Sundance Film Festival

Roadside Attractions Buys Sundance Health Care Doc 'Escape Fire;' Will Release During the Fall Presidential Campaigns

Jay A. Fernandez — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:25:25 GMT

Roadside Attractions has acquired all U.S. rights to Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke’s Sundance documentary “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare.” The indie distributor will release the film theatrically October 5, just as the presidential election hits its final stretch.

“Fire,” which had its world premiere in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, explores the U.S. healthcare system, the people who work in it, the people affected by it and those in government trying to reform it. The subject, as well as a critical Supreme Court decision on President Obama’s Affordable Care Act due over the summer, will likely play a major part in the fall campaigns.

“Before I saw ‘Escape Fire,’ I thought the problems surrounding healthcare were unsolvable, but the film shows that we have the power to fix this,” said Roadside Attractions co-president Howard Cohen. “The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the federal mandate to buy health insurance guarantees that the healthcare debate will be re-ignited and inserted into the 2012 election in a big way, and this important film offers solutions that need to be part of that dialogue.”

Cohen negotiated the deal with CAA and Jerry L. Dasti of Sloss Eckhouse Law Co. on behalf of the filmmakers.

Roadside Attractions has released the documentaries “Super Size Me,” “Project Nim” and “The Cove,” which won an Oscar, as well as narrative films “Winter’s Bone,” “The Future,” “Circumstance” and “Biutiful.” The company also picked up rights to the thriller "Arbitrage" at Sundance in January.

Watch: Trailer for Sundance Shocker 'Excision' Is NSFW And Then Some

Austin Dale — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:24:26 GMT

Ah, coming of age movies. The hormones, the acne, the sexual awakening, and... the necrophilia?

That's what's going on for AnnaLynne McCord in "Excision," which got a seriously polarized reception at Sundance earlier this year. In "Excision," which also features cult deities John Waters and Traci Lords, the alienated teen Pauline (McCord) approaches adulthood and discovers a lusty taste for flesh. And now a trailer drops just in time for Mother's Day!

It should come as no surprise that the trailer (which looks kind of awesome) is way, way past NSFW.

The film, which has no official release date, will be distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

UPDATE: The sales company Archstone asked that it be removed as it wasn't a cleared trailer. The official one should be ready in 2-3 weeks, and Indiewire will bring you as soon as it's available.

LatinoBuzz: Mexico's Young Filmmakers Are Breaking Records and Pushing Boundaries

Vanessa Erazo — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:55:20 GMT

Mexico’s film industry broke records last year. Box office attendance reached an all-time high and due in part to increased public funding, local productions rose to more than 70 feature films. Yet, as is true in all of Latin America, Hollywood blockbusters edged out national films. Less than 10% of ticket sales were from Mexican movies. Still, there is much to be optimistic about. The amount of female filmmakers is on the rise along with increased budget allocations for state film financing. The vast majority of Mexican cinema is government funded (about 80%) and with more money comes greater opportunities for emerging artists to breakthrough. As part of this recent revival in Mexican cinematic production a new generation of directors have emerged, pushing boundaries, challenging stereotypes, and raising the international profile of Mexican films.

Carlos Reygadas

He didn’t start making films until he was in his thirties and remarkably his three feature films Japón, Batalla en el Cielo, and Luz Silenciosa (Silent Light) (ISA:Bac Films) all premiered at Cannes. His films deal with serious topics like love, spirituality, and death. And in the face of criticism, continues to defend his choice of depicting explicit sex scenes in Batalla en el Cielo and animal cruelty in Japón. His most recent feature is the much blogged about Post Tenebras Lux, an official selection at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Natalia Almada

She makes haunting, poetic, hypnotic and pensive documentaries. Her films have reached top-tier festivals like Sundance, Cannes, New Directors/New Films and have played at MoMA, The Guggenheim Museum and The Whitney Biennial. All Water Has a Perfect Memory, Al Otro Lado, El General, and her most recent film El Velador (The Night Watchman) are infused with her unique perspective. Coming from a bicultural family--she was born in Mexico to a Mexican father and American mother--she is able to highlight contradictions in both worlds using striking imagery and meditative silences.

Nicolás Pereda

Since 2007, he has proven to be a prolific artist, having directed five feature-length films: ¿Dónde están sus historias? (Where Are Their Stories?) (ISA:FIGa Films), Juntos (Together) (ISA:FIGa Films), Perpetuum Mobile (ISA:Ondamax Films), Todo en fin el silencio lo ocupaba (All Things Were Now Overtaken by Silence) (FIGa Films), and Verano de Goliat (Summer of Goliath) (ISA: FIGa FIlms). Pereda uses many of the same actors and characters in his films, including Gabino Rodriguez and Teresa Sanchez, who are not professional actors. He mixes fiction with documentary in fractured narratives that depict the absurdity that occurs in everyday life. Though only in his twenties he has had at least ten retrospectives of his films at cinemas and archives around the world. In 2010 his film Verano de Goliat (Summer of Goliath) was awarded the Orizzonti award for best film at the Venice Film Festival.

Jonás Cuarón

Son of the Academy Award nominated director Alfonso Cuarón, (Children of Men, Y tu mamá también) Jonás Cuarón stepped out of his father’s shadow and burst onto the scene with Año Uña (Year of the Nail).The film takes a year’s worth of photos Cuarón took of spontaneous everyday events, that he later assembled to create a fictional narrative. Using only still photos and the original subjects’ narration of events, the dialogue switches between English and Spanish, and the film between reality and fiction. The film’s opening explains that though the story is fictional, the people and the moments frozen in time by the photographs are very real.

LatinoBuzz: Latin American Films Take Center Stage at the Box Office, Sometimes

Vanessa Erazo — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:07:13 GMT

It’s rare for a film in Spanish or Portuguese to make it to a U.S. theater. Even within Latin America or Spain, it’s difficult for local films to compete against Hollywood blockbusters. Once in a while, against all odds, Latino films triumph at their local box office. Juan Carlos Rulfo’s De Panzazo (Barely Passing), a Mexican documentary that denounces the education system, clobbered Oscar-nominated films The Artist (ISA:Wild Bunch) in Mexico and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close taking in $870,000 on its opening weekend this past February. Last year’s Violeta se fue a los cielos (Violeta Went to Heaven) (ISA:Latido Films) peaked as the second highest grossing film in its final weekend in Chilean theaters, beating out Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (ISA: Imagina) and the Green Lantern. It ended up being the highest grossing Chilean film of 2011. Directed by the renowned filmmaker Andrés Wood, it was selected as Chile’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and had its U.S. premiere at Sundance earlier this year. These successes are hard to come by, but a lucky few make it. Here are the most recent box office numbers on the Latino films that broke into the top ten.

Mexico

[REC]³ Génesis

The Spanish horror film [REC]³ Génesis (ISA:Filmax) reached number nine in Mexico making $350,251. The film is the 3rd sequel in the [REC] franchise. Quarantine was an American remake of the original [REC]. In the U.S. it will be released on Video on Demand on August 3, and a limited run in theaters starts September 7, 2012.

Argentina

Extraños en la noche

[REC]³ Génesis made less money in Argentina ($150,391), but reached a higher spot, as the sixth highest grossing film of the weekend.
Ninth place went to Extraños en la noche (Strangers in the Night), a locally produced romantic comedy about a young couple who work as musicians, unhappily performing for tourists.

Brazil

Xingu

Having premiered at Tribeca last week, Xingu (ISA:Rezo Films), a story about environmental activism and inspired by true events in a village of Brazilian Xingu Indians took the ninth spot making $246,772.

Spain

Grupo 7 (Unit 7)

Grupo 7 (Unit 7), a Spanish crime thriller about a police unit on an extremely dangerous special mission, came in at number nine with $282,116. It was just awarded a Special Jury Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival for Best Cinematography.

The most recent box office statistics available on Box Office Mojo for Latin America and Spain are from the weekend of April 20, 2012.

Extraños en la noche

"Teddy Bear" Acquired By Film Movement

Austin Dale — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:51:32 GMT

"Teddy Bear," Danish director Mads Matthiesen's debut feature, has been acquired for North American release by Film Movement. Matthiesen won the Directing Award at Sundance, and the film will next be seen at New Directors/New Films this weekend.

The film, which follows a meek Danish bodybuilder searching for love in Thailand, will be rolled out theatrically in August, followed by DVD and VOD releases.

Check out Eric Kohn's Sundance review here.

Elizabeth Olsen on 'Silent House' and How Life Has Changed Post-'Martha'

Nigel M Smith — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:37:43 GMT

Just over a year ago, Elizabeth Olsen came to the Sundance Film Festival as a buzzed-about newcomer, mainly thanks to her famous older siblings, Mary Kate and Ashley. Now with several awards to her name, a Spirit Award nomination for her acclaimed performance in "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and a slew of promising roles on the horizon, Olsen has come into her own.

The latest of her films to hit theaters is "Silent House," a remake of the Spanish horror picture, "La Casa Muda." Like the original, helmed by "Open Water" directing duo Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, it was shot to look like it's one continuous take. (The poster promises "88 minutes of real fear captured in real time.") Olsen plays a young woman who becomes trapped insider her family's lakeside retreat under mysterious circumstances. The less we say about the plot, the better.

Despite the 2012 release date, "Silent House" actually premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, alongside "Martha Marcy May Marlene." The prolonged gestation has allowed Kentis and Lau to tinker with the ending and add a new soundscape to the film.

Olsen was back at Sundance this year with the supernatural thriller "Red Lights" and "Liberal Arts," a romantic comedy. Up next are "Very Good Girls," starring Dakota Fanning, Anton Yelchin and Dustin Hoffman; "Therese Raquin," a period picture in which she stars opposite Glenn Close; and the ensemble drama "Kill Your Darlings."

Olsen caught up with Indiewire in New York to discuss "Silent House" and her rise to indie fame.

You're one busy lady.

Yes, but I haven't been busy for a while except for promoting movies and doing this type of thing. "Liberal Arts" wrapped in July and I haven't worked on anything since then. I'm dying to work again. I start working on "Kill Your Darlings" in two weeks.

Still making the press rounds and campaigning for "Martha"… that's work.

Absolutely. But it's also my first time in my young adult life that I'm not filming a movie, and I'm not in school. So I'm able to make spontaneous choices about my life -- it's that exciting time also. I have these three months of really not much so I can do things I never thought I could do.

Are you done with school yet?

I have two humanities classes left. I was emailing my college counselor yesterday trying to figure out when I'm finishing them and I don't know yet. Because I'm putting work first for the first time.

You've been on our radar for well over a year now. Have you gotten accustomed to how the industry works? Or do you still consider yourself 'green'?

At the beginning, people were like, "How does it feel to be the It girl?" And I'm like, "I literally haven't changed the way I live my day-to-day life, so I don't feel that." Obviously, I'm getting to meet people I was never able to meet before workwise.

Now it's become this thing where I'm this slap-happy person who gets to live the life of a working actor and figure out what that's about. So I'm like, I wanna do that job, and I wanna do that job, and I wanna do that job! The idea of always wanting to be a working actor your whole life and then turning down jobs that are interesting -- why would you do that?

I'm not in a position where I have to do a studio film. I don't have a mortgage, I don't have kids. I'm able to do independent films that are just interesting to me.

You came to both this year's and last year's Sundance Film Festivals with two films. How did the two experiences in Park City differ?

They're so different! They're day and night. I felt like I grew up five years or something. The first year, I'd never even talked about a movie before. I'd never talked to press before. I never had to sit in front of people. I never even knew how you talked about a movie or what you're supposed to say, what you don't say, how you talk about your process. Never had that experience.

And all of a sudden, the next Sundance, I'd already gone through so much of it with "Martha" going to so many different festivals. I was like, "Oh great, it's going to be fun this time! I'm not going to be terrified." My first year at Sundance, I didn't go to one party because I was terrified of being tired the next day. I also just really don't like parties that much with strangers. I'd rather just party with the friends. But this year, I was like, I didn't go last year so I might as well do it. Then I did and... well, it's not really that much fun. But at least I felt OK to try it out.

And at what point did the press stop asking about your sisters, if at all? Was there a point where you felt like you arrived?

It still comes up… because now people want to ask, "What do your sisters tell you about being in the public eye?" Before it was like, "How are you related to them?"

The long-lost sister.

You came out of nowhere! I'm like, I've been on the planet for some time, actually. But it hasn't really stopped yet. It stopped from being, 'Who knew she existed?' to it just being a fact.

The first time filmgoers saw you oncreen was in "Martha," a psychological thriller that plays like a horror film in parts. And now your second film to hit theaters is a straight-up horror flick. You, however, took a break from this draining work by acting oppposite Jane Fonda in the comedy, "Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding," right?

