Sundance Institute set to release ‘Unrest’ in September

Jennifer Brea’s award-winning documentary Unrest will be the first release by the Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship, scheduled to reach theaters in the United States this September.

The initiative setup by the Sundance Institute aims to empower filmmakers to navigate the ever-changing “business of independent film”.

Unrest is an intimate portrait into the life of Jen and Omar, newlyweds who come face to face with the unexpected, and the four M.E. (myalgic encephalomyelitis) patients that they meet throughout their journey to understand the debilitating disease.

Sundance have pegged Unrest as a “story of resilience in the face of life-changing loss” which delves into how we treat people with illnesses often misunderstood.

“The dedication and creativity of Jennifer Brea and her team has made Unrest a truly special film. This wonderfully honest, vulnerable and eloquent portrayal asks us to rethink the stigma around a condition that affects millions of people”, commented Keri Putnam, executive director of Sundance Institute.

Unrest took home the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Kim Roberts (Food, Inc.), Emiliano Battista (Elvis Pelvis), and Brea edited the documentary.

“We’re very proud that our inaugural Creative Distribution Fellowship is aiding this team in retaining control of their powerful film and connecting it with eager audiences around the globe”, added Putnam.

Unrest, dubbed as a “feat of disability filmmaking”, was made with an international team utilizing “innovative technologies” to allow the bedridden director to be able to travel throughout the world and capture every moment as if she was sitting next to interviewees.

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Unrest will open in New York on September 22, ahead of its debut in Los Angeles and San Francisco on September 29 and followed by nationwide openings in “select cities” at a later date yet to be confirmed. For those in the UK, Unrest will premiere in cinemas across the country on October 20.