Slamdance Film Festival

Watch Slamdance Selections 'Coming To' and 'Courtesan,' Thanks to Digital Bolex and Seed&Spark (EXCLUSIVE)

Matt Brennan — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 21:04:47 GMT

Digital Bolex launched a new distribution initiative for filmmakers shooting on its cameras Thursday, making 2015 Slamdance titles "Coming To," directed by Lindsay Haun, and "Courtesan," from Jeremy Osbern and Misti Boland, available on VOD via partner Seed&Spark. The films can be purchased for $2.99, or by using "Sparks" collected from pledging funds to Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaigns.

READ MORE: "EXCLUSIVE: Film Crowdfunding Platform Seed&Spark Launches Distribution Arm"

Haun's film won the Grand Prize at at the 2015 Fearless Filmmaking showcase, developed in partnership with Slamdance to encourage Digital Bolex owners and festival alumni to create "rebellious" films, and she joined Osbern, Boland, Paste Magazine editor Michael Dunaway, cinematographer Ben Kasulke, and director Leah Shore on the jury for this year's showcase — where the award went to Hilary Campbell's "Small Talk," which will received Seed&Spark distribution after its festival run. (Haun and Campbell also won Digital Bolex's handheld D16 cinema camera as well, which the former used to shoot her just-wrapped debut feature, "Hanky Panky.")

Watch the trailer for "Coming To" below, and head over to Seed&Spark to see it and "Courtesan" in full at the links above.

READ MORE: "EXCLUSIVE: Seed&Spark's Emily Best on #OscarsSoWhite and Empowering Audiences: 'It's time to start listening'"

5 Great Films From the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival

Greg Cwik — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 17:30:56 GMT

READ MORE: Here Are the Winners of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival

The Slamdance Film Festival may take place in parallel to Sundance, but it's not a cultural behemoth like the bigger Park City gathering. But the festival, founded in 1995, which has helped to spur the careers of Christopher Nolan and Lena Dunham, is replete with promising shoestring films and young performers on the cusp of critical recognition. Here are five highlights from this year's recently-concluded lineup.

"Fursonas"

Director Dominic Rodrigeuz offers an intimate look at the secretive subculture of Fursonas (a portmanteau of "furry" and "persona"), or "Furries," plushy anthropomorphic avatars donned by role-players. Fursona conventions date back to the early eighties, though members (understandably) try to keep the group out of the public eye. As with most of the films of the list, eccentricity of character plays heavily into the film's appeal, though no other film of Slamdance 2016 can boast an androgynous, sexually-frustrated dog named Boomer (nee Gary Matthews) who engenders a war between factions of Furries because he gives the esoteric coterie a "bad image." Irreverent yet earnest, "Fursonas" is a fascinating, if not nearly exhaustive jaunt into a culture few people know anything about.

"Honey Buddies"

When David (David Giuntoli) gets ditched at the proverbial wedding altar, his would-be best man Flula (Flula Borg) convinces David that the two of them should go on the backpacking honeymoon David had planned, cheering David up and improving their friendship. The pair encounter a host of eccentric characters, as one does when trekking though strange lands in a self-aware indie bromance. The male leads have contagious zest; when Flula whips out the toxic-colored t-shirts that bear the film's title on them, you can see the gloom slowly dissipate from David's eyes. The homoerotic subtext is more like parenthetical text, so obvious yet playfully silly is the BFF brouhaha. The Emmy-nominated director uses his experience shooting documentaries to give the film a naturalistic, easy-breezy feeling.

"Driftwood"

Like "The Tribe," one of 2015's best and ballsiest films, "Driftwood" is devoid of dialogue; unlike "The Tribe," also one of 2015's most relentlessly depressing endeavors. "Driftwood" has a female lead, deftly portrayed by Joslyn Jensen. The solipsistic tone and claustrophobic environment may draw comparisons to "Room," but "Driftwood" is less tear-jerky. The monotonous pacing and preference for static shots gives the micro-budget film a feeling of quotidian unease and existential boredom. It feels longer than its 72-minute runtime, and isn't as fun as "Honey Buddies" or "Fursonas," but Paul Taylor's film commits to its formal device and doesn't pander to its audience. Keep an eye on singer-writer-actress Jensen — hers is an enthralling presence.

"Art of the Prank"

The hoax with the most. Joe Skaggs, prank artist par excellence and professional ball-buster, is the subject of this voyeuristic film. Skaggs, a 70-year-old "culture jammer," has been an enigmatic presence for 50 years. His notable gags include tying a 50-foot bra to the front of the U.S. Treasury building on Wall Street, proclaiming himself to be a cockroach expert named Dr. Gregor (get it? the media didn't), and sending imposters to stand in for him during interviews. He also helped ABC News win an Emmy for their coverage of a fake dog brothel Skagg advertised in The Village Voice in 1976. The film, named after Skaggs' blog, wisely avoids trying to one-up its subject's hijinks. The camera stays relatively still, gazing at Skaggs, taking in his absurdity like one of the passing onlookers who so often comprise his audience.

"Neptune"

Derek Kimball channels the spirit of Terrence Malick for his spirit-of-nature film before veering into surreal ghost story territory. The $37,000 "Neptune," which stars the prodigiously talented Jane Ackerman as a young girl being raised by a priest, is introspective and rife with the hushed whispers of Malick, as well as the sinuous, gliding shots of water and forest, but the film gradually comes into its own, finds an identity as it meditates on grief and how a young mind (and soul) processes death.

Kimball displays dexterous control behind the camera, and manages to take Maine, a state not known for its thriving film culture, into a lush, vibrant character. But the film belongs to young Ackerman, whose previous credits include local theater productions of "A Christmas Carol" in Portland. The film took three years to shoot, so Ackerman starts the film at 14 and finishes at 17, and her off-screen growing manifests in on-screen emotional maturity. She gives one of the festival's best performances.

Watch: Meet the Team Behind Slamdance Audience Award Winner 'Honey Buddies' (Exclusive)

Jake Spencer — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 18:23:12 GMT

Among this year's movies that competed at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival was "Honey Buddies," which ended up winning the Audience Favorite Award for narrative feature. Directed by newcomer Alex Simmons and starring David Giuntoli ("Grimm") and Flula Borg ("Pitch Perfect 2"), "Honey Buddies" is a highly comedic ode to friendship and the great outdoors.

When David is dumped just days before his wedding, his upbeat and very German best man Flula convinces him to go on David's honeymoon together: a seven day backpacking trip through the Oregon wilderness. On the trail, the two friends meet a conspiracy theorist, a friendly backpacker and a bloodthirsty predator, all of whom test their friendship and their lives.

In the exclusive Slamdance TV spot above, Simmons and Borg take reflect on both the filmmaking and Slamdance experience. The video was made by the in-house documentarians at Slamdance TV who help advice the festival and its talented filmmakers. Watch the exclusive video above.

READ MORE: Slamdance 2016 Reveals Special Screenings, Beyond Features and Short Film Competitions

Here Are the Winners of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival

Zack Sharf — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 15:52:03 GMT

The 22nd Slamdance Film Festival came to an end last night as organizers bestowed this year's Sparky awards in the Audience, Jury and Sponsored Categories. The award winners were announced at the festival’s annual awards ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah.

READ MORE: Here Are the Sundance 2016 Short Film Winners

In keeping with tradition, juries of leading industry experts and filmmakers determined the Slamdance Awards for the Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Short Film categories. The Audience Awards, as well as the Spirit of Slamdance, an award given by the filmmakers of Slamdance 2016 to the filmmaker who best embodies the spirit of the festival, were also awarded. The feature competition films in the Documentary and Narrative Programs were limited to first-time filmmakers working with production budgets of less than $1 million.

“Congratulations to all of the filmmakers this year," said Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and co-founder, in an official statement. "Outside of winning a Sparky, as a collective they showed us the power of real independent film and how much it enriches our lives."

Below are the winners of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival:

Audience Award for Narrative Feature
"Honey Bunnies," Alex Simmons

Audience Award for Documentary Feature
"The Million Dollar Duck," Brian Golden Davis

Jury Award for Narrative Feature
"Driftwood," Paul Taylor

Jury Honorable Mention for Acting - Narrative Feature
"Hunky Dorky," starring Tomas Pais and Edouard Holdener

Jury Award for Documentary Feature
"The Million Dollar Duck," Brian Golden Davis

Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
"Art of the Prank," Andrea Marini

Jury Award for Documentary Short
"If Mama Ain't Happy, Nobody's Happy," Mea de Jong

Jury Honorable Mention for Cinematography - Documentary Short
"The Bullet," cinematography by Mike Gioulakis

Jury Award for Narrative Short
"Winter Hymns," Dusty Mancinelli

Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Short
"The Beast," Daina Oniunas

Jury Award for Animation Short

"My Dad," Marcus Armitage

Jury Honorable Mention for Animation Short

"Flaws," Josh Shaffner

Jury Award for Experimental Short

"Infrastructures," Aurèle Ferrier

Jury Honorable Mention for Experimental Short

"Cup of Stars," Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart

Jury Award for Anarchy Short

"Disco Inferno," Alice Waddington

Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short
"Gwillam," Brian Lonano

Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short

"Hi How Are You Daniel Johnston?," Gabriel Sunday

Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Grand Prize

"Small Talk," Hilary Campbell

Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention

"You Will Find A Way," A.J. Molle

Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention

"Eyes of the City," Luke Randall

Slamdance Review: Paul Taylor’s Dialogue-Free Isolation Drama ‘Driftwood’

Gary Garrison — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 22:16:32 GMT

The narrative arc of Paul Taylor’s “Driftwood” is rather simple: a girl washes up on a beach, is taken into the care of an older man who then conditions her to be his wife — to cook, to clean, and to satisfy him, at times against her will — and eventually she revolts. So the natural assumption would be that the bulk film is what exists in the cracks, the thematic explorations humming beneath the surface, and this is exactly what “Driftwood” wants us to think. But while there are attempts to mine some truly interesting and important ideas, the film never succeeds in saying anything substantial, landing more in the spectrum of cursory.

The film opens on a bleak stretch of blurred coast. A young woman (Joslyn Jensen) stumbles into frame. Then, suddenly, she is riding, asleep, in the back of a jeep. A middled-aged man (Paul C. Kelly) has taken her home. He leads her inside, clothes her, feeds her, shows her how to use the bathroom. She is more or less a child, an alien to this world, but she learns quickly, exploring the house, learning to use doors and windows, poking herself on a painfully obvious Chekhovian knife.

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Rounds Out Its 2016 Lineup

Strange as it all may seem, the film doesn’t take on a menacing tone until the woman wanders off into the woods. When she is found by the man, he digs chains from his shed and turns his house into a sort of prison. Even still, the man’s threats feel unfounded, as though he is amateurishly improvising as he goes.

Soon the man is digging out a long buried box of possessions from an old life, including a wedding ring and wedding dress. The notion is haunted and classic: a man claiming a woman, shaping her to his desires, and expecting her to be nothing but what he wants. When he sees a model writhing on a beach on TV in a bathing suit, he goes out first thing and buys the woman a similar set of underwear.

What he wants from her is both clear and not; he wants a wife, a lover, and maybe a mother? And when the young woman does not fulfill each of these roles his anger spikes. But what she desires is more complex, though equally unrealized. She is a blank slate, hungering to understand the world, but kept captive, as a piece of property.

Almost most unfortunate for “Driftwood” is its close proximity in release to Lenny Abrahamson’s Oscar sleeper “Room.” While both are ostensibly very different and are aimed toward disparate ends, Abrahamson’s “Room” simply nails the foreign and exciting new world sensation with aplomb, while “Driftwood” is never able to capture the same wonder, which prevents certain scenes from ever resonating.

Certain films of late have used the no-dialogue conceit to elevate a sense of the foreign (“The Tribe” might be the best recent example, though sign is used throughout, just simply never given subtitles), but in doing so, an extra pressure is placed upon the actors. So, while Jensen does commendable work playing a blank slate (which can’t ever be too exciting to watch), we are never given much to help us connect, nor is there ever much desire to — especially with the logic of certain choices.

Where the micro-budget “Driftwood” does succeed is in the cinematography. Written, directed, and shot by Taylor, the film is packed with languid static shots expertly constructed and framed. Each, on its own, is beautiful, especially the opening shot. But the static nature of the film, combined with the lack of dialogue and the stuttered pacing, makes the 72-minute film drag, even as things take some surprising sci-fi turns.