"Peace Love and Misunderstanding" was the first movie I ever did, actually. The first movie I was cast in. "Martha" was the second. We then overlapped "Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding" and "Martha." I was driving back and forth upstate. And then "Silent House" was like a couple weeks after filming "Martha."

Ah, got it. So you went from one really tough picture to the next.

And then I took a big break. And then did Sundance. Well, not a big break but it was three months, so to me it was a big break.

What was it like moving from "Martha" to "Silent House"?

The biggest difference was the lack of ensemble. Having to show up at work anytime any of the other people were on set was like the happiest day for me. Because other than that, I obviously became very close to the AD department. They were so amazing on this film.

Obviously in "Martha" there's a lot of 'me' in the movie as well, but it's different for this. I felt much more lonely and isolating. Also we weren't really on location, I went back to my apartment and I didn't hang out with anyone because I was tired all the time. So it felt much lonelier. It was really interesting just to do this movie at the beginning of making movies because this is nothing like what making movies is actually like.

It's more in line with theater in a way. Something you have a lot of experience at.

A bit. That was interesting to me. Because I always appreciate really long takes in films. I thought it'd be interesting to carve out an hour-and-a-half of real fear. It thought that'd be an interesting challenge to figure out. How does someone in real time get from the first minute to the 88th minute? So that was an interesting challenge.

I learned about myself as an actor, the kind of temperament you have to bring with you. I grew a lot as someone to work with.

How did you work on achieving that 'real fear'?

The difficult thing is that so many extreme things happen in the beginning of the film. She sees her dad in this state at this minute of the film, but that's the first quarter of the movie! There has to be some place to go. So you try to figure out all of the the things that are known and not known.

We did like one chunk a day over and over and over again until we got it right. So out of like 26 times, we'd get like one or two right. Everything else like didn't matter, which was so heart-wrenching.

Like the filmmaking, your performance must have also been extremely technical. If you missed one mark during a long take, then the whole shot would be off.

Which becomes muscle memory. Yeah, after doing it so many times you don't really have to think about where you're going or which door you open before opening the next door.

It was challenging for everyone. Everything was rigged like a stage and the focus puller was downstairs with a satellite connection pulling focus. It was really crazy.

We've changed the ending since Sundance. But the last shot was supposed to be on a picture in the first cut. It was like an eight-minute or seven-minute sequence. And we almost got it down for the first time. And just to get it down once and know that you have a take is the biggest relief ever after doing it over and over again. Stopping and starting, stopping and starting. Right when the DP went to go to look at the last picture before the movie's over, you see someone's hand who had to move the picture there move just out of the frame.

It was the last second of the movie. They weren't gonna try and figure out how to fit in a stitch because they're trying to keep the integrity, keep as many long takes as possible without editing. So we just didn't use that. We had to go back and do that again from the beginning of that shot. And you're just like, really? For someone's finger? Can't you figure out where you can stitch in like on a swipe or something? But they wanted to keep the integrity of where they had the stitches.

I heard that you had nightmares while shooting "Silent House."

Yeah, I had nightmares. We incoporated one into the film. [SPOILER ALERT] I had this weird nightmare where I witnessed a father who's basically an abusive dad/husband and this little girl, like five or six, sitting in a flower dress with it hanging off her shoulder. [In the dream] I walked in and became this tough person, threw down a chair and said, "Is this what you do to your daughter?!" It was really, really disturbing. I told them the next day and they were like, "Oh great, we should use that!"

So you're to thank for the climax of the film!

(Laughs) Yeah.

Lately it seems like a lot of up-and-comers have this aversion to the horror genre. Like it cheapens their talent.

Well, first off, it was the third job offered to me. I just felt happy to be given a job. But also when I was filming "Martha," Brady [Corbet] and a few of the other guys had seen "La Casa Muda" in Cannes. They said the first hour was the most terrified they've ever been in a theater.

I grew up loving scary movies, I still love scary movies. This seemed like a really cool type of scary movie. It's a different way of telling a story. The one shot, real time, you can't use editing to help your performance -- I don't know why that sounded like a good idea (laughs). But it did.

Scary movies are great when they're done well. I have no interest in sawing off someone's arm. But I have an interest in this type of scary. "Them," the French film, is one my favorite movies. My brother made me watch it.

I was happy to see, despite the high concept, "Silent House" still embraced the conventions of the genre -- you wear a revealing white tanktop...

It's not like I wanted to. Just throwing it out there.

Sundance London Sets Inaugural Film Program

Peter Knegt — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:59:36 GMT

Sundance Institute and The O2 announced today the programme of 14 narrative and documentary feature films that will make their UK premieres at the inaugural Sundance London festival, taking place at The O2 Arena from 26-29 April. The films all premiered in January at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

“I welcome the opportunity to see how people in the UK experience these films,” said Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, in a statement. “While they are American productions they speak to universal experiences and global challenges.”

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, added: “Sundance London grew out of our desire to help American independent filmmakers expand their reach, and we are happy that these 14 filmmakers are joining us on this adventure. Their participation has helped us to not only create a programme for Sundance London that reflects the diversity of our film festival in Park City, but also that helps build an enduring legacy of American stories that speak to international audiences.”

In addition to film screenings, Sundance London will host live music performances and events each evening, including the previously announced Opening Night event An Evening With Robert Redford And T Bone Burnett, Placebo in concert and Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird performing Maxinquaye. Also on offer to Sundance London audiences will be unique opportunities to attend panels and hear guest speakers talk about the part they play in making films, documentaries and the role of music in modern cinema.

Forthcoming announcements include the festival’s short film programme, special events and additional music performers.

The film program in detail:

22 Days in New York (Director: Julie Delpy, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau) — Marion has broken up with Jack and now lives in New York with their child. A visit from her family, the different cultural background of her new boyfriend, an ex-boyfriend who her sister is now dating, and her upcoming photo exhibition make for an explosive mix. Cast: Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Alex Nahon.

Chasing Ice (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Science, spectacle and human passion mix in this stunningly cinematic portrait as National Geographic photographer James Balog captures time-lapse photography of glaciers over several years providing tangible visual evidence of climate change. Winner of the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Filly Brown (Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, Screenwriter: Youssef Delara) — A Hip Hop-driven drama about a Mexican girl who rises to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through music. Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera, Edward James Olmos.

Finding North (Directors: Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush) — A crisis of hunger looms in America and is not limited to the poverty stricken and uneducated. Can a return to policies of the 1970s save our future? Features interviews with activists including Witness to Hunger’s Mariana Chilton, Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio and Academy Award®-winning actor Jeff Bridges, as well as original music by T Bone Burnett & The Civil Wars.

For Ellen (Director and screenwriter: So Yong Kim) - A struggling musician takes an overnight long-distance drive in order to fight his estranged wife for custody of their young daughter. Cast: Paul Dano, Jon Heder, Jena Malone, Margarita Levieva, Shay Mandigo

The House I Live In (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong and what is the path toward healing? Winner of the Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Liberal Arts (Director and screenwriter: Josh Radnor) — Bookish and newly single Jesse Fisher returns to his alma mater for his favorite professor’s retirement dinner. A chance meeting with Zibby – a precocious classical music-loving sophomore – awakens in him long-dormant feelings of possibility and connection. Cast: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, John Magaro, Elizabeth Reaser.

LUV (Director: Sheldon Candis, Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson) — An orphaned 11-year-old boy is forced to face the unpleasant truth about his beloved uncle during one harrowing day in the streets of Baltimore. Cast: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton.

Nobody Walks (Director: Ry Russo-Young, Screenwriters: Lena Dunham, Ry Russo-Young) — Martine, a young artist from New York, is invited into the home of a hip, liberal LA family for a week. Her presence unravels the family’s carefully maintained status quo, and a mess of sexual and emotional entanglements ensues. Cast: John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga, Justin Kirk. Winner of the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (Director and screenwriter: Terence Nance) — A quixotic young man humorously courses live action and various animated landscapes as he tries to understand himself after a mystery girl stands him up. Cast: Terence Nance, Namik Minter, Chanelle Pearson.

The Queen of Versailles (Director: Lauren Greenfield) — Jackie and David were triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America – a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot palace inspired by Versailles – when their timeshare empire falters due to the economic crisis. Their story reveals the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. Winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Safety Not Guaranteed (Director: Colin Trevorrow, Screenwriter: Derek Connolly) — A trio of magazine employees investigate a classified ad seeking a partner for time travel. One employee develops feelings for the paranoid but compelling loner and seeks to discover what he’s really up to. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni. Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS (Directors: Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace) — A film that follows LCD Soundsystem front man James Murphy over a crucial 48-hour period, from the day of their final gig at Madison Square Garden to the morning after, the official end of one of the best live bands in the world.

Under African Skies (Director: Joe Berlinger) — Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he sparked for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa, designed to end Apartheid.

Napa Valley Film Festival Carries On

Peter Belsito — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:10:07 GMT

A few weeks back I had the distinct pleasure of attending and serving on the jury of the premiere edition of Napa Valley Film Festival. I want to promote / publicize their 2^nd outing later this year but first I want to use this forum to say why I think they at Napa – and events like them worldwide – are so important now.

The Problem with the Movies Today

Distribution is broke. Worldwide, not just here in the US. This is not an attack on our many dear friends who work in that field but a statement of fact. Or, to put it another way, people cannot see the films they want and need to see. Likewise films cannot find their audiences. The ‘demographic’ that wants to see them – and pay for the pleasure to support the work and the filmmakers – are frustrated by the current chaos and disruption of the system.

There are two (relatively) small but vigorous and important areas in the US and elsewhere where this ‘existential’ problem is being addressed, acted upon and various solutions being tried. This as the environment is shifting daily.To me the proliferation these days of festivals worldwide reflects basically a demand and hunger of the public to see what’s new, different and good in cinema.

Theaters I refer you to the good work of our friends at Art House Convergence. We attended the recent pre-Sundance Utah meeting and got to meet many friends from around the US who are passionate about their local theaters and audiences and finding and showing those special films.

Festivals Years back in my boyhood there were maybe 3 Festivals- Cannes, Venice, New York. When I was in college at Madison in the ‘60’s we had the Film Society. Folding chairs, 16mm scratchy prints but we saw a lot that was different and new.There are 2 kinds of festivals. The ‘big four’ (Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Sundance) and maybe 5 if you count in Venice, which I normally do not (important, busy but small and limited in mandate). These fests generally go after a certain type of film (Berlin is huge but it really made its name – and still maintains much of its prominence – for showcasing world GLBT cinema) and have power and reach in selection. They also have very active ‘market’ segments (business activity) both de jura (Berlin, Cannes) but also de facto (Sundance, Toronto). The press goes, the trade goes but despite their great influence and reach these fests can be pretty small events, relatively speaking. Cannes – 100 films or so. Sundance – 130 or so. Toronto and Berlin are larger but these are all ‘only’ 10 day events. The other kind, are the thousands of events worldwide, film festivals that have various mandates, mainly to serve regional or local audiences or tastes

So we come to the smashingly successful (after its first year) event in Napa. Their motto?? Film. Food. Wine. Catalysts for Conversation...They really delivered on all counts.

I was impressed by their films this past year but the parties were something special. Anyone who knows me knows we go to a lot of parties for work during the year. Daytime – meetings, films. Nighttime – 2^nd shift, parties, more work, eat out of your hands.

I have to say that Napa was very civilized in this regard. The food was exceptional, the wine even better and it was all so comfortable. The locals attending (there were lots!!) were interesting people with much to say. It gave me pause. Napa Valley has been an area I have come to over many years and periods in my life and I thought I knew the place but this was new and special – and impressive.

I next quote freely from their press release announcing NVFF 2012 :

'The Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is now accepting film submissions for the second annual event. Showcasing the best of new independent cinema while embracing the epicurean pleasures of Napa Valley. NVFF unspools November 7 - 11, 2012 with a five-day series of events spread over four of the Napa Valley’s towns. The film festival welcomes submissions of any genre and will be selecting approximately 75 new films, including narrative features, documentaries, world cinema, short films, animation, and student works. Organizers are looking for films that will best entertain, inspire, educate and intrigue audiences.’

NVFF categories eligible for Jury and/or Audience Awards include:

-U.S. Narrative Feature
-U.S. Documentary Feature
-U.S. Narrative Short
-U.S. Documentary Short Subject

Directors of films in competition for Best Narrative Feature participate in NVFF’s Artists-in-Residence program in partnership for the five nights of the festival and are treated to special events and workshops with their competition group and industry mentors.

Mentors who participated in the inaugural NVFF this past November included:

John Sloss of Cinetic Media (who also served as President of the Jury)
Michael De Luca producer, (BUTTER starring Jennifer Garner also screened at the festival)
J. Todd Harris, indie producer (BLACK IRISH)
James Cromwell, actor (THE ARTIST, and NVFF Narrative Competition Selection, A YEAR IN MOORING).

