Seventh Row podcast: Sundance 2023 season Seventh Row

On this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney talks about several highlights of the 2023 Berlinale from the festival's sidebars.
0:00 Intro to the Berlinale & the episode 4:12 Here (Belgium, dir. Bas Devos) 12:20 The Teacher’s Lounge (Germany, dir. İlker Çatak) 16:59 The Quiet Migration / Stille Liv (Denmark, dir. Malene Choi) 23:17 Intro to the Generation sidebar  25:30 Delegation (Israel/Poland/Germany, dir. Asaf Savan) 30:15 Le Paradis / The Lost Boys (Belgium/France, dir. Zeno Gratan) 37:20 Wrap up First, Alex discusses the best film of the festival she saw, Here (dir. Bas Devos), which screened in the Encounters section where it won the top prize. Next, Alex discusses two films from the Panorama sidebar (the not quite prestigious enough for competition sidebar): award winner The Teachers' Lounge and the low key Danish film The Quiet Migration. Finally, Alex discusses two films from the Generation sidebar, a sidebar of Young Adult films for Young Adults: Delegation and Le Paradis. Finally, 
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Show Notes Read our interview with the director and star of Ninjababy, a Berlinale 2021 Generation program highlight Listen to our podcast on Ninjababy Read our interview with the director of Brother's Keeper, a Berlinale 2021 Panorama film which, like The Teachers' Lounge, is also about systemic injustices in the educational system. Read our review of Magnus von Horn's The Here After, which would make a great double feature with the 2023 film Le Paradis (The Lost Boys). Listen to our podcast on My Small Land, which screened in the Generation sidebar at Berlinale 2022. Like this year's The Quiet Migration, My Small Land also tackled the story of a young immigrant in a country where they grew up not looking like the majority of the population. Read and listen to all of our Berlinale coverage from this year and past years. Related episodes mentioned on this episode Ep. 83: Berlinale 2021 Part 1: The sidebars Ep. 84: Berlinale 2021 Part 2: The Competition Ep. 125: Berlinale 2022 Ep. 101 Magnus von Horn’s films: The Here After and Sweat How to listen to episodes marked "MEMBERS ONLY" Click here to become a member, and access our entire podcast archive, as well as new Members Only episodes.
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All of our podcasts that are more than six months old are only available to members. We also regularly release members only bonus episodes. Many of the episodes listed here are now only available to members (Members Only).
Speakers on the episode This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney
You can find Alex on Twitter @bwestcineaste, Instagram @bwestcineaste, and Letterboxd @bwestcineaste.
 

In the seventh and final episode of the Sundance 2023 podcast season, we discuss the documentaries at Sundance 2023, focusing on the films Fantastic Machine, Is There Anybody Out There?, The Stroll, and Plan C. We also discuss the best films of Sundance and wrap up our discussion of the festival.
00:00 Introduction 01:26 Why we’re talking about documentaries at Sundance 03:05 And the King Said What a Fantastic Machine directed by Axel Danielsen & Maximilien Van Aertryck 11:19 Is There Anybody Out There? directed by Ella Glendining (and other first-person disability docs) 31:13 The Stroll directed by Kristen Parker Lovell & Zackary Drucker 36:04 Plan C directed by Tracy Droz Tragos 39:35 Milisuthando directed by Milisuthando Bongela 42:28 Against the Tide directed by Sarvnik Kaur 56:27 Final thoughts on Sundance 2023 and top tens 01:10:57 Sundance bingo Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
About the Sundance 2023 season Visit https://seventh-row.com/sundance for links to all of the episodes in the season, a downloadable bingo card, as well as a list of all of the films covered on this season. You will also find links to the show notes on each of the episodes and information on our coverage of Sundance dating back to 2015.
