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Interview with the Filmmakers Behind Oscar-Nominated Short, "Two People Exchanging Saliva"
It's that time of year again: awards season! Every day we grow closer and closer to the 98th Academy Awards, a ceremony with some of the toughest competition audiences have seen in years. This week we had the privilege and pleasure to sit down with Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata, the filmmakers behind Two People Exchanging Saliva ; one of the Oscar-nominated short films in the live action category this year. After premiering at Telluride and AFI Fest back in 2024, the f

Eric Hardman
Feb 1010 min read


"The History of Concrete" is the Hidden Gem of Sundance 2026
This year marked the last Sundance Film Festival to take place in its historic home of Park City, Utah. So the stakes were particularly high for a strong slate of films before the festival moves to Boulder, Colorado in 2027. This year's Sundance saw the release of dozens of new films that we will be talking about for the next 365 days, but one standout that nobody saw coming was The History of Concrete by John Wilson, best known for his HBO series: How to with John Wilson . E

Rua Fay
Feb 93 min read


Sundance's "Filipiñana" Struggles in its Leap from Short to Feature
Although originally launched as the “U.S. Film Festival”, Sundance has always held a special place for international films and filmmakers. Among this year’s lineup of international features was Filipiñana, a coming of age drama from the Phillipines that tells a poignant tale of culture and class with some unfortunately mixed execution. Filipiñana , the story of Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a Tee girl at a swanky Manilla golf course. After discovering that the president of the

Sam Theriault
Feb 53 min read


Interview with Killer Mike on "Jane Elliott Against the World"
This year's Sundance Film Festival was one for the books, not only because it's the last one in Park City, but also because of its particularly strong slate. Among that slate was Jane Elliott Against the World by Judd Ehrlich, a documentary that explores the life and work of one of America's most fierce racial justice activists. At the premiere, we were lucky enough to share a few words with one of the documentary's featured subjects, four-time Grammy winner, Killer Mike of

Rua Fay
Feb 44 min read


Sundance's "Jane Elliott Against the World" is More Relevant Now than Ever
The fabled Sundance Film Festival is known for bringing new groundbreaking work to the forefront of the film world. Whether it's features, shorts, or documentaries, there is always something great to see at Sundance. This year was the festival's final year in Park City, so the stakes to debut important projects felt higher than ever. One of the most profound films this year was feature documentary, Jane Elliott Against the World by Judd Ehrlich, which serves to not only celeb

Rua Fay
Feb 44 min read


"Send Help" - Sam Raimi's Return to Body Horror
[the following review is spoiler-free] Leave it to January of 2026 to suddenly upend every single previously conceived notion we’ve had about this month in the past. Jokingly coined Dumpuary in the past, January has historically been where movies in general (but for whatever reason, horror movies in particular) go to die a quick, unmemorable death. For a long period of pre-pandemic time, you could always bank on there being one reprehensibly bad PG13 to soft R-rated horror

Eric Hardman
Feb 23 min read


Charli xcx's "The Moment" is a Mixed (Tiny Plastic) Bag
[the following review contains spoilers] We all remember "brat summer," after all it was less than two years ago. Normally retrospective films come decades after a big event, but audiences didn't have to wait long to see Charli xcx's brat make an appearance on the big screen. Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, The Moment is one of the most confused and convoluted films I have seen in a long time. Despite my love for Charli's music and respect for the cultural

Rua Fay
Jan 314 min read


"Shelter" Proves it's Time for a Jason Statham Tax
It seems like we’ve reached the point that three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a mid-budget John Wick ripoff starring Jason Statham releasing in the first quarter of a calendar year. This is now the third year in a row that this phenomenon has taken place, and I would argue that’s three too many... Statham's newest snooze-fest is helmed by director Ric Roman Waugh (who is already on his second film this month after Greenland: Migration). Shelter follows Mi

Eric Hardman
Jan 303 min read


"Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass" is Sundance’s F*cked Up "Wizard of OZ"
The concept of the Celebrity Sex Pass is supposed to be a thought experiment - a premise so outlandish that it would never possibly come to fruition… right? That is the question asked by David Wain's new star-studded absurdist comedy, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass - a new take on The Wizard of Oz that had audiences absolutely roaring with laughter at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Narrated by the local mailman (Fred Melamed), when small town Kansas hairdres

Sam Theriault
Jan 293 min read


Interview with Directors of Sundance's "Who Killed Alex Odeh?" - William Lafi Youmans and Jason Osder
Easily one of the most important films at this year's Sundance Film Festival is feature documentary: Who Killed Alex Odeh? A project by filmmakers, William Lafi Youmans and Jason Osder that examines the 1985 political assassination of Palestinian-American activist, Alex Odeh in Santa Ana, California. Four decades later, Odeh and his family have never been given closure or justice despite his suspected assassins living as free men. This week we got the incredible opportunity

