Part of the “NEXT” category of the festival, “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” was pulled shortly before the festival began.
The film’s financier, Participant Media, pulled the feature from the festival Tuesday evening.
A report from Variety alleged the film’s director, Kahlil Joseph, was screening a new cut of the film to critics at a talent agency.
The report further accused Joseph of using this new cut to gain entry to the Berlin Film Festival.
A letter to Variety said Joseph delivered the film to Participant Media in November 2024, which the financier submitted to Sundance.
As its primary producer, Participant owns the copyright to the film.
In a statement on the film festival website, Sundance said “We were looking forward to premiering the film for our audiences.” Those who purchased tickets for the film's screening on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. will receive a ticket to the screening of the film "Twinless" instead.
The documentary “The Six Billion Dollar Man” was withdrawn from the festival in December.
