Police Brutality And Sexual Assault Addressed At Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday released their 2018 lineup, which included 110 independent films from 29 different countries.

Out of nearly 4,000 submissions, the films that will be featured in the festival include commentary on various societal issues, according to a Variety report. Some of the themes presented within a number of the independent films include police brutality and sexual harassment.

"Monsters and Men," for example, tells the story of "the aftermath of a police killing of a black man. The film is told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand," according to Sundance's website.

The film's director, Reinaldo Marcus Green, says he focuses on telling the story of "life-changing moments in the lives of teenagers and young adults."

"I show perspectives that are supposed to start a dialogue — it has, and I’ve been very pleased my films seem to do that,” said Green in a 2016 interview with IndieWire.

Sundance will also feature a number of women-dominated films. Due to the recent controversy over sexual harassment in the industry, Sundance director of programming Trevor Groth told Variety of the anticipation of positive conversations pertaining to the subject.

"The artists and the storytellers and the filmmakers have always been responsive and out in front of the issues facing our times and trying to engage with them," Groth told Variety Wednesday. "Then, depending on what’s happening in the world and the zeitgeist, it’s the audience’s reaction to those issues that shifts. We felt that last year with Trump. We’re feeling it this year with a lot of the women’s issues, such as sexual assault."

Another film, "The Tale," features the story of a woman's first sexual relationship and "the stories we tell ourselves to survive." The film is based on the director and screenwriter Jennifer Fox's own experiences.

The festival runs from Jan. 18-28 with screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at the Sundance Mountain Resort.