Show Notes Buy a copy of our ebook Subjective realities, which features essays and interviews on creative nonfiction film (including our interview with Pacho Velez on Searchers). The book also features an interview with director Chase Joynt who has made two documentaries featuring Zackary Drucker, director of the 2023 Sundance film The Stroll. Read our 2016 Sundance interview with Penny Lane on NUTS! in which she introduced us to the term 'creative nonfiction' as a way to describe innovative approaches to documentary. Watch Axel Danielsen and Maximilien Van Aertryck’s short film Ten Meter Tower for free on YouTube. Watch Guy Goma’s hilarious interview on the BBC, which features in Fantastic Machine Read Orla’s review of I Didn’t See You There Read Alex’s review of Gleason Read Orla’s interview with Chase Joynt and Morgan M. Page on Framing Agnes, which stars Zackary Drucker who co-directed in the 2023 film The Stroll Read Orla's interview with the filmmakers behind No Ordinary Man, which features Zackary Drucker, director of the film The Stroll. Read Orla’s review of All That Breathes Read Alex’s review of Captains of Za’atari Read Orla’s Letterboxd ranking of the Sundance 2023 films she saw Read Alex’s Letterboxd ranking of the Sundance 2023 films she saw Download the Sundance 2023 bingo card to follow along at home. Listen to our last podcast season, which tackles the history of women at the Cannes film festival, and read our comprehensive list of all the women filmmakers who have been programmed by Cannes. Related episodes mentioned on this episode For more information on how these episodes relate to this episode, click here. To listen to each episode, or find out more about the episode, click on the link below
Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative nonfiction (MEMBERS ONLY) Ep. 99: Creative nonfiction with Carol Nguyen and Penny Lane (FREE FOREVER). Ep. 106: Christine and Kate Plays Christine: Reviving Christine Chubbuck (MEMBERS ONLY) Ep. 53: Boys State and First Stripes (MEMBERS ONLY) Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming histories in documentaries. (MEMBERS ONLY) How to listen to episo

In the sixth episode (and third dispatch) of the Sundance 2023 podcast season, we discuss highlights like Ira Sachs's film Passages, Nicole Holofcener's film You Hurt My Feelings, Sebastián Silva's Rotting in the Sun, and Angus MacLachlan's A Little Prayer, as well as other buzzed-about films at the festival.
00:00 Introduction 01:10 Brief thoughts on Fremont, Infinity Pool, Bad Behaviour, Rye Lane, Drift, A Thousand and One 39:20 You Hurt My Feelings by Nicole Holofcener 52:04 Rotting in the Sun by Sebastián Silva 1:04:22 Passages by Ira Sachs 1:21:55 A Little Prayer by Angus MacLachlan 1:33:30 Fair Play, Cat Person, and the legacy of Promising Young Woman 1:54:49 Sundance bingo Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
In this episode, we discuss four of our favourite films of Sundance 2023, each in the Premieres section: Nicole Holofcener's dreamed, You Hurt My Feelings, Sebastián Silva's black comedy Rotting in the Sun, Ira Sachs' relationship drama Passages, and Angus MacLachlan's quietly insightful family drama. We also talk briefly about the disappointing films that have forged themselves in the image of Promising Young Woman: Fair Play and Cat Person. Orla discusses one of her most hated films of the festival, Infinity Pool, and Alex defends Alice Englert's troubled feature debut Bad Behaviour. Alex also adds her thoughts on Fremont, which Orla first discussed in episode 3 (Alex agrees it's excellent).
Finally, we both discuss some minor highlights of the festival. We were underwhelmed by British rom-com Rye Lane, though think it's a good depiction of the city. Alex liked Anthony Chen's (Ilo Ilo and Wet Season) English-language debut Drift, starring Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat, despite its problematic script, because the direction and performances were so good (Honor Swinton-Byrne also shows up!). Orla also weighs in on the US Grand Jury Prize Winner One Thousand Nights.
Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
How to follow our Sundance 2023 coverage Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram @SeventhRow; Alex Heeney @bwestcineaste on Twitter and Instagram; and Orla Smith @orlamango on Twitter and @orla_p_smith on Instagram.
Show Notes Read Indiewire’s article on the making of Rotting in the Sun, which we quote from in this episode. Read our interview with Sebastián Silva on his film Magic Magic Treat yourself by following Franz Rogowski on Instagram. Read our profile of Geraldine Viswanathan, who was wasted by Cat Person. Read Kristen Roupenian’s original Cat Person short story, published by The New Yorker. Listen to episode three of our Sundance 2023 podcast season, in which we discuss Slow, which features a far better example of asexual representation than Cat Person. Read our interview with Ana Katz, the director of The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, which was our favourite film of Sundance 2021. Download the Sundance 2023 bingo card to follow along at home. Listen to our last podcast season, which tackles the history of women at the Cannes film festival, and read our comprehensive list of all the women filmmakers who have been programmed by Cannes. Related episodes All of our podcasts that are more than six months old are only available to members. We also regularly release members only bonus episodes. Many of the episodes listed here are now only available to members (Members Only). Click here to become a member, and access our entire podcast archive, as well as new Members Only episodes.
