Sundance Now has announced the movies and TV series that are coming to the AMC Networks-owned streaming service in July. The Sundance Now July 2021 lineup includes world class dramas, mysteries and comedies from Britain and beyond.
The Sundance Now July 2021 lineup includes The Wine Show Season 3. Joining Matthew Goode, Matthew Rhys and James Purefoy this season is fellow wine enthusiast Dominic West. Resident wine experts hit the road with Amelia Singer heading across the US and Joe Fattorini on his way to Thailand, while the boys travel the length of Portugal. New star sommelier Charlotte Wilde takes you to The Azores and finally answer the question, who really invented sparkling wine?
Also coming is Motherland Season 3. Britain’s favorite gang of moms (and dad) is back for a third season of the comedy series, navigating the pitfalls of middle-class parenting and the complicated politics of the school gates. Its star-studded cast features Anna Maxwell-Martin, Lucy Punch, Paul Ready, Tanya Moodie, and special guest star Joanna Lumley.
And in Innocent Season 2, Sally’s (Katherine Kelly) conviction is overturned and she is found not guilty. She’s spent the last five years in prison for the murder of a teenage boy – once her pupil. Now a free woman, life in her hometown has moved on. Her ex-husband is about to remarry, her friends have new lives, and her mother with dementia can no longer remember her. Can she find the real killer and prove her innocence?
SUNDANCE NOW JULY 2021
AVAILABLE JULY 1
Innocent, Season 2, Episode 2 – Exclusive
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The Gulf, Season 2, Episode 5 – Exclusive
Detective Jess Savage (Kate Elliott, Wentworth) wants to leave the past behind and make the most of her tentative new relationship with daughter Ruby (Timmie Cameron, Shortland Street) – but a blackmailer is making that impossible, threatening to expose Jess’s murder of her sexual-abuser husband Alex (Bede Skinner, Spartacus). Jess tries to identify and track down her blackmailer while solving crimes on her home patch of Waiheke Island. A pregnant Ruby negotiates her changing relationship with boyfriend AJ (Dahnu Graham, Vegas) and her group of friends from childhood. (1 episode, 2021)
Marie Antoinette
An Austrian teenager (Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man, Melancholia) marries the Dauphin (Jason Schwartzman, Moonrise Kingdom, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) of France and becomes that country’s queen following the death of King Louis XV (Judy Davis, Mystery Road, The Dressmaker) in 1774. Years later, after a life of luxury and privilege, Marie Antoinette loses her head during the French Revolution. (2006, drama)
Her
A sensitive and soulful man earns a living by writing personal letters for other people. Left heartbroken after his marriage ends, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix, Joker) becomes fascinated with a new operating system which reportedly develops into an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. He starts the program and meets “Samantha” (Scarlett Johansson, The Avengers), whose bright voice reveals a sensitive, playful personality. Though “friends” initially, the relationship soon deepens into love. (2013, Drama)
Deadwater Fell
In this “complex and fascinating mystery” (Radio Times), physician Tom (David Tennant, Broadchurch) and his teacher wife (Anna Madeley, Patrick Melrose) lead a seemingly perfect life in a Scottish town. Then a fire ravages their home one night, forcing those closest to them to question everything they knew about their friends. Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife) and Matthew McNulty (Versailles) also star. (4 episodes, 2020)
AVAILABLE JULY 5
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
The Trials Of Muhammad Ali investigates its extraordinary and often complex subject’s life outside the boxing ring. From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality, to his global humanitarian work, Muhammad Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure. The Trials Of Muhammad Ali examines how one of the most celebrated sports champions of the 20th century risked his fame and fortune to follow his faith and conscience. (2013, Documentary)
Benjamin
A charmingly offbeat gay romantic comedy about a mess-of-a-filmmaker juggling the anxieties and excitement of his upcoming film premiere with the fear and awkwardness of a burgeoning romance. Written and directed by British comedian Simon Amstell who peppers this charming, laugh-out-loud funny tale with hilariously deadpan one-liners and a scene-stealing cast of supporting characters. (2018, Comedy/Romance)
AVAILABLE JULY 6
Real Fake: The Art, Life, and Crimes of Elmyr De Hory