But while it’s not great, it’s never bad. In fact, one of the worst things to be said about the film is that it’s solid. Everything about “Driftwood,” from the acting to the filmmaking is thoroughly competent. The problem is that it’s never exciting. It locks comfortably into one register and is afraid to ever leave it. [C-]

Slamdance Review: Documentary 'Dead Hands Dig Deep' Tells The Haunting Tale Of A Heavy Metal Frontman

Kevin Jagernauth — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 15:41:35 GMT

In the mid-90s, conservatives and parents' groups grew alarmed at what they perceived to be the cultural threat posed by supposed shock rock acts like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. Both pushed sexual and violent lyrics and imagery into the mainstream, finding sympathy in the ears of your ordinary, everyday, disaffected teenager. While editorial pieces and op-eds tried to figure out what responsibility artists had to younger listeners, in Temecula, California, another band was pushing things to extremes that Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails could never conjure in their worst nightmare.

READ MORE: Slamdance Exclusive: Trailer For Doc 'Dead Hands Dig Deep' Explores The Edge Of Heavy Metal Extremes

Fronted by Edwin Borsheim, Kettle Cadaver waded into waters perhaps only previously occupied by GG Allin. Their shows became notorious for their violence, and Borsheim’s own dedication to extreme behavior, which often included genital mutilation, and a performance in which objects were placed and pinned among various parts of his body, would erupt into fountains of blood. With this background, the danger facing the documentary “Dead Hands Dig Deep” would be sensationalizing Borsheim and making heroes out of Kettle Cadaver. But 19-year-old director Jai Love is less interested in the on stage antics and literal open wounds (though there is a decent enough share of tough to watch footage, that those with weak stomachs would be advised to stay away), than the off-stage persona of Borsheim, what pushed him toward the darkest edges of metal, and whether or not he’s able to return.

Featuring insights from friends, band members, and family, and centered around Borsheim himself, Love has a simple but clever two-act structure for ‘Dead Hands.’ The first half of the movie presents in no uncertain terms that Borsheim’s lifestyle when Keddle Cadaver was active, and afterward, is one that is deeply unsettling. The archival footage of the band’s live act is frequently wide-eye horrifying, but when you realize that it’s catharsis for Borsheim, who is working out deep-seated issues, that’s when ‘Dead Hands’ gains resonance. And it’s the back end of the documentary where Love gives three dimensions to Borsheim, presenting him not as an oddity on the fringes of culture and society, but someone who has carved out his own, admittedly disturbing, corner of the Earth.

However, perhaps as a result of being too protective of his central figure, or perhaps inexperienced at pushing a documentary subject down tough avenues, ‘Dead Hands’ does miss some compelling opportunities. At one point, it’s mentioned that Borsheim earned money by being hired by people to torture them in his own chamber of horrors with his handmade weaponry. But this is an allegation that goes unquestioned. Meanwhile, there’s not much investigation into Borsheim’s personal beliefs, and what exactly his music is about in particular, and when a copy of “Mein Kampf” casually comes off his shelf, the obvious line of inquiry that you’d expect to follow goes unasked. It would’ve been nice to know if the filmmakers tried to track down Eva O, Borsheim’s ex-wife, particularly as many around the musician credit their divorce with his personal downward spiral, followed by a heightening of his perverse behavior (one friend describes Borsheim’s relationship with Eva O, appropriately, as Norman Bates-esque).

From a kid who grew up loving “Mad Max,” backyard wrestling, and more benign heavy metal like Slayer, Love doesn’t quite the connect all the dots to what made Borsheim who he is today, but there’s enough here to fill in a compelling picture. An unstable childhood, and the death of a beloved sibling, put Borsheim on a path that allowed him to work out a painful web of emotions in an authentically pure and violent way. That might sound contradictory, and when Borsheim’s mother, Laila, says early on in ‘Dead Hands’ that she doesn’t agree with her son’s actions, but admires the honesty, it sounds absurd. But as the film rolls on, that notion isn’t so out there. You can say a lot of things about Borsheim, but his adherence to his own vision, as affected by a damaged personal history as it is, is inarguably the real deal.

The success of Kettle Cadaver was never going to be tied to record sales, occupying as they did a severe niche of the heavy metal sphere, but their success can be measured in how it allowed Borsheim to cope with the turmoil that clearly powered whatever he unleashed on stage. The disquieting conclusion ‘Dead Hands’ comes up with is that, for all the gore, blood, misery, and brutality Borsheim endured, and his audience experienced, he has come through Kettle Cadaver perhaps more lonely and despairing as ever. Love’s frequently chilling film is a reminder that sometimes you don’t win the battle against personal demons. As we leave Borsheim, you hope he finds his peace, and wonder, with fearful curiosity, what might happen if he’s overcome by the darkness he’s been trying to control for so long. [B]

Watch: Slamdance Gets Unsettling in Exclusive 'If There's a Hell Below' Trailer and Poster

Kristen Santer — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 16:38:04 GMT

READ MORE: Project of the Day: 'If There's A Hell Below'

First-time filmmaker Nathan Williams is bringing a new slow-burning thriller to Slamdance. The writer-director was able to source "If There's a Hell Below" through Seed&Spark crowdfunding, as donators connected with his description of a movie "about authority and freedom of information, idealism and cynicism, right and wrong."

The film follows an ambitious young journalist (Conner Marx) seeking to gain serious information through a woman (Carol Roscoe) who claims to work in national security. In order to leak the details secretly, she insists on meeting in a desolate place in the American West. An hour after their meeting, one of them will be dead.

"If There's a Hell Below" will screen at Slamdance on January 24 and 27. Check out the trailer above and the poster below for an exclusive preview.

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Unveils 2016 Juries and Digital Bolex Lineup

Watch: Step Inside the Mobile Confessional Booth in Exclusive 'Art of the Prank' Clip

Mike Lown — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:39:37 GMT

READ MORE: Slamdance 2016 Reveals Special Screenings, Beyond Features and Short Film Competitions

As the saying goes, "It's a fool who thinks he can't be fooled." New York artist and media hoaxer Joey Skaggs has turned such a quote into his life's work, devising countless pranks that have garnered worldwide attention from legitimate news outlets across the country.

His stunts have included the Celebrity Sperm Bank, the Cathouse for Dogs, the Fat Squad and the Portofess, a mobile confessional booth. Now his career has been made into a documentary by Andrea Marini. Entitled "The Art of Prank," the doc will be premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival. Check out our exclusive clip above.

Discussing his subject matter in a official statement, Marini says, "The art of pranking for Joey is not just making a joke that can be very entertaining and funny. It’s way more than that. It’s about causing people to question their sources of information. At the core of Joey’s often hilarious work are questions he hopes people will think seriously about: What do you believe? How did you come to those beliefs? Do you ever question the source of your beliefs? If not, why not?"

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival will be taking place in Park City, Utah, from January 22-28.

READ MORE: Diary of a Slamdance Festival Juror

Watch: Exclusive 'Chemical Cut' Trailer Slices Deep into the Modeling World

Mike Lown — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 17:51:21 GMT

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup

The upcoming approach of the Sundance Film Festival also means the subsequent arrival of the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival, which will be taking place from January 22-28. Slamdance has devoted itself to showcasing the work of several first-time filmmakers, and "Chemical Cut" is no exception.

The debut of director-writer-star Marjorie Conrad, a former "America's Next Top Model" contestant, "Chemical Cut" turns her vast experience in the modeling industry into a surreal dark comedy.

Conrad plays Irene, a 23-year-old misfit who hopes that a newfound modeling career will save her from a dead-end life in retail. However, she is soon disillusioned by the absurdity, eccentricity and fragile egos of her profession. Irene's career and life continue to crumble around her until an encounter with an unknown performer (played by the late San Francisco drag icon Vicki Marlane) sparks her imagination once again.

Check out our exclusive trailer above.

Slamdance Film Festival Unveils 2016 Juries and Digital Bolex Lineup

Zack Sharf — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:54:59 GMT

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival is putting the final touches on their 22nd edition by revealing the 2016 jury members and the Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Lineup. The juries this year include high-profile names behind films like "William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe" and "Curfew," plus festivals like the Montclair Film Festival and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

"We are fortunate to have such acclaimed industry members and alumni join our juries and we welcome the Digital Bolex fearless filmmakers to round out our festival program," said Peter Baxter Co-Founder and President of the Slamdance Film Festival.

Digital Bolex's Fearless Filmmaking Lineup is a block of shorts shot on the D16 camera that bring together the Slamdance and Digital Bolex filmmaking communities in Park City for festival audiences.The 90-minute showcase features the work of 14 filmmakers from Croatia, Australia, Romania, France and the USA, including two films created at the 2015 Résidence Audiovisuelle Francophone in Romania and a University of Connecticut thesis film that received the Digital Bolex Grant for Women Cinematographers.

The 2016 Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Lineup includes:

"Tracking Alewives for the Passamaquoddy" - Kurt Lancaster, USA (World Premiere)

"Sketches" - Savannah Rodgers, USA (World Premiere)

"God Wrest His Soul" - JT Seaton, USA (World Premiere)

"Charades" - Jimmy Nguyen, USA (World Premiere)

"Small Talk" - Hilary Campbell, USA (World Premiere)

"Sun Valley" - Sasha Gransjean, USA (World Premiere)

"Devin Fair is King" - Skizz Cyzyk, USA (World Premiere)

"B+A" - Connor Rickman, USA (World Premiere)

"Girl with a Moustache" - Vanja Svilicic, Croatia (North American Premiere)

"Eyes of the City" - Luke Randall, Australia (World Premiere)

"Glenda" - Puppett, USA (World Premiere)

"You Will Find A Way" - AJ Molle, USA (World Premiere)

"Sans Titre" - Eva Pervolovici, Romania/France (North American Premiere)

"The Treeples" - Sarah Nolen, USA (World Premiere, Women Cinematographer's Grant Recipient)

The 2016 juries are:

Narrative Features Jury
Damon Russell
Erik Jambor
Julie La'Bassiere

Documentary Shorts and Features Jury
Vanessa Hope
Steve Yu
Skizz Cyzyk

Experimental and Anarchy Jury
Jack Sergeant
Dekker Dreyer
Wally Chung

Narrative and Animation Short Jury
Steve Montal
Ina Pira
Mark Shaprio

READ MORE: Exclusive: Attention, Filmmakers: Here's Your Shot at Screening at Slamdance

Exclusive: Slamdance is Coming to Hollywood With Mind-Bending Meta Film 'Director's Cut'

Kristen Santer — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:00:00 GMT

READ MORE: Slamdance 2016 Reveals Special Screenings, Beyond Features and Short Film Competitions

The Slamdance Film Festival will open with the special screening of "Director's Cut," a cinematic first that showcases a movie-within-a-movie that is half narrative thriller, half docu-mental-case. But for Los Angeles moviegoers unable to make it to Park City, Utah for the festival, Slamdance will be bringing the movie straight to the ArcLight in Hollywood for a special screening.

"Director's Cut" follows a cinephile stalker who kidnaps his favorite actress and forces her to act in his homemade movie. The film stars Missi Pyle, Penn Jillette, Harry Hamlin and Hayes MacArthur. Co-star and creator Penn Jillette is a world famous illusionist who hopes to delight audiences with his genre-defying film. Jillette will be joined by director Adam Rifkin and his comedy partner Teller for a Slamdance "Coffee With..." event at the Festival headquarters on Saturday January 23 at 9:30am.

After its world premiere in Park City, "Director's Cut" will hit the ArcLight Hollywood on February 2, as part of its "Arclight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club" series.

The Slamdance Film Festival highlights small, low-budget films and will take place from January 22-28. "Director's Cut" premieres on January 22 in Park City. For more info on the ArcLight program, click here.

READ MORE: Will You Help Penn Jillette Make a Horror Film?

Slamdance Exclusive: Say Grace With Clip From 'Neptune'

Kevin Jagernauth — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:47:41 GMT

Isolation can breed a certain kind of personality, but when coupled with loss, those combined forces can be unmooring. That sensation will be felt in the upcoming "Neptune," slated to premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, and today we have an exclusive clip.

