the traveler's resource guide to festivals & films
a FestivalTravelNetwork.com site
part of Insider Media llc.
Film Festivals
Sundance – US Dramatic Films Weigh In
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Friday, 21 January 2011 13:57
- Written by L E Shannon
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and 
Sundance, Utah. The U.S. Dramatic Competition again offers a selection of features that support the Festival’s tradition as a career-launcher. Among several world premieres is the directorial debut of Academy Award™-nominated actress Vera Farmiga.
Another Earth
Director Mike Cahill, with co-Screenwriter Brit Marling
On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a horrible tragedy irrevocably alters the lives of two strangers, who begin an unlikely love affair. With William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage.
Benavides Born
Director Amy Wendel, with co-Screenwriter Daniel Meisel
A high school senior in a forgotten town has earned admission to the University of Texas at Austin but can't afford to go. Her one shot is a scholarship for winning the State Powerlifting Championship. With Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, Julio Csar Cedillo.
Circumstance
Director / screenwriter Maryam Keshavarz (USA, Iran)
A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession. With Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho.
Gun Hill Road
Director / screenwriter Rashaad Ernesto Green
After three years in prison, Enrique is back in his beloved Bronx, back in the arms of an estranged wife and back in the life of his teenage son, who is stumbling towards a transformation that will put the bonds of their embattled family to the test. With Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Vanessa Aspillaga.
HERE
Director Braden King, co-written Dani Valent
On assignment to create a new, more accurate satellite survey of Armenia, an American cartographer forms a powerful bond with an Armenian expatriate and art photographer. With Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal, Narek Nersisyan, Yuri Kostanyan, Sofik Sarkisyan.
Higher Ground
Director Vera Farmiga, Screenwriters Carolyn S. Briggs and Tim Metcalfe
A frustrated young mother turns to a fundamentalist community for answers to life. With Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, John Hawkes, Dagmara Dominczyk, Norbert Leo Butz.
Homework
Director / screenwriter Gavin Wiesen
Quirky, rebellious George has no ambitions other than to cut his next class. But one day, one girl gives him the perfect reason to figure out who he really is. With Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Rita Wilson, Blair Underwood.
The Ledge
Director / screenwriter Matthew Chapman
Perched on a ledge, a man says he must jump by noon, while a cop races against time. With Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard, Christopher Gorham.
Like Crazy
Director Drake Doremus, with co-Screenwriter Ben York Jones
A young American guy and a young British girl meet in college and fall in love. Their love is tested when she is required to leave the country. With Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston.
Little Birds
Director / screenwriter Elgin James
Amidst the stark landscape of the Salton Sea, two 15-year-old girls test the limits of their friendship when one follows the other to Los Angeles. With Juno Temple, Kay Panabaker, Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth, Kyle Gallner.
The Loved Ones
Director / screenwriter Sam Levinson)
A pair of reckless siblings are dragged into a chaotic family wedding by their overwrought mother. With Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Jeffrey DeMunn, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Director / screenwriter Sean Durkin
Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult. With Elizabeth Olsen, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson.
On the Ice
Director / screenwriter Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
On the snow-covered Arctic tundra, two teenagers try to get away with murder. With Josiah Patkotak, Frank Qutuq Irelan, Teddy Kyle Smith, Adamina Kerr, Sierra Jade Sampson.
Pariah
Director / screenwriter Dee Rees
When forced to choose between losing her best friend and destroying her family, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and endures heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression. With Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Aasha Davis.
Take Shelter
Director / screenwriter Jeff Nichols
A working-class husband and father questions whether his terrifying dreams of an apocalyptic storm signal something real to come or the onset of an inherited mental illness he's feared his whole life. With Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker.
Terri
Director Azazel Jacobs, with co-Screenwriter Patrick Dewitt
Orphaned to an uncle who is fading away, mercilessly teased by his peers and roundly ignored by his teachers, Terri is alienated and alone. When the dreaded vice principal sees something of himself in Terri, they establish a friendship which opens Terri up to life’s possibilities. With Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia, Bridger Zadina.