Real Fake is a documentary about one of history’s most notorious art forgers. Was Elmyr de Hory a master criminal or brilliant artist? He is alleged to have painted thousands of fakes, which were not copies but original creations in the style of Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani and others, many of which may still hang unidentified in major museums and private collections around the world. These works, now potentially worth billions of dollars, continue to roil the art market. Elmyr eluded Interpol, Scotland Yard and other authorities, living out his final years as a celebrity in Ibiza. Joined by a team of art experts, veteran filmmaker Jeff Oppenheim (Funny Valentine) re-opens the criminal case against Elmyr in this investigative caper. (2017, Documentary)
AVAILABLE JULY 8
Innocent, Season 2, Episode 3 – Exclusive
(See details above)
Motherland, Season 3 – Exclusive Premiere
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The Gulf, Season 2, Episode 6 – Exclusive
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AVAILABLE JULY 12
Tower
August 1st, 1966 was the day our innocence was shattered. A sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the iconic University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes in what was a previously unimaginable event. Tower combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation of the dramatic day, based entirely on first person testimonies from witnesses, heroes and survivors, in a seamless and suspenseful retelling of the unfolding tragedy. (2016, Drama)
Disappearance of My Mother
Benedetta Barzini wants to disappear. An iconic fashion model in the 1960s, she became a muse to Warhol, Dali, Penn and Avedon. As a radical feminist in the 1970s, she fought for the rights and emancipation of women. But at the age of 75, she is fed up with all the roles that life has imposed on her and decides to leave everything and everybody behind, to disappear to a place as far as possible from the gaze of the camera. Only her son Beniamino is permitted to witness her journey. Having filmed her since he was a child despite her resistance, he now wants to make a film about her, to keep her close for as long as possible – or, at least, as long as his camera keeps running. (2019, Documentary)
The Map to Paradise
The Map to Paradise is an adventure-filled and spectacularly gorgeous tale about the birth of the global movement to protect the sea. From underwater worlds of ice to glistening coral sanctuaries, discover what it takes to build a movement and to create positive change. Filmed across six continents, the filmmakers have set out to challenge the mainstream narrative of hard-hitting environmental documentaries with a “doom and gloom” message and replace it with one of hope and courage. Along the way, we meet a prince, a president, a pirate, and also an island chief — among others — who are all playing a role in the quest to save the planet. (2016, Documentary)
AVAILABLE JULY 13
Poisonous Liaisons
Through interviews with criminal experts and psychiatrists, Poisonous Liaisons will delve into the thought process of some of history’s most notorious criminals including Lyda Southard, Nannie Doss and Graham Young, revealing their methods and the short and long-term effects their substances had on victims. It’s not until the end of each episode that their crimes are fully revealed, keeping the audience gripped through a stunning narrative that details the series of events leading up to these heinous acts of murder. (2019, Documentary)
AVAILABLE JULY 15
Innocent, Season 2, Episode 4 – FINALE
(See details above)
The Gulf, Season 2, Episode 7
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The Wine Show, Season 1
This documentary series celebrates all things wine with actors Matthew Goode (A Discovery of Witches) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans). With their base in an Italian countryside villa, the wine lovers go on a journey to discover the stories and history behind the popular beverage as veteran wine experts travel to vineyards and sample some of the best locally produced wines and we meet some of the world’s greatest chefs. (13 episodes, 2016)
AVAILABLE JULY 19
Harmonium
Toshio (Kanji Furutachi, Too Young to Die) sees his seemingly ordinary life take an ominous turn when Yasaka (Tadanobu Asano, Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan), a mysterious friend from his past, arrives unexpectedly. Recently released from prison and in need of a helping hand, Toshio gives him a job and generously takes him in to live with his wife and daughter. Toshio soon regrets this decision, as Yasaka gradually disrupts the family before finally causing irreparable damage. Koji Fukada’s acclaimed companion piece to his black comedy Hospitalite treads darker waters as it unravels a searing tragedy that has captivated critics and audiences alike.(2016, Drama)
Ixcanul
