Sundance London 2019

Sundance Film Festival 2019: London
Picturehouse Central
May 30th – June 2nd, 2019

by Joanna Orland

The Sundance Film Festival once again brought highlights from its original Utah lineup to London. Sundance London presented 12 feature films from Park City’s 2019 event, opening with the European premiere of Late Night, written by and starring Mindy Kaling. The winner of this year’s Audience Favourite Award was The Farewell, a personal film from director Lulu Wang.

Alongside its film selection, Sundance London 2019 captured the indie film-making spirit by highlighting work of industry pioneers through a series of panel discussions and Q&A sessions.

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Corporate Animals
Directed by Patrick Brice
Starring Jessica Williams, Karan Soni, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Martha Kelly, Dan Bakkedahl, Calum Worthy, Jennifer Kim, Nasim Pedrad, Ed Helms and Demi Moore

From the writer of British comedy series Peep Show and featuring a cast with a wealth of television experience, it’s no wonder Corporate Animals feels more like an undercooked sitcom than a film. The cast are certainly no strangers to comedy, with a collective CV that includes the likes of SNL, Veep, The Office, Baskets and more. And while this comedy horror film does deliver a few hearty laughs, it lacks plot, character development, empathy, logic and likability… read more

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Late Night
Directed by Nisha Ganatra
Starring Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Paul Walter Hauser, Reid Scott and Amy Ryan

A fresh perspective on a predictable story, Late Night has the right message, but fails to go beyond the tropes of which it’s trying to break free… read more

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The Farewell
Directed by Lulu Wang
Starring Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong and Jiang Yongbo

Based on a true story from director Lulu Wang’s life, The Farewell is an exploration of cultural perspectives on family, love and death. The film also serves as a bittersweet, personal ode to Wang’s real-life grandmother… read more

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