Episodes related to the Franz Rogowski in the film Passages Ep. 5: Christian Petzold’s Trans

In the fifth episode of the Sundance 2023 podcast season, we discuss some of this year's buzziest titles, including William Oldroyd's film Eileen, Andrew Durham's film Fairyland, and some hidden gems like Babak Jalali's film Fremont and Rachel Lambert's film Sometimes I Think About Dying.
00:00 Introduction 01:49 Brief thoughts on Mutt, Cassandro, Polite Society, Theater Camp 17:58 Sometimes I Think About Dying directed by Rachel Lambert 28:45 Fremont by Babak Jalali 36:16 Eileen by William Oldroyd 51:43 Fairyland by Andrew Durham 1:08:59 Sundance bingo Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
How to follow our Sundance 2023 coverage Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram @SeventhRow; Alex Heeney @bwestcineaste on Twitter and Instagram; and Orla Smith @orlamango on Twitter and @orla_p_smith on Instagram.
Show Notes Read Orla Smith’s analysis of Thomasin McKenzie’s performance in Leave No Trace, which appears in our ebook Leave No Trace: A Special Issue. Leave No Trace premiered at Sundance, and McKenzie returns to Sundance this year as the lead of William Oldroyd’s Eileen. Read Alex Heeney's analysis of Gael García Bernal's performance in Ema, and why he is one of the very best actors working today. Bernal stars in and is the highlight of Cassandro. View the list of all of the films covered on the Sundance 2023 podcast Sundance 2023 season (FREE): Catch up with all of our episodes. Sundance 2023 season (FREE): Catch up with all of our episodes. Discover all of our past podcast episodes on films that screened at Sundance. Related episodes All of our podcasts that are more than six months old are only available to members. We also regularly release members only bonus episodes. Many of the episodes listed here are now only available to members (Members Only).
Ep. 1: Leave No Trace (FREE): We first fell in love with Thomasin McKenzie for her work in the Sundance film Leave No Trace, which we wrote a book about. In this companion episode to the book, we discuss why the film was so great and what a talent McKenzie is. McKenzie returned to Sundance this year as the star of William Oldroyd's film Eileen. Ep. 22: The King (FREE): In this crossover episode with our Shakespeare Podcast, 21st Folio, we watch the terrible film The King for you, and report back on what a mess it is and how under-used Thomasin McKenzie is. Ep. 91: AIDS on screen, featuring It’s a Sin (MEMBERS ONLY): In this episode, we give an overview of films/TV/recorded theatre dating back to the 1990s that have addressed the AIDS crisis. It's a must listen before seeing Fairyland and offers many recommendations for films that address the AIDS crisis well (which Fairylanddoes not). Ep. 98: Angels in America adaptations (MEMBERS ONLY): Tony Kushner's Angels in America is one of the most famous AIDS plays, and we delve deep into the HBO miniseries and the National Theatre's 2016 recorded production. We also talk about how the two productions address the AIDS crisis and how the views of the play have shifted in the last 20 years.

In the fourth episode of the Sundance 2023 podcast season, we discuss the North American films by and about Indigenous Peoples at the festival, including Twice Colonized, Bad Press, Murder in Big Horn, and Fancy Dance.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes. 
00:00 Introduction 01:05 Why are we discussing Indigenous films at Sundance? 14:11 Fancy Dance is our favourite Indigenous film at Sundance 14:54 Murder in Big Horn 31:00 Twice Colonized 41:13 Bad Press 49:26 The trend of an Indigenous filmmaker and a settler filmmaker co-directing 57:58 Indigenous films at Sundance set outside of North America: Heroic, Sorcery, Against the Tide More about the episode In this episode, we discuss Indigenous Films at Sundance: films directed or co-directed by Indigenous people as well as a couple of films about Indigenous people but directed by settlers. We kick off with our favourite Indigenous film at the festival, Fancy Dance, about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) which we already went deep on in episode 3.
We then dig into the disappointing documentary miniseries Murder in Big Horn (dir. Razelle Benally who is Oglala Lakota/Diné and Matthew Galkin), which looks at MMIWG in the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Nations. The Sundance miniseries Murder in Big Horn is told through the lens of an Indigenous investigative journalist looking into the case and uses the tropes of true crime. We talk about the often thoughtful but inchoate Twice Colonized, which was directed by a settler The film Twice Colonized follows the wonderful Inuk lawyer Aaju Peter (who also appears in Angry Inuk).
