Today I’m talking about Dope Black Movies that premiered at Sundance 2021.
What’s up everybody?!
I’m Victor Stiff, a writer and film critic and I watch hundreds of movies a year, and
I want to use this channel to help you find your next favourite film.
Sundance 2021 wrapped up last week after premiering over 70 titles, and I was lucky enough to
catch about two dozen films.
Today I’m sharing dope titles that premiered at Sundance, with one of those films actually
debuting in theatres and on HBO Max later this week.
Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a feature documentary
about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and
culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.
The story here is that this festival took place the same summer as Woodstock, and was
attended by over 300,000 people.
Unlike Woodstock, the footage from this festival has been collecting dust for about 50 years.
Summer of Soul celebrates the Harlem Cultural festival as a major pop culture milestone.
The film features live footage from the event, interviews with folks who attended, and insights
from musicians who performed at the show.
You can kick back and just vibe to the mesmerizing performances by gospel, R&B, and soul legends
like Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, and Nina Simone.
It’s all a blast to watch.
But First-time director Questlove really wants to nourish your mind and your spirit.
Summer of Soul makes a powerful social statement about the suppression and erasure of black
history.
Passing.
Passing follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance
ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
That description is a bit vague so I’ll put it in my own words.
Two light-skinned black women reunite after a decade and find their lives have taken different
paths, when one of them has reinvented herself as a white woman.
This is a film that’s going to stir up a lot of great debates and you’ll be thinking
about it long after the final credits roll.
Passing has a fascinating premise that forces you to wrestle with the fact that race is
a social construct.
But the film’s writer and director, Rebecca Hall takes things even further than that.
The film looks at how repression and desire forces people to live behind a socially acceptable
façade.
Passing’s terrific cast is also worth the cost of admission.
It stars Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, and Bill Camp.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street: A look at the history of the long-running
children's TV show, "Sesame Street."
Street Gang is easily one of my favourite films at Sundance 2021.
If you grew up on Sesame Street, or anything Muppet-related, Marilyn Agrelo’s doc is
a welcome trip down memory lane.
If you’re anything like me, you would be fine if this flick was just two-hours of Muppets
Nostalgia.
Street Gang goes into the nitty-gritty details of how the program came to be.
The doc discusses how Sesame Street wasn’t made to sell toys or run ads for breakfast
cereal.
The creators’ wanted to educate kids while creating a platform where black and brown
inner-city kids could see themselves represented onscreen.
But sometimes the show’s writers may have tried a bit too hard.
One segment reveals how producers axed a black Muppet character from the show because he
offended African American viewers.
Street Gang is as insightful as it is entertaining.
I’m calling it right now.
It might just be February but Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is one of best
feel-good movies of 2021.
First Date: After being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans
with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a
crazy cat lady.
This is a bonkers day-from-hell movie where larger-than-life characters get thrown into
a series of bizarre encounters.
I describe this one as Superbad with a mean streak.
Expect zany cops, kookie crooks, and some retirees who just can’t keep it in their
pants.
This is the most uneven film on this list.
It gets a little too absurd at times and I had some problems with the very passive protagonist.
But despite those flaws, First Date is a very sweet and earnest film and it you can tell
it’s a labour of live from the movie’s co-directors.
On the Count of Three: Two guns.
Two best friends.
And a pact to end their lives when the day is done.
This is one of the strangest onscreen bromances I’ve ever seen.
Two life-long friends make a pact to end their lives once the day is done but first they
have to cross things off their bucket-list
This dark and gritty dramedy toes a fine line between mining the pathos in mental health
struggles and exploiting the subject for easy laughs.
Jerrod Carmichael reveals his impressive filmmaking chops, tackling the material with sensitivity
but not pulling punches either.
This thoughtful dark comedy gets pretty bleak, but it’s always entertaining, and it proves
that its first-time filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael has a promising career ahead of him behind
the camera.
And I couldn’t cut this list down so I’m throwing in a bonus recommendation.
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It: A look at the life and work of Rita
Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood.
This inspiring doc looks at the life and career of the goddess, the legend, the EGOT award-winning
Rita Moreno.
Moreno walks us through her 70-year career and discusses the racism and misogyny she
overcame on her road to success.
I know this isn’t a black movie, but it’s a tale about representation, perseverance,
and making it in an industry that really doesn’t want you there or know what to do with you
once you get there.
So I’m including it on the list.
Judas and the Black Messiah: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black
Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
Shaka King’s biopic Judas and the Black Messiah is the first movie on this list to
receive a nationwide release, right in time for award season.
The story here is the stellar cast, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback
and Daniel Kaluuya – who already picked up a pair of Best Actor nominations.
King weaves a powerful real-life story about a young revolutionary’s dream of African
American solidarity, and the FBI’s mission to stop it, by any means.
It’s heart-breaking, infuriating, and all too timely.
This is a perfect Black History Month watch and you can catch Judas and the Black Messiah
in theatres and on HBO Max on February, 12, 2021.
And there you have it.
Dope Black Movies that premiered at Sundance.
Which of those titles are you most excited to see?
Leave a comment down below.
Sundance movies don’t get the same support as major studio releases, so if any of these
movies speak to you, please show your support for the film.
Shout them out on social media and rent them once they arrive on VOD.
Your support helps dope filmmakers keep sharing their unique stories.
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