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Rounds Out Its 2016 Lineup

Starring Jane Ackermann, Tony Reilly, William McDonough III, Dylan Chestnutt, and Christine Marshall, and directed by Derek Kimball, the story revolves around a young woman whose life changes after a classmate disappears. Here's the official synopsis:

Growing up on a secluded island off the coast of Maine and raised by the island’s insular priest, Hannah Newcombe has led a sheltered life. She has plans to attend a prestigious boarding school on the mainland at the summer’s end but finds her world upended with the sudden disappearance of a classmate, swallowed by the sea. Hannah’s quiet obsession with the missing boy grows, leading to haunting dreams and visions. To pacify them, she attempts to fill the missing boy’s role as a stern-man on his father’s lobster boat. Now, torn between her commitment to the man who raised her and the man she hopes to save, Hannah is confronted with questions of her own identity for the first time.

"Neptune" will have its first screening at Slamdance on Sunday, January 24th at 10 AM. Watch below.

Watch: Exclusive 'Mad' Trailer and Poster Introduces a Mother on the Edge of a Breakdown

Jake Spencer — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 14:30:11 GMT

READ MORE: Best Films and Performances from TIFF 2015 Ballots

Among the films selected to play in the Narrative Feature program at this year's Slamdance Film Festival is "Mad," filmmaker Robert G. Putka's story of a matriarch pushed past the edge of a nervous breakdown. The drama stars Jennifer Lafleur, Maryann Plunkett and Eilis Cahill and will be making its world premiere at Slamdance later this month.

More than just another nervous breakdown film, "Mad" also involves the matriarch's two daughters, who refuse to give a damn about her condition. Their esentment towards their mother eventually hits a breaking point as the three must confront one another if everyone wants to make it out with a piece of their sanity left intact.

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival takes place January 22-28 in Park City, Utah. Check out the exclusive trailer above, as well as the debut official poster below.

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup

Slamdance Exclusive: Clip From 'How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town' Gets Into The Messy Details

Kevin Jagernauth — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 20:29:34 GMT

While magazines, television, and movies may lead you to believe that sex always happens on clean sheets, with perfect lighting, sculpted bodies, and nary a hair out of place, in real life, doing the deed is far less glamorous. Sex can be messy and clumsy, and that's just between two people. But what happens when you add more to the mix? That's the basic set up for Jeremy Lalonde's "How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town," and today we have an exclusive clip as the movie heads to the Slamdance Film Festival.

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Rounds Out Its 2016 Lineup

Starring Jewel Staite, Lauren Lee Smith, Katharine Isabelle, Ennis Esmer, Tommie-Amber Pirie, and Jonas Chernick, the story follows a sex columnist who returns to her family values loving small town, where things take a spicy turn. Here's the synopsis:

Beaver’s Ridge; a tight-knit community known for its wholesome emphasis on family values - or at least until “town slut” turned sex columnist Cassie Cranston (Jewel Staite from FIREFLY) returns for her mother’s funeral. Cassie was shunned from the community years before due to an embarrassing sex encounter at a house party, so she ran away to the big city and became a sex columnist while labelling the town prudish. Upon her return though, things spice up in Beaver’s Ridge when a group of eccentric town folk try to plan an orgy. Each person has their own ulterior motives for the orgy with awkward sex at the forefront.

"How To Play An Orgy In A Small Town" will make its U.S. Premiere at Slamdance and screen on January 22nd at 12:15 PM and January 27th at 5 PM. Watch below.

Slamdance Exclusive: Trailer For Doc 'Dead Hands Dig Deep' Explores The Edge Of Heavy Metal Extremes

Edward Davis — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:22:48 GMT

The band's name says it all: Kettle Cadaver. One could easily surmise that any group with such a moniker is going to be an acquired taste, and indeed, the Californian metal act isn't for everyone. But the upcoming documentary "Dead Hands Dig Deep," which tells the story of founder Edwin Borsheim should interest any music fan.

READ MORE: Review: 'Last Days Here,' An Unsettling, Compelling Look At An Aging Rocker's Final Shot At Stardom

Directed by 19 year-old Australian filmmaker Jai Love and slated to premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, the movie chronicles Borsheim's extreme performance approach, his downward spiral mentally and physically, and his possible path to redemption. Here's the official synopsis:

Thirty-eight year old Edwin Borsheim of the band Kettle Cadaver was once known for his bizarre stage antics and brutal self-mutilation.

Now, years after the bands demise, Borsheim has fallen in to complete seclusion on his acre of land in which he is surrounded by many of the horrible things he has created. As Edwin spirals further in to a hole of drug abuse and self destruction, those closest to Borsheim dissect his mental complexes as he himself reflects on his dark past.

Although Borsheim finds himself trapped in his own home, he just may be saved by human interaction.

"Dead Hands Dig Deep" will screen on January 22nd at 7 PM and January 27th at 10:15 PM at Slamdance. Watch below.

Slamdance Film Festival Rounds Out Its 2016 Lineup

Kevin Jagernauth — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 21:21:38 GMT

At the end of November, the Slamdance Film Festival unveiled its first wave of titles, and today they've revealed the rest. While Sundance will have new films by Whit Stillman, Kenneth Lonergan, Todd Solondz, Kelly Reichardt, Spike Lee, Kevin Smith, Werner Herzog, and more, Slamdance has the talent that will follow in the footsteps of those filmmakers. And it's part of what makes the festival a real place for discovery.

There are few recognizable names in front of or behind the camera with many of these movies, which means you often don't have much to go on aside from a synopsis and maybe a still image. But that's how you discover a true surprise or an unexpected gem. And lest you think I'm being wide-eyed, it's worth remembering that Christopher Nolan showed "Following" at Slamdance, which helped get his foot in the industry door and his career on the path that has taken him all the way to "Interstellar."

The Slamdance Film Festival runs from January 22 to 28, 2016.

Special Screenings Program

"Director’s Cut" — Director: Adam Rifkin; Screenwriter: Penn Jillette

(USA) World Premiere

This ultimate meta-movie is an insane genre-bending cinematic sleight of hand trick about a cineaste stalker who kidnaps his favorite actress and forces her to star in his amateur movie.

Cast: Missi Pyle, Penn Jillette, Harry Hamlin, Hayes MacArthur, Lin Shaye, Gilbert Gottfried, Nestor Carbonell

"Embers" — Director: Claire Carré; Screenwriters: Charles Spano, Claire Carré

(USA, Poland)

After a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory.

Cast: Jason Ritter, Iva Gocheva, Greta Fernández, Tucker Smallwood, Karl Glusman, Silvan Friedman, Roberto Cots, Dominique Swain

"Let's Be Evil" — Director & Screenwriter: Martin Owen

(UK) World Premiere

Contained within a secure, underground facility, three chaperones are tasked with supervising an advanced learning program for gifted children, pioneering Augmented Reality Glasses. Events quickly spiral out of control.

Cast: Elizabeth Morris, Elliot James Langridge, Kara Tointon, Isabelle Allen

"Alky Alky" — Director: Axel Ranisch; Screenwriters: Heiko Pinkowski, Axel Ranisch, Peter Trabner

(Germany) North American Premiere

Tobias and DeBottle are classic cases of arrested development — one knows his lifelong relationship with the other is no longer good for him, but it's already too late in this boozy tale of revelry and reality.

Cast: Heiko Pinkowski, Peter Trabner, Christina Große, Thorsten Merten, Iris Berben, Oliver Korittke

"Excursions" — Director: Daniel Martinico; Screenwriters: Hugo Armstrong, Daniel Martinico

(USA) World Premiere

During an idyllic weekend getaway in the woods, two couples partake in a series of ritualistic purges that unleash their primal selves.

Cast: Jacqueline Wright, Hugo Armstrong, Mandy Freund, Cody Henderson

"How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town" — Director & Screenwriter: Jeremy LaLonde

(Canada) US Premiere

When a famous sex columnist attempts to host an orgy with old high-school acquaintances in her conservative hometown, keeping secrets becomes the least of her problems.

Cast: Jewel Staite, Ennis Esmer, Lauren Lee Smith, Katharine Isabelle, Mark O'Brien, Jonas Chernick, Kristian Bruun, Tommie-Amber Pirie

"My Enemies" — Director: Stéphane Géhami; Screenwriters: Stéphane Géhami, Héloïse Masse

(Canada) US Premiere

Furious after losing his girlfriend and his publishing deal, Cédric, a young novelist, is captivated by the piano playing of Isabelle, a much-older alcoholic living in a home full of lost souls.

Cast: Louise Marleau, Frédéric Lemay, Hubert Proulx, Jean-François Casabonne, Étienne Pilon, Maxime Gaudette, Francis La Haye, Maxime Mailloux

"The Successor" — Director & Screenwriter: Mattia Epifani, Francesco Lefons

(Italy) North American Premiere

A former arms manufacturer travels to Bosnia to reflect upon the legacy of the land-mine business he inherited from his father and pay penance for the destruction it caused.

Cast: Vito Alfieri Fontana, Nijaz Memic, Senaid Abdihodeic, Rarija Besic

Narrative Shorts Program

"And Nothing Happened" — Director & Screenwriter: Naima Ramos-Chapman

(USA) World Premiere

A young woman juggles between the mundane and the extraordinary in an attempt to leave her NYC apartment.

Cast: Naima Ramos-Chapman, Jamilya Ramos-Chapman, Angela Silverio, Carl Rube

"The Beast" — Director & Screenwriter: Daina Oniunas Pusic

(Croatia)

A hundred-year-old woman and her 75-year-old daughter have a tense but familiar relationship. A bat flies in to their home and the equilibrium will be forever changed.

Cast: Marija Kohn, Doris Šaric Kukuljica

"Black Swell" — Director: Jake Honig; Screenwriter: David Rysdahl

(USA) World Premiere

A man tries to kill himself in a motel room.

Cast: Richard Kind, David Rysdahl

"Darkest Moon" — Director: Kasper Skovsbøl; Screenwriters: Amalie Næsby, Kasper Skovsbøl

(Denmark) World Premiere

Anna must decide whether she wants to protect her daughter and risk being ostracized, or believe in the accusations of her being a witch and sentence her own child to death.

Cast: Karen-Lise Mynster, May Simón Lifschitz, Anders Hove, Peter Plaugborg

"De Smet" — Directors & Screenwriters: Thomas Baerten, Wim Geudens

(Netherlands)

The brothers 'De Smet' have created a system to live their lives as singles in the most comfortable way possible.

Cast: Tom Audenaert, Sven De Ridder, Stefaan Degand, Jessica Zeylmaker

"Deep Gold" — Director & Screenwriter: Julian Rosefeldt

(Germany) North American Premiere

An exuberant and voluptuous homage to Luis Buñuel's surrealist (and back-then-scandalous) masterpiece "L'Age d'Or," relocated to the roaring Berlin '20s.

Cast: Franz Hartwig, Janaina Pessoa, Suse Wächter, Ronni Maciel

"Discontinuity" — Director & Screenwriter: Lori Felker

(USA) World Premiere

A short film about losing things in the edits of life.

Cast: Ben Johnson, Sam Howard, Henry Comerford

"Family Trip" — Director & Screenwriter: Oscar Oldershaw
(UK)
A purgatory on Wheels!
Cast: Ian Gain, Vita Oldershaw

"GANG" — Director & Screenwriter: Clayton Vomero
(USA)

Three young people in Staten Island, New York, search for meaning and identity over the length of a single day.

Cast: Mela Murder, Infinite Coles, Denasia Moore

"Goodnight Birdy" — Director: Zara Zerny; Screenwriters: Morten Pape, Zara Zerny

(Denmark) North American Premiere

When Greta's husband dies, she is convinced she will die from sorrow. But the heart has its ways of surviving.

Cast: Elsebeth Steentoft

"Lewis" — Director & Screenwriter: Fantavious Fritz

(Canada) US Premiere

A missing cat witnesses the intersections of human life in a neighborhood and meets an elderly widow living in solitude.

Cast: Aldona Zalnieriunas, Jean Luc Piccard (the cat), Kyle Andrews

"NASTY" — Director: Prano Bailey-Bond; Screenwriter: Anthony Fletcher

(UK)

A boy uncovers the nasty truth about his family after finding a VHS tape.