For further information, visit www.sundance.org/festival.
Sundance Premieres, Documentary Premieres
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Friday, 21 January 2011 00:38
- Written by L E Shannon
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Og
den and Sundance, Utah. The nation’s most prestigious film festival presents the section with a long-time record as a career-launcher.
“2011 sees the majority of films in the Premieres section coming from outside the studios, illustrating that independent film is both robust and broadening its scope,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival.
Premieres
Salt Lake City Gala Film:
The Music Never Stopped
Director Jim Kohlberg, Screenwriters Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks
(based on the story "The Last Hippie” by Oliver Sacks) (USA)
Using the power of music, a father struggles to bond with his estranged son, who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. With J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro.
Cedar Rapids
Director Miguel Arteta, Screenwriter Phil Johnston (USA) 
A naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. With Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver.
The Convincer
Director Jill Sprecher, with co-Screenwriter Karen Sprecher (USA)
An insurance salesman, caught in a caper involving a rare musical instrument, sets off a series of dramatic consequences. With Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Billy Crudup, David Harbour.
The Details
Director / screenwriter Jacob Aaron Estes (USA)
When hungry raccoons discover worms living under the sod in a young couple’s backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of domestic tension, infidelity, organ donation and murder by way of bow and arrow. With Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert.
The Devil’s Double
Director Lee Tamahori, Screenwriter Michael Thomas (Belgium)
A chilling vision of the House of Saddam comes to life through the eyes of the man who knew too much. With Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Raad Rawi, Philip Quast.
Flypaper
Director Rob Minkoff, Screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (USA)
When two gangs try to rob the same bank at the same time, a clever hostage in the middle must save the day. With Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey Tambor, Tim Blake Nelson, Pruitt Taylor Vince.
The Future
Director / screenwriter Miranda July (Germany, USA)
When a couple decides to adopt a stray cat their perspective on life changes radically. With Hamish Linklater, Miranda July, David Warshofsky, Isabella Acres, Joe Putterlik.
I Melt with You
Director Mark Pellington, Screenwriter Glenn Porter
(based on the story by Glenn Porter and Mark Pellington) (Canada, USA)
Four friends gather every year to celebrate their friendship. This year they are unexpectedly forced to confront a forgotten promise they made 25 years earlier. With Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, Christian McKay, Carla Gugino.
Life in a Day
Director Kevin Macdonald (UK)
This is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film. On July 24, 2010, professional and amateur filmmakers captured a glimpse of their lives on camera and uploaded the footage to YouTube, serving as a time capsule for future generations.
Margin Call
Director / screenwriter JC Chandor (USA)
Over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, the key people at an investment bank struggle to decide how to handle an emergency business situation while examining the personal and moral implications of every action they take. With Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci.
My Idiot Brother
Director Jesse Peretz, Screenwriters Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall (USA)
After serving time for selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. With Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer.
Perfect Sense
Director David Mackenzie, Screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson (UK)
A love story about two people who start to fall in love just as the world begins to fall apart. With Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane, Denis Lawson, Connie Nielsen.
Red State
Director / Screenwriter Kevin Smith (USA)
A group of misfits encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America. With Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo.
Salvation Boulevard
Director George Ratliff, with co-Screenwriter Doug Max Stone
(based on the novel by Larry Beinhart) (USA)
An evangelical preacher who has captivated a city with his charm frames an ex-hippie for a crime he did not commit. With Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei.
Win Win
Director / screenwriter Tom McCarthy
(based on the story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni) (USA)
When a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up -- until the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab, flat broke, and threatening to derail everything. With Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor.
Closing Night Film:
The Son of No One
Director / screenwriter Dito Montiel (USA)
Two men in post-9/11 New York are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets. With Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche.
Documentary Premieres
Says John Cooper, Festival Director: “The decision to create a Documentary Premieres section was a natural evolution to shine a light on films with prominent filmmakers or anticipated subjects without distracting from documentaries in competition. Sundance Institute has since its inception been one of the leading organizations in the world in support of nonfiction film, and our Festival remains a platform for both first-time and established documentary filmmakers.” All the films are world premieres.
