The-Artery Celebrates Festival Buzz with Success of 3 Films at Sundance 2024

Creative studio The-Artery made its way to the 2024 Sundance Film Festival with three films that earned critical acclaim, awards, and took home major distribution deals at the festival. The award-winning studio handled VFX for three major titles at the festival, including Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore feature A Real Pain, which was snapped up for worldwide distribution by Searchlight Pictures for $10M. The same title also nabbed the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic honour, presented to Eisenberg. I Saw the TV Glow’s rave reviews earned the horror film a coveted 100% on the Tomatometer, with both A Real Pain and Presence also taking in top ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The-Artery Founder and Chief Creative Officer Vico Sharabani was joined by VFX Supervisor Yuval Levy, who supervised the three titles, and VFX Producer Billy McMillen took to Park City to celebrate the success of their slate of films for the 2024 festival.

The first-person POV filmmaking approach in Stephen Soderbergh’s Presence left both audiences--and the cast--shook at the film’s premiere. The entire film is seen through the POV of a ghost (shot by Soderbergh) as the film follows a family who moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone. The film, which stars Lucy Liu (Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels), Chris Sullivan (“This Is Us”) and Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), was acquired by Neon for worldwide distribution.

Fresh on the heels of an Emmy win for Kieran Culkin for his role in “Succession,” the actor’s performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore film A Real Pain was met with tremendous critical acclaim, with Chase Hutchinson from TheWrap touting that, “Kieran Culkin gives what is among his absolute best performances to date.” Also starring Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland) and Jennifer Grey (The Social Network, Zombieland), Kieran Culkin (“Succession”) and Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), the film follows mismatched cousins David and Benji as they reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

Part of the festival’s Midnight offering, I Saw the TV Glow came to Sundance with a distribution deal from A24 already secured. Director Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature made waves at Sundance as a surrealist horror title that makes bold moves while exploring trans identity. Critics and audiences alike praised, with many touting the new title as a “masterpiece” and the director being looked at as a standout talent at the festival. Starring Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) and Michael C. Maronna (Home Alone franchise), the feature follows teenager Owen who is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.