Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced an additional five world premiere feature films, plus four award-winning feature films from previous Festivals, to the 2023 Sundance Film Festival lineup. The 2023 Festival will take place January 19–29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country January 24–29, 2023. Single Film Tickets for in-person and online go on sale January 12 at 10 a.m. MT.

The latest feature films world premiering at the upcoming Festival include: Beyond Utopia, playing in the U.S. Documentary Competition section; Earth Mama, Flora and Son, and Past Lives, playing in the Premieres section; and Stephen Curry: Underrated,playing in the Special Screenings section.

Returning to the Festival as Encore Special Screenings are CODA (2021 Sundance Film Festival), Klondike (2022 Sundance Film Festival), Navalny (2022 Sundance Film Festival), and Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021 Sundance Film Festival). This will be the first time these Sundance award winners will screen in person at the Festival in Park City. Encore Special Screenings will screen January 25–27, with many of the filmmakers in attendance for post-screening Q&A’s.

“These five new films round out our program in an exciting and emotional way. They are cinematic experiences that delight, entertain, and keep us on the edge of our seats. The works introduce us to new voices, along with directors we’re excited to welcome back to the Festival,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “Having four encore films play in Utah is truly a homecoming. While they reached audiences around the world, wherever they were, this year they will return to fuel the energy and excitement at the heart of the Sundance community.”

The Sundance Film Festival is an artist program of the Sundance Institute. Proceeds earned through Festival ticket sales go to uplifting and developing emerging artists on a year-round basis through focused labs, direct grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.

Today’s additions add to the 2023 Festival slate, where 110 feature-length films will screen representing 28 countries, and 45 of 124 (36%) feature film directors are first-time feature filmmakers. 17 of the feature films and projects were supported by Sundance Institute in development through direct granting or residency labs.

98, or 89%, of the Festival’s 110 feature films will be world premieres. Director demographics are available in an editor’s note below.
The latest additions to the 2023 Sundance Film Festival by section are:

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Beyond Utopia / U.S.A. (Director: Madeleine Gavin, Producers: Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Sue Mi Terry) — Hidden camera footage augments this perilous high-stakes journey as we embed with families attempting to escape oppression, ultimately revealing a world most of us have never seen. World Premiere. Available online.

PREMIERES

Earth Mama / U.S.A (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Savanah Leaf, Producers: Cody Ryder, Shirley O’Connor, Medb Riordan, Sam Bisbee) — A pregnant single mother with two children in foster care embraces her Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family.Cast: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Doechii, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Dominic Fike, Bokeem Woodbine.World Premiere. Fiction.

Flora and Son / U.S.A, Ireland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: John Carney, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Rebecca O’Flanagan, Robert Walpole) — Single mom Flora is at war with her teenage son, petty thief Max. Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, she rescues a beat-up guitar from a dumpster and finds that one person’s trash can be a family’s salvation. Cast: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan, Jack Reynor. World Premiere. Fiction.

Past Lives / U.S.A (Director and Screenwriter: Celine Song, Producers: Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa) — Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny and love, and the choices that make a life. Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro. World Premiere. Fiction.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Stephen Curry: Underrated / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Peter Nicks, Producers: Ryan Coogler, Erick Peyton) — Stephen Curry is one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in the history of basketball. Intimate cinematic video, archival footage, and on-camera interviews reveal Curry’s rise from an undersized college player to a four-time NBA champion. World Premiere. Documentary.

ENCORE SPECIAL SCREENINGS

CODA / U.S.A, France (Director and Screenwriter: Siân Heder, Producers: Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger) — As a CODA – Child of Deaf Adults – Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin. World Premiered in the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition section, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, and U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.

Klondike / Ukraine, Turkey (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Maryna Er Gorbach, Producers: Mehmet Bahadir Er, Sviatoslav BulakovskyI) — The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia – Ukraine during the start of war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after they find themselves at the center of an air crash catastrophe on July 17, 2014. Cast: Oxana Cherkashyna, Sergey Shadrin, Oleg Scherbina, Oleg Shevchuk, Artur Aramyan, Evgenij Efremov. World Premiered in the 2022 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, where it won the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic.

Navalny / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Roher, Producers: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris) — Anti-authoritarian Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny recovers in Berlin after nearly being poisoned to death with the nerve agent Novichok. He makes shocking discoveries about his assassination attempt and bravely decides to return home – whatever the consequences. World Premiered in the 2022 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, where it won Festival Favorite and the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.

Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) / U.S.A. (Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Producers: David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel) — An epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion shines a light on the importance of history and the healing power of music during times of unrest. World Premiered in the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.

“Boston Strangler,” 20th Century Studios true-crime thriller from writer-director Matt Ruskin about the trailblazing reporters who broke the story of the notorious Boston Strangler murders of the 1960s, will premiere March 17, 2023, exclusively on Disney+ under the Star banner in Canada.