At 2011’s Closing Night Awards Ceremony, jury members Peter Belsito (Film Finders, indieWIRE) and film critic Kirk Honeycutt presented the $10,000 cash prize for Best Narrative Feature to MAMITAS, filmmaker Nicolas Ozeki’s first feature. Meadowood Napa Valley will once again award the Best Narrative Feature Director with $10,000; as well, the Mt Veeder Appellation will present a $1,000 Peak Performance Award to the Best Actor in a Narrative Feature.

Filmmakers can submit films at Withoutabox.com beginning February 1. For early submission with discounted entry fees, deadline is February 29; regular submission deadline is April 16; late submission deadline is May 31; and the final extended submission deadline (for withoutabox members only) is June 28.

Visit www.napavalleyfilmfest.org for full details.

The festival's co-creators (and Cinema Napa Valley Founders) are Brenda and Marc Lhormer, producers and distributors of the feature film BOTTLE SHOCK, about the historic upset victory by Napa Valley wines over the French at the infamous 1976 wine-tasting competition in Paris. BOTTLE SHOCK premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival before going on to international theatrical distribution. The husband-and-wife team also ran the successful Sonoma Valley Film Festival from 2001 through 2008. In addition to producing the annual Napa Valley Film Festival, Cinema Napa Valley presents special film programs throughout the year and provides support to student filmmaking programs in Napa Valley schools.

10 Sundance Films Now Available to Watch At Home

Nigel M Smith — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:41:13 GMT

You don't have to work for the Sundance Institute to view some of the projects participating in the Institute's Artist Services program. Starting today in the U.S., you can check out 10 of the films (including the acclaimed "Lord Byron," the crazy horror film "The Oregonian," and Aldred P. Sloan Prize winner "Obselidia") on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instrant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW and YouTube.

The Program provides Institute artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing.

Below find a list of the films available for viewing, with synopses provided by the institute:

Advise & Dissent (Director: David Van Taylor) — A riveting, in the trenches look into the politicized Supreme Court confirmation battles. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2003 Sundance Documentary Film Grant)

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade (Director: Lincoln Ruchti) — In 1982, Ottumwa, Iowa's Twin Galaxies arcade served as the shining beacon of pixilated pop culture, attracting the best of the best in the highly competitive world of arcade video gaming. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2007 Sundance Film Festival)

Clear Cut: the Story of Philomath, Oregon (Director: Peter Richardson) — Conservative logging barons and liberal urban immigrants collide over how college scholarships are distributed in this skillful documentary. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2006 Sundance Film Festival)

Lord Byron (Director: Zack Godshall) — This New York Times Critics Pick about a Don Juan from the Bayou charmed audiences and critics at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2011 Sundance Film Festival, 2011 New York Times Critics Pick)

New Low (Director: Adam Bowers) — Adam Bowers wrote, directed and stars in this winning comedy about a neurotic twenty-something choosing love between the best and worst girls he’s ever known. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2010 Sundance Film Festival, Winner 2011 Amsterdam Film Festival)

Obselidia (Director: Diane Bell) — Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Alfred P. Sloan Prize and Excellence in Cinematography Award, “Obselidia” is part road movie, part love story, and endlessly fascinating. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2010 Sundance Film Festival, 2011 Independent Spirit Award Nominee)

The Oregonian (Director: Calvin Lee Reeder) — Lindsay Pulsipher (“True Blood”) stars as a girl on the run in this creepy selection from the Midnight section of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2011 Sundance Film Festival)

Semper Fi: Always Faithful (Director: Rachel Libert) — A retired Marine fights for justice on behalf of U.S. soldiers and their families exposed to toxic drinking water while stationed at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (2010 Sundance Institute Documentary Film Fund Grantee)

The Wife (Director: Tom Noonan) — Therapists and patients confront each other in this delirious, realistic relationship drama. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (1995 Sundance Film Festival)

What Happened Was… (Director: Tom Noonan) — Tom Noonan’s directorial debut about a skewed vision of a first date. iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, SundanceNOW, YouTube. (1994 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Winner)

Women to Watch: Janet Grillo

Sydney Levine — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:30:04 GMT

Janet Grillo is an Emmy Award winning producer, an Award winning writer and director, and a former Studio Executive. We date back to our days as acquisitions executives in the late 80s when I was with Republic and she was with New Line and based in New York. She came to L.A. for the American Film Market and stayed downtown. One day she went to a well known antique book store called Caravan Books (founded in 1954 and still operating!), located underneath the Biltmore Hotel at 5th and Grand and was held up at gunpoint! We were all totally confouned by such New York style brazenness confronting our New York friend.

In 2007, Janet executive produced the esteemed documentary Autism: The Musical with Bunim Murray Productions, which premiered on HBO in March, 2008. It is distributed by New Video. Autism: The Musical received the coveted audience awards at Newport, Palm Springs and Mill Valley Film Festivals, and premiered to uniformly excellent reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was short listed for an Academy Award Nomination. It won two Emmy Awards in 2008, including Outstanding Non Fiction Special (i.e.; Best Documentary).

A filmmaker in her own right, Janet wrote and directed two short films; At the Beach starring Lucinda Jenney, and Flying Lessons starring Dana Delany (Desperate Houswives, Castle, China Beach). Flying Lessons premiered at Palm Springs International Film Festival in August of 2008, to good reviews. It was programmed by many prestigious festivals here and abroad, including the Atlanta, L.A. Short, Rhode Island and San Luis Obispo International Film Festivals. It won the Silver Lei Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the Honolulu International Film Festival, the Best Dramatic Short at First Look Festival, L.A. and Best Performance at WILDsound Short Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. Her feature script, F ly Away, won the Dylan Thomas Award for Best International Screenplay from the 2010 Swansea Bay Film Festival in Wales.

Made as a SAG Ultra-Low Budget Independent film, and shot in 14 days, F ly Away premiered as 1 of 8 out of 2000 submissions in Dramatic Competition at the influential South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, this March.

F ly Away, went on to win the Best Film and Special Jury Prize for Performance (Ashley Rickards) at the Arizona International Film Festival. The film opened immediately afterwards in April 2011, in limited theatrical engagement, to rave reviews. It is currently distributed by FlatironFilms/ New Video via iTunes, NetFlix, Amazon and VOD/Time Warner-Comcast.

The complex portrayals of a single mother and her severely autistic teenager daughter (Beth Broderick and Ashley Rickards, who does not actually have the disorder), in collaboration with a talented ensemble, were widely lauded by major critics, as “exceptional...remarkable...first rate...as natural as breathing...The actors are so exemplary it is hard to imagine this is not a documentary,” and “deserving of an Oscar Nomination.”

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR

FLY AWAY

“F ly Away is a gripping, life-enhancing low-budget little film about the physically and emotionally punishing struggles of a single mother raising an autistic child. The actors are so exemplary that it is difficult to imagine this is not a documentary. They might not be household names, but they will be...As the mother, Beth Broderick is as natural as breathing... In a class by herself (Rickards), she deserves, at the very least, an Oscar nomination. Not since Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker has any actor portrayed a handicapped child (especially one with autism) with the same depth of passion and realism. Her emotional range seems to know no limits. She’s more heartbreaking than the movie itself, and that is very high praise indeed.”

- THE NEW YORK OBSERVER By Rex Reed

“The lovely, heartbreaking "Fly Away" benefits from superb performances and a gripping story managed with simplicity and grace by writer-producer-director Janet Grillo. As sensitive and affecting as this mother-daughter drama may be, the film skillfully bypasses its genre's potential pitfalls, opting for intimacy over sensationalism, poignancy over sentimentality.... Broderick is wonderful, a delicate mix of the resolute and resigned, her face a quietly expressive map of pain and pride. But enough can't be said about Rickards, best known from TV's "One Tree Hill," who so convincingly embodies Mandy's wild child spontaneity, startling effusiveness and unwieldy physicality. She's remarkable — in a remarkably challenging role.”

- LA TIMES By Gary Goldstein

“Treading warily into territory that few dramas dare to explore, “Fly Away” is a defiantly unsentimental look at the complex codependency between a harried single mother and her severely autistic daughter... Taking a coolheaded approach to hot-button issues, “Fly Away” overcomes its neatly bow-tied ending with strong performances (including Greg Germann as a sensitive neighbor) and a spare, intelligent script. Ms. Grillo has no need of wordiness: Jeanne’s bruised body and exhausted face say it all.”

- NEW YORK TIMES By Jeannette Catsoulis

“The best thing a serious, no-nonsense movie can do is give us a glimpse into the world of someone whose experiences are so far away from our own that they are difficult for us to even imagine... Jeanne is multidimensional in a very real, down to earth sense...Broderick plays Jeanne with a lost look on her face. She is overwhelmed by her circumstances, but is determined to persevere. After many changes in key, when the symphony that is this film comes to a close, we see that Jeanne may be about to face her biggest challenge yet. An ending can be seen as a new beginning, and this film leaves me hoping for a sequel.”

- HUFFINGTON POST By Joseph Smigelski

Also highly awarded, Ashley Rickards, the extraordinary young actress who plays the severely autistic teen MANDY, also stars in the new MTV comedy hit, AWKWARD. For which she was just listed as one of the 10 Breakout TV stars of 2011 in Entertainment Weekly. Ashley is NOT autistic, obviously. Although most people think she is, after watching the film. She turned 18 when she shot FLY AWAY. Pretty remarkable range and talent, and at such a young age.

Previously, Janet worked at New Line Cinema for ten years, rising through the ranks to become the Senior Vice President of Production, East Coast. During this time she established an outstanding track record initiating the careers of many emerging filmmakers, including Reggie Hudlin, for whom she developed his feature debut, HOUSE PARTY. The film received the coveted Audience Award at Sundance, and went on to become a cult classic, grossing $25 million in North American theatrical revenues on a budget of $1.5 million. Janet then executive produced its two financially successful sequels. At New Line, Janet developed and executive produced Joseph B. Vasquez's acclaimed feature Hangin with the Homeboys starring John Leguizamo. It received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. She then went on to develop and associate produce Pump Up the Volume starring Christian Slater, as well as Ted Demme directorial debut, Who's The Man. The same year, she also managed to develop and executive produce David O. Russell acclaimed feature debut, Spanking the Monkey. It won the Sundance Audience Award and launched his prestigious career.

After a decade at New Line, Janet left to produce independently. Since then she executive produced the critically acclaimed independent feature, Joe The King, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Along with Ruth Charny (Grace of My Heart and Search and Destroy), Janet produced Searching for Paradise, which was developed by the Sundance Institute, and distributed on the Sundance Channel.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut, with an Honors in Theatre, Janet also trained at William Esper Acting Studio in New York City. While completing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she served as Assistant Literary Manager for Circle Repertory Company, where she was also a member of their Playwright Workshop Lab. In addition, Janet was a finalist for the American Film Innstitute Women's Workshop in Directing, 2008. Her feature screenplay, 2B, was a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriting Lab in 2009. Her plays have been publicly read at Playwrights' Horizons and by actors including Annette Bening, Patricia Arquette, Catherine O'Hara, Hart Bochner, Dana Delany, Bradley Whitford and Jane Kazmarek. She is a member of the Playwrights Workshop at Ensemble Studio Theatre, West. A frequent blogger for The Huffington Post, Janet is also an Autism Advocacy activist. The mother of a son on the Autism Spectrum, she served as a Board Member of Cure Autism Now, which merged with Autism Speaks in 2007. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Oscilloscope Acquires Sexy Sundance Drama '28 Hotel Rooms'

Nigel M Smith — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:48:33 GMT

Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired "28 Hotel Rooms," the debut feature from writer/director Matt Ross ("American Horror Story"), starring Chris Messina ("Six Feet Under") and Marin Ireland. The film played in this year's Sundance NEXT section.

The company plans to release it in theaters later this year, followed by VOD.

Here's the trailer:

Full release below:

Oscilloscope Laboratories Books 28 HOTEL ROOMS, Requests Late Checkout for 26 of Them

New York, NY (February 16, 2012)—Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired US rights to 28 HOTEL ROOMS, the debut feature from writer/director Matt Ross, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month. The film will be released in theaters nationally later this year preceded by a premium VOD release.

28 HOTELS ROOMS is a raw and candid look at an intense sexual affair that escalates from a one-night stand into a profound relationship.

Both Chris Messina and Marin Ireland turn out vulnerable and passionately honest performances and Ross’s adept writing and directing make for a powerful, immediate, and unexpected love story.

Of the acquisition, Ross said, “I speak for the whole team behind 28 HOTEL ROOMS when I say how absolutely thrilled we are that Oscilloscope Laboratories will be releasing our film. Their catalogue speaks volumes about the quality of independent voices they champion and we are all incredibly honored to be included in that illustrious company.”

The deal was closed out of Berlin. It was negotiated by David Fenkel and David Laub of Oscilloscope with Kevin Iwashina and Christine D'Souza of Preferred Content and Elsa Ramo on behalf of the filmmakers.

