This Is the Most Diverse Sundance Lineup Ever

While this year’s Oscars are on track to be the whitest in years, next year’s Sundance will look to tell a different story. According to Indiewire, the 2020 Sundance Film Festival will feature seven films in competition that primarily chronicle the lives of back characters. That’s a new festival record, by the way.

As Indiewire points out, the most such films that have ever played in competition in the same year was five. This year, the seven titles are The 40-Year-Old Version, Charm City Kings, Farewell Amor, Miss Juneteenth, Nine Days, Sylvie’s Love and Zola.

Festival founder, Robert Redford, seemed to address the diversity in a statement that was timed with Wednesday’s announcement of the upcoming Sundance lineup. “This year’s festival is full of films that showcase myriad ways for stories to drive change, across hearts, minds, and societies,” Redford said.

Other films of note include Dee Rees’ adaptation of Joan Didion’s The Last Thing He Wanted, a film starring Anne Hathaway as a journalist who must reckon with her dying father’s mistakes.

And how can we ignore Netflix’s ultra-buzzy Taylor Swift documentary Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, which is set to open Sundance on January 23. Directed by Lana the film promises to deliver a “raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time.” Swift has had a tumultuous year to say the least, and the doc is said to chronicle the “transformational period in her life as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.”

Related: Can the Best Black Film at Sundance Really Be Made by White Men?