Cast: Albie Marber, Madeleine Hutchins, James Cutler, Kimberley Adams

"The Panty Symphonic" — Director: Zach Strum; Screenwriters: Zach Strum, Micah Vassau

(USA) World Premiere

When Arnold dies before finishing his will, a rat race ensues for his most prized possession — a pair of panties.

Cast: Steven Jones, Sydney Shepherd

"Red Folder" — Director & Screenwriter: Ben Kallam

(USA) World Premiere

Fourteen-year-old Joseph sets out to find his teacher’s elusive red folder, only to discover the unsettling implications of his task.

Cast: Gregory Barnes, Pepper Binkley, Phil Bernadin, Chris Jarell

"Savasana" — Director & Screenwriter: Brandon Daley

(USA) World Premiere

A man in the midst of a midlife crisis attempts to sooth his existential concerns by practicing the age old art of yoga.

Cast: Paul Gordon, Amy Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Bernie Rybarczyk

"The Sea Within" — Director: Wong Wai Nap; Screenwriters: Wong Wai Nap, Ho Tze Ki

(Hong Kong) US Premiere

A poetic and quiet look into the lives and relationship of a Fishermen couple.

Cast: Wong Kam Shing, Ng Mei Wah

"Shitty Drum!" — Director & Screenwriter: Pascal Plante

(Canada) US Premiere

An aging punk rock band has an existential crisis.

Cast: Jason Roy-Léveillée, Jérôme Bédard, Joseph Martin

"SKANK" — Director & Screenwriter: Sophie Francesca

(New Zealand, UK) US Premiere

In a cheap living room in small-town New Zealand a children’s birthday party is in full swing. While the kids are caught up in the ecstasy of the party, young mum Hayley is entangled in more "adult" affairs.

Cast: William Alexander, Bella Baughan, Vincent Andrew-Scammell, Sophie Francesca

"Tampoon" — Director: Jeanne Jo; Screenwriters: Jeanne Jo, Nick Musurca

(USA)

When Miranda makes bad decisions about her love life, a possessed TAMPON enters to take care of business.

Cast: Alexandra August, JJ Dunlap

"Tisure" — Director: Adrian Geyer; Screenwriter: Proyecto JFS

(Venezuela) North American Premiere

In the lonely mountains of Venezuela, a couple’s problems are both diminished and brought to the surface by the vastness of their surroundings.

Cast: Alcione Guerrero, Daniel Isaac

"Under the Sun" — Director & Screenwriter: QIU Yang

(China, Australia)

An incident occurs, two families become entangled. There’s nothing new under the sun.

Cast: ZHU Ping, SUN Zhongwei, BAI Lihong, GONG Weiming

"Video" — Director & Screenwriter: Randy Yang

(USA)

A woman's racist remark is captured on video by two teenage black girls.

Cast: Mars Williams, Reilly Brooke Stith, Alyson Schacherer, Ron Scott

"Winter Hymns" — Director & Screenwriter: Dusty Mancinelli

(Canada) US Premiere

Ten-year-old Joshua’s dull afternoon is shattered when his volatile older brother shepherds him through the countryside in search of adventure.

Cast: Sam Ashe Arnold, Kyle Peacock

Documentary Shorts Program

"Becoming Blair" — Director: Bri Barsalou

(USA) World Premiere

Blair is a transgender young adult living in Texas and transitioning with mixed reactions from his conservative parents.

Cast: Blair Hanner, Sue Hanner, Karl Hanner

"The Bullet" — Director: Jordan Bahat

(USA) World Premiere

A portrait of David "The Bullet" Smith Jr., the world's greatest human cannonball.

Cast: David "The Bullet" Smith Jr.

"Heavy Fog Tonight" — Director: Nathan Reich

(USA)

Conrad Milster is an 80-year-old chief engineer at New York's oldest running steam power plant, preserving an era long forgotten while adjusting to the digital world around him.

Cast: Conrad Milster

"If Mama Ain't Happy, Nobody's Happy" — Director: Mea de Jong

(Netherlands)

“If you want to make a film about independent women, shouldn’t you make a film about our family?” And so mother and daughter embark on a journey together to make a portrait about the four generations who all managed without a man.

"In Crystal Skin" — Director: Michaela O'Brien

(USA) World Premiere

Conflict arises between mother and daughter when a young girl with a rare disease in Bogotá, Colombia, refuses to attend school.

Cast: Maria Alejandra Peña Giraldo, Jackeline Giraldo Hurtado, Angel Gustavo Peña Sanchez, Carlos Andrés Peña Giraldo

"A Passion of Gold and Fire" — Director & Screenwriter: Sébastien Pins

(Belgium)

A beekeeper in Belgium worries about the future of his apiary school.

Cast: Fontignie André

"Repoman" — Director: Giacomo Gex; Screenwriters: Giacomo Gex, Bruno Gex

(USA)

A day in the life of a repoman in Los Angeles, USA.

Cast: Andrew De Palma

"Rotatio" — Director: Ian McClerin

(USA) World Premiere

A young woman transforms her experience of trauma into a powerfully poetic meditation, challenging her transgressions and the purpose of art.

Cast: Shannon May Mackenzie

"Stems" — Director & Screenwriter: Ainslie Henderson

(UK) US Premiere

For a brief moment, stop motion puppets crafted from found objects make beautiful music and then as quickly as they came to life, return to being inanimate objects.

"Superunit" — Director & Screenwriter: Teresa Czepiec

(Poland)

A peek inside a few doors in a Polish “housing machine” comprised of 15 floors and 762 stories where emotions throb, expectations build and desires come true…or not.

"Temporary Color" — Director: John Wilson

(USA) World Premiere

A filmmaker hired to follow David Byrne on tour finds a capable and better-equipped documentary crew already in place and decides to take a more whimsical behind-the-scenes look while musing about the escaped convicts potentially looming nearby in upstate New York and Canada.

Cast: David Byrne, Bill Ross, Turner Ross

"The Tricks List" — Director: Brian Bolster

(USA)

A gay man's journey to memorialize and document every sexual encounter he has ever had.

"Water Ghost* — Director & Screenwriter: Wen Li

(USA) North American Premiere

A stranger jumps off a bridge, committing suicide, setting off a journey to find the men who fish bodies out of the Yuanjiang River and the meaning of death, loss and life.

"The Wear of Agony" — Director: Mariano Rentería Garnica

(Mexico) US Premiere

A visual waltz through the spaces, people and objects of the working class in Mexico, where reality and dreams dance in dialogue.

Animation Shorts

"Bottom Feeders" — Director & Screenwriter: Matt Reynolds

(USA)

Two fictional species try to make it through the day in this bleak parody of the natural world.

"Flaws" — Director: Josh Shaffner

(USA)

An autobiographical, surreal rant about years spent in the service industry.

"Heila Ormur" — Director: Rose Stark

(Iceland, USA)

The slow savoring of horrible flavors in the body of a love gone bad.

Cast: Andi Kristins

"Here There" — Director & Screenwriter: Alexander Stewart

(Croatia, USA) US Premiere

A graphic form to memory’s malleable, straying lines.

"Lazy Daze" — Director: Brian Smee

(USA) World Premiere

Dog in the land where the good life takes you.

"Leftover" — Directors & Screenwriters: Tibor Banoczki, Sarolta Szabo

(France) US Premiere

Remains of food, remains of human relationships.

Cast: Jerry di Giacomo, Odile Cohen, Matthieu Saccucci, Marie-Sohna Conde

"Life is Rugged" — Director & Screenwriter: Simon Schnellmann

(Germany)

Five short sequences of line-drawing life are linked together by a black point.

"Mirror in Mind" — Director: SeungHee Kim

(South Korea)

A woman looks into her mind, chasing her ideals on a tightrope.

"My Dad" — Director: Marcus Armitage

(UK) US Premiere

A boy's vividly-colored memories of learning everything from his dad, including racially-motivated violence.

Cast: Divian Ladwa

"Pangs" — Director: Wendy Cong Zhao

(USA) World Premiere

Wading through bodily and emotional pangs.

"The Past Inside the Present" — Director & Screenwriter: James Siewert

(USA) World Premiere

An allegorical tale of a couple who attempt to renew their dying relationship by plugging directly into recordings of their memories.

Cast: Schuyler Helford, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

"Ripple" — Director: Conner Griffith

(USA) North American Premiere

The shapes we make. An advertisement for planet earth.

"Still Life" — Director: Kevin Eskew

(USA) North American Premiere

Et tu doggy? Synchronicity strikes in the suburban Midwest.

"Worm" — Director: Becky James

(USA) North American Premiere

Wrapped in chains, a worm languishes in prison.

Cast: Amanda Salane, Holden Miller

Experimental Shorts

"After Muybridge" — Director: Spencer Holden

(USA) World Premiere

A Non-Cinema performance after Muybridge.

Cast: Spencer Holden

"Cup of Stars" — Directors: Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart

(USA) US Premiere

A vivid tableau of tenderness finds two brothers under a cool night sky fishing for stars and supernovas.

Cast: Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart

"Gray Hairs" — Director: Annapurna Kumar

(USA)

In 2013, the Apache helicopter's targeting systems were updated from standard-definition black-and-white to high-resolution color video, touted as a boost to pilot safety and US military dominance.

"Infrastructures" — Director: Aurèle Ferrier

(Switzerland)

A journey through infrastructures that are common to an everyday reality of routine, but presented as completely deserted.

"JUS SOLI" — Director: Somebody Nobody Collective

(UK) North American Premiere

This film opens up a discourse on the Black British experience, interrupting the emotional transition between generations and questioning what it means to be British.

Cast: Nicholas Pinnock

"The Neutral Zone" — Director: LJ Frezza

(USA) World Premiere

A historical survey of the utopias described in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-1994). This catalog of doorways, walls, and rooms might define our understanding of possible futures.

"Notes from the Interior" — Director: Benjamin Balcom

(USA)

How do you describe the complexities of being a body? A wandering through the self, an associative search for secrets.

"Novaciéries" — Directors: (LA)HORDE Collective, Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

(France) North American Premiere

A combination of cinema, performance, and home video that transcends dance films and presents a choreographed and metaphysical portrait of the post-industrial world by reinterpreting post-internet dance.

Cast: Eve Coquart, Ylva Falk, Kevin Martinelli, Edgar Scassa

"Pudding" — Director & Screenwriter: Ryan Betschart

(USA)

Pudding describes through auditory and visual wonder two children exploring their body curiosity through the telling of false memories regarding 1970s pop icons.

Cast: Aiden Griner Riley as Boy, Evee Griner Riley as Girl

Anarchy Shorts

"The Bulb" — Director & Screenwriter: Calvin Reeder

(USA) World Premiere

Strangers meet in a motel room and observe a peculiar television broadcast.

Cast: Frank Mosley, Linas Phillips

"Carnal Orient" — Directors & Screenwriters: Mila Zuo, Angela Seo

(USA) World Premiere

A dark and strangely surreal snapshot of sexual desire aimed at the exotic.

Cast: Akemi Look, West Liang, Joey Halter, Peter Lucas, Stephan Smith Collins

"Ceiling Finger" — Director: Sean Kelley; Screenwriter: Dalton Price

(USA)

A family of four lives in a suburban household with a giant finger called Ceiling Finger.

Cast: Jesse Price, Jen Greenfield, David Parrish, Eleanor Greenfield

"Disco Inferno" — Director & Screenwriter: Alice Waddington

(Spain)

A weary hell minion is on a mission to rescue her boss. But the Devil is not willing to return to her daily routine.

Cast: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Ana Rujas, Olivia Baglivi

"Double-Blind No.1" — Director: The Double-Blind Experiments

(Australia)

Five VFX artists set out to test the theory that a fine-art technique relying on chance could be applied to a motion piece.

Cast: Samantha Roy, Zenon Kohler, Ricky Marks

"Gwilliam" — Director: Brian Lonano; Screenwriters: Brian Lonano, Victoria Cook, Kevin Lonano

(USA)

A recently released criminal can forget his sins, but he can never forget...Gwilliam.

Cast: William Tokarsky, Paul Painter, Wanda Morganstern

"Hi How Are You Daniel Johnston?" — Director: Gabriel Sunday; Screenwriters: Daniel Johnston, Gabriel Sunday, David Lee Miller

(USA)

Iconic musician/artist Daniel Johnston stars in this psychedelic short film about an aging artist coming to terms with the dreams of yesteryear.