Becoming Chaz
Directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (USA)
Born biologically female, Chastity Bono invites the viewer into a deeply personal journey as he transitions from female to male, embracing his true self, which is Chaz.
Bobby Fischer Against the World
Director Liz Garbus (USA)
The drama of late chess-master Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable,as he careened from troubled childhood, to World Champion and Cold War icon, to a fugitive on the run.
Granito
Director Pamela Yates (USA)
A documentary film intertwines with Guatemala’s turbulent history and emerges as an active player in a nation’s struggle to heal itself and serve up justice.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Director Morgan Spurlock (USA)
A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement is financed and made possible by branding, advertising and product placement.
The Interrupters
Director Steve James (USA)
From the Academy AwardTM-winning director of Hoop Dreams comes a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.
Magic Trip
Directors Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney (USA)
In 1964 Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and his band of Merry Pranksters set out on a cross-country road trip to the New York World's Fair. Fueled by large doses of LSD, they filmed the entire journey. Forty-plus years later, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and co-director Alison Ellwood use that footage, audio recordings and photographs to create an immersion experience of the legendary trip.
Reagan
Director Eugene Jarecki (USA, UK)
Reagan examines the enigmatic career of one of the revered architects of the modern world – icon, screen star, and two-term president Ronald Reagan.
Rebirth
Director Jim Whitaker (USA)
Weaving together five stories of individuals whose lives were profoundly altered by the 9/11 attack. With unprecedented time-lapse footage of Ground Zero composed over ten years.
These Amazing Shadows
Directors Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton (USA)
The history and importance of the National Film Registry unfolds in a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.
It is films such as these that say “Sundance”.
For further information, visit www.sundance.org/festival.
2011 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Thursday, 20 January 2011 03:02
- Written by Lynne Shannon
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and 
Sundance, Utah. One of the don’t-miss tracks is the Short Film Program, long the start of many a filmmaker who went on to feature film, and even Academy Award™ winning, accomplishments.
This year’s eclectic mix of 81 films from 21 countries was culled from a record number of submissions: 3,014 from outside the U.S., and 6,467 entries altogether.
Some of the domestic films include:
Narrative:
AWOL – Director/Screenwriter Deb Shoval
Crazy Beats Strong Every Time – Director/Screenwriter Moon Molson
Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight – Director/Screenwriter Eliza Hittman
The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting – Director/Screenwriter Emily Carmichael
I’m Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents – Director Jeff Tomsic, with co-Screenwriter T.J. Miller
Pandemic 41.410806, -75.654259 – Director Lance Weiler, with co-Screenwriter Chuck Wendig
sexting – Director/Screenwriter Neil LaBute
Documentary:
Animals Distract Me – Director / Screenwriter Isabella Rossellini
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement – Co-Directors Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday
Living For 32 – Director Kevin Breslin
Animation:
Bike Race – Director Tom Schroeder with co-Screenwriter Hilde De Roover
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On – Director Dean Fleischer-Camp with co-Screenwriter Jenny Slate
Something Left, Something Taken – Directors / Screenwriters: Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter
Xemoland – Director / Screenwriter Daniel Cardenas
The international shorts hail from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Some entries are:
Narrative:
Blokes (Chile) – Director Marialy Rivas 
Cinderela (Brazil, France) – Director / Screenwriter Magali Magistry
