Starting today and running through Sunday, Jan. 31, the 2016 Sundance Film Festival is taking place in Park City, Utah (along with a few surrounding cities, including Ogden, Provo, and Salt Lake City) hosting hundreds of films, many of them world premieres, from across the world.

The streets of Park City become congested with people making their way to every and any theater — including the majestic Egyptian and the local high school auditorium to the 1,300-seat Eccles theater, all packed with folks drinking gallons of coffee to stay warm, wearing layers of clothing and addicted to the frenetic pace of not missing a single film or party over the ten days. Welcome to the craziness that occurs when 50,000 people decide to attend the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival, the best-known film festival in the United States.

Once again, I will be out in Park City for a week — barely eating and sleeping; believe me, the Visine and PowerBars are the first things packed every year — reporting from the Sundance Film Festival for The Current for the first time. It's hard to believe this will be my ninth year writing about the festival (for the previous eight years, I attended as a correspondent for the Twin Cities Daily Planet). Each year, I learn something new while out there — whether it be standing in line all bundled up or sitting in my chair either next to a local person, another journalist, or even, in one case, a star of one of the films I'm about to sit down and watch. You never know what surprises will be discovered but when they are, it's a thrilling feeling.

Sundance has 21 categories, into which most of its programming falls: U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, Premieres, Documentary Premieres, Spotlight (films that premiered at other 2015 film festivals, including an Oscar-nominated film in this year's program: the Columbian Best Foreign language film Embrace of the Serpent, opening in the Twin Cities on April 1; and the newest film from Thailand auteur filmmaker Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul Cemetery of Splendor, which screened at the Walker Art Center back in late October), NEXT (low-budget and innovative storytelling), Sundance Kids (family friendly features), From the Collection (featuring past Sundance features) and Park City at Midnight.

There are also the nine shorts programs (documentary, animation, New Frontier and live action), the New Frontier program (multimedia, live art installations, panel discussions, and new media technologies presentations), the New Frontier films (more experimental and avant-garde fare) — and added this year are premieres of upcoming television shows, which have become increasingly important to film festivals like SXSW and Toronto. Sundance will see the premiere of 11.22.63, starring James Franco, Sarah Gadon and Chris Cooper, based on the Stephen King novel. It's a time-traveling take on President Kennedy's assassination; the festival will screen the first two episodes, and the entire nine-episode series will premiere Feb. 15 exclusively on Hulu.

Every year, I look for Minnesota connections to cover, but after searching high and low through this year's Sundance lineup I've come up empty. However, I'll be jumping head-first into all the music-related films, which includes documentaries on Frank Zappa, Michael Jackson, X Japan, Sonita Alizadeh, a fictional take on Miles Davis, a musical about two mermaid sisters, and a new film by Irish director John Carney (Once, Begin Again).

Here's a preview of a few of the music related films screening at Sundance (all descriptions provided by Sundance Institute):

Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall / U.S.A. (Director: Spike Lee)

Catapulted by the success of his first major solo project, Off the Wall, Michael Jackson went from child star to King of Pop. This film explores the seminal album, with rare archival footage and interviews from those who were there and those whose lives its success and legacy impacted.

Eat That Question — Frank Zappa in His Own Words / France, Germany (Director: Thorsten Schütte)

"This entertaining encounter with the premier of sonic avant-garde is acidic, fun-poking, and full of rich and rare archival footage. This documentary bashes favorite Zappa targets and dashes a few myths about the man himself."

Miles Ahead / U.S.A. (Director: Don Cheadle, Screenwriters: Don Cheadle, Steven Baigelman)

"Inspired by events in Miles Davis's life, this is a wildly entertaining, impressionistic, no-holds-barred portrait of one of twentieth-century music's creative geniuses."

Sing Street / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: John Carney)

"A boy growing up in Dublin during the '80s escapes his strained family life and tough new school by starting a band to win the heart of a beautiful and mysterious girl."

The Lure / Poland (Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska, Screenwriter: Robert Bolesto)

"Two mermaid sisters, who end up performing at a nightclub, face cruel and bloody choices when one of them falls in love with a beautiful young man."

Sonita / Germany, Iran, Switzerland (Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami)

"If 18-year-old Sonita had a say, Michael Jackson and Rihanna would be her parents and she'd be a rapper who tells the story of Afghan women and their fate as child brides. She finds out that her family plans to sell her to an unknown husband for $9,000."

We Are X / United Kingdom, U.S.A., Japan (Director: Stephen Kijak)

"As glam rock's most flamboyant survivors, X Japan ignited a musical revolution in Japan during the late '80s with their melodic metal. Twenty years after their tragic dissolution, X Japan's leader, Yoshiki, battles with physical and spiritual demons alongside prejudices of the West to bring their music to the world."

Aside from the music films at Sundance, the festival boasts quite a lineup of returning filmmakers and intriguing newcomers with subjects and stories sure to raise an eyebrow, spark a heated conversation and be anointed the new festival darling or "It" actor, being the toast of the festival.

Here are five films at the top of my must-see list — including new work from writer/director Kenneth Longeran (You Can Count On Me, Margaret), writer/director Kelly Reichardt (Wendy & Lucy, Meek's Cutoff), writer/director Chad Haritgan (My Name is Martin Bonner), director Ira Sachs (Love is Strange, Keep the Lights On), and a feature debut by actor Nate Parker (The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights, Non-Stop) about former slave Nat Turner.

All descriptions provided by Sundance Institute:

The Birth of a Nation / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nate Parker)

"Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue unruly slaves. After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan to lead his people to freedom."

Morris from America / U.S.A., Germany (Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan)

"13-year-old Morris, a hip-hop loving American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and tribulations of adolescence."

Certain Women / U.S.A. (Director: Kelly Reichardt, Screenwriter: Kelly Reichardt based on stories by Maile Meloy)

"The lives of three woman intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail."

Little Men / U.S.A. (Director: Ira Sachs, Screenwriter: Mauricio Zacharias)

"When 13-year-old Jake's grandfather dies, his family moves back into their old Brooklyn home. There, Jake befriends Tony, whose single Chilean mother runs the shop downstairs. As their friendship deepens, however, their families are driven apart by a battle over rent, and the boys respond with a vow of silence."

Manchester by the Sea / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenneth Lonergan)

"After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised."

Jim Brunzell III is the director of the Sound Unseen Music/Film/Festival and the program director of the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF). He currently resides in Austin, Texas. He can be reached at jim@soundunseen.com and you can follow him on Twitter @JimBrunzell_3.