2021 was the year that festivals returned, and with them comes a lot of films with release dates in 2022 to look forward to. Here are just a few we can’t wait for.
More than ever in the past year, I’ve watched a lot of films at film festivals – from the Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca, and Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival. Some of these films never get the audience they deserve; but I wanted to highlight some films that will be finding its audience in 2022.
2021 Festival Films We Can’t Wait To See In 2022
In this list, you’ll find films from last year’s numerous film festivals. Some I’ve seen, and some I haven’t; but with all of them, I’m looking forward to checking them out. Let’s get started…
MONTANA STORY
To start with a vague release date, Bleecker Street purchased the U.S. rights for Montana Story after the Toronto International Film Festival, which release sometime in 2022. Montana Story is an emotional drama, about two siblings – played by Erin (Haley Lu Richardson) and Cal (Owen Teague) – where the estranged Erin returns to their family ranch in Montana when their father is on his death bed.
Unpacking emotional trauma and why Erin left, the film features great family dynamics and great dialogue, as well as beautifully featuring the scenery of Montana.
AFTER YANG
Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and most recently at this year’s Sundance, the Colin Farrell-starring After Yang will start streaming on Showtime on March 4, 2022. This is one of the many films on the list I haven’t had the pleasure of watching yet, but the Colin Farrell-starring film from writer and director Kogonada (director of Columbus) takes place in the near-future, where Jake’s daughter’s android, Yang, malfunctions and Jake (Farrell) attempts to fix him.
Meanwhile, he realizes his life is passing him by and spends time with his family. I love these kinds of films, so I’m looking forward to it.
Related: After Yang Review: A Powerful Exploration Of Life
HELLBENDER
Releasing on Shudder on Feb. 24, Hellbender premiered at last year’s Fantasia Film Festival, the most interesting story might be the filmmakers behind it, as it’s made by a family of filmmakers who do almost literally everything behind the camera, with John Adams (father), Toby Poser (mother) and Zelda Adams (daughter) all write and direct the film. The only thing they’re not credited with is the VFX on the film.
The story concerns Zelda Adams as Izzy, who lives in the woods with her mother, as she begins to discover her family’s connection to witchcraft. It has great music and it’s strong filmmaking, and well-worth checking out on Feb. 24.
Related: Fantasia Film Festival 2021 Movie Review: Hellbender
CATCH THE FAIR ONE
Premiering at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, real-life boxer Kali Reis takes on the role of Kaylee in the thriller Catch the Fair One, as a former boxing champion who started losing when her sister went missing. She gets wind that her sister is a victim of a human trafficking ring, and sets out to get her back, following leads through a compelling thriller.
Director Josef Kubota Wladyka is also able to shed the light on missing Indigenous women through this thrilling film, balancing realistic performances and raw emotion. Find the film as a limited theatrical release on February 11.
JOCKEY
This one might be cheating a bit as Jockey saw a limited theatrical run on December 29 in the U.S., and releases today, Feb. 4, in Ireland. This is after it played at 2021’s Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, where Clifton Collins Jr. portrays an aging jockey whose body is failing him. He gets the chance to ride a prize horse and dreams of one last championship, all the while a rookie on
the tour, Gabriel (Moises Arias), tells him that he’s his son. The performances are amazing as it combines three core known actors (Collins Jr., Arias and Molly Parker), while filling the rest of the film with real-life people who work within the jockeying world. This allows for great natural acting, all complementing some amazing cinematography by Adolpho Veloso. It is absolutely gorgeous, so seek this one out in its theatrical run.
Related: Sundance Film Festival 2021 Movie Review: Jockey
THE DUKE
The Duke premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and played at the Telluride Film Festival in 2021, and is now getting its wide release in the U.S. on March 25. The film is a biography and comedy starring Jim Broadbent, and Helen Mirren, about the story of Kempton Bunton, a 60-year-old taxi driver who pulled a rather unique heist at the National Gallery in London, as he stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington.
It sounds like a fun heist film, but the result of the robbery sounds more intriguing; as instead of ransoming for money, he requested the government invest money in the elderly. I’m in.
THE INNOCENTS
Norwegian film The Innocents played at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and at the Fantastic Fest, and while I haven’t seen it yet, these are the kinds of films that I love. It concerns a group of young friends who meet one summer and each learn that they have special powers.
It starts out innocently, and then it takes a dark and dangerous turn. If this is anything as interesting as Chronicle, this one sounds amazing. It’s currently available to stream in Norway (Norwegian readers, you’re in luck!), but this will be having its U.S. release on May 13.
THE BLACK PHONE
In director Scott Derrickson’s first feature film in five years, after his foray into the MCU with Doctor Strange, Derrickson returns to horror with The Black Phone, which premiered last year as part of Fantastic Fest and is releasing worldwide on June 24, 2022. Ethan Hawke plays The Grabber, a child killer.
The story is about his latest victim, a 13-year-old boy who he puts him in a soundproof basement. Then, the boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from The Grabber’s previous victims. I don’t even need to watch the trailer to know it’s one of my most anticipated films of the year. The only thing I’m disappointed about is that we have to wait until June to see it.
Which films out of these picks are you most looking forward to watching this year?
Daniel Prinn is a film critic and freelance writer from Canada. He loves most genres of film and especially horror but has a soft spot for films from the 2000’s. When he isn’t writing, he can be found podcasting, as he is a host for his own interview show called The Filmcraziest Show on YouTube and at his site Filmcraziest.com.