Sam Theriault
Jan 297 min read


"Union County" Brings Realism of Addiction Recovery to Sundance
Not every film at Sundance is going to be a barrel of laughs. In fact, the festival has been a champion of innovative, risky films that push the envelope; telling stories that otherwise wouldn't have been told. One of those films this year is Union County by Adam Meeks, a story about a man's struggles with opioid addiction and road to redemption in rural Ohio. Featuring, believe it or not, the best performance of Noah Centineo's career. Union County is based on Adam Meeks

Rua Fay
Jan 283 min read


Q&A with the Cast and Crew of Sundance's "Fing!"
This week, Australian/British feature film, Fing! premiered in Park City Utah for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Appearing in the Family Matinee category, this David Walliams adaptation is a colorful, ridiculous, cartoony romp sure to entertain the whole family. We here at Cinemasters were lucky to interview the cast and crew of Fing! on the red carpet at the Eccles Theater; featuring input from actors, Iona Bell, Mia Wasikowska and Taika Waititi! Left to right: director,

Rua Fay
Jan 276 min read


Why "Who Killed Alex Odeh?" is the Most Important Documentary of 2026.
As a child, I once asked my mother “There are Muslim terrorists and Christian terrorists, why aren’t there any Jewish terrorists?” My mother’s response was simple: “We barely survived The Holocaust. There aren’t enough of us for that.” As I got older and became more educated in history, my mother’s assertion began to fall apart. Not only had there been Jewish terrorists throughout history, but their numbers had grown in the wake of The Holocaust. I was upset with my mother, I

Sam Theriault
Jan 275 min read


Our Love is Not a (Science) Fiction: Kogonada’s "Zi" at Sundance
Out of the countless films premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, few have been more anticipated than Kogonada's Zi . Despite a jam-packed festival schedule, I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of Zi , the latest film from acclaimed Korean-American director, Kogonada, known for his previous projects like 2017's Columbus and 2020's After Yang . Over the course of the year, this mononymous director as solidified himself as one of the industry's most innovative

Sam Theriault
Jan 273 min read


"Fing!" Brings Whimsy to Sundance
Independent film festivals like Sundance have a reputation for delivering innovative, daring, and edgy new films to audiences from around the world. Documentaries and experimental projects that uncover the darkest truths in our world. That was not the case for this week's family matinee presentation of Jeffrey Walker's Fing! a new Australian/British fantasy film adapted from David Walliams' book. The movie premiered this week to a full theater of festival-goers, adolescents

Rua Fay
Jan 263 min read


You Are Not Ready for "I Want Your Sex"
[the following review is spoiler-free] At film festivals, I tend to go into screenings completely blind, and this year's Sundance Film Festival is no different. That was not the case this afternoon when I entered my screening of Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex , my personally most anticipated film of 2026. As a major fan of Araki's previous work, I have been keeping track of this film's development for the past year, desperate to lay my eyes on it. But despite the sheer antici

Rua Fay
Jan 264 min read


"The Gallerist" is Sundance's Sharpest Comedy
The Sundance Film Festival is one of the biggest and most prestigious events the entertainment industry has to offer, seeing the release of films that will fill the zeitgeist for the next twelve months. One of the most-anticipated releases this year was Cathy Yan's The Gallerist , a star-studded black comedy that premiered last night at the Eccles Theater. But are hype and sheer star power enough to fulfill colossal audience expectations? The Gallerist tells the story of art

Rua Fay
Jan 253 min read


Who Says You Can’t Go Home? A Look at Sundance's "The Incomer"
[the following review is spoiler-free] On an Island in the sea, there were once two gulls, a brother and a sister… So opens The Incomer , a dark comedy written and directed by Louis Paxton, starring Domhnall Gleeson and executive produced by Moby and Trevor Noah. Shot and set in Scotland, I found The Incomer to be a quintessentially Scottish film - to the point where my only real criticism was that I struggled to understand certain words due to the thickness of the accents.

Sam Theriault
Jan 254 min read


"Saccharine:" Beauty and Brutality at Sundance
[the following review is spoiler-free] Heart-pumping, gut-wrenching, spine-tingling, stomach-churning, bone-chilling. These are some of many ways one could describe Natalie Erika James' Saccharine , a new Australian horror feature that premiered this week at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Despite a busy start to the last Sundance in Park City, this is by-far a personal favorite not only as a film fanatic, but as a young woman. Saccharine is unlike anything I've ever seen,

Rua Fay
Jan 243 min read


Sundance's "Tuner" is a Symphony For the Senses
[the following review is spoiler-free] This week marked the start of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, aka the last year to be held in Park City, Utah. Like previous years, tens of thousands have flocked to the mountains to attend talks, see the sights, and most of all, get a glimpse of the newest innovations the film world has to offer. One of the first films to screen at Sundance this year is Daniel Roher's Tuner starring Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, and Havana Rose Liu. P

Rua Fay
Jan 233 min read
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