Cast: Daniel Johnston, Gabriel Sunday, Soko

"Something About Silence" — Director & Screenwriter: Patrick Buhr

(Germany) North American Premiere

You are here because you are boring

Cast: Vanja Smiljanic, Sina Seifee

"The Wayward Carnality" — Director & Screenwriter: Joanna Maria Wójcik

(Poland) North American Premiere

Grandma visits her teenage grandson and discovers a change of his interests.

Slamdance 2016 Reveals Special Screenings, Beyond Features and Short Film Competitions

Zack Sharf — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 15:34:44 GMT

READ MORE: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup

Organizers of the Slamdance Film Festival have announced a handful of upcoming sections for their 22nd year, including Special Screenings, Beyond Features and its Short Film Competitions. This year, several Slamdance alumni are returning with feature presentations in the Beyond Program, including Axel Ranisch’s "Alky Alky" and Daniel Martinico’s "Excursions." The Festival will open with a Special Screening of Adam Rifkin and Penn Jillette’s "Director’s Cut," starring Missi Pyle, Penn Jillette and Harry Hamlin. Special Screenings also include sci-fi features "Let's Be Evil" from Martin Owen and "Embers" from Claire Carré, which will close the Festival.

"The Slamdance Special Screenings section this year is a mix of higher profile work, remarkable talent and a film we thought truly deserved further exposure," said Special Screenings Programmer and Slamdance Co-Conspirator Paul Rachman. "Our closing night choice of Claire Carre's 'Embers' is not a premier but so what. We're far more interested getting behind a visionary film from a woman director we are excited to support and help expand her career and audience reach."

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival will take place from January 22-28, 2016 in Park City, Utah. Below are all of the films playing in the recently announced categories. Synopses and information provided by Slamdance.

Special Screenings Program

"Director’s Cut" - Director: Adam Rifkin; Screenwriter: Penn Jillette

(USA) World Premiere

This ultimate meta-movie is an insane genre-bending cinematic sleight of hand trick about a cineaste stalker who kidnaps his favorite actress and forces her to star in his amateur movie.

Cast: Missi Pyle, Penn Jillette, Harry Hamlin, Hayes MacArthur, Lin Shaye, Gilbert Gottfried, Nestor Carbonell

"Embers" - Director: Claire Carré; Screenwriters: Charles Spano, Claire Carré

(USA, Poland)

After a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory.

Cast: Jason Ritter, Iva Gocheva, Greta Fernández, Tucker Smallwood, Karl Glusman, Silvan Friedman, Roberto Cots, Dominique Swain

"Let's Be Evil" - Director & Screenwriter: Martin Owen

(UK) World Premiere

Cast: Elizabeth Morris, Elliot James Langridge, Kara Tointon, Isabelle Allen

Beyond Program

"Alky Alky" - Director: Axel Ranisch; Screenwriters: Heiko Pinkowski, Axel Ranisch, Peter Trabner

(Germany) North American Premiere

Tobias and DeBottle are classic cases of arrested development – one knows his lifelong relationship with the other is no longer good for him, but it's already too late in this boozy tale of revelry and reality.

Cast: Heiko Pinkowski, Peter Trabner, Christina Große, Thorsten Merten, Iris Berben, Oliver Korittke

"Excursions" - Director: Daniel Martinico; Screenwriters: Hugo Armstrong, Daniel Martinico

(USA) World Premiere

During an idyllic weekend getaway in the woods, two couples partake in a series of ritualistic purges that unleash their primal selves.

Cast: Jacqueline Wright, Hugo Armstrong, Mandy Freund, Cody Henderson

"How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town" - Director & Screenwriter: Jeremy LaLonde

(Canada) US Premiere

When a famous sex columnist attempts to host an orgy with old high school acquaintances in her conservative hometown, keeping secrets becomes the least of her problems.

Cast: Jewel Staite, Ennis Esmer, Lauren Lee Smith, Katharine Isabelle, Mark O'Brien, Jonas Chernick, Kristian Bruun, Tommie-Amber Pirie

"My Enemies" - Director: Stéphane Géhami; Screenwriters: Stéphane Géhami, Héloïse Masse

(Canada) US Premiere

Furious after losing his girlfriend and his publishing deal, Cédric, a young novelist, is captivated by the piano playing of Isabelle, a much older alcoholic living in a home full of lost souls.

Cast: Louise Marleau, Frédéric Lemay, Hubert Proulx, Jean-François Casabonne, Étienne Pilon, Maxime Gaudette, Francis La Haye, Maxime Mailloux

"The Successor" - Director & Screenwriter: Mattia Epifani, Francesco Lefons

(Italy) North American Premiere

A former arms manufacturer travels to Bosnia to reflect upon the legacy of the land-mine business he inherited from his father and pay penance for the destruction it caused.

Cast: Vito Alfieri Fontana, Nijaz Memic, Senaid Abdihodeic, Rarija Besic

Narrative Shorts Program

"And Nothing Happened" - Director & Screenwriter: Naima Ramos-Chapman

(USA) World Premiere

A young woman juggles between the mundane and the extraordinary in an attempt to leave her NYC apartment.

Cast: Naima Ramos-Chapman, Jamilya Ramos-Chapman, Angela Silverio, Carl Rube

"The Beast" - Director & Screenwriter: Daina Oniunas Pusic

(Croatia)

A hundred year old woman and her 75-year old daughter have a tense but familiar relationship. A bat flies in to their home and the equilibrium will be forever changed.

Cast: Marija Kohn, Doris Šaric Kukuljica

"Black Swell" - Director: Jake Honig; Screenwriter: David Rysdahl

(USA) World Premiere

A man tries to kill himself in a motel room.

Cast: Richard Kind, David Rysdahl

"Darkest Moon" - Director: Kasper Skovsbøl; Screenwriters: Amalie Næsby, Kasper Skovsbøl

(Denmark) World Premiere

Anna must decide whether she wants to protect her daughter, and risk of being ostracized, or believe in the accusations of her being a witch and sentence her own child to death.

Cast: Karen-Lise Mynster, May Simón Lifschitz, Anders Hove, Peter Plaugborg

"De Smet" - Directors & Screenwriters: Thomas Baerten, Wim Geudens

(Netherlands)

The brothers 'De Smet' have created a system to live their lives as singles in the most comfortable way possible.

Cast: Tom Audenaert, Sven De Ridder, Stefaan Degand, Jessica Zeylmaker

"Deep Gold" - Director & Screenwriter: Julian Rosefeldt

(Germany) North American Premiere

An exuberant and voluptuous homage to Luis Buñuel's surrealist (and back then scandalous) masterpiece The Golden Age, relocated to the roaring Berlin 20's.

Cast: Franz Hartwig, Janaina Pessoa, Suse Wächter, Ronni Maciel

"Discontinuity" - Director & Screenwriter: Lori Felker

(USA) World Premiere

A short film about losing things in the edits of life.

Cast: Ben Johnson, Sam Howard, Henry Comerford

"Family Trip" - Director & Screenwriter: Oscar Oldershaw
(UK)
A purgatory on Wheels!
Cast: Ian Gain, Vita Oldershaw

"GANG" - Director & Screenwriter: Clayton Vomero
(USA)

Three young people in Staten Island, New York, search for meaning and identity over the length of a single day.

Cast: Mela Murder, Infinite Coles, Denasia Moore

"Goodnight Birdy" - Director: Zara Zerny; Screenwriters: Morten Pape, Zara Zerny

(Denmark) North American Premiere

When Greta's husband dies, she is convinced she will die from sorrow. But the heart has its ways of surviving.

Cast: Elsebeth Steentoft

"Lewis" - Director & Screenwriter: Fantavious Fritz

(Canada) US Premiere

A missing cat witnesses the intersections of human life in a neighbourhood and meets an elderly widow living in solitude.

Cast: Aldona Zalnieriunas, Jean Luc Piccard (the cat), Kyle Andrews

"NASTY - Director: Prano Bailey-Bond; Screenwriter: Anthony Fletcher

(UK)

A boy uncovers the nasty truth about his family after finding a VHS tape.

Cast: Albie Marber, Madeleine Hutchins, James Cutler, Kimberley Adams

"The Panty Symphonic" - Director: Zach Strum; Screenwriters: Zach Strum, Micah Vassau

(USA) World Premiere

When Arnold dies before finishing his will, a rat race ensues for his most prized possession--a pair of panties.

Cast: Steven Jones, Sydney Shepherd

"Red Folder" - Director & Screenwriter: Ben Kallam

(USA) World Premiere

Fourteen-year-old Joseph sets out to find his teacher’s elusive red folder, only to discover the unsettling implications of his task.

Cast: Gregory Barnes, Pepper Binkley, Phil Bernadin, Chris Jarell

"Savasana" - Director & Screenwriter: Brandon Daley

(USA) World Premiere

A man in the midst of a midlife crisis attempts to sooth his existential concerns by practicing the age old art of yoga.

Cast: Paul Gordon, Amy Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Bernie Rybarczyk

"The Sea Within" - Director: Wong Wai Nap; Screenwriters: Wong Wai Nap, Ho Tze Ki

(Hong Kong) US Premiere

A poetic and quiet look into the lives and relationship of a Fishermen couple.

Cast: Wong Kam Shing, Ng Mei Wah

"Shitty Drum!" - Director & Screenwriter: Pascal Plante

(Canada) US Premiere

An aging punk rock band has an existential crisis.

Cast: Jason Roy-Léveillée, Jérôme Bédard, Joseph Martin

"SKANK " - Director & Screenwriter: Sophie Francesca

(New Zealand, UK) US Premiere

Cast: William Alexander, Bella Baughan, Vincent Andrew-Scammell, Sophie Francesca

"Tampoon" - Director: Jeanne Jo; Screenwriters: Jeanne Jo, Nick Musurca

(USA)

When Miranda makes bad decisions about her love life, a possessed TAMPON enters to take care of business.

Cast: Alexandra August, JJ Dunlap

"Tisure" - Director: Adrian Geyer; Screenwriter: Proyecto JFS

(Venezuela) North American Premiere

In the lonely mountains of Venezuela, a couple’s problems are both diminished and brought to the surface by the vastness of their surroundings.

Cast: Alcione Guerrero, Daniel Isaac

"Under the Sun" - Director & Screenwriter: QIU Yang

(China, Australia)

An incident occurs, two families become entangled. There’s nothing new under the sun.

Cast: ZHU Ping, SUN Zhongwei, BAI Lihong, GONG Weiming

"Video" - Director & Screenwriter: Randy Yang

(USA)

A woman's racist remark is captured on video by two teenage black girls.

Cast: Mars Williams, Reilly Brooke Stith, Alyson Schacherer, Ron Scott

"Winter Hymns" - Director & Screenwriter: Dusty Mancinelli

(Canada) US Premiere

Ten-year-old Joshua’s dull afternoon is shattered when his volatile older brother shepherds him through the countryside in search of adventure.

Cast: Sam Ashe Arnold, Kyle Peacock

Documentary Shorts Program

"Becoming Blair" - Director: Bri Barsalou

(USA) World Premiere

Blair is a transgender young adult living in Texas and transitioning with mixed reactions from his conservative parents.

Cast: Blair Hanner, Sue Hanner, Karl Hanner

"The Bullet" - Director: Jordan Bahat

(USA) World Premiere

A portrait of David 'The Bullet' Smith Jr., the world's greatest human cannonball.

Cast: David "The Bullet" Smith Jr.

"Heavy Fog Tonight" - Director: Nathan Reich

(USA)

Conrad Milster is an 80 year old chief engineer at New York's oldest running steam power plant, preserving an era long forgotten while adjusting to the digital world around him.

Cast: Conrad Milster

"If Mama Ain't Happy, Nobody's Happy" - Director: Mea de Jong

(Netherlands)

"In Crystal Skin" - Director: Michaela O'Brien

(USA) World Premiere

Conflict arises between mother and daughter when a young girl with a rare disease in Bogotá, Colombia refuses to attend school.

