusty brown dirt, multi-colored rolling hills, and a green-blue lake set the stage for writer-director Max Walker-Silverman’s debut feature film “A Love Song.” A rumination on love found and lost, it’s also a hymn to the beauty and wonder of Walker-Silverman’s native Colorado. Cinematographer Alfonso Herrera Salcedo shoots the film with the hazy, yet hyper-defined colors of an old picture postcard.

“Curiosity is stronger than fear,” utters Katia Krafft, via an actress giving voice to her writing, underscoring images of unimaginably scorching lava exploding around her. With her endearingly reckless husband Maurice Krafft, they form the one-of-kind couple that blazes through the arresting documentary “Fire of Love” from director Sara Dosa.

Carey Williams’ 2018 Sundance award-winning short, “Emergency,” opens on a simple premise: A trio of underrepresented college roommates discover a white girl unconscious on their living room floor. Afraid to call the police for fear of potential violence, they suggest options to find help without losing their lives.

As horror fans already know, body horror is a niche yet versatile sub-genre, with David Cronenberg as its patron saint.

2022 is already starting to feel like 2021, which felt a lot like 2020. As if we’re stuck in a neverending loop of awful, it appears the COVID pandemic is already making film festivals scramble thanks to the Omicron variant that is spreading like wildfire around the world.

Every once in a while, a trailer for a horror thriller film drops and you can tell it’s likely going to be something special. And it’s safe to say that “You Won’t Be Alone” is shaping up to be one of those films.

With 2021 coming to a close and everyone putting their best-of lists together, the Sundance Film Festival is on the horizon giving us a wave of new movies to look forward to. The festival has released a batch of first-look images (see below) for the upcoming slate of festival entries including films such as “Resurrection,” “Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul,” and “Call Jane.” All three projects will have their World Premiere at Sundance alongside many other feature films and documentaries.

The Sundance Film Festival takes place between January 20-30 and announced its full line-up today. Additionally, dozens of first-look images (see below) were released today alongside synopsizes for the festival slate that includes projects such as “Emily The Criminal,” “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” from young SXSW Winner and filmmaker/actor Cooper Raiff and “892.” The latter features the late Michael Kenneth Williams, the project shot before his untimely death.

As we approach the end of 2021, it’s time to look ahead at what’s to come in 2022. More specifically, we can begin to look ahead at the film festivals of the new year.