No crowds in front of the Egyptian Theatre, no snowboot-clad film fans drudging through the wintery town of Park City and no bustling Main Street. But also, no traffic jams on the first weekend and no waiting in long lines in front of the Eccles, Marc, or other screening locations, freezing and shivering in the hopes of getting in.

Such is the COVID-induced, lockdown reality of this year’s Sundance festival that will be virtual – and in satellite screens and drive-ins in 24 states and cities across the continent in partnership among others, with film festivals such as SXSW and NOFF. Fewer films will be shown on fewer days, but there is still an impressive 72 features, 50 Shorts, 4 Indie Series, and 14 New Frontier Projects in addition to live talks, short film programs, and other content.

Sundance founder Robert Redford as well as Keri Putnam, head of the Sundance Institute, are, as ever, committed to inclusion.  50% of this year’s films were directed by women. Another 4% by non-binary people; 15% by one or more filmmakers from the LGBTQ+ community. And 51%, by one or more artists of color. Redford said in a statement: “Togetherness has been an animating principle here at the Sundance Institute as we’ve worked to reimagine the Festival for 2021, because there is no Sundance without our community. Under Tabitha’s (Jackson, festival director)  leadership, we’ve forged a new collective vision: one that honors the spirit and tradition of these invigorating yearly gatherings in Utah, while making room for imaginative new possibilities in a new online format.”

In spite of a year with limited production, the submissions have held up, the programming directors were able to choose from almost as many works as in previous years because, as Sundance director Tabitha Jackson says, “Artists who were able to make great work still did.” The potential for breakout films and directors is even greater this year, as more than the half the lineup is made up of first-timers. Included here are Ana Katz’s black-and-white post-apocalyptic project The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, an Argentinian film and the Spanish mother-daughter tragical comedy El Planeta from installation artist Amalia Unman, which is being compared to Grey Gardens. Not all of the debut directors are unknown: Robin Wright brings her film Land, starring herself and Demian Bichir. Rebecca Hall stepped behind the camera for Passing, an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel about two light-skinned African American women who live on different sides of the color line in 1929 New York. The two women are played by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. A period piece with a strong resonance to today’s socio-political reality, for sure. Passing is in competition, as is CODA by Little America showrunner Sian Heder, which is playing on day 1 and is said to have made even the programmers cry. The title refers to ‘Child of Deaf Adults’, and is the story of a young woman who’s the only hearing person in her family. Her mother is played by Golden Globe-winner Marlee Matlin, who also served as guidance for the deaf actors’ performances using ASL on the set.

Also on Day 1, one of the best slots went to Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), the directorial debut of The Roots drummer Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson. A really colorful look about the Harlem Cultural Festival, an event most don’t know about since it got overshadowed by Woodstock which took place during the same summer, Questlove got his hands on an amazing amount of archival footage.

There’s no shortage of timely and interesting submissions in the documentary section, either. From Denmark comes President about the very recent elections in Zimbabwe. And In the Same Breath from Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation) which is set in the US and China and deals, not surprisingly, with COVID. As much as this one is based on actual events, there are also a number of films that were not meant to invoke the pandemic and were conceived and shot way before it started but will now be seen through entirely different eyes. The Brazilian feature The Pink Cloud was intended to be a sci-fi film but feels more like a doc after what we experienced in crazy 2020. When a mysterious vapor travels around the world, two people in lockdown are forced to form a relationship. Sound familiar? And then there is John and the Hole, originally selected for Cannes 2020. Here, Charlie Shotwell, better known as the kid from Captain Fantastic puts his whole family in a hole in the ground.

Not that there won’t be some feelgood fare, too: EGOT winner Rita Moreno is the subject of Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, which showcases her 70-year career in which she defied racial prejudice and typecasting. Marvelous and the Black Hole is a comedy about a teenage delinquent befriending a grumpy magician. And the UK-produced The Sparks Brothers is the musical odyssey of a hugely successful but completely overlooked rock band. A documentary sure to garner huge fans is Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street about one of the most successful TV-series in history. And for horror fans there will be plenty of gore and shlock in the festival’s Midnight section. Good luck with trying to go to sleep after one of the 6 selections.

Aside from films, there are a variety of events, most notably – if we may be so bold – our own HFPA Women’s panel, the 4^th installment of the “Women Breaking Barriers” series. This year we focus on the socio-political changes of 2020 and the effect the BLM Movement may have on the film industry. Featured guests are Halle Berry, Andra Day, Robin Wright and more.