Diarchy (Italy) – Director / Screenwriter Ferdinando Cito Filmomarino
shikasha (Japan) – Director / Screenwriter Isamu Hirabayashi
Small Change (Ireland) – Director / Screenwriter Cathy Brady
Stardust (Belgium) – Director / Screenwriter Nicolas Provost
Documentary:
Incident by a Bank (Sweden) – Director / Screenwriter Ruben Östlund
Negativipeg (Canada) – Director / Screenwriter Matthew Rankin
Out of Reach (Poland) – Director / Screenwriter Jakub Stozek
Animation:
1989 (When I was five years old) (Denmark) – Director / Screenwriter Thor Ochsner
8 BITS (France) – Directors Valere Amirault, Sarah Laufer, Jean Delaunay, and Benjamin Mattern
The External World (Germany) – Director / Screenwriter David O'Reilly
The Greatness (China) – Director / Screenwriter Yi Zhou
Tord and Tord (Sweden) – Director / Screenwriter Niki Lindroth von Bahr
New Frontier Shorts is “An electrifying celebration of innovation in filmmaking.” This year’s selections include:
Anne Truitt, Working (USA) – Director Jem Cohen
On the Way to the Sea (Canada, China) – Director / Screenwriter Tao Gu
Tornado (Mexico) – Director Francis Alys de Smedt
Yelp (With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl) – Director Tiffany Shlain, with co-Screenwriter Ken Goldberg
Another “first” for this year’s Short Film Program is the new Indigenous Shorts Showcase. Says Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “...we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.” These films include:
The Cave (Canada) – Director / Screenwriter Helen Haig-Brown (Tsilhqot’in)
Choke (Canada) – Director / Screenwriter Michelle Latimer (Métis)
Ebony Society (Aotearoa-New Zealand) – Director / Screenwriter Tammy Davis (Nga-ti Rangi & Atihaunui a Paparangi)
The Rocket Boy (USA) – Director / Screenwriter Donavan Seschillie (Navajo Nation)
Stones (USA) – Director / Screenwriter Ty Sanga (Native Hawaiian)
For further information, visit www.sundance.org.
X-Dance 2011 at Sundance
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 03:47
- Written by Lynne Shannon
This year, the GoPro X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, presented by SkullCandy
, runs January 22-25, 2011 with screenings and panels at The Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. The closing party and award ceremony will be at Harry O’s in Park City.
Two worlds -- action sports and the mainstream entertainment industry -- merge into one adrenaline-fueled culture that is X-Dance. Launched in 2001, X-Dance has grown to become the premier action sports film festival in the world. The mission of X-Dance is to nurture the growth of action sports filmmaking and to honor achievement on both sides of the camera. X-Dance will always recognize innovative work that pushes the limits of style and narrative.
The festival includes films with “skier Tanner Hall, soul surfer Rob Machado, world record breaking free skier Grete Eliassen, snowboard maverick Jeremy Jones, kayaking superstar Rush Sturges, and MotoX madman Robbie Maddison.” There will be Q&As with filmmakers and featured athletes after each screening.
Saturday, January 22:
2:00pm Elevate (moto-climb)
2:45pm OTP 6 (FMX)
4:00pm Look On The Bright Side (snowboarding)
4:50pm Say My Name (ski) starring Grete Eliassen
5:30pm Follow Me (mtn bike)
6:25pm Dream Result (kayaking) starring Rush Sturges
7:20pm Deeper (snowboarding) starring Jeremy Jones
8:20pm Castles In The Sky (surf) starring Rob Machado
9:20pm Who is J.O.B. (surf)
Sunday, January 23:
2:00pm Stoked And Broke
3:10pm Here We Go Again (mtn bike short)
3:20pm 9191 (snowboarding)
3:55pm Melali (surf) starring Rob Machado
4:45pm Moto 2 (Moto-X)
5:45pm Cypher Vision (surf short)
6:00pm G-Land (surf short)
8:00pm Like A Lion (ski) starring Tanner Hall
9:45pm Brutal Beauty (Roller Derby)
Monday, January 24:
2:00pm Azadi Freedom (ski)
2:40pm Windsurfer 2 (windsurfing)
3:50pm Halo Effect (kayaking) starring Rush Sturges
4:50pm 180 Degrees South (expedition) Starring Yvon Chouinard
8:00pm First Love (surf)
9:15pm Solo (BMX short)
9:30pm Life Cycles (mtn biking)
The Awards Ceremony will feature Ozomotli.
For more information, visit www.x-dance.com.
GoPro X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival
January 22-25, 2011
The Depot
400 W. South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 355-5522