28 HOTEL ROOMS was written and directed by Matt Ross and stars Chris Messina and Marin Ireland. The film was produced by Lynette Howell, Louise Runge, and Samantha Housman and executive produced by Chris Messina, Andrew Meieran, Stefan Nowicki, Joey Carey, and Alex Sagalchik. Elle Driver is currently selling international territories at the European Film Market.

Canada in Berlin

Sydney Levine — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:30:02 GMT

As we roll into Berlin where War Witch (aka Rebelle) (ISA: Films Distribution) by Kim Nguyen is in Competition. While it’s Kim’s 4^th feature, this is the first of his films to have a world premiere at an international festival. This is exceptional as well because the last time the Canadians had a Canadian director in Competition at the Berlinale was in 1999 with Emporte-Moi ! Guy Madden’s Keyhole holds a Berlinale Special slot. Guy is Canada’s cultural ambassador in Berlin and a regular at the Festival and sat on the Berlinale’s Official Jury last year – with Isabella Rossellini.

Sheldon Larry’s Leave It on the Floor (ISA: Arrow) is a U.S.-Canadian Co-pro which has played LAFF, TIFF and is now in the Panorama.

Films in the Forum include Green Laser by another Berlinale favorite, John Greyson. Green Laser is his 8^th film at the festival. His first was Urinal in 1989. Denis Côté’s Bestiary, straight from Sundance, and Francine, the first narrative feature by Melanie Shatzky (Canada) and Brian M. Cassidy (U.S.) the team that directed Patron Saints (TIFF 2011, Rotterdam 2012) are are all in the Forum.

4 films are in the Forum Expanded:

Chris Kennedy’s 349 (For Sol LeWitt)(1min long!) in TIFF 2011 Wavelength Program: Schedule

American Colour, TIFF 2011 Wavelength Program: Schedule

Road Movie by Elle Flanders and Tamira Sawatzkystarring Melissa Leo (Frozen River) TIFF 2011 Future Projections: Schedule, a 6-channel installation produced by The National Film Board of Canada. Elle Flanders’ documentary Zero Degrees of Separation was screened in the Forum section of the Berlin Festival in 2005.

The Tiny Ventriloquist by Steve Reinke, (with contribution from James Richards). The installation will be presented at the McLuhan Salon of the Canadian Embassy

In Berlinale Shorts Competition, The Man That Got Away by Trevor Anderson is his second film in this section (2009 The Island). His doc short The High Leve Bridge was in Sundance in 2010.

All we have to do now is wait to see which prizes go to them! Last year Canadian productions came away with three.

PERSPECTIVE CANADA will present 16 titles at the Market:

Café de Flore - Jean-Marc Vallée, Films Distribution, France

China Heavyweight (Straight from Sundance) - doc - Yung Chang Cat & Docs, France & EyeSteelFilms

Décharge (Trash) - Benoit Pilon, eOne

Edwin Boyd - Nathan Morlando, Myriad Pictures, USA

French Kiss - Sylvain Archambault ,Delphis

Goon - Michael Dowse, Myriad Pictures, USA

La Peur de l'eau - Gabriel Pelletier, eOne

Marécages - Guy Édoin, Fortissimo Films

Monsieur Lazhar - Philippe Falardeau, Films Distribution, France

Nuit #1 - Anne Émond, Wide Management, France

Payback (Straight from Sundance) - doc- Jennifer Baichwal, National Film Board of Canada

Pink Ribbons - doc - Léa Pool, National Film Board of Canada

Pour l'amour de dieu - Micheline Lanctôt, Filmoption

Roméo onze - Ivan Grbovic, Reprise Films

Surviving Progress - doc- Mathieu Roy + Harold Crooks, National Film Board of Canada

Take this Waltz - Sarah Polley, TF1 International, France

The Social Issue Docs Talk About Life After Sundance

Bryce J. Renninger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:30:50 GMT

Sundance has a reputation for showing docs that hope to change the world, but while many of this year's social issue docs were audience favorites, most of have not hammered out distribution plans. Here's the look of where the films stand post-Sundance:

"The Invisible War"

What's it about? The Sundance U.S. Doc Audience Award-winner explores the ways that widespread rape of soldiers in the U.S. armed forces is allowed to persist and go by unnoticed because of institutional structures that lead to coverups and silencing.

What happens now? After the film's world premiere at this year's Sundance, director Kirby Dick said that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is interested in seeing the film. Dick also mentioned that he would like to screen the film at the Pentagon. The film has already developed ties to organizations for women in the military and women veterans.

"The House I Live In"

What's it about? Eugene Jarecki takes on the War on Drugs for being a complete failure in his new film "The House I Live In," which received the U.S. Heading across America to explore the law-and-order mentality that has caused the proliferation of unfair sentencing statutes and mass incarceration, Jarecki also profiles the work of many who are hoping to turn the tide in legal approaches to drug addiction and prosecution.

What happens now? The film will be screened on PBS, where its persuasive arguments against steep sentencing for nonviolent, drug-related rimes hopes to reach a wider audience.

"ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare"

What's it about? Matthew Heineman & Susan Froemke's interrogation of U.S. health care takes the system to task for relying on technologically advanced, expensive procedures and drugs that are only used as last resorts. The film provides a number of solutions for approaches to health care that would provide better overall health strategies for patients. Currently, even though patient consultations that encourage lifestyle changes would save lives and healthcare costs, doctors cannot sustain themselves with the healthcare payments provided for these services. Being proactive and wholistic are the key to a reformed healthcare system according to "ESCAPE FIRE." "At every screening, we were surrounded by patients talking about how they were affected by the healthcare system," Heineman recalled of his Sundance screenings. "When making this film, we tried to find characters and storylines that shed a different light on healthcare, people on different sides of the aisle. When we screened it for them, these people who spent decades fixing healthcare, they said this film could raise more awareness than they could through their whole career."

What happens now? "There's so much misunderstanding and fear around the topic of healthcare. We didn't want people to walk away shaking their heads and depressed, saying 'This is fucked up!'" Heineman and Froemke are searching for traditional distributors now, but Heineman told Indiewire, "We want to get this film in every medical school, hospital, community health center and VA hospital across the country. We have a core audience that we want to tap as soon as possible. I can't tell you the number of people who have asked how they can get this to their hospital, patients, and friends. We have a huge grassroots effort ready to get this into the tentacles of the healthcare system. This issue affects you whether you like it or not."

"Finding North"

What's it about? "Finding North" hopes to make an issue that is invisible to those it does not directly affect to light. Lori Silverbush & Kristi Jacobson have made a film about the epidemic of hunger in low-income communities and families across the U.S.

"I work a lot with at-risk kids, and this girl I was working with had gotten a rough deal educationally," Silverbush said. "I helped her get into a really great private school, and in doing so, I helped make her hungrier. The private school didn't have a free breakfast and lunch program. We found ways to get her fed, but the problem didn't go away and I became more aware of it."

Jacobson added, "We had the experience [of being ignorant of the issue] once ourselves. Ever since we had that discovery, it's so apparent to us, we've forgotten how hidden it is. The audience was really surprised."

What happens now? "It was really encouraging for us to hear, 'I need to be a part of this; I need to get involved," Jacobson told Indiewire about the film's Sundance screenings. "Just like we were inspired by the 1968 CBS documentary about hunger, we hope to make that same change."

"This is affecting millions and millions of people," Silverbush said. "Forty-four million Americans are on food stamps." The filmmakers have teamed with Participant on their production and outreach, and they will be engaging audiences all over the country when the film gets released.

"We're Not Broke"

What's it about? As the American middle and working classes beg legislators to reduce their tax burden, the world's US-based multinational corporations are finding any loophole available to avoid paying taxes themselves. Following a proto-Occupy movement called US Uncut and talking to various economic experts, filmmakers Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce lay out the problem and what demands we can make to our legislators to help close these loopholes.

Speaking about their Sundance screenings, Bruce told Indiewire, "There was a woman from Salt Lake City who told us she was so furious, 'I'm a Repuclican and I had no idea this was going on.' Karin and I knew there would be a lot of people who didn't know, because we didn't know until recently."

What happens now? The filmmakers think this film can have much more impact in an era where citizens are much more conscious of corporate takeover. They have been contacted by Senator Carl Levin's (D-MI) office, which hopes the film can be persuasive in helping gain popular support for the Stop Tax Havens Abuse Act. They hope to make a point to show the film to small business chambers of commerce, because as Hayes says, "Small business people have a huge disadvantage against multinationals. They can't game the system in the same way. This is important, because small businesses are creating the majority of jobs in the country." "We're Not Broke" is currently working on its distribution deals.

Occupy Sundance

What's it about? Filmmaker Tim Schwartz spent much of last fall going to Occupy Wall Street to document events at Zucotti Park. When it was time for this year's Sundance, Schwartz decided that the indie film world could use a reminder of the ways that corporate interests have even infiltrated their indie film haven in the mountains. After posting a blog entry on the Slamdance website encouraging filmmakers to turn down their invitations to Sundance, Schwartz targeted "We're Not Broke" for showing up at a festival underwritten by the same corporations that paid no taxes. Schwartz assembled a motley crew of friends who didn't know each other to help him publicize the cause at the festival, and the team also screened films documenting various Occupy movements. Schwartz told Indiewire that the weather put a damper on attendance but that the conversation amongst those that showed up was robust.

What happens now? Schwartz and his friends will be taking their Occupy Sundance program across the country in an RV, and they'll be turning their "disposable film festival" into an "interactive reality TV show."

Canada Revisited

SydneyLevine — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:46:48 GMT

A year ago in Sundance we interviewed Telefilm Canada’s Carolle Brabant who had taken the reins of Telefilm the previous March. While often the Canadian films are waiting to premiere at Cannes or Toronto. This year the number of upcoming greats which might make it to Cannes include Xavier Dolan’s latest Laurence Anyways (ISA: MK2), and Deepa Mehta’s Midnight's Children, based on a 1981 book by Salman Rushdie that deals with India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India. It won both the Booker Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1981 and was awarded the "Booker of Bookers" Prize and the best all-time prize winners in 1993 and 2008 to celebrate the Booker Prize 25th and 40th anniversary. It was also added to the list of Great Books of the 20th Century, published by Penguin Books.

Also coming up is the uncharacteristically quickly produced latest from of David Cronenberg,Cosmopolis, based on Don DeLillo’s novella and starring Twilight’s Robert Pattinson, a study of capitalism that takes place in a billionaire’s limo in a slightly futuristic New York metropolis, which since Cannes, Kinology has already presold for Canada to eOne, France to Canal+, Hong Kong to Tomson, Switzerland to Ascot Elite and the Ukraine to Top Film Distribution. 7 other Canadian features are also in the works.

From micro_scope, the producers of Incendies and Monsieur Lazhar (which makes this their second year in a row as an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film) comes ’Inch’Allah directed by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and which will star Evelyne Brochu as one of three women in a clinic in Jordan for Palestinian refugees.

The Canadians have already exceeded their Oscar nominations from last year where they had 4 nominations: Incendies for Best Foreign Language Film, Barney’s Version in the Makeup category (Adrien Morot). This year in the Best Foreign Film category, they have 2 films: Monsieur Lazhar and Agnieszka Holland’s In Darkness which began as a Polish/ German/ Canadian co-production and received most notably development funds from Telefilm Canada. There was no production financing because to have that the film must be in French, English or Inuit.

They also are proud of Christopher Plummer who has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Howard Shore, nominated for Best Original Score, David Giammarco for Sound Mixing for Moneyball. One of the producers for Beginners is Canadian Miranda de Pencier, born and raised in Toronto. Graduate of Canadian Film Centre. And finally there arer two animated shorts from National Film Board of Canada (Dimanche/ Sunday) from Quebec and The Wild One. All that is missing is any mention of David Cronenberg’s brilliant brainy movie A Dangerous Method (ISA: Hanway).

This Year of the Dragon looks very propitious, even more so because Carolle Brabant herself was born in the Year of the Dragon. Speaking of Chinese, Telefilm Canada is also launching a new initiative with China, China Gateway, which will take place this year at the Whistler Film Festival. Of their 57 co-production treaties the one with China will be emphasized this year.

What a difference a year makes. So much has been accomplished since our interview last year at Sundance. All we need to do now is wait and count the prizes. Inch'Allah, Ojala, Kine-Hora and ptu-ptu-ptu.

Robot & Frank and Valley of Saints at Sundance via Sloan Foundation Support

Sydney Levine — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:30:00 GMT

One of the most exciting financial initiatives for the independent filmmaker is offered by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It believes that a carefully reasoned and systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. The Foundation makes grants to support original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, and economic performance; and to improve the quality of American life. Though founded in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-President and CEO of General Motors, the Foundation is an independent entity and has no formal relationship with the General Motors Corporation.