Cast: Maria Alejandra Peña Giraldo, Jackeline Giraldo Hurtado, Angel Gustavo Peña Sanchez, Carlos Andrés Peña Giraldo

"A Passion of Gold and Fire" - Director & Screenwriter: Sébastien Pins

(Belgium)

A beekeeper in Belgium worries about the future of his apiary school.

Cast: Fontignie André

"Repoman" - Director: Giacomo Gex; Screenwriters: Giacomo Gex, Bruno Gex

(USA)

A day in the life of a repoman in Los Angeles, USA.

Cast: Andrew De Palma

"Rotatio" - Director: Ian McClerin

(USA) World Premiere

A young woman transforms her experience of trauma into a powerfully poetic meditation, challenging her transgressions and the purpose of art.

Cast: Shannon May Mackenzie

"Stems" - Director & Screenwriter: Ainslie Henderson

(UK) US Premiere

For a brief moment, stop motion puppets crafted from found objects make beautiful music and then as quickly as they came to life, return to being inanimate objects.

"Superunit" - Director & Screenwriter: Teresa Czepiec

(Poland)

A peek inside a few doors in a Polish “housing machine” comprised of 15 floors and 762 stories where emotions throb, expectations build and desires come true…or not.

"Temporary Color" - Director: John Wilson

(USA) World Premiere

A filmmaker hired to follow David Byrne on tour finds a capable and better equipped documentary crew already in place and decides to take a more whimsical behind the scenes look while musing about the escaped convicts potentially looming nearby in upstate New York and Canada.

Cast: David Byrne, Bill Ross, Turner Ross

"The Tricks List" - Director: Brian Bolster

(USA)

A gay man's journey to memorialize and document every sexual encounter he has ever had.

"Water Ghost* - Director & Screenwriter: Wen Li

(USA) North American Premiere

A stranger jumps off a bridge, committing suicide, setting off a journey to find the men who fish bodies out of the Yuanjiang River and the meaning of death, loss and life.

"The Wear of Agony" - Director: Mariano Rentería Garnica

(Mexico) US Premiere

A visual waltz through the spaces, people and objects of the working class in Mexico, where reality and dreams dance in dialogue.

Animation Shorts

"Bottom Feeders - Director & Screenwriter: Matt Reynolds

(USA)

Two fictional species try to make it through the day in this bleak parody of the natural world.

"Flaws" - Director: Josh Shaffner

(USA)

An autobiographical, surreal rant about years spent in the service industry.

"Heila Ormur" - Director: Rose Stark

(Iceland, USA)

The slow savoring of horrible flavors in the body of a love gone bad.

Cast: Andi Kristins

"Here There" - Director & Screenwriter: Alexander Stewart

(Croatia, USA) US Premiere

A graphic form to memory’s malleable, straying lines.

"Lazy Daze" - Director: Brian Smee

(USA) World Premiere

Dog in the land where the good life takes you.

"Leftover" - Directors & Screenwriters: Tibor Banoczki, Sarolta Szabo

(France) US Premiere

Remains of food, remains of human relationships.

Cast: Jerry di Giacomo, Odile Cohen, Matthieu Saccucci, Marie-Sohna Conde

"Life is Rugged" - Director & Screenwriter: Simon Schnellmann

(Germany)

Five short sequences of line-drawing life are linked together by a black point.

"Mirror in Mind" - Director: SeungHee Kim

(South Korea)

A woman looks into her mind, chasing her ideals on a tightrope.

"My Dad" - Director: Marcus Armitage

(UK) US Premiere

A boy's vividly-colored memories of learning everything from his dad, including racially-motivated violence.

Cast: Divian Ladwa

"Pangs" - Director: Wendy Cong Zhao

(USA) World Premiere

Wading through bodily and emotional pangs.

"The Past Inside the Present" - Director & Screenwriter: James Siewert

(USA) World Premiere

An allegorical tale of a couple who attempt to renew their dying relationship by plugging directly into recordings of their memories.

Cast: Schuyler Helford, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

"Ripple" - Director: Conner Griffith

(USA) North American Premiere

The shapes we make. An advertisement for planet earth.

"Still Life" - Director: Kevin Eskew

(USA) North American Premiere

Et tu doggy? Synchronicity strikes in the suburban Midwest.

"Worm" - Director: Becky James

(USA) North American Premiere

Wrapped in chains, a worm languishes in prison.

Cast: Amanda Salane, Holden Miller

Experimental Shorts

"After Muybridge" - Director: Spencer Holden

(USA) World Premiere

A Non-Cinema performance after Muybridge.

Cast: Spencer Holden

"Cup of Stars" - Directors: Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart

(USA) US Premiere

A vivid tableau of tenderness finds two brothers under a cool night sky fishing for stars and supernovas.

Cast: Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart

"Gray Hairs" - Director: Annapurna Kumar

(USA)

In 2013, the Apache helicopter's targeting systems were updated from standard definition black and white to high-resolution color video, touted as a boost to pilot safety and US military dominance.

"Infrastructures" - Director: Aurèle Ferrier

(Switzerland)

A journey through infrastructures that are common to an everyday reality of routine, but presented as completely deserted.

"JUS SOLI" - Director: Somebody Nobody Collective

(UK) North American Premiere

This film opens up a discourse on the Black British experience, interrupting the emotional transition between generations and questioning what it means to be British.

Cast: Nicholas Pinnock

"The Neutral Zone" - Director: LJ Frezza

(USA) World Premiere

A historical survey of the utopias described in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-1994). This catalog of doorways, walls, and rooms might define our understanding of possible futures.

"Notes from the Interior" - Director: Benjamin Balcom

(USA)

How do you describe the complexities of being a body? A wandering through the self, an associative search for secrets.

"Novaciéries" - Directors: (LA)HORDE Collective, Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

(France) North American Premiere

Cast: Eve Coquart, Ylva Falk, Kevin Martinelli, Edgar Scassa

"Pudding" - Director & Screenwriter: Ryan Betschart

(USA)

Pudding describes through auditory and visual wonder two children exploring their body curiosity through the telling of false memories regarding 1970's pop icons.

Cast: Aiden Griner Riley as Boy, Evee Griner Riley as Girl

Anarchy Shorts

"The Bulb" - Director & Screenwriter: Calvin Reeder

(USA) World Premiere

Strangers meet in a motel room and observe a peculiar television broadcast.

Cast: Frank Mosley, Linas Phillips

"Carnal Orient" - Directors & Screenwriters: Mila Zuo, Angela Seo

(USA) World Premiere

A dark and strangely surreal snapshot of sexual desire aimed at the exotic.

Cast: Akemi Look, West Liang, Joey Halter, Peter Lucas, Stephan Smith Collins

"Ceiling Finger" - Director: Sean Kelley; Screenwriter: Dalton Price

(USA)

A family of four lives in a suburban household with a giant finger called Ceiling Finger.

Cast: Jesse Price, Jen Greenfield, David Parrish, Eleanor Greenfield

"Disco Inferno" - Director & Screenwriter: Alice Waddington

(Spain)

A weary hell minion is on a mission to rescue her boss. But the Devil is not willing to return to her daily routine.

Cast: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Ana Rujas, Olivia Baglivi

"Double-Blind No.1" - Director: The Double-Blind Experiments

(Australia)

Five VFX artists set out to test the theory that a fine-art technique relying on chance could be applied to a motion piece.

Cast: Samantha Roy, Zenon Kohler, Ricky Marks

"Gwilliam" - Director: Brian Lonano; Screenwriters: Brian Lonano, Victoria Cook, Kevin Lonano

(USA)

A recently released criminal can forget his sins, but he can never forget...Gwilliam.

Cast: William Tokarsky, Paul Painter, Wanda Morganstern

"Hi How Are You Daniel Johnston?" - Director: Gabriel Sunday; Screenwriters: Daniel Johnston, Gabriel Sunday, David Lee Miller

(USA)

Iconic musician/artist Daniel Johnston stars in this psychedelic short film about an aging artist coming to terms with the dreams of yesteryear.

Cast: Daniel Johnston, Gabriel Sunday, Soko

"Something About Silence" - Director & Screenwriter: Patrick Buhr

(Germany) North American Premiere

You are here because you are boring

Cast: Vanja Smiljanic, Sina Seifee

"The Wayward Carnality" - Director & Screenwriter: Joanna Maria Wójcik

(Poland) North American Premiere

Grandma visits her teenage grandson and discovers a change of his interests.

Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup

Ryan Anielski — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:57:19 GMT

READ MORE: Exclusive: Attention, Filmmakers: Here's Your Shot at Screening at Slamdance

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival has announced its 2016 lineup for its Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competitions. The festival will feature a total of 20 independent films from around the globe, including 12 narrative features and eight documentaries. Every title featured represents a directorial debut produced with a budget of less than one million dollars.

"The standard of DIY filmmaking around the world is the highest we've seen, and the diversity of storytelling is the most we've experienced," said Slamdance states co-founder and President Peter Baxter. "With a record breaking number of submissions to select from, the narrative and documentary feature lineup has never been so competitive or as exciting to program."

The full list of films is as follows:

Narrative Features

"All the Colors of the Night"
Directed by Pedro Severien

"Alvin's Harmonious World of Opposites"
Directed by Platon Theodoris

"Chemical Cut"
Directed by Marjorie Conrad

"Honey Buddies"
Directed by Alex Simmons

"Hunky Dory"
Directed by Michael Curtis Johnson

"If There's A Hell Below"
Directed by Nathan Williams

"Last Summer"
Directed by Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli

"The Lesson"
Directed by Ruth Platt

"MAD"
Directed by Robert G. Putka

"Neptune"
Directed by Derek Kimball

"The Tail Job"
Directed by Bryan Moses, Daniel Millar

Documentary Features

"1ha 43a"
Directed by Monika Pirch

"Art of the Prank"
Directed by Andrea Marini

"Dead Hands Dig Deep"
Directed by Jai Love

"Fursonas"
Directed by Dominic Rodriguez

"Los Punks; We Are All We Have"
Directed by Angela Boatwright

"The Million Dollar Duck"
Directed by Brian Golden Davis

"Myrtle Beach"
Directed by Neil Rough

"Peanut Gallery"
Directed by Molly Gandour

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival will be held from January 22-28 in Park City, Utah.

READ MORE: Why the Slamdance Film Festival Remains Vital After 21 Years

2016 Slamdance Film Festival Unveils Narrative And Documentary Competition Lineup

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:32:42 GMT

You can't have the Sundance Film Festival without the Slamdance Film Festival. The sister festival offers cinephiles an alternative to the starrier, more monied proceedings in Park City, showcasing truly independent movies that (mostly) don't feature big stars or big directors. And looking at their competition lineup for 2016, that mandate hasn't changed.

In fact, the biggest "star" among all the films is Rinko Kikuchi, who leads the drama "Last Summer." But otherwise, it's a slate of films with the potential to break out, or highlight previously under-the-radar talent, which is always an exciting proposition. Sundance may have the A-listers, but Slamdance has those whose big red carpet moments are yet to come.

