Mindy Kaling film Late Night to open Sundance’s London festival

Mindy Kaling’s first film penned for the big screen will open the Sundance Film Festival: London.

Late Night, starring Emma Thompson as a late-night talk show host and Kaling as the writer she hires to smooth over diversity concerns, will have its European premiere at the London version of the independent film festival, which showcases some of the best projects that premiered at the US version in Utah.

The comedy, directed by Nisha Ganatra, also stars John Lithgow, Reid Scott and Kaling’s former The Office co-star Amy Ryan, and is one of a number of films helmed by female directors after the festival posed the question #WhatNext? in 2018 in response to inequality in the film industry.

Other films in the line-up include The Nightingale, director Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to The Babadook, and Sophie Hyde’s Animals, starring Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat, as well as Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, starring Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8 actress Awkwafina.

After The Wedding will also have its European premiere at the festival, starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, and Corporate Animals, starring Demi Moore and Ed Helms.

The festival will close with the UK premiere of documentary Hail Satan?, directed by Penny Lane, which is a look at the intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple.

Robert Redford, president and founder of Sundance Institute, said: “Society relies on storytellers. The choices they make, and the risks they take, define our collective experience.

“The slate at this year’s Sundance Film Festival: London is full of storytellers who offer challenges, questions and entertainment. In telling their stories, they make difficult decisions in the pursuit of truth and art; culture reaps the reward.”

John Cooper, director of Sundance, said: “These films and artists tell the truth: whether documentaries that illuminate hidden histories or fiction features that spotlight diverse, human experiences.

“We’re thrilled to bring these layered, intense and authentic stories to the Sundance Film Festival: London.”

Sundance Film Festival: London will run from May 30 to June 2 at Picturehouse Central.