Feature documentary Playing with Sharks, virtual reality project Prison X – Chapter 1: The Devil & The Sun and short film GNT will screen at Sundance Film Festival, taking place both online and in-person across the US from 28 January to 3 February 2021.
“Congratulations to these teams, this selection is an incredible accomplishment. These projects each have a distinctive Australian voice and demonstrate the breadth and ingenuity of our industry on the world stage. It’s fantastic to have three projects representing Australia all helmed by female directors in this year’s program. Last year we saw the influence of the festival and its ability to launch careers with Natalie Erika James’ debut feature Relic selected and celebrated and we are delighted that these three can follow in that path.” Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason commented. Mason went on to point out that Sundance has a history of launching Australian works into the US market including feature films Relic (2020), The Nightingale (2019) and Sweet Country (2018), as well as documentaries such as Casting JonBenet (2017).
Playing with Sharks, a documentary about iconic Australian diver and filmmaker Valerie Taylor, will make its world premiere in the World Documentary Competition.
“To launch this film at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival is a dream come true. Valerie’s daredevil exploits and her astounding rich underwater archive are a potent mix for any director. It is a privilege to sink my teeth into her pioneering story. That she is still diving and fighting for sharks at the age of 85 shows Valerie’s incredible passion and that her thirst for adventure remains undiminished. Her life-affirming journey as an unlikely conservationist proves to all of us just what is possible with our interconnectedness to the natural world, if we allow it.” Director Sally Aitken commented.
Virtual reality animation Prison X – The Devil & The Sun will make its world premiere in the New Frontier section which showcases emerging media storytelling, multimedia installations, performances, and films across fiction, nonfiction and hybrid projects. The project takes viewers on a mythological journey inside a Neo-Andean underworld.
“As a storyteller, VR gave me the tools and technological capacity to push my imagination to a further degree. But it takes a community to make a film, and I’m very proud that the team behind Prison X represents the Australia that we see on the streets. Prison X is a team effort pushing the boundaries of filmmaking, animation and technology from the minds of Bolivian-Australian, Ghanaian-Australian and Filipino-Australian creatives.” Prison X director Violeta Ayala commented.
Animated short film GNT, which won the Yoram Gross Animation prize at Sydney Film Festival 2020, will screen in the Short Film section. The film follows one woman’s outrageous mission to conquer social media and upstage her friends.
“We are absolutely thrilled that our debut short film, GNT, will be featured at Sundance Film Festival. We put so much love into this chaotic four minutes, and feel especially humbled that it will be shown at Sundance, alongside the same talent that we are continually inspired by. We hope it makes you giggle, or at the very least, question your choices on social media.” Creators Sara Hirner and Rosemary Vasquez-Brown commented.