“Boston Strangler” stars two-time Oscar® nominee Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game,” “Pride & Prejudice”), Emmy® nominee Carrie Coon (“Fargo,” “The Gilded Age”), Alessandro Nivola (“Amsterdam”), David Dastmalchian (“Dune”), Morgan Spector (“Homeland”), Bill Camp (“Joker”), and Academy Award® winner Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”). Written and directed by Matt Ruskin (“Crown Heights”), the film is produced by Ridley Scott (“The Martian”), Kevin J. Walsh (“House of Gucci”), Michael Pruss (“American Woman”), Josey McNamara (“Promising Young Woman”), and Tom Ackerley (“I, Tonya”), with Michael Fottrell (“The Fate of the Furious”) and Sam Roston serving as executive producers. Sam Roston will oversee for Scott Free and Bronte Payne for LuckyChap.

The film follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, who becomes the first journalist to connect the Boston Strangler murders. As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation alongside colleague and confidante Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), yet the duo finds themselves stymied by the rampant sexism of the era. Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Cole bravely pursue the story at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.  

ABC Audio, a division of ABC News, will release a true crime companion podcast about the Boston Strangler ahead of the film’s debut on Disney+. The three-part narrative series will be hosted by award-winning journalist and former Boston Globe reporter Dick Lehr, who knew Loretta McLaughlin and has reported on the Boston Strangler case. The podcast will delve into the backstories and tragic fate of the victims linked to the Boston Strangler case and explore why these half-century-old killings remain the subject of so much fascination. It will be available for free on all major podcast platforms.  

Following the popularity and positive reviews of Season One, Netflix’s GINNY & GEORGIA is about to return for a second season. Bringing back many of the same elements we loved about the first season of this Greater Toronto Area-filmed series, the stakes are upped here as Georgia (Brianne Howey) continues to ruffle feathers, seeking to gain acceptance in Wellsbury, yet at once not giving a care what others think. And Ginny (Antonia Gentry) continues uncovering some disagreeable things in the name of surviving and supporting her kids.

When a Series is looking to push boundaries and approach “real topics”, it is bound to cause a bit of controversy. One thing we admire about this second season is its bravery exploring Ginny‘s mental health struggles as she copes with her challenging mother and her relationship with the town’s mayor, Paul (Scott Porter). At once, Ginny is trying to navigate her relationship with Marcus (Felix Mallard), more than ever before leaning-on her biological father Zion (Nathan Mitchell) for support when her mother is impossible. Gentry really does some commendable work decliately exploring Ginny‘s battles and sexual awakening.

Howey continues to excel, drawing us into Georgia’s world. On one hand we kinda want Child Protective Services to nail her, but the compassion in which she brings here makes us want to root for her and get away with some of the unforgivable things she’s done.

Toronto’s Sara Waisglass also is just fantastic in the supporting role of Max, Ginny‘s best friend and sister of her love interest Marcus. She’s a scene-stealer whose energy provides this deeper, darker second season a much-needed lift in spirits.

We enjoyed the first season of this Series, but found ourselves more invested than ever in this second season. Things get tangled and messy and what fun it be if it weren’t? The wait has been more than worthwhile and we foresee more seasons to come after this solid follow-up.

The second season of GINNY & GEORGIA arrives January 5, 2023 on Netflix.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER continues to make a splash this weekend with $67.8 million from 4,202 theatres for 20th Century Studios this New Year’s three-day weekend! Over three weekends, it has grossed in excess of $450 million domestically.

In second is PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH with $15.9 million from 4,121 theatres. Over two weekends, it has made $65.5 million for Universal Pictures.

Third spot goes to BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER with $5 million from 2,310 theatres, a total $439 million over eight weekends.

Landing in fourth we have I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, the Whitney Houston Biopic, with $4.1 million from 3,625 theatres for Sony Pictures, a two week tally of $15.8 million.

Rounding things out is BABYLON with $3 million, a two weel total of $11.4 million for Paramount Pictures.

What a year! 2022 honestly was the year we’ve been holding-out for with restrictions having lifted after all our patience these past couple years with the Pandemic. And it was a phenomenal year for Cinema and Toronto proved once again it was at the forefront of it all as the hub for it all!

Team Mr. Will break-down their Top Fave (and then some…) favourites of 2022 in this Highlight Reel below. See what these films mean to us. And yes, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Women Talking were big hits among the Team, in addition told in fresh, underheard voices. But what about some of their other eclectic picks you might’ve missed-out on? This is worth a watch. This Team has a sense of humour!

For a second straight week, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER takes the #1 spot at the Box Office. Over the three-day Christmas weekend, grossing $55 million from 4,202 theatres, bringing its two-week total to $279.7 million domestically for 20th Century Studios.

A distant runner-up is PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH with $11.1 million in its debut from 4,099 theatres for Universal Pictures. Opening Wednesday, it has grossed $24.3 million already. Its 2011 predecessor opened with $34 million.

Third spot goes to Whitney Houston Biopic I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, earning $5.5 million from 3,625 theatres for Sony Pictures.