The festival runs from January 22-28, 2016. Check out the competition lineup below. [Variety]

NARRATIVE FEATURES PROGRAM

All the Colors of the Night – Director: Pedro Severien; Screenwriter: Luiz Otávio Pereira
(Brazil)
Iris wakes up in her spacious seafront apartment, discovers a body in the living room and enlists the help of other women, setting off a spiral of redemption in an atmospheric drama of dark imagery and questionable reality.
Cast: Sabrina Greve, Sandra Possani, Brenda Ligia, Giovanna Simões, Rômulo Braga

Alvin’s Harmonious World of Opposites – Director & Screenwriter: Platon Theodoris
(Australia/Indonesia) North American Premiere
Agoraphobic Alvin prefers stuffed pandas and online shopping to the aggressive rantings of his neighbor Virginia, until the sludge seeping from his ceiling forces him to search for answers in this offbeat comedy with a tender heart.
Cast: Teik-Kim Pok, Vashti Hughes, Dessy Fitri, Ailis Logan, Nitin Vengurlekar, Tina Andrews, Alicia O’Donnel

Chemical Cut – Director & Screenwriter: Marjorie Conrad
(USA) World Premiere
23-year-old Irene is an artistic misfit turned LA model busy searching for identity, inspiration and a kindred spirit while surrounded by competition, absurdity, and so many nude bras.
Cast: Marjorie Conrad, Ian Coster, Leah Rudick, Michael Lucid, Stephen Saban, Deven Green, Nicolas Coster, Vicki Marlane

Driftwood – Director & Screenwriter: Paul Taylor
(USA) World Premiere
A young woman washes ashore and is claimed and conditioned by an older man in this intricately layered, dialogue-free exploration of familial roles, isolation and captivity.
Cast: Joslyn Jensen, Paul C. Kelly, Michael Fentin

Honey Buddies – Director: Alex Simmons; Screenwriters: Alex Simmons, David Giuntoli, Flula Borg
(USA) World Premiere
Jilted groom David is convinced by his excitable best man Flula to continue with his planned honeymoon, a backcountry trek in the mountains of Oregon, in a highly comedic ode to friendship and the great outdoors.
Cast: David Giuntoli, Flula Borg, Brian T. Finney, Claire Coffee, Jeanne Syquia

Hunky Dory – Director: Michael Curtis Johnson; Screenwriters: Michael Curtis Johnson, Tomas Pais
(USA) World Premiere
After his ex disappears, Sidney, a dive bar drag queen, is forced to look after his 11-year-old son in a tale of unconventional fatherhood, the fear of mediocrity, and the pulsing reality of dreams deferred.
Cast: Tomas Pais, Peter Van Norden, Jeff Newburg, Joy Darash, Edouard Holdener, Nora Rothman, Chad Borden, Chad Hartigan

If There’s A Hell Below – Director: Nathan Williams; Screenwriters: Nathan Williams, Matthew Williams
(USA) World Premiere
In a desolate landscape, an ambitious young journalist in a dusty car meets covertly with a national security whistleblower, and their roving exchange becomes increasingly cloaked in paranoia, tension and escalating threat.
Cast: Conner Marx, Carol Roscoe, Paul Budraitis, Mark Carr

Last Summer – Director: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli; Screenwriters: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli, Igort
(Italy) US Premiere
Set on board a luxury yacht in sparkling international waters, this tense and stylish drama captures the four final days a mother is granted with her 6-year-old son to say goodbye after losing a custody battle.
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Yorick van Wageningen, Lucy Griffiths, Laura Bach, Daniel Ball, Ken Brady

The Lesson – Director & Screenwriter: Ruth Platt
(UK) North American Premiere
A grisly study of the relationship between a tormented teacher and the troubled teens who bear his wrath once he snaps; this morally challenging horror film is dark, claustrophobic, and shockingly eloquent.
Cast: Evan Bendall, Robert Hands, Michaela Prchalova, Tom Cox, Rory Coltart, Dolya Gavaniski, Michael Swatton, Charlotte Croft

MAD – Director & Screenwriter: Robert G. Putka
(USA) World Premiere
A matriarch past the point of a nervous breakdown, her two daughters that don’t give a damn, and the heat-seeking missiles of resentment they toss at each other create a lively backdrop for this dark and dramatic comedy.
Cast: Jennifer Lafleur, Maryann Plunkett, Eilis Cahill, Mark Reeb, David Sullivan, Conor Casey, Shaun Weiss, Chris Doubek

Neptune – Director: Derek Kimball; Screenwriters: Derek Kimball, Matthew Konkel
(USA)
Set in the late 1980s on an island off the coast of Maine, an orphan girl raised by the church becomes obsessed by the disappearance of a classmate, and her haunted dreams and visions propel her to push past her sheltered life.
Cast: Jane Ackermann, Tony Reilly, William McDonough III, Christine Louise Marshall, Dylan Chestnutt, Maureen Butler

The Tail Job – Directors & Screenwriters: Bryan Moses, Daniel Millar
(Australia) World Premiere
Nicholas hires a taxi driver to follow his fiancé when he suspects her of cheating in this micro-budget comedy action tale that makes every wrong turn crackle with genuine humor and unexpected insight.
Cast: Blair Dwyer, Craig Anderson, Laura Hughes, Kellie Clarke, Dorje Swallow, Grant Dodwell, Gary Waddell, Ursula Mills

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES PROGRAM

1ha 43a – Director & Screenwriter: Monika Pirch
(Germany) North American Premiere
After inheriting a plot of farming land near Dusseldorf, Monika explores the potential of her field through administrative, historic and poetic methods and manages to reconnect with the land and her ancestry in a beautiful and unexpected way.

Art of the Prank – Director & Screenwriter: Andrea Marini
(USA)
Legendary funny man Joey Skaggs has been pulling Americas chain since 1965. His next hoax? Film festivals.
Cast: Joey Skaggs, Robert Forster, Peter Maloney, Charlie Todd, Richard Johnson, Buck Wolf, Sarah Farrell, Jeff Cohen

Dead Hands Dig Deep – Director: Jai Love; Screenwriters: Jai Love, Spencer Heath
(USA/Australia ) World Premiere
From the isolation of his secluded desert compound Edwin Borsheim, founder of the shock metal band Kettle Cadaver, ruminates on a life of violence, mayhem and personal destruction lived on the absolute edge of the known musical universe.

Fursonas – Director & Screenwriter: Dominic Rodriguez
(USA) World Premiere
Like any community, the Furry world is one with gossipers, dreamers, followers, whistleblowers and the one guy who wants to rule them all.

Los Punks; We Are All We Have – Director: Angela Boatwright; Screenwriter: Christine Triano
(USA) World Premiere
A cobbled-together family of Hispanic youth comprise the thriving backyard punk scene of South Central and East L.A.: bands, fans, and production are interwoven into a sub-culture of thrash, noise and pits.
Cast: Gary Alvarez, Nacho Corrupted, April Desmadre, Jennie Oi, Alex Pedorro, Natalie Rodriguera

The Million Dollar Duck – Director: Brian Golden Davis; Screenwriter: Martin J. Smith
(USA) World Premiere
Artists from different walks of life vie to win the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the U.S. government.
Cast: The Hautman Brothers, Rebekah Nastav, Tim Taylor, Dee Dee Murry, Rob McBroom, Adam Grimm

Myrtle Beach – Directors: Neil Rough, Michael Fuller
(Canada) World Premiere
Myrtle Beach is a disturbingly intimate peek into the lives of the deviants, outcasts and forget-me-nows that inhabit this deformed stepsister of Coney Island.

Peanut Gallery – Director & Screenwriter: Molly Gandour
(USA)
An intimate and unflinching exploration of one family’s tragic loss and their attempt to heal after decades of silence.
Cast: Jackson Gandour, Mary Jane Gandour, Molly Gandour, Aimee Gandour

Exclusive: Slamdance to Unveil DIG Interactive Digital Showcase in December

Zack Sharf — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 16:00:00 GMT

READ MORE: Diary of a Slamdance Festival Juror

The Slamdance Film Festival is embracing the digital future with a new showcase planned for December titled DIG (Digital, Interactive and Gaming). In what is being cited as an "innovative new showcase," DIG will shine a light on emerging independent artists working in hybrid, immersive and developing forms of digital media art. Works included in the event range from short films made for virtual reality to Cubist-inspired video art pieces and video games being developed for PlayStation and the personal computer.

Ten works will feature in the inaugural DIG show, hosted by Big Pictures Los Angeles. DIG opens December 4 from 5-9PM. Admission is free and open to the public. The show will also be featured at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City that runs from January 22-28, 2016.

"We deleted the rules and regulations to help encourage and find emerging artists pushing and breaking the boundaries of interactive storytelling through digital media and technology," said Slamdance President and co-founder Peter Baxter. "We hope people coming to the show will find as much curiosity, fun and appreciation interacting with the work as we did programming it."

Below are the 10 works showing in the 2015-2016 DIG showcase.

"Pry"

by Tender Claws (Danny Cannizzaro & Samantha Gorman)

Six years ago, James – a demolition expert – returned from the Gulf War. Explore James’ mind as his vision fails and his past collides with his present. "Pry" is an app hybrid of cinema, gaming and fiction that reimagines how we might touch, close and pry into a text, moving seamlessly among words and images to explore layers of a character's consciousness.

"The Visitor"

Directed by James Kaelan; Cinematography by Eve Cohen; with Aaron Ramzi and Sarah Himedah

At an austere compound in the desert, a woman waits for her greatest fear to arrive.

"SLEIGHTING"

by Rachel Ho

"Sleighting" is an unprecedented approach to multimedia performance using motion capture and previsualization tools to enable a new breed of performer. It is about showmanship, hype and the future of entertainment.

"Woman Without Mandolin"

by Fabiano Mixo

The artwork rethinks cubism as a film medium by using digital motion compositing, combined with a visual concept that captures several perspectives of the same subject using different camera angles. In the film, the choice of Picasso’s "Girl with Mandolin" confronts the European art context with the evident influence of African art and the vigour of black culture. As a portrait it displays the formalistic methods and aspects of Cubism, expressed through a strong woman: the conscience, the feelings and the memories of different cultures and history.

"Simulacra"

by Theo Tagholm

"Today abstraction is no longer that of the map, the double, the mirror, or the concept. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being, or a substance. It is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal [...] It is the real, and not the map, whose vestiges persist here and there in the deserts that are no longer those of the Empire, but ours. The desert of the real itself." Simulacra and Simulation, Jean Baudrillard

"Thumper"

by Drool

"Thumper" is a rhythm violence game. It combines classic rhythm-action with speed and physicality. You control a space beetle while careening towards confrontation with an insane giant head from the future.

"Memory Of A Broken Dimension"

by Ezra Hanson-White (XRA)

The emulator of obscure research software is spreading across the internet, origin unknown. Following a trail of files littering the RELICS virtual desktop; you trespass into the ruins of a fragmented world, suspended within a frozen data stream. But when the stream begins to thaw, no system can handle this overflow.

"Apoptosis"

by Kytten Janae

An interactive experience revolving around themes of death, mental health, remorse and belonging.

"Line Wobbler"

by Robin Baumgarten

Line Wobbler is a one-dimensional dungeon crawler game with a custom wobble controller made out of a door-stopper spring and a five meter long ultrabright LED strip display. The game is a one-dimensional dungeon crawler where the player navigates obstacles and fights enemies to reach the exit of a series of increasingly difficult levels.

"TL;DR [the shape of the internet (Orgy)]"

by Theo Triantafyllidis

"TL;DR [the shape of the internet (Orgy)]" is an immersive interactive installation. On entering the space, the viewer is confronted by a 40foot long soft noodle and a surround 3-wall projection. The projection is composed of various colorful abstract biomorphic creatures that are animated live by a physics engine. Viewers are invited to touch, poke, squish, hug and push the noodle around. When that happens, the movements of the noodle are translated in motion for the projected creatures. The more the audience plays with noodle, the crazier the projection and reactive soundtrack becomes, building up to a big surprise.

READ MORE: How the Slamdance Film Festival Survived 20 Years of Counter-programming Mayhem

Exclusive: Attention, Filmmakers: Here's Your Shot at Screening at Slamdance

Paula Bernstein — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:57:02 GMT

The Slamdance Film Festival and Digital Bolex have opened submissions for the second edition of their Fearless Filmmaking Showcase to be screened at the 2016 festival in January.

READ MORE: Attention, Filmmakers: Apply to Jenny Slate's Short Film Contest 'It's a Wonderful Short'

The showcase offers Digital Bolex users and Slamdance alumni the opportunity to premiere new films in Park City in a curated shorts block that features projects shot entirely on the Digital Bolex D16 cinema camera.

Through December 23, Digital Bolex is accepting short film submissions — narrative, experimental and documentary films under 8 minutes — from anyone who shoots on a Digital Bolex camera. The winner and selected films from the 2016 showcase will receive a Digital Bolex prize package and online distribution through Seed&Spark.

"We're proud to be continuing our partnership with Digital Bolex and support filmmakers who are bound to take creative risk with their work," said Slamdance Film Festival Co-founder and President Peter Baxter.

The sold-out first edition of the showcase in January 2015 featured 15 diverse short films — seven by women directors — and included work by Slamdance alumni Marie Jamora, Ntare Mwine, Nedra McClyde, Paul Rachman, Fernando Frias and Jeremy Osbern.

"We're excited to continue our partnership with Slamdance and offer their alumni the chance to shoot with a cutting-edge camera for the first time," said Digital Bolex Creative Director Elle Schneider. "While many of last year's selected filmmakers were experienced visual artists, a handful were premiering their very first films, and we're proud to provide an outlet where both veteran and beginner filmmakers in the growing Digital Bolex community can showcase their work."