Armed with this general knowledge of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation I was lucky to be able to interview Doron Weber, the Vice President of the Sloan Foundation who was at the Sundance Film Festival with a couple of their prize winning films. I also knew of the Sloan Foundation through Denise Kassel and the Coolidge Corner Theater who for two years running has been touting the Foundation at the Art House Convergence held just before the Film Festival.

"It is not fostering films that teach but films that integrate science into the drama that makes for good stories. This program brings public understanding of science and technology which is about bridging the gap between the two cultures and fostering a keener appreciation of the increasingly scientific and technological world in which we live. Also humanizing the face of science—and of the men and women engaged in scientific and technological pursuit.

The Public Understanding Program supports books, radio, television, film, theater, opera and special events. The film program specifically has three components, of which the first is film schools —- which includes AFI, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, UCLA and USC -- and annual awards in screenwriting (feature scripts and film production, short films).

This is where Robot & Frank was hatched, as a $20,000 production grant to writer Chris Ford and director Jake Shcreier who eight years later turned it into a feature film (on their own. "We also give out a new $50,000 grand jury prize for the best script from the winning screenplays (Best of the Best) and a handful of $100,000 first feature production grants for camera-ready scripts. This is where Valley of Saints won its $100k grant. We later gave Valley of Saints a second grant through our screenplay development program which has four partners, our three film festival partners—Sundance, Tribeca and Hamptons—and Film Independent. Film Independent gave Valley its Sloan Producers Grant of $25k to keep that project going. So in this way we use our four partners as a “farm system” and keep nurturing projects until they get finished."

Two examples were highlights of Sundance this year. Jake Schreir's Premieres film, Robot & Frank, starring Frank Langella, a tale of a man who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his robotic caretaker was developed with Sloan support as was Musa Syeed's World Competition film Valley of Saints for which he granted $100,000 as a First Feature Grant.

But that is not the end of the story. Doron points to continual support of films the Foundation backs. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival of $20,000 was split between Robot & Frank which is about technology and our relationship with it, and Valley of Saints for the innovative way the film depicts the scientist at the heart of the film. It takes a particular point of view to incorporate a scientific element into a feature. Think A Beautiful Mind, Social Network, Moneyball, Contagion, Memento, The Aviator, and even Frankenstein. There are many way to make a science and technology-themed film.

Valley of Saints : Teaser Trailer from People's Television on Vimeo.

Valley of Saints, also won the World Audience Award at Sundance. This beautiful film taking place in crown jewel of Kashmir, Dal Lake is a sprawling aquatic community where erupting political violence often distracts from the natural beauty. In Berlin's EFM, it will be represented by The Film Collaborative. See the trailer here.

Another element of the Sloan Foundation is its support of the distribution of these films. Art House Convergence has become a grantee of distribution support as well. Films like Frankenstein or any other film chosen by a member theater of the Art House Convergence can be chosen along with a speaker on the science in the film and distribution will be paid for by the Sloan Foundation. "This is a new program and so far no Sloan film has been distributed. But as a condition of the new grants, every theatre which agrees to screen three Science on Screen films will have to choose one from the Sloan Library of films that have either won prizes by us or been developed with foundation help."

The Science on Screen: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant Program began at The Coolidge Corner Theater. Denise Kassel who left the Hamptons Film Festival to go to Coolidge Corner used her relationship with the Sloan Foundation to expand film and scientific literacy with this popular program, now in its eighth year. Last year, eight grants of $7,000 were awarded to Convergence participants. Those grant recipients returned this year to AHC to tell others about their Science on Screen experiences, and to encourage other theaters to apply for this year’s expanded grants program. Through generous funding support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Coolidge Corner Theatre is launching a second year of its national Science on Screen initiative at the Art House Convergence. In 2012, the Coolidge will issue 20 grants of $7,000 to art house cinemas across the country for use in implementing their own Science on Screen programming. Denise Kasell, Executive Director, Coolidge Corner Theatre discussed this with Beth Gilligan, Associate Director of Development, Marketing & Outreach, Coolidge Corner Theatre; Cheryl White, Science on Screen Program Manager, Coolidge Corner Theatre; Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Brian Hearn, Film Curator, Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Tara Schroeder, Director of Programming & Marketing, Tampa Theatre.

The Foundation’s Public Understanding Project which includes film as one small part of its reach has four feature film projects that have been completed and are being released: Future Weather which might go to Tribeca, and Whaling City which is in post and received $100,000, Robot & Frank and Valley of Saints. They now have a library of 30 films.

Doron told me how it works. “First each partner institution selects a short list with a committee of film professional and scientists. Then they send me what they have. I weigh in about suitability only after they have chosen something as film-worthy. The films are not sci-fi or about medicine. They are about science or technology. The mission is to deepen appreciation of modern life via two cultures, that of everyday life and that of science.” He receives scripts from one of four partners who have chosen them: Tribeca, Sundance, Film Independent and the Hamptons Film Festival.

“We also read scripts from six film schools which is how we got Valley of Saints and Robot & Frank. “ The six film schools are NYU's Tisch School, Columbia U., USC, UCLA, AFI and Carnegie Mellon.

The material might be Alan Alda's current play at the Geffen Theater in L.A. on Marie Curie (though there are two other Marie Curie projects); they also will commission such plays, or books, radio, tv. The plays are a totally separate theatre program. "Here we have three theatre partners: Ensemble Studio Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Company and Playwrights Horizons. The Foundation comes in very early with development money which they recognize is very important and very hard to find. An example is How The World Began. This is just a play. The other play is Photograph 51 which is being developed into a screenplay by the playwright Anna Ziegler, Rachel Weisz as producer and Protozoa Pictures. There is no budget yet though I suspect it will come out closer to $5 million. Photographing Creationism which is about DNA went from a play to a screenplay with a budget of $10 million."

Doron Weber came to Sloan with a background in the humanities rather than in science. He has also written several books in the health and science arena and worked at the Rockefeller University, a world class biomedical center. “ My education is in the arts but my professional life has been at the intersection of science and the arts.” He came to Sloan who did not do art projects at that time, and he brought them in on mass media. He has been at the Foundation for more than sixteen years.

Here's the Four Sundance Films That Were Bought Today

Dana Harris — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:36:51 GMT

Sundance 2012 buying continued apace today, with four films announcing that they'd found North American homes.

Radius-TWC, the Weinstein Company's new VOD-plus label, bought "Bachelorette," which screened in competition. Written and directed by Leslye Headland, which she adapted from her own stage play,"Bachelorette" stars Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan and Rebel Wilson as four frenemies who must come to terms with the first marriage within their quartet -- and the lucky girl is, according to the other three, the least deserving. The deal was negotiated for Radius-TWC by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego and by CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
Anchor Bay bought "Excision," which premiered as part of Park City at Midnight. It's the first feature by writer-director Richard Bates Jr. and stars AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Roger Bart and John Waters. The filmmakers were repped by Preferred Content, Cassian Elwes and attorney Elsa Ramo.
Image Entertainment bought "Goats" starring Vera Farmiga and David Duchovny, which debuted in the Premieres section. Directed by Christopher Neil, Mark Jude Poirer adapted the screenplay from his own novel in which a quirky desert dweller leaves his home to attend east coast prep school Gates Academy. The filmmakers were represented by WME and John Sloss' Cinetic Media.
Wolfe Releasing acquired Aurora Guerrero's debut feature "Mosquita y Mari," which premiered in the NEXT section at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is a coming-of-age story about the relationship between two young Latina women in Los Angeles. The Film Collaborative will be release the film in theaters this year, with Wolfe handling VOD and DVD in 2013. Orly Ravid at The Film Collaborative brokered the deal.

Sundance Midnight Pic 'Excision' Goes to Anchor Bay Entertainment

Austin Dale — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:35:21 GMT

"Excision," the gory shock-horror film that sent Sundance audiences home with a fake bloody tampon, has been acquired for North American release by Anchor Bay Entertainment. "Excision" played in Sundance's Park City at Midnight section and stars AnnaLynne McCord, Tracy Lords and Malcolm McDowell, plus a cameo appearance from the one and only John Waters.

Full press release reprinted below:

ANCHOR BAY FILMS ACQUIRES RICHARD BATES, JR.’S EXCISION FOR NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Films announced today the acquisition of all North American distribution rights to director/writer Richard Bates, Jr.’s debut feature film, EXCISION, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month. Produced by Dylan Hale Lewis, the horror film features an all-star cast including: AnnaLynne McCord (“90210”), Traci Lords (Cry Baby), Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”), Roger Bart (“Desperate Housewives”), Jeremy Sumpter (Soul Surfer), Malcolm McDowell, Matthew Gray Gubler (“Criminal Minds”), Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), Ray Wise (Good Night, and Good Luck) and John Waters. The deal was announced by Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

“We are pleased to be adding EXCISION to our slate this year,” commented Kevin Kasha, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Anchor Bay Films. “It has an amazing cast and we know Anchor Bay fans will love it!”

"I have been influenced my entire life by the films which Anchor Bay has brought to audiences. I could not be more excited that they have chosen to take my film out in North America," said Bates.

EXCISION is the story of Pauline (McCord), a delusional teenage outcast. Pauline picks scabs. Pauline dissects road kill. Pauline fantasizes about performing surgery on strangers. Her fascinations disturb her schoolmates and her parents, Phyllis (Lords) and Bob (Bart). No one understands Pauline except for Grace (Winter), her younger sister who suffers from cystic fibrosis. An outcast at school and at home, Pauline is convinced that the best way to repair her estranged relationship with her family is to perform a risky operation to save her sister’s life. A BXR Productions film, EXCISION is Richard Bates, Jr.’s directorial debut adapted from his award-winning short film, also called Excision.

The deal was negotiated by Kevin Kasha, Josh Thomashow and Marc Barson for Anchor Bay Films; Kevin Iwashina and Christine D'Souza of Preferred Content, Cassian Elwes, and Elsa Ramo of The Law Offices of Elsa Ramo negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

Wolfe Releasing Acquires Sundance Film Festival's NEXT Selection "Mosquita y Mari"

Austin Dale — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:00:07 GMT

Wolfe Releasing has acquired Aurora Guerrero's debut feature "Mosquita y Mari," which was well-received last month in the NEXT sectionat the Sundance Film Festival. The film is a sensitive coming-of-age story about the relationship between two young Latina women in Los Angeles.

The film will be released theatrically in 2012.

Full press release reprinted below:

WOLFE ACQUIRES MOSQUITA Y MARI AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

SAN JOSE, CALIF. (February 7, 2012) — Wolfe Releasing has acquired the North American rights to the critically-acclaimed Indion Entertainment/Maya Entertainment feature film Mosquita y Mari at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, brokered by Orly Ravid through The Film Collaborative. Writer/Director Aurora Guerrero’s first feature film is a sensitive coming-of-age story that focuses on a deep, but complicated love between two young Latinas growing up in South East L.A.’s immigrant community.

“Mosquita y Mari” was produced by Chad Burris and written and directed by Aurora Guerrero and stars Fenessa Pineda and Venecia Troncoso as the love struck teens. The film was favored by the critics at Sundance and made Indiewire’s top ten list and other critics’ favorite lists.

“Aurora Guerrero is a tremendously talented young filmmaker," said Wolfe President Maria Lynn. “Mosquita y Mari is an exceptionally high quality film with a genuinely unique and tender story to tell about young love. We are very excited to have it on the Wolfe label and to bring it to the widest audience possible.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to be working with Wolfe. They have been fans and supporters of our project from early on and it’s a pleasure to know the film will be in the hands of someone that believes in it. ” added Chad Burris.

The Film Collaborative will be releasing theatrically in 2012. Wolfe plans to release the film on VOD and DVD in 2013.

SYNOPSIS: Yolanda and Mari are growing up in Huntington Park, Los Angeles and have only known loyalty to one thing: family. Growing up in immigrant households, both girls are expected to prioritize the well-being of their families. Yolanda, an only child, delivers straight A’s and the hope of the American Dream while Mari, the eldest, shares economic responsibilities with her undocumented mother who scrambles to make ends meet. When Mari moves in across the street from Yolanda, they maintain their usual life routine, until an incident at school thrusts them into a friendship and into unknown territory. As their friendship grows, a yearning to explore their strange yet beautiful connection surfaces. Lost in their private world of unspoken affection, lingering gazes, and heart-felt confessions of uncertain futures, Yolanda’s grades begin to slip while Mari’s focus drifts away from her duties at a new job. Mounting pressures at home collide with their new-found desires thus driving Yolanda and Mari’s relationship to the edge, forcing them to choose between their obligations to others and staying true to each other.

