25/01/2022 - As the prestigious US-based indie gathering unspools online for the second time, Cineuropa and eyelet present a quartet of unmissable titles from Sundance’s past editions

For the second year in a row, Sundance Film Festival (20-30 January 2022) is taking place entirely online owing to COVID-19’s latest surge. However, this does not impede the prestigious Park City-based gathering to offer its usual raft of great indie gems. For the occasion, Cineuropa is proud to present a quartet of European titles from the festival’s previous editions, available for rent or for sale. These films are brought to you in partnership with eyelet, a streaming platform designed to give cinephiles around the world access to the very best in independent cinema. Stay tuned for the new flicks coming your way soon!

Shooting the Mafia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Premiered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2019 edition of the festival and later screened at the Berlinale, Kim Longinotto’s documentary explores Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia’s lifelong battle with the Mafia, begun when she first pointed her camera at a brutally slain victim. In it, the British filmmaker masterfully intertwines interviews with Battaglia and her many lovers, photographs and videos, as well as archive footage from Italian movies and TV news documenting Cosa Nostra’s barbaric rule. In his review for Cineuropa, critic Kaleem Aftab defines the movie as “lovingly recounted” as it allows us discover fully Battaglia’s “determination, tenacity and sheer force of will.”

Undertow [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Winner of the Audience Award and nominee for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 edition, Javier Fuentes-León’s feature is set in a tiny Peruvian seaside village, where traditions run deep. In detail, the story follows Miguel (played by Cristian Mercado), a young fisherman, and his beautiful bride, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), who are about to welcome their first child. Miguel, however, harbours a scandalous secret. He is in love with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), a painter, who is ostracized by the town because of his homosexuality. After a tragic accident occurs, Miguel must choose between sentencing Santiago to eternal torment or doing right by him and, in turn, revealing their relationship to Mariela and the entire village.

A Woman Captured [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

In his review, Cineuropa’s own Vladan Petkovic labels Bernadett Tuza-Ritter’s effort as “a portrait of a modern-day slave in Hungary,” capable of raising “questions about the phenomenon, but also about documentary filmmaking.” This feature, presented in the World Documentary Cinema section of the 2018 edition, zooms in on Marish, a 70-year-old woman who has been kept by a family as a domestic slave for 10 years. Drawing courage from the filmmaker's presence, she decides to escape the unbearable oppression and become free.

Blind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eskil Vogt
interview: Eskil Vogt
film profile]

Eskil Vogt’s debut, showcased in the World Cinema Competition of the 2014 edition and recipient of the festival’s Screenwriting Award, centres on Ingrid (portrayed by Ellen Dorrit Petersen) who, after having recently lost her sight, retreats to the safety of her home, a place where she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. Within her convoluted fantasy bubble, the woman convinces herself that her architect husband is spying on her. A “sensorial” film with a playful, humorous approach not to be missed.

Discover new titles from Cineuropa and Eyelet here: cineuropa.eyelet.com