The lineup for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival has been rolled out over the last week for the 31st annual festival taking place in Park City, Utah from January 22 to February 1. This year, 118 feature-length films will screen, with 103 being world premieres, chosen from over 12,100 submissions. Sundance has long been one of the most LGBT-inclusive mainstream film festivals and has drawn attention to scores of great LGBT films including Pariah, The Kids Are All Right, How to Survive a Plague, Keep the Lights On and more.
Check out a list below of LGBT-inclusive films screening this year at the Sundance Film Festival that we know of so far, in alphabetical order. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
*Note – Synopses are taken directly from the Sundance program
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. WorldPremiere
Followers / United Kingdom, Australia(Director and screenwriter: Tim Marshall) — Lynn, an elderly woman stricken with grief after her husband's death, finds solace in an apparition of Jesus on the swimming trunks of a young gay man at her adult swimming class.
Grandma / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Paul Weitz) — Self-described misanthrope Elle Reid has her protective bubble burst when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, shows up needing help. The two of them go on a day-long journey that causes Elle to come to terms with her past and Sage to confront her future. Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott. CLOSING NIGHT FILM
I Am Michael / U.S.A. (Director: Justin Kelly, Screenwriters: Justin Kelly, Stacey Miller) — The controversial true story of a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor. Cast: James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
The Mask You Live In / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom) — Is there a "boy crisis" in America? Is our male population suffering due to our emphasis on power, dominance, and aggression? TheMask You Live In explores how our narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men, and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.
Pop-Up Porno: m4m / Canada (Director: Stephen Dunn) — A lonely traveler on a business trip to New York finds himself in a heated Grindr chat with his worst nightmare.
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents' lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM
Tig / U.S.A. (Directors: Kristina Goolsby, Ashley York, Screenwriter: Jennifer Arnold) — This documentary explores comedian Tig Notaro's extraordinary journey as her life unfolds in grand and unexpected ways, all while she is battling a life-threatening illness and falling in love.
The 2015 Sundance Film Festival will take place in Park City, Utah January 22-February 1. Find out more about attending here and keep up to date with announcements on Twitter at @SundanceFest.