Serving audiences since 1985, Wolfe is the largest exclusive distributor of gay and lesbian films. Current major Wolfe releases include the acclaimed gay drama, UNDERTOW (Peru’s submission for the 2010 Academy Awards) and the hard-hitting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” drama, A MARINE STORY. Wolfe is also well known for releasing classics such as DESERT HEARTS, BIG EDEN and WERE THE WORLD MINE. Find more info online at http://www.wolfevideo.com

From Museum to Sundance: How to See Sundance's Art-on-Film Hits

Bryce J. Renninger — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:58:57 GMT

Three Sundance documentaries presenting visual and performance art -- performance artist Marina Abramovic, Chinese political multimedia artist Ai Weiwei and environmental photographer and activist James Balog -- all made their debut to wide acclaim. Below, you'll find a complete guide to all three artists and where to find the films. (We've also included a bonus film that was well-received at the fest that we think isn't getting enough love as an art film.)

"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"

Who is the artist? Ai Weiwei is a Chinese political artist who works in a variety of media. He came to international attention after designing the Beijing National Stadium, centerpiece of the 2008 Olympics, and subsequently criticizing the Chinese government for the way that they used the Olympics for nationalist publicity. He also created several pieces related to the government coverup of the number and names of students that were killed during the Sichuan earthquake as a result of poor school architecture. After the government shut down his blog, Weiwei moved to Twitter (Chinese and English), where he became an outspoken anti-nationalist leader. He soon was honored with two major international exhibits, one in Munich and one which was a chance to create a piece, "Sunflower Series," for the Tate Modern's annual Unilever Series. Weiwei was recently arrested, accused of tax crimes, and released with restrictions against releasing information.
What's the film about? Director Alison Klayman, speaking with Indiewire, that this is "not an art film but a film about an artist, fitting the art work into the overall story as it made sense." In the film, she shows Weiwei from all angles, through various stages of his life and art career. Searching for the reason behind the zeitgeist, Klayman paints a complete and fascinating portrait.
How else to experience this artists work? PBS's Art21 will feature a segment on Ai Weiwei in their upcoming season. PBS's Frontline has also featured a segment of "Never Sorry" filmmaker Alison Klayman talking about making the film and working with Weiwei.
What are the critics saying? The film has so far scored a B on Criticwire.
How to see it? The film is currently solidifying distribution plans.

"Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present"

Who is the artist? Abramovic is one of the world's leading performance artists. Abramovic was honored last year with a career retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art, which featured the wildly popular eponymous work. In "The Artist is Present," Abramovic sat silently during museum operating hours for three months, staring deep into the eyes of anyone who lined up to sit in front of her.
What's the film about? Filmmaker Matthew Akers followed Abramovic for months, documenting the preparation of the exhibit, including the preparation entailed in having other artists recreate a handful of Abramovic's pieces live for the retrospective. In an interview with Abramovic and Akers, Indiewire uncovered the trouble that went towards creating a film that told the story of Abramovic's entire career - using previous documentations of her work and Akers' own documentation of the most recent piece.
How else to experience this artists work? MoMA released a book tied to the exhibit, and Abramovic has written a book about performing classic performance art pieces for another exhibit, "Seven Easy Pieces." MoMA has also created a fantastic interactive online exhibit of "The Artist is Present," featuring Marco Anelli's photographs from all of the subjects who sat with Marina during her three months. There's also a clever little 8-bit computer game version of "The Artist is Present" by video game artist Pippin Barr.
What are the critics saying? The film has so far scored a B+ on Criticwire.
How to see it? The film was co-produced by HBO, which will air it later this year.

"Chasing Ice"

Who is the artist? James Balog is a talented nature photographer who has brought experimental elements to portraits of the environment, starting with a series of photos taken of endagered species. His documentation of shrinking ice all over the world sold more copies of National Geographic magazine than had been sold in recent years.
What's the film about? "Chasing Ice" documents Balog's trials and tribulations as he spent years documenting the receding ice levels near the Arctic. Climbing rocks with a bad knee, overcoming a season of photographing that was ruined by malfunctioning automatic cameras, the film shows Balog work past these issues and more as he hopes to use the photos to have evidence that global climate change is affecting the environment.
How else to experience this artist's work? National Geographic's website has a gallery of Balog's photographs from ice on Greenland. Balog also maintains his own photography website.
What are critics saying? The film has so far scored a B on Criticwire.
How to see it? The film will be screened on the National Geographic Channel.

And finally, a surprise artistic addition:

"Me at the Zoo"

Who is the artist? Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker is more than the meme lets on. If you haven't explored his work before, you may be surprised to see him on this list, but trust us, he's as smart a performer as any.
What's the film about? In an interview with Indiewire, the filmmakers said they set out to make a film about performance in the age of reality TV.
How else to experience this artist's work? His YouTube channel, of course.
What are critics saying? The film has so far scored a B on Criticwire.
How to see it? HBO picked up the film in the days leading up to the festival.

The Best Music of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Nigel M Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:55:04 GMT

As anyone who attended the 2012 Sundance Film Festival can attest, this year's lineup boasted some great music. For those of you who didn't make it down to Park City (and for those of you that did and want to relive the memories), listen to some of the musical highlights that made up Indiewire's Sundance 2012 experience. Tell us which songs we missed in the comment section below. Happy listening.

Song: "Sugar Man" by Rodriguez
Film: "Searching for Sugar Man"
Sundance audiences walked into Park City not knowing who Rodriguez and walked out as fans of the elusive singer/songwriter. The subject of the Audience Award-winning documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," was touted by record executives in the '70s to be a rock icon to rival the best of them. Sadly, his rise to fame never happened in the states. Hopefully, this documentary will change that.

Song: "It Takes a Muscle to Fall in Love" by Spectral Display
Film: "Simon Killer"
This 1982 track (later reinterpreted by M.I.A.) serves as a theme song of sorts for the titular deranged protagonist, Simon (Brady Corbet). Don't let the laid-back nature of the track fool you; Simon's not an easy-going guy.

Song: "Dance Yourself Clean" by LCD Soundsystem
Film: "Simon Killer"
One of "Simon Killer"'s most memorable scenes has Simon dancing to the entirety of this track from the now-defunct LCD Soundsystem.

Song: "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" by LCD Soundsystem
Film: "Shut Up and Play the Hits"
LCD Soundsystem fans flocked to screenings of "Shut Up and Play the Hits," the documentary that chronicles the band's farewell show at Madison Square Garden. Arguably the highlight of the film, and the concert, was their performance of this downbeat but poppy affair.

Song: Untitled by Filly Brown (aka Gina Rodriguez)
Film: "Filly Brown"
One of the biggest breakouts of this year's festival was Gina Rodriguez, the actress who proved she can MC alongside the best of them, with her commanding turn as the titular young hip-hop artist in "Filly Brown." No one track from the film has landed on the web just yet, so get a feel for one of them by watching Rodriguez MC in the studio.

Song: "Hey Jude" sung by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Event: hitRECord at Sundance
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in Park City this year with his collaborative multimedia studio, hitRECord, to unveil the latest short films produced by his compnay. The highlight of the night, however, came at the end when the actor took to the stage at the Eccles to perform an acoustic rendition of "Hey Jude."

Song: "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre
Film: "Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap"
Ice-T's directorial debut is packed to the brim with popular hip-hop jams, but none got the crowd at the Sundance premiere more riled up than this classic track.

Song: "Invisible Light" by Scissor Sisters
Film: "Me @ the Zoo"
This trippy dance track, courtesy of the Scissor Sisters, drives a scene that depicts the rapid rise of the YouTube phenomenon in the documentary, "Me @ the Zoo." Fun fact: Scissor Sisters' frontman, Jake Shears, is the boyfriend of the film's co-director Chris Moukarbel.

Song: "Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun" by Arthur Russell
Film: "Keep the Lights On" and "How to Survive a Plague"
Cellist/composer Arthur Russell figures prominently in two heartbreaking gay films that played in Park City: "Keep the Lights On," Ira Sach's tragic, autobiographical love story; and the harrowing AIDS documentary, "How to Survive a Plague." Russell died of AIDS-related causes in 1992.

Song: "Graceland" by Paul Simon
Film: "Under African Skies"
"Paradise Lost" documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger was at Sundance this year with "Under African Skies," his latest film that chronicles the making of Paul Simon's 1986 solo album, "Graceland," which won a Grammy for album of the year. Despite the wealth of acclaim lavished upon the work, "Graceland" was also Simon's most controversial release, unleashing the wrath of many after the world discovered the musician had violated a United Nations cultural boycott by playing and recording in South Africa, which was still under the apartheid at the time.

Critical Consensus: Karina Longworth and Mark Olsen Discuss Sundance 2012

Eric Kohn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:14:21 GMT

Editor’s note: Critical Consensus is a biweekly feature in which two critics from Indiewire’s Criticwire network discuss new releases with Indiewire’s chief film critic, Eric Kohn. Here, L.A. Weekly film critic Karina Longworth and L.A. Times freelancer Mark Olsen discuss some of the provocative films at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which concluded last weekend. Details on films opening this week follow the conversation.

This was a particularly interesting year at Sundance for people curious about the breakouts: For every person who seemed to think there were no "big" discoveries, a number of critics singled out films that received divided responses as among their favorites.

For example, Mark, you loved "Compliance," Craig Zobel's quasi-psychological thriller about a con man who impersonates a police officer and tricks the staffers at a fast food joint. But "Compliance" famously invited angry responses at its Sundance premiere. What do you think accounts for this mixed reaction? And do you think the controversy at the premiere will play a role in the continuing life of this film, or is it just one of those things that only exists on Planet Sundance? Conversely, are there films from this year's festival that seemed to garner universal acclaim that you felt was undeserved?

MARK OLSEN: I watched “Compliance” ahead of the festival on a screener alone at home. I found it to be a tense, gripping drama about our everyday relationship to power and authority, and the tenuous, panicked grip many have on the merest sliver of stability. No one can afford – emotionally or financially – to lose whatever little piece of turf they have. The commonplace feeling of getting screwed over and having no choice but to accept it ran through the film like a bracing chill or, more accurately within the context of the movie itself, a sick joke. As well, being a fan of Craig Zobel’s “Great World Of Sound” I was intrigued by thinking this was in some sense a response to anyone who criticized his tactics in making that earlier film, in which some people “auditioned” for his cameras without fully understanding the project they were participating in. “I didn’t twist anyone’s arm,” Zobel could be interpreted to be saying here, while at the same time exploring with deep sympathy why someone might be coerced into something that from the outside seems implausible, the small incidents and moments that build and build, how giving all those little inches leave you a mile off course.

What I didn’t get from my initial viewing was the very thing that made that first screening at Sundance such an unexpected event, the powder-keg pressure of a roomful of people watching something so horrible unfold. The explosive audience-response aspect of the film, so apparent in hindsight, was something I honestly did not see coming. The idea that controversy will now follow the film likely won’t hurt it and will probably become sort of calling card, the yell-at-the-screen tension being about as solid a selling point as one could hope for. The only hurdle may be if audiences walk in expecting some kicky exploitation thrills. Zobel, while never losing sight of the emotional and physical consequences of what the film’s main victim is being put through, also keeps the focus on just how much of the film’s action comes from words, people convinced what they are participating in is correct and proper.

Sundance crowds like to keep it positive, which as Eric pointed out in a piece he wrote during the festival, means that films such as “Compliance” or “The Comedy” or “Simon Killer” will always be forced into some sort of second-tier position at the festival exactly because they are going to push a certain sector of the audience toward uncomfortable places where they are reluctant to go. It’s no accident that two of the better-received films at the fest, “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” and “Safety Not Guaranteed,” both ended on notes of triumph and uplift. As well, it’s worth noting that some of the most high-profile praise for “Beasts” came with warnings/premonitions about a backlash built in, as if to suggest it were impossible to respond to the film negatively unless one were modulating or positioning a purposefully contrarian argument.

Karina, I'd like to ask you about "Simon Killer." A couple of us loved it -- you were especially positive -- but reviews were decidedly mixed and it won no awards. Personally, I get the sense that an international festival scene will give it a warmer response, but why do you think "Simon Killer" rubbed so many people the wrong way? Do Sundance audiences bring in a set of expectations that harm films like this? Furthermore, given that "Simon Killer" is brought to you by the same team that dominated Sundance 2011 headlines with "Martha Marcy May Marlene" last year, and that there are obvious stylistic and thematic connections between the two, why do you think the earlier film seemed to garner so much more acclaim?

KARINA LONGWORTH: I'm uniquely unqualified to talk about "expectations," because going into Sundance this year, I decided to attempt to approach the festival without any, to experience the films themselves without influence. I didn't talk to publicists about their slates or read catalog descriptions or preview stories before the festival, and I avoided reading reviews or news stories or having the "what have you liked?" conversation with other journalists during the festival. As such, I'm not totally well-versed in the arguments against "Simon Killer," and I don't want to speculate.