A jury of Slamdance alums selected the winner of the 2015 showcase, Lindsey Haun, who won for her one-take drama "Coming To," which has played at more than 20 festivals since premiering at Slamdance.

"When our little 5-minute, single-shot, $250-budget short got accepted into Slamdance I was thrilled...We were totally welcomed into the Slamdance community by the other filmmakers and by the incredibly friendly staff," said Haun, who heads the jury for 2016. "We truly never expected to win. The other films in our block were very strong and memorable, and we were proud just to be among them."

Other jurors for 2016 include Paste Magazine editor Michael Dunaway, cinematographer Ben Kasulke ("We Go Way Back"), and directors Leah Shore "(I Love You So Much") and Tina Mabry ("Mississippi Damned").

The 2016 competition will select films from an open submission process through the Digital Bolex website. All rules as well as the submission application are available online at www.digitalbolex.com/slamdance.

D16 camera kits will also be made available for Slamdance alumni to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis through December 8th. Filmmakers chosen to premiere at Slamdance will be notified by the end of December.

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 21st - 28th, 2016 in Park City, Utah.

READ MORE: Diary of a Slamdance Festival Juror

Slamdance Fetes Punk Icons in LA This September (Exclusive)

Ryan Lattanzio — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 17:27:26 GMT

The Slamdance Cinema Club has programmed a one-two punch for punk-rocking cinephiles this Fall.

On September 20, "End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones" will screen at the Arclight Hollywood, 8pm. Directors Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia charts the seminal punk quartet, from their modest roots in Queens to their 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, with breakups, rifts and deaths in between. This first premiered in 2003 at Slamdance, which celebrates its 20th year as Utah's alternative to Sundance.

On September 21, Paul Rachman's "American Hardcore," which took five years to make, tunnels through the birth of hardcore punk rock between 1978 and 1986, with underground footage of Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and more. This film also screens at the Arclight, 8pm.

The Slamdance Cinema Club has year-round offered a curated tasting of the rogue festival's offerings, some of which annually wear their Sundance rejection as a badge of honor.

Filmmaker Q&As are expected. Here's the full program info.

Dana Nachman's 'Batkid Begins' Is a True Life Capracorn Tale

Anne Thompson — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:31:19 GMT

A 2015 Slamdance premiere, “Batkid Begins” is a true life Capracorn tale that pleased Julia Roberts so much that she will play the real-life heroine of Dana Nachman’s documentary, charismatic Make-A-Wish executive Patricia Wilson, a woman to whom few dare say no, in New Line Cinema's upcoming remake. She masterminded the astonishing San Francisco November 15, 2013 event, attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country, to give 5-year-old leukemia patient Miles Scott a chance to save Gotham with Batman at his side. Well over a billion tuned in around the world, including President Obama.

Documentarian Nachman’s movie is as fun as it is heart-tugging, and should do well in theaters. It’s a crowdpleaser well-edited by Kurt Kuenne, a Bay Area filmmaker of “Dear Zachary” fame, who understood that the dynamic duo at the center of the film were the kid and the actor playing Batman. The movie had been seen by a few hundred people at Slamdance in January in Park City, where most of the media attention was focused on Sundance, so the filmmakers were giddy at how well their movie played Cinequest back in February 2015 with a full 1100-seat house.

READ MORE: Julia Roberts Will Make Audiences Cry in Doc Remake 'Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World'

"Miles is six, just lost his first tooth, is in first grade and is in remission," Nachman told the crowd after the movie. "He has no idea how big this became and there's something beautiful about that."

"It's a day the internet was nice," said Wilson. "We're looking at that engagement piece, where people want to be involved."

ArcLight Cinemas and Slamdance Film Fest Partner Up

Ryan Lattanzio — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 18:38:41 GMT

The Slamdance Film Festival is bringing its edgy, alternative-to-Sundance indie programming from Park City to Los Angeles.

Beginning March 2015, the Slamdance Cinema Club will be hosted at the ArcLight Hollywood followed by a filmmaker Q&A, with high-profile guests and moderators expected to attend. Slamdance 2015 titles will have their first, fresh off the fest premieres here.

The first screening will kick-off on March 8 with “The Resurrection of Jake The Snake” from fdirector Steve Yu, and the following night, March 9, the Slamdance Cinema Club will screen “Bloodsucking Bastards” by Brian James O'Connell starring The Cabin in the Woods star Fran Kranz who will bring the Los Angeles-based comedy group Dr. God's humor on the big screen.

March 8, 8pm – “The Resurrection of Jake The Snake” The story of professional wrestling legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts as he battles out from the depths of drug addiction, financial disaster, and depression with the help of an old friend and student.

March 9, 8pm – “Bloodsucking Bastards” A horror comedy that follows corporate drone Evan Sanders as he finds a way to stop the evil brewing in his co-workers' cubicles, win back his girlfriend, and rescue his workplace pals before his life goes from being dead-end... to just dead.

Slamdance Cinema Club upcoming dates are as follows: · March 8, 9 · April 12, 13 · May 17, 18 · June 14, 15 · July 12, 13 · August 9, 10

Why the Slamdance Film Festival Remains Vital After 21 Years

Emma Myers — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:28:45 GMT

During the first year of the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, co-founder Peter Baxter recalled, he was approached by a police officer "Son, your days are numbered here," he said.

The cop was way off. With its headquarters nestled just a few blocks upslope from Sundance’s epicenter on Park City’s Main Street, the festival that was once considered Sundance’s rebellious but inconsequential younger sibling has grown into an institution in its own right. Having completed its 21st year this past weekend and still true to the idealism of the founding mantra, "by filmmakers, for filmmakers," Slamdance has carved out a low-key but vital space for emerging voices with limited budgets.

In an attempt to level the playing field for the immeasurable crop of still-unknown filmmakers, the festival remains steadfast in maintaining its blind submission policy. No slot is filled by a film that’s been actively scouted in advance, and — this will come as music to filmmakers’ ears — every film submitted is screened at least twice before the program is locked.

READ MORE: Slamdance 2015 Winners Announced

Of course, the system isn’t perfect, and the annual showcase can be hit or miss. "Democracy is messy," Baxter said, "and we’re not saying that the films that we’re showing are the best of everything that’s been submitted. We know there are some excellent films — as good as the ones we’re showing. But it just so happens that the program worked out this way [on any given] year."

That said, Slamdance is propelled by the promise of discovery — the feeling that the next great talent is pacing the headquarters’ halls, complimentary bagel in hand.

The shorts program is always a good place to look for emerging talent and there were many gems amidst the selection this year. Jamie Sisely’s "Stay Awake," which won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Short, centers on two brothers in small town Virginia struggling to care for their mentally disturbed mother. With naturalistic performances from all three lead actors, the film communicates a complexity of emotions that extend far beyond the film’s short running time and inserts a great deal of humor without ever undercutting the severity of the characters’ moral dilemma.

In a completely different vein, Kareem Tabsch’s "Dolphin Lover" recounts the story of Malcom Brenner, a Floridian zoophile who, as the title suggests, had a romantic and sexual relationship with a dolphin named Dolly. While this sounds like a facetious chapter straight out of Woody Allen’s "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask," Brenner’s story is all too real. Receiving the Jury Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short, the film hinges on an alarmingly forthcoming interview with its central subject (the man, not the dolphin). Full of important life lessons like the distinction between zoophilia and bestiality, what’s most striking about "Dolphin Lover" is the way it manages to navigate the story’s bizarre emotional twists and turns while keeping a straight face and remaining free from moral judgment.

Comeback stories arose as a prevalent (if accidental) theme within the doc section this year. Taking home the Jury Award for Documentary Feature was Ben Patterson’s "Sweet Micky for President," which follows former Fugees member Pras Michel as he returns to his Haitian roots to spearhead the presidential campaign of Michel Martelly — the country’s most controversial musician better known as "Sweet Micky."

Condensing the country’s turbulent history into a whirlwind of archival footage, beginning with the Haitian revolution and taking us all the way up to the earthquake that decimated the country in 2010, Patterson perfectly sets the stage for Martelly’s grand entrance onto the political scene. Though he has to distance himself from his raunchy stage presence, Pras uses Martelly’s famously politicized lyrics as the impetus behind a disorganized circus of a campaign, pegging the former singer as the voice of the Haitian people — past, present, and future.

Patterson may paint Martelly’s underdog story through Pras’ rose-tinted and frequently politically ill-informed glasses, but he also demonstrates a keen ability to extract the drama out of whatever situation is unfolding in front of him and package it into compelling — and highly marketable — narrative. (The rivalry that resurfaces when former band mate Wyclef Jean decides to drop into the running gets the same amount of screen time as the corrupt rigging of the national election, for example). Viewers will find themselves rooting for Martelly’s victory even if it’s not necessarily in the country’s best interest.

Honorable Mention in the same category went to Jeremy Royce’s "20 Years of Madness," another comeback doc about the creators of Detroit-based public access program "30 Minutes of Madness." The show, which featured the experimental-cum-slapstick antics of high school misfits with dreams of MTV futures, managed to achieve cult status among Gen-Xers. "They were doing Tom Green shit before Tom Green existed," one doting fan recalls.

But local popularity never did snowball into national fame. By the time Royce drops in on the former cast and crew, he finds nearly all of the once-hopeful youths profoundly struggling in their adult lives. In its best sequence, which strings together a series of video portraits that the show’s creator, Jerry White Jr., shot each year on his birthday, the film achieves an affecting Boyhood-esque sense of temporal melancholy.

"This is me at 23. This is me at 24…" he says to no one in particular. The cumulative effect is staggering, and at every age White seems deeply lost. It’s not until he reaches 37 (and looks about 30 pounds lighter) that he’s settled on a direction. Having just graduated from USC’s film school, White is headed back to Michigan to reunite the old gang and recreate the show.

The film’s scrappy collection of old video footage and talking heads is in keeping with the original program’s DIY aesthetic, and although it ends on a hopeful note, "20 Years of Madness" is a rather mournful meditation on the importance of claiming a sense of purpose.

While the narrative section saw its fair share of genre pictures this year, "Asco," the visually striking debut from Brazilian filmmaker Ale Paschoalini, is worth singling out precisely because it eludes genre specification. The film is a nearly-wordless and highly visceral post-mortem of a relationship, and while this may sound like a tired subject, Paschoalini’s approach is entirely fresh (and refreshingly un-American.) Beautifully shot in high-contrast black and white, the film’s combination of surrealism and lyrical poetics is something like what might happen if Fellini directed Terrence Nance’s "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty."

Like Nance’s film, the action of "Asco" is set up by a question: "How do you feel?" First posed to our unnamed protagonist (Guto Nogueira) by the lover that’s just rejected him (Sol Faganello), the query sends him quickly reeling into a whirlwind of emotions expressed through (sometimes floridly mimed) actions and scenarios. We watch him pound the ground in despair, spy and stalk out of jealousy, and plot to kidnap (and perhaps kill) in anger. There are many isolated pleasures to be found in the film’s semi-episodic structure: an encounter with a faceless man in a bar, a hypnotic dance solo to the sound of a forlorn banjo, and a particularly wonderful moment in which our hero collects a bounty of human hair from a barber shop floor and glues it onto his beloved’s car, transforming it into a mechanized wooly mammoth. With extreme close ups, jarring camera angles, and an affectively rendered soundscape, "Asco" has the kind of artistry that warrants a continuous loop, but thankfully lacks the pretension to demand a museum space.

In the minority at Slamdance as a foreign film, "Asco" points to an important gap the festival is striving to close, an issue the founders have been aware of since the beginning. "One of the challenges was, as four white guys, how could we sustain and encourage diversity?" Baxter said.

The answer? To continue to invite back more filmmakers as programmers. "There’s no quota," he added, "but we all know independent cinema should be more diverse." Recently striking a distribution partnership with Hulu, Slamdance is making strides towards expansion, diversification, and sustainability by providing a platform for more films all year round.

"We believe these films can find commercial audiences," Baxter said, "and we want to be directly involved in that so we continue to support our filmmakers outside of the festival." Far from fulfilling the prophesy of that militant Park City policeman, Slamdance may soon extend beyond its days in Park City to land in living rooms around the country.