18 films we can't wait to see at Sundance 2023

Director: Raven JacksonCast: Charleen McClure, Moses Ingram, Sheila Atim, Chris ChalkIt makes perfect sense that the visually lyrical Barry Jenkins would be executive producer for the feature film directorial debut of Raven Jackson, whose work until now has lived in the photography and poetry spaces. The description for A24’s promises “an embodied experience that honors the sumptuousness of life and leaves you feeling the rain on your skin.” Sounds like Sundance’s dreamiest hit.

Director: Alice EnglertCast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Whishaw, Alice EnglertIf you notice a theme on this list, it’s the high number of feature-length directorial debuts from rising filmmaker talents. Alice Englert, the Australian actor known for Ginger & Rosa, is one such example. stars Jennifer Connelly, Ben Whishaw, and Englert herself in the tale of a morally depraved woman whose codependency with her daughter pushes her to the limit during a retreat at a mountain resort.

Director: Roger Ross WilliamsCast: Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl CastilloYou had us at “Gael García Bernal as a flamboyant wrestler.” Documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams delivers , a cinematic depiction of the real-life “Liberace of lucha libre,” Saúl Armendariz. Roberta Colindrez and Raúl Castillo are among Bernal’s co-stars.

Director: Susanna FogelCast: Nicholas Braun, Emilia JonesRemember that wild short story that set Twitter afire and broke The New Yorker’s record for most its downloaded piece of fiction? That was Kristen Roupenian’s tale of modern dating, , which is officially getting the Hollywood treatment now. And like Twitter-to-Sundance hit Zola before it, the film will feature “Succession” star Nicholas Braun. His co-star is another Sundance regular, CODA’s Emilia Jones, with Susanna Fogel directing.

Director: William OldroydCast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen TeagueLiterary icon Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel makes its way to the screen courtesy of Lady Macbeth director William Oldroyd. The film’s plot description promises a “seductive and savage performance” from Anne Hathaway, an actor for whom seduction and savagery is never anything less than riveting. The performance from Thomasin McKenzie, meanwhile, is purported to be “unhinged.”

Director: Chloe DomontCast: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenrichunites Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenrich for what looks to be an incisive commentary on gender dynamics in relationships and the workplace as well as an edge-of-your-seat thriller. In yet another buzzy debut—Sundance is known for them—TV director Chloe Domont leads this tantalizing meditation on ambition.

Director: Brandon CronenbergCast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra ColemanWe’re including on this year’s Sundance preview list despite its January 27 release from Neon. It’s one of those late January cinematic releases which uses the festival as a direct launching pad. It also boasts the bona fide talent to make it one of the year’s earliest hits: writer-director Brandon Cronenberg leads Alexander Skarsgård and rising scream queen Mia Goth in what looks to be an eerie, bloody good time.

Director: Angus MacLachlanCast: David Straithairn, Jane Levy, Celia Weston, Will Pullen, Anna Camp, Dascha PolancoWriter-director Angus MacLachlan burst onto the scene in 2005 with the Sundance premiere of Junebug, the kind of nuanced, intimate indie the fest often champions. He could repeat that feat with , which has a crucial main ingredient: a performance from David Straithairn, one of cinema’s low-key best leading men.

Director: Elijah BynumCast: Jonathan Majors, Taylour Paige, Haley BennettJonathan Majors already owns arguably the hottest streak in Hollywood when it comes to can’t-miss performances, with Devotion and Quantumania and the upcoming Creed III. Now he stars in , a character study about a bodybuilder making ends meet from writer-director Elijah Bynum, who most recently pulled tremendous performances out of Timothée Chalamet and Maika Monroe in Hot Summer Nights.

Director: Jacqueline CastelCast: Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Amandla StenbergMy Animal is “far from the typical werewolf story,” per the Sundance website. One of the buzziest horror entries at this year’s fest, Jacqueline Castel’s film is a character study of a hockey-playing teenage girl (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) who meets a magnetic figure skater (Amandla Stenberg) and undergoes a transformation. How supernatural versus psychological that transformation will be remains to be seen.

Director: Ira SachsCast: Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ben WhishawPeanut butter and jelly. Cookies and milk. Ira Sachs and the Sundance Film Festival. Some things are just made for each other. Following his Sundance premieres of Frankie, Little Men, Keep The Lights On, Forty Shades Of Blue, and The Delta, this venerable American filmmaker returns to Park City with , a romantic drama of LGBTQ+ persuasion set in modern-day Paris starring Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Ben Whishaw.

Director: Sophie BarthesCast: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson, Jean-Marc BarrSophie Barthes writes and directs what looks to be this year’s After Yang, another look into the not-so-distant future speculating about how technology might affect our lives. stars Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor as would-be parents considering detachable artificial wombs. You know what? That barely even sounds like sci-fi.

Director: Daina ReidCast: Sarah Snook, Lily Latorre, Damon Herriman, Greta ScacchiIs a Sarah Snook TV-to-film takeover imminent? The Succession star returns to her Australian roots in Run Rabbit Run, from Handmaid’s Tale director Daina Reid and screenwriter Hannah Kent. A study of long-held secrets and traumas, the film follows a mother (Snook) whose daughter begins to act strangely after the arrival of, of all things, a rabbit at their door.

Director: Randall ParkCast: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya MizunoThe latest star to make the jump from on-camera to behind the camera is Randall Park, who’s looking to make a Sundance splash by transferring Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel to the big screen. If Justin H. Min and his co-stars channel even a fraction of Park’s natural charm, this could be a delightful yet incisive look at the multiplicity of Asian American identities today.

Director: Rachel LambertCast: Daisy Ridley, Dave MerhejeThe always-compelling Daisy Ridley takes on her most introverted character yet in , the tale of a cubicle-dwelling isolationist suddenly challenged to engage with Dave Merheje’s affable newcomer. Rachel Lambert, who directed In The Radiant City, helms what Sundance is calling “an unexpected fable on the virtues of living.”

Director: Laurel ParmetCast: Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, Austin AbramsEliza Scanlen solidifies her reputation as a young star who can handle ambitious leading role material with , from debut feature writer-director Laurel Parmet. In this case the material is a crisis of faith; Scanlen plays Kentucky teen Jem, who must balance her passion for dance with the expectations of her fundamentalist Christian community. Don’t be surprised if this one nabs major distribution after its premiere.

Directors: Nick Lieberman and Molly GordonCast: Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Nathan Lee Graham, Amy Sedaris, Patti HarrisonIf the title alone doesn’t signal that this is a film for a specific, and shall we say enthusiastic, subset of audiences, check out the cast list of : Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Nathan Lee Graham, Amy Sedaris, Patti Harrison, and more. The co-directors are Nick Lieberman and Molly Gordon, the latter of whom also co-stars, and joining them as co-writers are Platt and Galvin, for a story set at a summer camp called AdirondACTS. If you’re a theater nerd, you’re going to want to sign up.