Despite a rampaging flu, the mood was feisty at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. On this first anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, women rallied with #TimesUp signs, panelists wrestled with hot-button issues, and many of the 123 features seemed lifted from Page One, addressing such topics as sexual abuse, Russian propaganda, police misconduct, and immigration. Though lacking a clear commercial break-out, the festival had a strong roster of character-driven fare—its strength and through-line since its inception. American Cinematographer had its team out in full force, scouting for films worthy of note in terms of visual artistry. Here’s a few of the titles that featured exemplary cinematography.

Titles I covered:

I Think We're Alone Now
Cinematographer by Reed Morano, directed by Reed Morano

Skate Kitchen
Cinematography by Shabier Kirchner, directed by Crystal Moselle

We the Animals
Cinematography by Zak Mulligan, directed by Jeremiah Zagar

American Animals
Cinematography by Ole Bratt Birkeland, directed by Bart Layton

Nancy
Cinematography by Zoë White, directed by Christina Choe