But as for why "Simon Killer" failed to ride the same kind of buzz wave that benefited "Martha Marcy," I think it's worth questioning whether "Martha Marcy" would have been a "hit" in a different year. Every Sundance is exactly the same as the last, except for the one or two ways in which it's completely different. After Sundance 2010 spawned a number of crossover hits/Oscar nominees, including Grand Jury Prize winner "Winter's Bone," the buying climate at 2011 was active, leading to the acquisitions of films which were generally less obviously commercial, almost all of which featured star-making performances for beautiful young actresses akin to the breakout platform "Winter's Bone" gave Jennifer Lawrence. Nowadays the "news" of Sundance is made in its first four days, so by Monday morning the narrative of the festival had become codified: it was the year of the ingenue.

"Simon Killer" has no breakout star narrative to compensate for the fact that the movie is a conceptual character study about a piece-of-shit human being, which is simply not going to be everyone's cup of tea. And even if it did, because most of those 2011 movies failed to cross over commercially, the industry and the mainstream entertainment media likely went into the festival looking for something else.

That said, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" certainly benefited from the sense of discovery surrounding it and its cast of unknowns, particularly the adorable Quvenzhané Wallis. Mark's right on point that the film's biggest fans have positioned the movie as being above genuine critique is an obvious lead-in to the festival's real "problem," which is not even Sundance's fault, really: however "divisive" a film like "Simon Killer" may seem to be, it's shocking how little debate actually happens about the merits of any individual film at the festival, because too many attendees with a "voice" approach the festival as though it's a place of right and wrong answers. The speed at which films are consumed and spat out as "hits" or "bombs" allows no time for digestion, and once the party line on a movie is out in the ether, it almost always seems to stick.

And thus you can't offer a mixed assessment of a film like "Beasts" without being accused of artificial contrarianism. Meanwhile, films which demand digestion/reflection (such as "Compliance," or "For Ellen," a film which I walked out of with mixed feelings but which stuck in my head over the next few days while other films receded) don't get it.

We all seem to agree that Sundance fever can be a very misleading thing. What, then, do we make of "Beasts," which seemed to inspire near-religious fervor from its most devout fans during the festival? Few doubt that director Benh Zeitlin has a strong, energizing vision unlike anything else at this year's festival (or set to hit U.S. theaters this year). I was floored by movie's visual majesty but found its emotional core less accessible, and I have to wonder if others will feel the same way. It's probably unfair to say that "Beasts" was designed to win the Grand Jury prize, but certainly the context that Sundance provided the film helped boost its appeal and bring it to the attention of Fox Searchlight, who bought it.

Mark, do you think you would have experienced "Beasts" in the same way had you watched it alone on a screener, as you did with "Compliance"? You point out that most endorsements of "Beasts" ended with the expectation of a backlash. What is it about this film that makes people so defensive of it? And is it even possible to address its flaws without facing the intense and immediate fury of the fans convinced of its perfection?

MO: Due to the vagaries of my personal setup as an intrepid freelancer, I didn't actually arrive at Sundance until Monday, when the festival was already well underway and for some even already over. So I experienced the big first weekend as essentially a regular person, reading articles and reviews and, yes, obsessively checking my Twitter feed for the latest word on the latest film. And it is hard not to get the impression of a rampaging herd of critics and journalists lurching from one screening to the next en masse, kicking up a dustcloud like Pigpen from "Peanuts." The pressure to be first, pithy and definitive, to somehow nail each movie to the wall before moving on to the next target becomes a dispiriting thing as a reader and consumer and especially once I myself tag in. Festival coverage can be a full-contact sport, but it really is a drag when it becomes a matter of gamesmanship more than discourse and the coverage of any festival too often just starts to seem like so much noise to anyone trying to make sense of it from outside the immediate bubble of the experience.

Which may be exactly why supporters of "Beasts Of The Southern Wild" have gone into a defensive stance so quickly, knowing full well that there will always be someone out there looking to take the contrarian/opposing position for the sake of simply staking out fresh turf. In some sense fans of the film are simply trying to hold onto the immediacy of their enthusiasm without some joker putting a damper on it. Real feelings can be hard to come by, especially in the rush of a film festival like Sundance, and so the impulse is understandable. But again, the idea of having a conversation or attempting to unravel complicated feelings -- pro, con or in-between -- too often gets swept away in the undertow.

And to answer your initial/actual question, yes, I do think my response to "Beasts" would have been the same if I had seen it ahead of the festival. (Sidebar: I like to think I have become especially adept at monitoring my own response to things I am allowed to see ahead of a festival, sometimes having to cosnciously dial back my enthusiasm knowing that it tends to rise for things I am shown under secretive/exclusive circumstances.) "Beasts" is nothing if not cinematic, so it definitely benefits from being seen on a big screen with loud sound, but one of my own issues with it is how it is art directed within an inch of its life, every bit of junk and detrius chosen and placed just so, such that the film was for me a far more calculated and cerebral exercise than the piece of wild, raw expressionism it seems intended to be.

Karina, you described Zeitlin's vision as "both pagan and twee," an apt summation of how its spiritual appeal operates on a rather superficial level. But others have fixated on the film as a "post-Katrina" vision, an allegorical encapsulation of poverty in America and a brilliant evocation of a child's view of the world. Do you think Sundance audiences projected the interpretations they wanted to see or does "Beasts" make a failed attempt at grappling with these profound themes?

KL: I agree that "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a "brilliant evocation of child's view of the world" -- to a fault. It's so locked into a child's highly fantastic point of view that it can only grapple with reality in a cursory and blinkered way. The film's trip to the mainland, and the deliberate post-Katrina references that go with it, feel to me like an attempt to appropriate something viewers understand and are familiar with in order to add gravitas to its cloistered, otherworldly fairy tale. I wonder if sticking in the Bathtub and probing more deeply into the characters and relationships percolating there wouldn't have accomplished a similar grounding trick, without bringing in references to a socio-political reality that the film has no intention of dealing with in a serious way.

That said, I do think the film has merits and is worthy of appreciation. I'll reiterate my earlier point that if we come at this looking for right or wrong answers, we're doing it wrong. I also think enough has been written and said about this movie, while many Sundance films worthy of discussion have been comparatively ignored. Maybe they don't "matter" because their distribution futures are uncertain, but I would love to give this kind of attention to the craft and content of films like "The Ambassador," "Detropia," and "Room 237" -- three films which attempt to redefine the notion of nonfiction filmmaking in three completely different ways.

FUTURES: 'Young & Wild' Filmmaker Marialy Rivas Talks Her Sexy, Sundance Award-Winning Debut

Nigel M Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:23:27 GMT

Why She’s On Our Radar: Chilean director/writer Marialy Rivas turned heads at the just-wrapped Sundance Film Festival with her sexually provocative debut, “Young & Wild.” Rivas, an award-winning short filmmaker (her short "Blokes" screened at the festival last year), walked away from this year's edition with the World Cinema Screenwriting Award, which she shared with her co-writers Camila Gutiérrez, Pedro Peirano and Sebastián Sepúlveda.  

“Young & Wild” centers on Daniela (Alicia Rodriguez), a 17-year-old girl raised within a strict evangelical family who secretly writes a sexually charged blog.

Rivas was inspired to make her foray into feature filmmaking after coming across a similar blog spearheaded by Gutiérrez, whom she approached to become one of the film’s co-writers. At the Sundance awards ceremony, Gutiérrez gave the best sound bite of the night in accepting her award: “I don’t speak very well English,” she said, “but I want to say thanks and have a lot of sex.”

What’s Next: Rivas told Indiewire that she has just finished another script with Gutiérrez, entitled “Princess.” She describes it as a religious drama, centered on an 11-year-old girl and set in the South of Chile. It’s based on a true story. “It’s kind of like ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ in a way,” she said.

How did you come upon Gutiérrez's blog that inspired the film?

I had a photo blog at first, around 2005 – somewhere where you post a photo a day and add some text. Most people would just post a picture and say nothing. Then I discovered her blog. It was a mixture between very blunt sexual tales and the tender evangelical story of her youth and her church. Naturally, I was really drawn to it. After six months of reading it, I knew I had to do something with it. I knew it was a movie, but I didn’t know whether it was going to be a documentary, a mockumentary, or a fiction.

I later met with her and we started.

Did you ever take part in the blog, or did you stay on the outside as an observer?

I posted on it as myself, before thinking of making a movie. So when we met, we knew each other as bloggers.

So you were interacting actively?

Yes (laughs). I was one of the fans.

What about the blog spoke to you?

At the beginning, I didn’t think any of it was real. I couldn’t grasp whether she was old, young, and/or lying. I could tell she knew how to write; she had a way about her. She was actively doing something on purpose with the way she worded things. She expressed herself in contradictions like, “I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of Hell.” Those kinds of statements are very dramatic for a movie. I was drawn to that fracture inside her – everything about her was dual. That was really appealing.

How did you two collaborate on the script?

At the beginning, we did a series of interviews. I just wanted to know everything I could about her. After those, I met up with Pedro Peirano, one of the writers of “The Maid.” We structured a fiction based on her life, half fiction, half-truth. Then I wrote the first 15 pages of the script and asked her to write all the dialogue and the voiceovers. We then went back to Pedro, who doctored it.

In the end, the script kept changing during the shooting of the film. I’d call her constantly during the filming to get her insights. It was a true collaboration.

This film was made in Chile, a very conservative country. Did you make this with a mission to push people’s buttons, to get people to think outside the box?

For me, it’s like falling in love. If I fall in love with a story, I’ll do it. I don’t fall in love with stories that are merely out to provoke people. It’s the other way around with this. I fell in love with it, and then realized, yes, it will push boundaries.

Of course for me, movies have to raise questions, especially in a country like mine. For me, it is something I feel the need to do. So I guess, somewhere in the back of my head, there is that notion.

What do you make of America’s aversion to sex in film?

For me, it’s very strange. There’s so much violence in North American film. You would think that’s more unnatural to a human being.   At this point, I think sex gives you pleasure, makes you happy. So I don’t understand why they censor so much sex and they don’t censor violence. If you put violence into people’s souls, it’s just going to bring sadness and pain to everyone around. And sex, if you do it on consent and you try not to hurt other people, it’s just going to give pleasure to you.

For me, I think it has a lot to do with the culture we live in. It’s all about guilt with sex. We have this notion of guilt with sex, which I don’t have inside of me. For me, sex is very natural.

10 Breakout Filmmakers & Performers From The 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:28:04 GMT

One of the major benefits of Sundance has always been the new talent it's unleashed on the world. From Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith in the festival's heyday to more recent discoveries like Carey Mulligan, Jennifer Lawrence, Cary Fukunaga and Drake Doremus, the film world shifts ever so slightly each January as burgeoning filmmakers make their mark on the industry.

With this year's Sundance now for the birds, we're capping off our coverage with a look at the names who appear to have broken out at the festival this year, centering on five virtual newcomers and five more familiar faces who delivered stand-out performances or directorial turns that seem sure to boost them up the ladder from now on. Take a look below, and thanks to our Sundance team -- Todd Gilchrist, James Rocchi, William Goss, Cory Everett, John Lichman and Simon Abrams -- both for their bang-up job in Park City this year, and for their insights in putting this piece together.

Established Names:
Lizzy Caplan ("Save The Date"/"Bachelorette")
It's taken a little while, but it looks like 2012 is the year that Lizzy Caplan finally breaks out in the movies. The actress has been around for nearly a decade, since playing Lindsay Lohan's goth-y best friend in "Mean Girls," but the last few years have seen her take a real upswing, with a part in "Cloverfield" leading to TV turns in "True Blood" and, crucially, "Party Down," which in turn led to a romantic lead part in "Hot Tub Time Machine." And at Sundance, she was virtually inescapable, thanks to lead roles in two wedding-themed comedies, the gentle rom-com "Save The Date" and the gloriously mean-spirited "Bachelorette," alongside Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher. In the former, she gets to stretch her dramatic chops a little more as Sarah, an illustrator torn between her ex-boyfriend and her new love, while "Bachelorette" capitalized on her "Party Down" chemistry with co-star Adam Scott for a performance that many critics agreed stole the show. Neither film turned the world upside down (they're both still yet to be picked up, although we're sure it'll only be a matter of days before both find homes), but Caplan was the constant, and we're sure it'll lead to bigger and better things.

Craig Zobel & Pat Healy ("Compliance")
A long-time collaborator of David Gordon Green (he co-produced the director's debut "George Washington"), Craig Zobel managed to make waves of his own accord a few years back with his well-regarded indie "Great World Of Sound," but that was nothing compared to the stir that "Compliance" caused this year. One of the most divisive films of the festival, which inspired fervent, emotional debates at Q&As after screenings, his based-in-fact tale of a fast-food worker tricked into abusing a checkout girl by a man pretending to be cop was one of the major talking points this year, and was picked up by Magnolia over the weekend, ensuring it'll reach a far greater audience than his last work. And he's bringing along Pat Healy, who starred in "Great Wall of Sound," as well as Ti West's horror flick "The Innkeepers." Healy's been working steadily for getting on fifteen years, with roles in everything from "Magnolia" and "Pearl Harbor" to "Rescue Dawn," but his super-creepy turn as the would-be cop in "Compliance" was our man Todd Gilchrist's pick for the breakout performance of the festival, and it should gain him all kinds of attention going forward.

