Xavier Dolan, Paul Feig and Willie Nelson Doc among Sundance 2023 shorts and episodic additions

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has officially announced the Independent Shorts and Episodes schedules.

Notable artists and talents in the shorts program include Paul Feig, Angela Sarafyan, Kate Flannery, Yalitza Aparicio Martinez, Angela Trimbur, Ken Marino, Bi Gan and Shannon Plumb. Selections come from over 23 countries, including Iran and Ukraine.

The Sundance Institute will offer in-person premieres for independent episodic works, with short films screened in curated programs. From January 24, all independent episodic projects and selected short films will also be available for online streaming until the end of the festival. The 2023 festival will take place January 19-29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City and the Sundance Resort, with select films available online nationwide from January 24-29.

The upcoming year's short film program features works from 23 countries, and Indie Episodic represents works from five countries. 46% of filmmakers identify as women, and filmmakers of color directed 62% of shorts.

The Indie Episodic program is a dedicated showcase for emerging creators of independently produced content for episodic platforms. Subjects range from the first authorized work exploring the life of Willie Nelson to new fictional projects by Xavier Dolan and Mickey Triest.

Check out the full list of episodic projects and independent shorts from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival below. Synopsis courtesy of the festival.

INDIAN EPISODIC

Chanshi / Israel (Directors: Mickey Triest, Aaron Geva, Producer: Ayelet Imberman) — Chanshi comes from a Jewish-Orthodox family in Brooklyn. She uses the story of a friend's wedding in Israel as a cover to escape her conservative bubble and her fiancé. Free to fulfill her forbidden fantasy of sleeping with Israeli soldiers, her journey triggers a past trauma that threatens to ruin her adventures. With: Aleeza Chanowitz, Henry Winkler, Caroline Aaron, Tomer Machloof, Marnina Schon, Lee Bader. World premiere. Available online.

The Night Logan Woke Up / Canada, France (Director and Producer: Xavier Dolan) — On a cold October night in 1991, an indescribable event shook a small town in Quebec, haunting it forever a family trying to hide their dark secret. Thirty years later, these secrets buried deep in the past resurface, sending the family on an unstoppable quest for reconciliation. With: Xavier Dolan, Patrick Hivon, Eric Bruneau, Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Anne Dorval. International premiere. Available online.

Poacher / India, USA (Director and Producer: Richie Mehta, Producers: Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield, Edward H. Hamm Jr.) – A group of Indian Forest Service officers , NGO workers, Police officers and good Samaritans are risking their lives trying to track down the biggest elephant ivory poachers in Indian history and bring them to justice. Inspired by real events. With: Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, Dibyendu Bhattacharya. World premiere. Available online.

Willie Nelson and Family / USA (Directors: Thom Zimny, Oren Moverman, Producers: Keith Wortman, Mark Rothbaum, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev) — The first authorized work exploring the extraordinary life by Willie Nelson navigates the personal and professional ups, downs and in-betweens of one of the world's most beloved musicians, by turns witty, dramatic and playful. World premiere. 2 of the 5 episodes available online

United States SHORT FICTION FILMS

The Dalles / USA (Director, Writer and Producer: Angalis Field, Producers: Madison Odenborg, Stacey Streshinsky) - Cam is used to seeing the same clients when working at his family's cherry stand. After a handsome cyclist passes by and asks directions to a local cruising site, Cam takes it as an invitation to follow him. Cast: Joshua Melnick, August Ackley. World premiere. Available online.

The Family Circus / USA (director and screenwriter: Andrew Fitzgerald, producer: Josh Cohen) — A Vietnamese-American family's plan to cover up a drunk driving accident begins to crumble when their emotional baggage spills out in front of the police. With: Elyse Dinh, Michael Ironside, Scott Subiono, Michael Nguyen Manceau, Blake Dang, Christian Seavey. World premiere. Available online.

A Folded Ocean / USA (director and screenwriter: Ben Brewer, producer: Emily Murnane) - A couple lose themselves in each other. With: Anabelle LeMieux, John Giacobbe. World premiere. Available online.

Headdress / USA (Director, Writer and Producer: Tai...