Sundance 2023 Will Include Films Starring Teyana Taylor, Jonathan Majors, Sanaa Lathan, And More

DeMicia Inman
·3 min read
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The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has revealed its feature film lineup for next year’s event.

Sundance plans to kick off with the inaugural Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance event, presented by IMDBPro.  The festivities will serve as a fundraiser for the institute, as well as honor Ryan Coogler, Nikyatu Jusu, W. Kamau Bell.

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The announced full slate includes 101 feature-length films representing 23 countries. These films were selected from 15,855 submissions, including 4,061 feature-length films. Among those chosen include an array of projects featuring familiar faces in front of and behind the camera.

Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley appear in a still from 'A Thousand and One'
Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley appear in a still from ‘A Thousand and One’ by A.V. Rockwell

Teyana Taylor is set to star in A Thousand and One, directed by A.V. Rockwell and produced by Lena Waithe. The film, which will be available online, is described as follows:

“Convinced it’s one last, necessary crime on the path to redemption, unapologetic and free-spirited Inez kidnaps 6-year-old Terry from the foster care system. Holding on to their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability in New York City.”

Taylor wrote “A dream come true!! So excited for thisssssssssssss!!!! Let’s goooooooooooo!” on Instagram, celebrating the project.

Will Smith holding Oscars trophy.
Will Smith holding Oscars trophy.

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Jonathan Majors appears in 'Magazine Dreams'
Jonathan Majors appears in ‘Magazine Dreams’ by Emanuele Crialese

Jonathan Majors stars in Magazine Dreams alongside Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Mike O’Hearn, Harrison Page, and Harriet Sansom Harris. The film follows an amateur bodybuilder who struggles to find human connection as his relentless drive for recognition pushes him to the brink.

Magazine Dreams is directed by Elijah Bynum and produced by Jennifer Fox, Dan Gilroy, Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman.

Still from 'Young. Wild. Free.' by Thembi Banks
A still from Young. Wild. Free. by Thembi Banks, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

Sanaa Lathan takes on a role in Young. Wild. Free. The film by Thembi Banks tells the story of a high school senior named Brandon who is described as drowning in responsibilities. His world is turned upside down after being robbed at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams.

Algee Smith, Sierra Capri, and Mike Epps also star in the drama, produced by Baron Davis.

Dominique Silver appears in KOKOMO CITY by D. Smith
Dominique Silver appears in KOKOMO CITY by D. Smith, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

“The program for this year’s Festival reiterates the relevancy of trailblazing work serving as an irreplaceable source for original stories that resonate and fuel creativity and dialogue,” expressed Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “In so many ways this year’s slate reflects the voices of communities around the world who are speaking out with urgency and finally being heard. Across our program, impactful storytelling by fearless artists continues to provide space for the community to come together to be entertained, challenged, and inspired.”

Set to take place Jan 19-29 in Park City — just east of Salt Lake City — at the Sundance Resort, the festival will also have programming available online.

Read below for a list of Black-led and/or Black-directed and produced films and stories set for Sundance 2023. A full program can be found on the official Sundance website.

·      The Stroll/Kristen Lovell
·      Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project/Joe Brewster
·      All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt/Raven Jackson
·      Magazine Dreams/Elijah Bynum
·      Bravo, Burkina!/Wale Oyejide
·      Kokomo City/D. Smith
·      To Live and Die and Live/Qasim Basir
·      Young. Wild. Free./Thembi L. Banks
·      Invisible Beauty/Bethann Hardison
·      Cassandro/Roger Ross Williams
·      Rye Lane/Raine Allen-Miller
·      Milisuthando/Milisuthando Bongela
·      Girl/Adura Onashile
·      Mami Wata/C.J. “Fiery” Obasi
·      Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project/Michèle Stephenson
·      Little Richard: I Am Everything/Lisa Cortés
·      A Thousand and One/A.V. Rockwell
·      A Thousand and One- Lena Waithe (producer)
·      All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt- Barry Jenkins (producer)
·      To Live and Die and Live & Fancy Dance– Forest Whitaker (producer)
·      Young. Wild. Free.– Baron Davis (producer)

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