Nate Parker ("Red Hook Summer"/"Arbitrage")
Another actor who did the one-two punch at Sundance was Nate Parker, a man who also had the benefit of starring in George Lucas' "Red Tails," which opened during the first weekend of Sundance. The 32-year-old Virginia native broke out a few years back in "Pride," "The Great Debaters" and "The Secret Life Of Bees," but has been quiet lately. But with "Red Tails" -- in which Parker plays one of the leads -- turning out to be a sleeper hit, and being serendipitiously followed by key roles in two Sundance pictures -- as a gang member in Spike Lee's "Red Hook Summer" and as a mysterious acquaintance of Richard Gere in "Arbitrage" (a part originally intended for Drake) -- he's suddenly on everyone's lips. Neither are the kind of role that threaten to send him supernova (a la Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow" a few years back), but he's sure to suddenly be found much higher on casting lists.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Smashed")
Already beloved by the geek set thanks to playing Ramona Flowers in Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World," Mary Elizabeth Winstead seems to have become something of a critical favorite in Park City this year. Taking the lead role in "Smashed," an acclaimed drama about an alcoholic schoolteacher who goes on the wagon, only for it to put her relationship with her equally booze-happy husband ("Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul) to the test. She's a familiar name to horror fans (which will continue with this summer's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"), but by all accounts, her dramatic chops here are something of a revelation, with some even suggesting she could find some awards love for the film come the end of the year. It'll depend on distribution -- "Smashed" hasn't yet been picked up -- but even if nominations and whatnot don't come to pass, we're sure Winstead will find all kinds of new opportunities coming across her inbox.

Mark Webber ("The End Of Love")
Webber was omnipresent at Sundance this year, not only taking charming supporting roles in "Save The Date" and "For A Good Time Call," but also writing, directing and starring in his own film "The End Of Love," in which the "Scott Pilgrim" star acts alongside his own 2-year-old son, based loosely around his own experiences as a single father. Like fellow festival actor/writer/director Josh Radnor (see below), Webber was seen as having taken a huge step up with his second film (following on from 2009's "Explicit Ills"), which left many an audience member bawling from start to finish, so that alone would have give him a boost, but with supporting performances in the other two well-received comedies, we're clearly going to be seeing a lot more of Webber as the year rolls along.

Also Turning Heads:
Not many were particularly excited about Josh Radnor's follow-up to "happythankyoumoreplease," but the "How I Met Your Mother" star was seen to have taken a jump in the right direction with his sophomore film, which co-stars last year's sensation Elizabeth Olsen. Meanwhile, frequent scene-stealers Brady Corbet and Aubrey Plaza both made big impressions when they had a chance to lead in, respectively, "Simon Killer" and "Safety Not Guaranteed," while Helen Hunt is probably disqualified from this list by virtue of being an Oscar-winner, but she's been absent from the screen for most of the last decade, and her brave, bare-all performance in "The Surrogate" should see her back in the awards conversation this year, along with co-star John Hawkes.

Newcomers:
Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly ("Safety Not Guaranteed")
As much as "Safety Not Guaranteed" looks to give mainstream exposure to its cast, the filmmakers behind the picture stand to take the lion's share of the credit, particularly as they've essentially come from nowhere. A pair of NYU grads who met as interns at "Saturday Night Live," the pair have plenty of screenwriting experience together, having sold projects like "Blood Brothers," "Cocked and Loaded" and another untitled project to studios, while Trevorrow's pitch for sci-fi actioner "World War X" went for big money a little while back. But their proper debut (a decade after Trevorrow's short "Home Base," which has been watched by 20 million online) was very different; a charming little comedy with a lot of heart, and a high concept (based around the internet meme of a mysterious personal ad looking for time-travel companions). By most accounts, Trevorrow and Connolly (the former directing, the latter writing, although they also pen scripts together) did a top class job at balancing a tricky mix of tones, and it's sure to land them bigger things, particularly after FilmDistrict acquired the project in one of the festival's biggest sales.

Felicity Price ("Wish You Were Here")
Australian thriller "Wish You Were Here," Sundance's opening film, has more than a few hot prospects in it. The movie comes from Blue Tongue Films ("The Square," "Animal Kingdom"), and stars Joel Edgerton ("Warrior," the upcoming "Kill Bin Laden") and Teresa Palmer ("I Am Number Four," this summer's "Warm Bodies"), both actors going places fast in the U.S. But the film's true breakout seems to be someone basically unknown in the U.S -- co-writer and star Felicity Price. Having appeared in a few movies and TV shows back home in Australia, Price, co-writing with husband and director Kieran Darcy-Smith, penned herself a doozy of a role, as the wife of Edgerton's character, struggling to come to terms with betrayal and the secret that they share after a fateful trip to Cambodia. "Wish You Were Here" didn't get the rave reviews that "Animal Kingdom" got a few years back, but there's clearly enough love for Price's contribution to see that she gets plenty of work down the line.

Lauren Miller ("For A Good Time, Call")
Breaking out on your own when you're married to one of the biggest comedy stars on the planet has got to be a little tricky. Even if you have your own project, someone will always cry nepotism. But despite Lauren Miller's other half Seth Rogen cameoing in "For A Good Time, Call," in which Miller not only stars but also wrote, few are going to suggest that she's not made it on her own steam. A former PA who's been dating Rogen since he was a mere writer on "Da Ali G Show," Miller's bawdy script won her a host of new fans in Park City, while her performance (co-starring with Ari Graynor) should ensure it's only a matter of time before she becomes just as well known as her beau. Focus picked the film up, so it stands an excellent chance of being one of the major commercial breakouts of the festival.

Bart Layton ("The Imposter")
The story of a Texan family whose 13-year-old son disappears, only to discover, three years later, a man surfacing in Spain, claiming to be their missing child, despite a thick French accent. It could have made a gripping fictional thriller, but it's a true story, and the debut of "The Imposter" has made Bart Layton a key documentary maker to watch in the next few years. The British helmer, best known as the creator of Channel Five series "Banged Up Abroad" (or "Locked Up Abroad" in the U.S., where it airs on the National Geographic Channel) makes his feature debut, aided by long-time producer Dimitri Doganis, and his blend of interviews and reconstructions caused many to draw comparisons with "Man On Wire." The film hasn't yet sold, but given the ecstatic reviews, it's surely only a matter of time before someone picks it up.

Benh Zeitlin & Quvenzhane Wallis ("Beasts Of The Southern Wild")
No filmmaker has become quite such an overnight sensation this year as Benh Zietlin. A 2008 SXSW award-winner for his 25-minute short "Glory At Sea," and a member of the Court 13 collective (which also include Playlist favorite Ray Tintori, who directed second unit on the new film), "Beasts of the Southern Wild" picks up the same kitchen sink, post-Hurricane-Katrina fairy tale vibe as "Glory At Sea," but to even greater effect, with the movie drawing near-unanimous raves, comparisons with Terrence Malick, and a high-profile sale to Fox Searchlight. It's undoubtedly going to make him one of the most sought-after young talents of the next few years. And winning over just as many fans was his young star, six-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis. Delivering an astonishing performance from one so young, and charming cynical journalists in interviews, she's clearly going to be looked for by the studios; whether she, or her parents, have any interest in continuing her acting career, remains to be seen.

Also Turning Heads:
Even as the son of 'Raiders' scribe and "The Big Chill" director Lawrence Kasdan, and brother of "Bad Teacher" director Jake Kasdan, few were particularly amped for Jon Kasdan's teen comedy "The First Time" -- no one much liked his debut "In The Land Of Women," and the breakdown sounded like Sundance-by-numbers. But the film won most critics over with its honesty and performances, and should see Kasdan and stars Dylan O'Brian and Britt Robinson get some heat. Meanwhile, collective Radio Silence were our team's tip for the best segment of horror anthology "V/H/S," and we're certainly keen to see something longer from the quartet, while Canadian debut documentary makers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot saw Scott Rudin pick up remake rights to their "Indie Game: The Movie," so they've arrived in a big way, too.

Watch Sundance Panel "The Power of Story ..."

Caryn James — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:42:25 GMT

If you missed the Sundance panel “The Power of Story: In the Beginning” – my conversation with four terrific screenwriters who also direct, produce and perform – you can watch the entire lively, witty discussion here.

The amazing lineup included Andrew Stanton, Stephen Gaghan (both in the photo above), Anna Deveare Smith and Terence Winter. They talked about the process of collaboration, about getting politically charged work to the public, and even about how they sometimes, luckily, look smarter than they thought they were. They also showed and gave us the backstory on clips from some of their best work: Wall E, Syriana (did you know about the expensive falcon? or Gaghan’s last-minute decision to kill George Clooney’s character?), Let Me Down Easy and Boardwalk Empire.

I loved being part of this panel, and I think you’ll enjoy listening to these endlessly fascinating artists.

Watch live streaming video from sundancefest at livestream.com

SUNDANCE REVIEW: Why Eugene Jarecki's War-On-Drugs Doc 'The House I Live In' Won the Grand Jury Prize

Eric Kohn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:00:18 GMT

"The war on drugs" has been a part of the national vernacular for so long that it seems old fashioned. Eugene Jarecki's Sundance-winning documentary "The House I Live In" unravels that overused term and if his approach is exhaustive and sometimes overbearingly detailed, it also

reveals a troubling and paradoxical system of hierarchical, lower-class oppression.

Constructing a vast collage of voices from virtually every facet of the drug world, from dealers to officers and the people impacted by both sides, Jarecki examines every shard to reveal a severely broken system.

Extending beyond talking heads, Jarecki inserts himself into the narrative to explain his reasons for making the movie. An introductory segment touches on the impact of the Holocaust on his family and why the "never again" philosophy that came out of that experience should have universal application.

It's a questionable starting point, but Jarecki gradually focuses his perspective. Singling out an African-American woman named Nanny who worked for his family during his childhood, Jarecki explains how the impact of drug use on her own relatives made him notice the greater effect of the national problem on impoverished communities nationwide.

Jarecki uses this prologue as a conduit for the smart and informative survey that follows. Strewn together using a fluid structure and Robert Miller's dramatic score, "The House I Live In" succeeds as a sprawling portrait of how the war on drugs is a self-perpetuating system that contributes to the very problem it alleges to solve.

While Jarecki has clearly done his homework, he's smart to cede the bigger-picture observations to those who know better -- in most cases, Baltimore journalist and "The Wire" co-creator David Simon, whose precise indictments routinely clarify the movie's perspective. "What drugs haven't destroyed," Simon says, "the war against them has."

That war, which Jarecki reports to have cost the U.S. government $1 trillion since Richard Nixon officially launched it 40 years ago, has more to do with mind games and bureaucracy than any attempt to fix a continuing problem. "Every war starts with propaganda," Simon says. Jarecki astutely unravels that assertion, turning "The House I Live In" into the unofficial follow-up to his equally incisive 2005 documentary rant against the military-industrial complex, "Why We Fight."

Once again, Jarecki excels at choosing the right human interest stories to propel his arguments. However, the personalization of the narrative adds an unnecessary layer of white-liberal guilt that obstructs his otherwise foolproof essay on a distinctly American problems. The depth of his research allows him to draw connections between numerous concerned parties. Jarecki finds links between multiple generations afflicted by the drug war, at one point even cross fading from the mugshot of a convicted dealer to the earlier mugshot of his father.

Despite its broad topic, the filmmaker brings a clear perspective to his rants. Exploring the rash of drug arrests, he follows officers as they respond to financial incentives in their quest to track down low-level dealers. The result, as one subject points out, is a glut of offenders doing "a whole lot of time for not a lot of crime."

Even while simplifying the problem, Jarecki manages to put it in historical context: Stretching back to the 1800s, he finds the origin of his subject in the illegalization of opium to provide a rationale for the oppression of the Chinese immigrants who frequently smoked it.

"The House I Live In" occasionally makes its point too strongly, circling back to a regular host of characters and suffering from repetition. However, Jarecki's biographical approach snaps into focus with a climax that reinforces the debilitating effect of drug abuse on family life. His documentary is a personal work not because the director chooses to make himself a part of the story, but rather because he implicates all of us in it.

Criticwire grade: B+

HOW WILL IT PLAY? Its topicality, critical acclaim and Sundance buzz now firmly established, "The House I Live In" seems poised to land a strong distribution deal and play well in limited release, as well as continuing its healthy run on the festival circuit. It's also likely to get some awards season play if it hits theaters this year.