U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the U.S. Dramatic Competition offers festival-goers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

Kristen Stewart and Chloë Sevigny appear in “Lizzie” by Craig William Macneill, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)

American Animals

U.S.A.  //  The unbelievable but mostly true story of four young men who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history.

BLAZE

U.S.A.  //  A reimagining of the life and times of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas Outlaw Music movement; he gave up paradise for the sake of a song.

Blindspotting

U.S.A.  //  A buddy comedy in a world that won’t let it be one.

Burden

U.S.A.  //  After opening a KKK shop, Klansman Michael Burden falls in love with a single mom who forces him to confront his senseless hatred. After leaving the Klan, with nowhere to turn, Burden is taken in by an African-American reverend and learns tolerance through their combined love and faith.

Eighth Grade

U.S.A.  //  Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth-grade year — before she begins high school.

I Think We’re Alone Now

U.S.A.   //  The apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse – until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship.

The Kindergarten Teacher

U.S.A.  //  Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five – year – olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent. Based on the acclaimed Israeli film.

Lizzie

U.S.A.   // Based on the 1892 murder of Lizzie Borden‘s family in Fall River, Massachusetts, this tense psychological thriller lays bare the legend of Lizzie Borden to reveal the much more complex, poignant and truly terrifying woman within — and her intimate bond with the family‘s young Irish housemaid, Bridget Sullivan.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

U.S.A.   // 1993: after being caught having sex with the prom queen, a girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center. Based on Emily Danforth’s acclaimed and controversial coming-of-age novel.

Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” by Desiree Akhavan, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance FIlm Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute // Photo by Jeong Park)

Monster

U.S.A.  //  Monster is what the prosecutor calls 17-year-old honors student and aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon. Charged with felony murder for a crime he says he did not commit, the film follows his dramatic journey through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison.

Monsters and Men

U.S.A.  //  This interwoven narrative explores the aftermath of a police killing of a black man. The film is told through the eyes of a bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand.

Nancy

U.S.A.  //  Blurring lines between fact and fiction, Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief – and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality.

Sorry to Bother You

U.S.A.  // In a speculative and dystopian not-too-distant future, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.

The Tale

U.S.A.  //  An investigation into one woman’s memory as she‘s forced to re-examine her first sexual relationship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive; based on the filmmaker’s own story.

Tyrel

U.S.A.  //  Tyler spirals out of control when he realizes he‘s the only black person attending a weekend birthday party in a secluded cabin.

Wildlife

U.S.A.  // Montana, 1960: A portrait of a family in crisis. Based on the novel by Richard Ford