IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (dir. Alexandria Bombach), one of the few films selected to screen on the opening night of the festival, offers a timely look into the obstacles, activism, and life lessons faced by Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls. (Premieres, Opening Night Film)

GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT, the new film from Michèle Stephenson (dir. of WMM release STATELESS) and Joe Brewster, takes us on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni as she reflects on her life and legacy. (U.S. Documentary Competition)

MILISUTHANDO (dir. Milisuthando Bongela) is an invitation into a poetic, memory-driven exploration of love, intimacy, race, and belonging by the filmmaker, who grew up in South Africa during apartheid but didn’t know it was happening until it was over. (World Cinema Documentary Competition)

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING (dir. Lisa Cortés) explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music and shines a clarifying light on the Black, queer origins of rock ’n’ roll. (U.S. Documentary Competition)

In JOONAM (dir. Sierra Urich) a young filmmaker – spurred by a provocative family memory and a lifetime of separation from the country her mother left behind – delves into her mother and her grandmother’s complicated pasts and her own fractured Iranian Identity. (U.S. Documentary Competition)

INVISIBLE BEAUTY (dir. Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng), is a profile of fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison as she looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist. (Premieres)

TAKE ME HOME (dir. Liz Sargent) is about a cognitively disabled woman and her estranged sister who, after their mother’s death, must learn to communicate in order to move forward. (Shorts Program)

WMM filmmakers and Production Assistance Program alum will also be premiering new projects at the 2023 Festival. We can't wait to see new films from Nancy Schwartzman (dir. VICTIM/SUSPECT), Maite Alberdi (dir. THE ETERNAL MEMORY), Davina Pardo (dir. JUDY BLUME FOREVER), Paula Eiselt (dir. UNDER G_D), Lana Wilson (dir. PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS), Heather Rae (prod. FANCY DANCE), and Jalena Keane-Lee (prod. REST STOP).

Read more on our blog. 

2 Films from WMM’s Production Assistance Program Head to Slamdance!

Kimi Takesue’s new documentary, ONLOOKERS, will have its World Premiere two decades after she won the “Spirit of Slamdance” award at the festival with her film, a WMM release, HEAVEN’S CROSSROAD. ONLOOKERS offers a visually striking, immersive meditation on travel and tourism in Laos, reflecting on how we all live as observers. (Breakouts, World Premiere)

WISDOM GONE WILD (dir. Rea Tajiri) observes the filmmaker’s mother as she gradually slips into the grip of dementia. Rea Tajiri is both a witness and a participant in a process of remembrance and archiving. Without falling into the trappings of nostalgia, the film meditates on life, time, and love, while confronting a  monumental loss. (Unstoppable Features)

The 2023 Slamdance Film Festival runs concurrently with Sundance in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.