Six must-see films scheduled to screen at Sundance

Columnist

Jan. 21, 2016 5:30 PM PT

The altitude. The snow. The shuttle schedule. The sprawling theater venues. The throngs of selfie-seekers.

Navigating the Sundance Film Festival can be tricky enough before you even figure out which films you want to see. But don’t panic: We’ve got you covered. Here are the six films you should brave the elements for in Park City this week. And if you’re not headed to Utah, no need for FOMO —- now you can pretend you’re in the know from the comfort of sunny L.A. (without any Fear of Missing Out).

Sundance Film Festival 2016: Full coverage

“O.J. Made in America” (Special Events)

Got 71/2 hours to spare? Then settle in for this ESPN docuseries that explores the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson and how his murder trial raised questions about race in America. The lengthy series is being unveiled just weeks before the premiere of a fictionalized television series about Simpson, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., on FX. But you won’t need a lunch break for that one.

“Goat” (U.S. Dramatic)

OK, so it stars a former Jonas brother. But don’t write off director Andrew Neel’s fraternity bro drama just because lead Nick Jonas also happens to be a pop crooner. The film, about a college student who faces abusive hazing while pledging a frat, may raise timely questions about modern-day masculinity.

“Manchester by the Sea” (Premieres)

Yes, his last release was “Margaret” — that long-delayed, troubled film whose production troubles became the stuff of Hollywood legend. But writer-director Kenneth Lonergan is trying to move past all that with his latest drama, which stars Casey Affleck as a Boston handyman who suddenly becomes the guardian of his 16-year-old nephew. Lonergan is a Sundance favorite —-- his Oscar-nominated film “You Can Count On Me” won the festival’s Grand Jury Prize in 2000.

“Weiner” (U.S. Documentary Competition)

This should be juicy. After his sexting scandal in 2013, politician Anthony Weiner granted documentary filmmakers access to trail him as he launched a mayoral campaign. That meant Weiner’s faithful wife, Huma Abedin — one of Hillary Clinton’s most important aides who has worked alongside the presidential hopeful for the last two decades — would also be filmed. Whether this will affect Clinton’s White House bid, however, remains to be seen.

“Certain Women” (Premieres)

Director Kelly Reichardt and actress Michelle Williams reunite for their third collaboration in this film set in the American West. Reichardt — known for her quiet, dialogue-scant style — follows the lives of various Montana women played by Williams, Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart in her latest film. The filmmaker’s first movie, 1994’s “River of Grass,” is also getting a special digitally remastered screening at the fest this year.

“The Birth of a Nation” (U.S. Dramatic)

Actor Nate Parker wrote, directed, produced and stars in this period piece about Nat Turner, the real-life figure who led a major slave rebellion in 1831 Virginia. Parker — last seen as the hunky cop in the romance “Beyond the Lights” — has roots at Sundance and earned a fellowship through the festival’s lab. The 36-year-old worked on the script for his directorial debut (also starring Armie Hammer and Aja Naomi King) for the better part of a decade.

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The festival store on Main Street in Park City, Utah, during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

(Dave Mangels / Getty Images)

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Robert Redford, founder and president of the Sundance Institute, speaks at the premiere of “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”

(Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)

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Director Nate Parker, left, actors Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller and Chike Okonkwo discuss “The Birth of a Nation” at the Deadline.com panel.

(Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for Samsung)

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Producer Laura Rister, left, actor Boyd Holbrook, writer-director Jason Lew, actors the Intervention Happy Hour at the Samsung Studio.

(Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for Samsung)

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Music composer Jay Wadley, left, and general manager of St. Regis Deer Valley Edward Shapard attend Rand Luxury Hosts cocktail reception.

(Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for Rand Luxury)

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Actress Chloe Sevigny, left, and Glamour Editor in Chief Cindi Leive attend Glamour’s Women Rewriting Hollywood Lunch.

(Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Glamour)

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Director Jacqueline Lyanga attends Glamour’s Women Rewriting Hollywood Lunch.

(Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Glamour)

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Director of Sundance John Cooper, left, director Anne Fontaine and producer Eric Altmayer attend the “Agnus Dei” premiere.

(Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

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Actress Kristen Stewart, left, and director and writer Kelly Reichardt at the premiere of “Certain Women.”

(Danny Moloshok / Invision)

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“Lovesong” cast members Brooklyn Decker, from left, Jena Malone and Riley Keough pose alongside director So Yong Kim and her daughter Sky Ok Gray at the premiere of the film.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision )

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Actresses Jenny Slate, left, and Zoe Kazan pose at the premiere of “Joshy.”

(Arthur Mola / Invision )

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Director Jeff Baena and actress Aubrey Plaza at the premiere of “Joshy.”

(Arthur Mola / Invision )

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Kevin Smith, left, director of “Yoga Hosers,” and cast member Jason Mewes.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision )

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Actors Ralph Garman, from left, Jason Mewes, Austin Butler and Justin Long at the “Yoga Hosers” cast party.

(Evan Agostini / Invision )

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Director Kevin Smith with his daughter, actress Harley Quinn Smith, at the “Yoga Hosers” cast party.

(Evan Agostini / Invision )

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Recording artist Questlove, left, and director Spike Lee at the “Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall” premiere.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Bryce Dallas Howard, director of the short film “Solemates,” poses before a screening of the film.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

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Actor John Krasinski walks along Park City’s Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Actor Thomas Middleditch walks along Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Actress Lorraine Toussaint on Park City’s Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Anderson Cooper on Park City’s Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Actor Matt Damon takes part in a panel discussion on the global water crisis during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

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Sting performs at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

(Arthur Mola / Invision/Associated Press)

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Actresses Kate Beckinsale, left, and Chloe Sevigny at the premiere of “Love & Friendship.”

(Danny Moloshok / Invision/Associated Press)

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Singer John Legend, executive producer of “Southside With You,” poses at the premiere of the film.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

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“Southside With You” writer and director Richard Tanne, left, with cast members Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers at the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

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Matthew Gray Gubler poses through a cardboard frame at the “Trash Fire” premiere.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

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Actress Maude Apatow, right, and her father, Judd Apatow, at the premiere of “Other People” at the Sundance Film Festival.

(Danny Moloshok / Invision/Associated Press)

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Casey Affleck, left, and Jon Hamm attend An Artist at the Table, a cocktail and dinner program benefit, in Kamas, Utah.

(Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

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Singer-songwriter Nick Jonas attends An Artist at the Table in Kamas, Utah.

(Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

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Filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, left, musican Sting, artist Cai Guo-Qiang and actor Fisher Stevens attend the “Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang” premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

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Producer Sam Bisbee, left, actress Maude Apatow, actor J.J. Totah, actress Madisen Beaty, actor Jesse Plemons, actress Molly Shannon, director Chris Kelly, actor Bradley Whitford, actor John Early, producer Naomi Scott and actor Adam Scott attend the “Other People” premiere.

(Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

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Snowy conditions on Park City’s Main Street.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Bill Hill, Sundance projection and inspection manager, wipes down film reels at the festival’s print traffic room.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Adrianne Jorge, left, prepares films in digital formats as Bill Hill, right, Sundance projection and inspection manager, works on a film reel at the print traffic room for the Sundance Film Festival.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Moderator Sean Means; Robert Redford, president and founder of the Sundance Institute; executive director Keri Putnam; and director of Sundance Film Festival John Cooper

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

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Robert Redford, president and founder of the Sundance Institute, and Keri Putnam, executive director of the Sundance Institute, take part in the 2016 Sundance Film Festival opening day press conference.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)

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Salt Lake Tribune film critic Sean Means, festival director John Cooper, Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam and actor and festival founder Robert Redford attend a press conference to open the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

(George Frey / EPA)