Cool news for those who get dizzy on a mix of tragic creativity and alternative points of view... SundanceTV is on the way to DStv Premium - on channel 108, starting on Thursday, 1 June.
The channel was founded just over 10 years ago by Robert Redford and features a mix of original, indie feature films and series, all of which have a similar essence as the movies at the annual Sundance Film Festival.
The channel features many of the movies and documentaries featured at the festival, as well as its own original series, and select series from AMC.
AMC Networks owns the channel so it means we'll see the return of AMC shows following the channel's shutdown on DStv last year.
Most notably: the return of Fear the Walking Dead and Into the Badlands, which disappeared with AMC.
Here's a look at some of the series and moves to expect in the channel's first month on air:
Movies/documentaries
Cries from Syria
A documentary which bears witness to the resiliency of the people of Syria in the wake of their exposure to unthinkable crimes against humanity.
I Smile Back
An unflinchingly authentic and humanising portrait of a suburban wife and mother dealing with depression and disillusionment that sends her careening into a secret world of reckless compulsion.
The Eyes of My Mother
The Eyes of My Mother is the debut movie from writer/director Nicolas Pesce and is the tale of Francisca. She grows up in a secluded farmhouse where her mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, teaches her to understand anatomy and be unfazed by death.
One afternoon, a mysterious visitor horrifyingly shatters the idyll of Francisca’s family life, deeply traumatizing the young girl, but also awakening some unique curiosities. Though she clings to her increasingly reticent father, Francisca’s loneliness and scarred nature converge years later when her longing to connect with the world around her takes on a distinctly dark form.
Series
The Son
Premieres on: Tuesday, 6 June at 21h00
Based on Philipp Meyer’s New York Times best-selling and Pulitzer Prize finalist novel, The Son is a sweeping saga spanning 150 years and three generations of the McCullough family. The series traces the story of Eli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan), the charismatic family patriarch. As a child, he was kidnapped and raised among the Comanche Native American tribe and applies the brutal Comanche worldview to his business dealings.
The series stars Pierce Brosnan.
Fear the Walking Dead
Catch-up of Seasons 1 & 2 will air from: Monday, 5 June.
Season 3 will premiere on: Monday, 24 July at 21h00
Fear the Walking Dead portrays the efforts of a highly dysfunctional blended family to stick together when they realise a reported virus is actually the onset of the undead apocalypse. The series is developed and produced by Robert Kirkman, creator of “The Walking Dead,” and Dave Erickson, known for “Sons of Anarchy.”
As the series returns for season three, our families will be brought together in the vibrant and violent ecotone of the U.S.-Mexico border. International lines done away with following the world’s end, our characters must attempt to rebuild not only society, but family as well.