The brilliant debut by Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante is a mesmerizing fusion of fact and fable, a dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano. Immersing us in its characters’ customs and beliefs, Ixcanul chronicles with unblinking realism, a disappearing tradition and a disappearing people. (2015, Drama)
Fire at Sea
An Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature and the first nonfiction film to ever win the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, Fire at Sea takes place in Lampedusa, a remote Mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for refugees into Europe. There, we meet Samuele, a 12-year-old boy who lives simply, climbing rocks by the shore and playing with his slingshot. Nearby, we bear witness as thousands of men, women, and children risk their lives to make the brutal crossing from Africa. Award-winning filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi (Notturno) masterfully juxtaposes these realities, jolting the audience into a new understanding of what is happening in the region, the heavy toll of the migrant crisis, and the price of freedom. (2016, Documentary)
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice is set in the strained and turbulent atmosphere of a racially divided 1930’s America, torn between boycotting Hitler’s Olympics or participating in the Third Reich’s grandest affair. The film follows 16 men and two women through their heroic turn at the summer Olympic Games in Berlin, 1936. The athletes represented a country that considered them second-class citizens and competed in a country that rolled out the red carpet in spite of an undercurrent of Aryan superiority and Anti-Semitism. (2016, Documentary)
AVAILABLE JULY 22
The Gulf, Season 2, Episode 8 – FINALE
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The Wine Show, Season 2
Based in their beautiful new villa in France, actors Matthew Goode and James Purefoy (Rome) set off on a new challenge every episode, uncovering some of the best wines in the world, and telling the stories that surround them. Matthew Rhys gets the scoop on historic and modern wine gadgets at Berry Brothers & Rudd in London. (7 episodes, 2018)
AVAILABLE JULY 26
Keeping Rosy
A taut, claustrophobic British psycho-thriller, Keeping Rosy stars Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything) as Charlotte, a high-strung, ice-cold business executive who finds her high end, well-ordered life spiral into a world of violence, blackmail and murder. Angry for being passed over for a promotion at work, Charlotte returns to her super modern high rise flat early. There she sees her Eastern European cleaner smoking in her pristine flat and when she notices a champagne bottle missing, her brittle veneer of a successful businesswoman cracks and the result is a bloodied, dead cleaning lady. Panic, coupled with cold efficiency, kicks in, as she works to get rid of the body and any evidence of her crime. But she when she discovers a something in her cleaner’s car, her plot to keep her crime hidden takes a decidedly different turn. (2014, Drama)
Finding Fela
Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his social and political importance. He created a new musical movement, Afrobeat, using that forum to express his revolutionary political opinions against the dictatorial Nigerian government of the 1970s and 1980s. His influence helped bring a change towards democracy in Nigeria and promoted Pan Africanist politics to the world. The power and potency of Fela’s message is completely current today and is expressed in the political movements of oppressed people, embracing Fela’s music and message in their struggle for freedom. Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi To The Dark Side). (2014, Documentary)
God’s Own Country
Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor, Emma, The Crown) works long hours in brutal isolation on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. When a handsome Romanian migrant worker arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. An intense relationship forms between the two which could change Johnny’s life forever. (2017, Drama)
American Anarchist
In 1970, William Powell wanted to help build a new society, so he taught the world how to blow up the old one. As the heady days of the late 60’s counterculture and political upheaval turned darker, Powell, at 19, wrote one of the most infamous books ever published: The Anarchist Cookbook. Now 65, Powell, haunted by his creation, struggles to make sense of the damage it’s done. After writing it, he left the US, leading an itinerant life, teaching kids with special needs – ironically, the kinds of kids who may have turned to violence and the Cookbook. (2016, Documentary)
AVAILABLE JULY 29
The Wine Show, Season 3 – EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE
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