Sundance Film Festival London 2022: when is it, how to buy tickets, what films are on with Brian and Charles?

The Sundance Film Festival began in 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah as a showcase for the latest independent film projects from around the globe.

American actor Robert Redford, who played the Sundance Kid in classic western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, founded the festival to encourage the growth of indepedent cinema.

In 2012, Redford established a London branch of the festival to be held annually in the summer.

What is Sundance Film Festival: London?

The Sundance London film festival is an offshoot of the original Sundance festival held in Utah.

This year, the festival will curate a programme of films from the Sundance Utah, which was held this January, and screen them for UK audiences.

Panel discussions and podcast recordings will also take place at Sundance London, and three films from the event will be screened at a limited number of cinemas across the UK.

When is Sundance London Film Festival 2022?

The full programme of feature films, shorts and panel discussions will take place from Thursday 9 - Sunday 12 June.

Picturehouse Central, a state of the art seven-screen cinema on  Shaftesbury Avenue on London’s West End will host the festival.

What films are on?

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande

This comedy drama stars Emma Thompson as Nancy, a 55 year old widow who hires a gigolo to improve her sex life.

The film follows a journey of self-discovery for both Nancy and the sex worker in her employ.

A Love Song

Two people who were childhood sweethearts, and now in the twilight of their lives and both widowed, reunite after four decades.

They spend a night together sharing memories, exchanging small talk and escaping loneliness.

Brian and Charles

Brian, played by comedian David Earl, is a hapless inventor who suffers a deep depression and finds himself isolated and alone.

He decides to build himself a robot companion, Charles, and together they develop a strong if unconventional friendship.

Free Chol Soo Lee

This documentary follows a campaign by Asian Americans to free Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant who was wrongly convicted of a gangland murder and put on death row.

After his release, Lee became involved with organised crime figures, threatening the legacy of the movement that freed him.

Fire of Love

The moving documentary follows volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died in a volcanic eruption.

The film is made from archive footage of the couple which shows them look death in the face as they scale active volcanoes and walk on lava.

Hatching

Hatching is a Swedish horror film about a young gymnast with a demanding mother who she can never seem to please.

One day, she finds a mysterious egg in the woods and take it home to look after, but when it hatches, whatever is inside threatens to tear her family apart.

Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul

The comedy follows Trinitie, the first lady of a Southern Baptist Mega Church in the wake of a huge scandal which has fractured the congregation.

Trinitie must help her pastor husband to rebuild trust among their congregation.

The Princess

This Princess Diana documentary uses only archive material to revisit the life and death of the people’s princess.

It also looks at public attitudes towards the monarchy and how they have changed since the death of Diana.

Resurrection

This psychological thriller follows Margaret, a single mother with a traumatic past who has finally got her life together and become a success.

However, when her abusive ex-partner comes back into her life after more than 20 years, she must fight to protect herself and her daughter.

Sharp Stick

The comedy film follows Sarah Jo who is living with her mother and sister outside Hollywood and years to be somebody.

When she begins having an affair with her older boss, she learns some tough lessons about loss and power.

Watcher

This intense horror thriller is about an American woman who moves to Romania with her husband and begins to feel more and more unsettled.

She starts to suspect that a strange man who watches her from his apartment building is a local serial killer who has been decapitating women.

We Met in Virtual Reality

This documentary is filmed entirely inside the virtual reality world and explores the growth of the VR movement.

As people have become increasingly disconnected from each other in recent years, the documentary looks at how virtual reality can restore these connections.

Surprise Film

Sundance London will also screen a surprise film - there will be just one showing and the title of the film will only be revealed as the opening credits roll.

What other events are on?

Other events to look out for at the festival include the podcasts, Girls on Film,  Evolution of Horror, and 90 Minutes or Less.

American independent film producer Christine Vachon will also be holding an In Conversation discussion.

The How to Make Archive Come Alive discussion will feature documentary filmmakers talking about the challenges of working with archival material.

The UK shorts programme will feature short films from filmmakers based or from the UK.

There will also be screenings of several independent films that are not new to audiences. These are the Danny Boyle thriller Shallow Grave, comedy drama Lemon, and romantic drama Love Jones.

How can you get tickets?

You can buy tickets for the festival now, either for individual events or a festival pass now.

Tickets for individual events are £17.20 each for adults - Picturehouse members are able to get discounted tickets for £14.20.

A festival lite pass which includes access to five events is £75, and a festival pass which provides access to ten events is £130.

Both festival passes include a 10% discount on food and drink, and access to the members’ bar and rooftop terrace.

You can buy tickets from the Picturehouse website here https://www.picturehouses.com/Sundance.