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A House Made of Splinters is a documentary film about a shelter for neglected children in Ukraine, who are affected by the unrest in their country. The film premiered at Sundance, where Simon Lereng Wilmont won the Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary.

She wears a skirt that reaches to her knees, her long braids are tied together, and she walks swiftly; he is small in stature like her, his skin is carved by wrinkles, but his eyes are sharp and vibrant, hawk-like. Their llamas are marked by cute, pink tufts on their horns.

When 29-year-old Martika Ramirez Escobar thought of making her feature directing debut, Leonor Will Never Die, she never imagined it would take her eight years to finally see her film completed. And that Leonor Will Never Die would end up competing in the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and win honors: World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Innovative Spirit.

As with 2021, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the largest showcase of independent film in the United States, had to turn its cinematic spotlight on virtually as the latest COVID outbreak kept filmmakers, critics, and revelers, away from Park City, Utah. Even with the pivot, the ten-day showcase welcomed 82 feature films screened from January 20-30.

God’s Country is a complex neo-western about a female college professor’s escalating feud with two men in the godless countryside. It premiered at Sundance.

As part of the Sundance Film Festival Cinema Café series, Dakota Johnson joined Keke Palmer in a panel discussion about their latest projects. Speaking via Zoom, Johnson says of her two films, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Am I Ok?  “These are the first two movies from my production company (TeaTime Pictures).

At Sundance’s opening press conference, Senior Programmer John Nein mentioned that this year’s lineup would include several films which would use genre elements in order to tackle profound topics. Nanny, with Anna Diop and Michelle Monaghan, belongs in this category.

A collaboration between director Jim Archer and multi-hyphenates David Earl and Chris Hayward, who co-wrote the movie and also stars in it, Brian and Charles recently enjoyed its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section. A whimsical, amiable cinematic hangout that connects best with fans of Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows, the movie unfolds in a mockumentary style chronicling the relationship peaks and valleys between a man and his robot creation, who achieves unlikely sentience but soon begins to chafe at the frustrations of life in their small Welsh town.

Panelists Amy Poehler and Eva Longoria Baston are part of the Sundance Film Festival’s Cinema Cafe series speaking about their documentaries: Lucy and Desi, and La Guerra Civil, respectively.   Via Zoom from Paris, Longoria Baston declares, “This is my first time here as a director with a film!” Poehler is also enjoying her Sundance debut as a director.

Finnish director Alli Haapasalo wanted to show a different picture of teenage girls’ sexuality. She did it with the feature film Girl Picture, which premiered at Sundance.