Fourth is BABYLON with $3.3 million from 3,343 theatres for Paramount Pictures. The latest from Damien Chazelle gets.

Rounding-out the Christmas Top Five is BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER with $2.6 million, bringing its seven week tally to $426.5 million for Disney.

Fans of That ’70s Show, get ready for THAT ’90s SHOW! Here’s a first glimpse at the Trailer!

Synopsis:

It’s 1995 and Leia Forman is desperate for some adventure in her life or at least a best friend who isn’t her dad. When she arrives in Point Place to visit her grandparents, Red and Kitty, Leia finds what she’s looking for right next door when she meets the dynamic and rebellious Gwen. With the help of Gwen’s friends, including her lovable brother Nate, his smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki, the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie, and the charming Jay, Leia realizes adventure could happen there just like it did for her parents all those years ago. Excited to reinvent herself, she convinces her parents to let her stay for the summer. With a basement full of teens again, Kitty is happy the Forman house is now a home for a new generation and Red is, well…Red.

That ‘90s Show stars Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Donovan, Reyn Doi, and Sam Morelos. Also returning to Point Place are creators Bonnie and Terry Turner – this time with their daughter Lindsey Turner – showrunner/executive producer Gregg Mettler, and executive producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner. Joining the show are executive producers Jessica Goldstein and Chrissy Pietrosh.

Cast:

Kurtwood Smith as Red A classic never goes out of style. When the new kids bring out the old Red, the spring in Red’s step puts a spring in Kitty’s too!
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty A whole new world opens to Kitty with the new generation and she is right at home. It has never been cooler to be Kitty.
Callie Haverda as Leia Forman Smart like her mom, awkward like her dad, Leia is craving adventure. She’s just not quite sure where or how to start. Until she discovers a best friend in the most unlikely of places: next door to her grandparents’ house in Point Place.
Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen Life gets more interesting for Leia when she meets this Riot Grrrl. Equal parts loyalty, rebellion and heart, Gwen is a dynamic powerhouse and the unofficial leader of the new generation of Point Place kids.
Maxwell Donovan as Nate When you first meet Nate he seems like a big, dumb jock… but he’s actually not that athletic. Nate has a huge heart and it’s hard to tell who he loves more: his girlfriend, his best friend, or his beat-up, old van.
Mace Coronel as Jay Jay is charming and flirty – at least, he tries. It doesn’t always come out right. He considers himself a deep thinker, nobody else does.
Reyn Doi as Ozzie Everyone loves them some Ozzie. He’s insightful, sarcastic and has perspective beyond his years. Ozzie is gay and impatient with the world for not being as accepting as his friends.
Sam Morelos as Nikki Nikki is focused, smart, and driven. She approaches maintaining her GPA with the same energy an MMA fighter brings to a cage match. She can truly relax when she’s with her boyfriend, Nate and his friends, even though sometimes she’s not laughing with them, she’s laughing at them.
Andrea Anders as Sherri This single mom to Nate and Gwen is warm and breezily blunt. She rolls through life in a state of “pretty sure” – pretty sure the kids ate, pretty sure there’s gas in the car… When Leia makes friends with her kids, Sherri makes friends with Red and Kitty, and their coffee, and their couch, and their advice.

Even Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama are coming back for guest spots!

Netflix release THAT ’90s SHOW January 19, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

For 25 years, Ross Petty has been delighting theatre goers over the Holidays with his beloved stage productions, often which see him playing the villain. Taking a bow, his production Peter’s Final Flight! The Pan-Tastical Family Musical runs through January 7, 2023, marking the end of an era and a tradition for many.

The Musical has Petty playng Captain Hook at Elgin Theatre. Also starring are Dan Chameroy and Stephanie Sy, who can be seen currently in VIOLENT NIGHT, and upcoming Netflix series UTAP, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

More here.

(Photo credit: Ross Petty Productions/Mr. Will Wong)

Happy Hugh-lidays! The Cast of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves have a holiday greeting to share with us!

SYNOPSIS:

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

Paramount Pictures Presents

In Association with eOne

A Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley Film

Directed by:

Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley

Screenplay by:

Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio

Story by:

Chris McKay & Michael Gilio

Based on HASBRO’S DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Produced by:

Jeremy Latcham, p.g.a., Brian Goldner, Nick Meyer

Executive Producers:

Denis L. Stewart, Jonathan Goldstein,

John Francis Daley, Chris Pine, Zev Foreman, Greg Mooradian

Cast:

Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head and Hugh Grant

Paramount Pictures Canada release DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES March 31, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

Filmed right here in Toronto, GOTHAM KNIGHTS has found a home in Canada on Showcase!

New heroes will rise when DC drama series Gotham Knights premieres Tuesday, March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase. In Gotham Knights, Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.

From Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Gotham Knights is written by Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams. Fiveash and Stoteraux serve as showrunners and executive produce the series alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman. Abrams also serves as co-executive producer. Danny Cannon directed and served as an executive producer on the pilot, along with David Madden. Gotham Knights is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.