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We may not be gathering in Park City this year, but we’re still applauding our incredible alumni who have projects in this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 28-Feb. 3. Check them out from the comfort of your home! They’re thought provoking, heartbreaking and just plain entertaining. Tickets are available on the Sundance website. Go Bruins!
Friday, Jan. 29, 12:00 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 31, 7:00 a.m.
Sarah S. Kim (BA ’07), producer, Elizabeth Reiko Kubota Whitney (BA ’80, Executive Board Member), executive producer
The rushing wind on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawai’i, never stops. It constantly rustles the leaves outside Masao’s house, providing a balmy sonic backdrop. When Masao is healthy, his plants thrive; when a terminal sickness encroaches, the plants wither and die. The island’s ambient noises thread through the film’s time-shifting chapters, from the pre-World War II sugar plantations of Oahu to Hawai’i statehood to the present gentrification of Honolulu. As Masao gets sicker, he is visited by ghosts of his past, including his wife, Grace, who helps shepherd him into the beyond.
Try Harder!
Saturday, Jan. 30, 12:00 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1, 7:00 a.m.
Amy Ferraris (MFA ’02), editor
At Lowell High School, the top public high school in San Francisco, the seniors are stressed out. As they prepare for the emotionally draining college application process, students are keenly aware of the intense competition for the few open spots in their dream colleges. They scrutinize how every element of their application, from their classes to their extracurricular activities to their racial identities, might be read by admission officers. At Lowell — where cool kids are nerds, nearly everyone has an amazing talent, and the majority of the student body is Asian American — the things that usually make a person stand out can feel not good enough, even commonplace.
Friday, Jan. 29, 3:00 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 31, 7:00 a.m.
Battiste Fenwick (MFA ’12), cinematographer
Raging, out-of-control wildfires have become part of the new normal around the globe, leaving heartbreaking devastation and death in their wake. Filmmaker Lucy Walker digs into the surprising history and complex range of causes of uncontrolled fires — from climate change and ill-considered fire suppression policies to the influence of wealthy corporate interests. Her film reveals how responsibility continually gets shifted, with ordinary people left suffering the dangerous consequences.
Sunday, Jan. 31, 6:00 p.m., Monday, Feb. 2, 7:00 a.m.
Nate Bolotin (MFA ’07), producer; Aaron Hendry (BA ’97), screenwriter; Reza Sixo Safai (BA ’96, MFA ’99), screenwriter; Nick Spicer (MFA ’06), executive producer; Aram Tertzakian (MFA ’07), executive producer
In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter Bernice has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman — and his own path to redemption.
Saturday, Jan. 30, 9:00 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 1, 7:00 a.m.
Jonathan Snipes (BA ’05, MFA ’08, Faculty), music
A Glitch in the Matrix examines simulation theory — the idea that this world we live in might not be entirely real. Simulation theory is as old as Plato’s Republic and as current as Elon Musk’s Twitter feed. The documentary traces the idea’s genesis over the years, from philosophical engagements by the ancient Greeks to modern explorations by Philip K. Dick, the Wachowskis, and leading scholars, game theorists, and enthusiasts.
Undertakers wait on a family’s final farewells as one son struggles to say goodbye to his dead father.
We are now spending less time with one another and more time than ever with algorithmic suggestion engines designed to keep us consuming and powerless. In this elegant, world-building browser performance, Festivalgoers engage with an AI + human collaborative team to imagine alternative narratives for our near-future reality. Designed as a renewal center for humanness, this creative browser emphasizes the practice of self-reflection, self-care, and cultivating new ways of building community in online spaces. Device: Computer
This evocative, immersive experience follows the journey of a man from birth to the end of his life, with the entire journey taking place on a grassy knoll next to a seed that grows into a sapling and, eventually, a fully mature tree. Namoo, which means “tree” in Korean, collects meaningful memories in its branches — from pacifiers, stuffed animals, books, and favorite scarves, to broken glasses and objects from times the man would rather forget. (Device: VR Headset)
Visit UCLA TFT now. The Sundance Film Festival, virtual for the first time, is here for a visit.
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