The 2021 Sundance Film Festival was held digitally for one week instead of the usual 10 days, starting January 28th.

Film critic Rahul Desai covered the festival as accredited press for Film Companion, and he managed to catch most of the talk-of-the-town titles. The Sundance film festival is the first major international festival of the year, and a haven for indies and talented first-time filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their work.

Here’s his diary, divided into three categories of “goodness” (apparently, he didn’t see a bad film). This is your chance to bookmark these titles and look out for them on streaming platforms throughout the year. Some of them have already been acquired for record sums by big players like Apple and Netflix:

(5/5)
Try Harder! (US documentary)
Wiggle Room (US short film)
CODA (US Dramatic feature winner)
On the Count of Three (US feature screenplay winner)
Writing With Fire (World documentary audience award winner, India)
Together Together (US feature)
Hive (World Dramatic feature winner)
In The Same Breath (World documentary)
Passing (US feature)
Flee (World documentary winner)
Summer of Soul (US documentary winner)

(4/5)
Fire in the Mountains (World dramatic feature, India)
Lata (India short)
At The Ready (US documentary)
Misha and the Wolves (World documentary)
The Most Beautiful Boy In The World (World documentary)
Jockey (US feature)
Cusp (US documentary)
Sabaya (World documentary)
The Pink Cloud (World dramatic feature)
How It Ends (US feature)
Mass (US feature)
Land (US feature)

(3/5)
Human Factors (World feature)
Captains of Zaatari (World documentary)
We’re All Going To The World’s Fair (US feature)
R#J (US feature)
John and the Hole (US feature)