Thread by @TambayObenson

#Sundance Day 1. Shorts so far. A standout: Crystal Kayiza's "Rest Stop." Beautifully shot tender portrait a Ugandan-American mother and daughter traveling by bus from NY to OK to reunite with family. Will Ferrell is listed as exec producer. I assume it's him #AkorokoAtSundance

More shorts. Standout: Norwegian Inga E Marakatt's "Unborn Biru": pregnant widow steals cursed silver from dead body to care for daughter. Unnerving slow burn horror, especially considering the tundra on which it was shot. It's a feature film begging to happen #AkorokoAtSundance

Ended #Sundance Day 1 with my first feature film of the festival. But I can't talk about it yet because there's an embargo. I just had to say that for journaling continuity 😏. Overall, it was a solid day of film watching! Until tomorrow, here's some swag... #AkorokoAtSundance

#Sundance Day 3: A dozen short films and five feature films in under 48 hours including #MamiWata #Girl #LittleRichardDoc #PodGeneration #KimsVideo. Some embargoes still in effect so not much I can say yet. On today's agenda: #Animalia #MagazineDreams #TheNikkiGiovanniProject

Strong visceral reactions from trusted sources to Celine Song's PAST LIVES that are overwhelmingly positive. Added to my must-see list #Sundance #AkorokoAtSundance

#MagazineDreams... study of a man struggling to connect who hides behind the solitary life of a bodybuilder. Like prior films, it implies a descent into madness is an inevitable end for men like this. They dream the American Dream but as a nightmare. #Sundance #AkorokoAtSundance

Majors carries the film. If it seems like an unexpected choice, he played a socially-awkward man in "Last Black Man in San Francisco." Here, roid rage replaces poetry. Not sure if he's supposed to be a sympathetic character. The film almost seems to take pleasure in his decline.

#Animalia... casually-paced Moroccan sci-fi drama with class, theism and more (maybe too much) on its mind. Ultimately, it's about a woman who marries into privilege, abruptly thrust into a world on the verge of *something* as she fights to finds her place in it. Elegantly shot.

#Sundance Day 4: Looooong day. Mostly researching, writing, and editing. Didn't get to watch as much as I had planned, but I'm going to try and stay awake for the horror-thriller #TalkToMe starring Ivorian-Australian actress Sophie Wilde. #Sundance #AkorokoAtSundance

In the meantime, read @farimakone's piece on the mother-daughter bonding drama #GIRL which is screening in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section. The piece includes a conversation with the filmmaker and star akoroko.com/girl-onashile-…

#TalkToMe.. More like #TalkToTheHand. An embalmed severed hand moonlighting as a Ouija is at the center of this trite gory horror. Reckless Gen Zs open portal; malevolent spirits cross over; Gen Zs suffer consequences. Jump scares; blood and guts; etc. *shrug* #AkorokoAtSundance

#Sundance Day 5: #InfinityPool. Not as "shocking" as it likely thinks it is. Read the room: audiences are increasingly numb to explicit depictions of sex and violence — an ejaculating dick or a man gutted "alive." Too bad. Some topical themes and spirited performances upstaged.

#Sundance Day 6: "All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt." Uncompromising. meditation on Black southern life, reminiscent of structure, pacing of Ramell Ross' "Hale County This Morning This Evening," its less stylish docu thematic cousin. Art world ideas in a blackity-black film context.

#MyAnimal: *They* say everything has been done, but simply changing a classical narrative's POV to reflect a historically marginalized voice can be revitalizing! A slow-burn werewolf movie that's more coming-of-age than fangs and fury. A bit let down by the ending tho. #Sundance

#Sundance Day 7: #RyeLane... Uptight guy meets manic pixie girl thing is old hat, but fresh in South London context. Leads, Vivian Oparah notably, feel genuine. Same crackling dialogue & buoyancy usual in Black British youth-centric dramedies. A cute meet-cute. #RyeLane is peng!

Winding down my 2023 #Sundance experience... #Milisuthando: "I grew up inside apartheid, under apartheid, but didn’t know it was happening," Milisuthando Bongela says in this absorbing docu interrogation of the bewilderment engendered by a seedy social experiment. Series worthy.

Snuck in one more. #InvisibleBeauty: Doc on Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison. A mighty force. Most engaging is a 20-minute segment that launches with a contentious industry townhall on racism in fashion, particularly on the runways, in zines, which she organized. #Sundance

I wanted more after it ended. I'd love to see an exhaustive, unflinching docuseries dive into the fashion industry: the models, agencies, designers, magazines, publicists, etc. from the POVs of Black professionals in the biz. It so closely mimics the film industry. #Sundance