Next, we talk briefly about another disappointing Sundance US Indigenous film, a documentary co-directed by an Indigenous director, Bad Press (dir. Muscogee filmmaker Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler), about the Mvskoke Media in the Muscogee Creek Nation navigating gaining and then losing and then trying to regain their status as free press. We also touch briefly on Fox Maxy's New Frontiers experimental film.
Finally, we briefly discuss Heroic, a World Dramatic Competition film about an Indigenous character and mention the other World Cinema films that are about (but not made by) Indigenous people.
About the Sundance 2023 season This is the fourth episode of our new podcast season on the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Sundance 2023 runs from January 19-28, and we'll be covering this year's festival in a new podcast season about the films this year and how the programming fits into the festival's history. This is Seventh Row's second podcast season (the first was on Women at Cannes in 2022).
Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
How to follow our Sundance 2023 coverage Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram @SeventhRow; Alex Heeney @bwestcineaste on Twitter and Instagram; and Orla Smith @orlamango on Twitter and @orla_p_smith on Instagram.
Show Notes About the Sundance 2023 season This is the thid episode of our new podcast season on the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Sundance 2023 runs from January 19-28, and we'll be covering this year's festival in a new podcast season about the films this year and how the programming fits into the festival's history. This is Seventh Row's second podcast season (the first was on Women at Cannes in 2022).
Sundance 2023 Bingo
Because the festival loves to program films by

In our first dispatch on the world premieres at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, we delve into the under-discussed and oft-ignored World Dramatic Competition. We go deep on our favourite World Dramatic Competition title so far: Slow (dir. Marija Kavtaradze), Scrapper (dir. Charlotte Regan), and When It Melts (dir. Veerle Baetens). Finally, we turn to two early US highlights: Erica Tremblay's Fance Dance and Luke Lorentzen's documentary A Still Small Voice. 
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes. 
00:00 Introduction 09:10 Films from the Sundance World Dramatic Competition so far: Slow, Heroic, Scrapper, When It Melts, Mamacruz, Girl 53:23 Fancy Dance starring Lily Gladstone 1:18:35 A Still Small Voice 1:24:22 Sundance bingo More about the films discussed in the episode Erica Tremblay's Fancy Dance is in the US Dramatic Competition and about an Indigenous woman (Lily Gladstone) searching for her sister who recently went missing (MMIWG) while suddenly finding herself the sole guardian for her 12-year-old niece. The documentary A Still Small Voice(dir. Luke Lorentzen) in the US Documentary Competition is about the toll on a hospital chaplain of constantly extending empathy to others.
Slow is a Lithuanian film about a dancer navigating a new relationship with her asexual partner. The film Scrapper is about a working class twelve-year-old girl in Dagenham who recently lost her mother and reconnects with her estranged father (an excellent Harris Dickinson). When It Melts is about a traumatic childhood event in a twelve-year-old girl's life that has devastating consequences for her as an adult. We also discuss Heroic (dir. David Zonana, Workforce) and Mamacruz (dir. Patricia Ortega), which also screened in the World Dramatic Competition.
In past years, we've found some of our favourite films at Sundance in this section, including The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (2021), Charter (2020), The Souvenir (2020), God's Own Country (2017), Mammal (2016), Sand Storm (2016), and Homesick (2015). Unfortunately, these films also have the tendency to disappear so we wanted to throw a spotlight on the competition this year (as we do every year!), to draw attention to films you'll want to watch out for at local film festivals, which may be your only opportunity to watch them, or could get buried on VOD in the future. And hopefully, we can help get these films noticed and distributed!
About the Sundance 2023 season This is the third episode of our new podcast season on the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Sundance 2023 runs from January 19-28, and we'll be covering this year's festival in a new podcast season about the films this year and how the programming fits into the festival's history. This is Seventh Row's second podcast season (the first was on Women at Cannes in 2022).
Sundance 2023 Bingo
Because the festival loves to program films by slot and quota, we are also introducing our annual Sundance Bingo Card, which you can download here. Play along during the festival (or look at past festival editions and the films you've caught which screened there). You can find this year's bingo card in the show notes on our website.
In each expisode we'll track our progress on the Bingo card, individuall and as a Seventh Row team.
Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
How to follow our Sundance 2023 coverage Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the 2023 Sundance podcast season and coverage on the website.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram @SeventhRow; Alex Heeney @bwestcineaste on Twitter and Instagram; and Orla Smith