Sundance announces its 2011 line-up
On Day One, the Festival will forego the convention of one opening night film and instead screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.S. and World Cinema competitions, as well as one shorts program.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival said, "The Festival is a challenge to narrowly define. It is all at once exciting, fun, crazy, engaging, visceral, and sometimes even painful. We can explain storylines, we can share what we know of each artist's unique journey, but ultimately what we will experience for 10 days in January is different for each of us. It's the spark from the filmmakers - their passion - that brings 200 unique worlds to life and, in turn, ignites the audience. The films, conversations, encounters are there to experience. And that's what makes Sundance so magical."
Said Trevor Groth, Director of Programming, "Knowing how difficult it is to get a film made anywhere, and given that the number of submissions was higher than ever, it is a testament to the passion and creativity of filmmakers everywhere that they are able to preserve and stay true to their vision. The caliber of films submitted this year was exceptional and made for exhilarating discussion among the programmers. Now that discussion gets turned over to the audience."
For the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, 115 feature-length films were selected, representing 28 countries by 40 first-time filmmakers, including 25 in competition. These films were selected from 3,812 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,943 U.S. and 1,869 international feature-length films. 92 films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In a break with tradition, Festival Director John Cooper will Live-Chat with filmmakers, fans and press and answer questions about the announcement on Weds. Dec 1 at 1:00 PM PDT / 4:00 PM EDT exclusively at Sundance.org
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and 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. Cast: William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage.
Benavides Born (Director: Amy Wendel; Screenwriters: Daniel Meisel and Amy Wendel) - 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. Cast: Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, Julio César Cedillo.
Circumstance/U.S.A., Iran (Director and screenwriter: Maryam Keshavarz) - A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession. Cast: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho.
Gun Hill Road (Director and 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. Cast: Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Vanessa Aspillaga.
HERE (Director: Braden King; Written By: Braden King and 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. Cast: Ben Foster and Lubna Azabal with Narek Nersisyan, Yuri Kostanyan and 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, but after years of dogma and loss, she must find the courage to ask the questions that will help her reclaim her life. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, John Hawkes, Dagmara Dominczyk, Norbert Leo Butz.
Homework (Director and 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. Cast: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser with Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood.
The Ledge (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Chapman) - Perched on a ledge, a man says he must jump by noon, while a cop races against time to get to the bottom of it. Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard with Christopher Gorham.
Like Crazy (Director: Drake Doremus; Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and 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 and they must face the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston.
Little Birds (Director and 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, only to discover that the boredom of home may be better than learning to survive in the big city. Cast: Juno Temple, Kay Panabaker, Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth, Kyle Gallner.
The Loved Ones (Director and screenwriter: Sam Levinson) - A pair of reckless siblings are dragged into a chaotic family wedding by their overwrought mother. Cast: Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Jeffrey DeMunn, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church.
Martha Marcy May Marlene (Director and screenwriter: T. Sean Durkin)- Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult. Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson.
On the Ice (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean) - On the snow-covered Arctic tundra, two teenagers try to get away with murder. Cast: Josiah Patkotak, Frank Qutuq Irelan, Teddy Kyle Smith, Adamina Kerr, Sierra Jade Sampson.
Pariah (Director and screenwriter: Dee Rees) - When forced to choose between losing her best friend or destroying her family, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and endures heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression. Cast: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Aasha Davis.
Take Shelter (Director and 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. Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker.
Terri (Director: Azazel Jacobs; Screenwriters: Patrick Dewitt and Azazel Jacobs) - 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 the possibility that life is not something to be endured, but something to be shared, and even enjoyed. Cast: Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia, Bridger Zadina.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Beats, Rhymes and Life (Director: Michael Rapaport) - The story of the rise and influence of one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the collective known as A Tribe Called Quest.
BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer's Journey (Director: Constance Marks) - The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.
Buck (Director: Cindy Meehl) - In a story about the power of non-violence, master horse trainer Buck Brannaman uses principles of respect and trust to tame horses and inspire their human counterparts.
Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology (Director: Tiffany Shlain) - Connected is an exhilarating stream-of-consciousness ride through the interconnectedness of humankind, nature, progress and morality at the dawn of the 21st century. For centuries we've been declaring independence. With insight, curiosity, and humor, the film explores whether it's time to declare our interdependence.
Crime After Crime (Director: Yoav Potash) - is a survivor of brutal domestic violence incarcerated for her connection to the murder of her abuser. Two decades later a pair of rookie land-use attorneys cut their teeth on her case, attracting global attention to the troubled intersection of domestic violence and criminal justice.
Hot Coffee (Director: Susan Saladoff) - Following subjects whose lives have been devastated by an inability to access the courts, this film shows that many long-held beliefs about our civil justice system have been paid for by corporate America.
How to Die in Oregon (Director: Peter D. Richardson) - In 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. How to Die in Oregon gently enters the lives of terminally ill Oregonians to illuminate the power of death with dignity.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (Director: Marshall Curry) - The Earth Liberation Front is a radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.' Daniel McGowan, an ELF member, faces life in prison for two multi-million dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. But who is really to blame?
The Last Mountain (Director: Bill Haney) - A coal mining corporation and a tiny community vie for the last great mountain in Appalachia in a battle for the future of energy that affects us all.
Miss Representation (Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom) - Miss Representation uncovers how American mainstream media's limited and disparaging portrayals of women contribute to the under-representation of women in power positions - creating another generation of women defined by youth, beauty and sexuality, and not by their capacity as leaders.
Page One: A year inside the New York Times (Director: Andrew Rossi) - Unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom yields a complex view of the transformation of a media landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity.
The Redemption of General Butt Naked (Directors: Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion) - A brutal warlord who murdered thousands during Liberia's horrific 14-year civil war renounces his violent past and reinvents himself as an Evangelist, facing those he once terrorized.
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles - An urban mystery unfurls as one man pieces together the surreal meaning of hundreds of cryptic tiled messages that have been appearing in city streets across the U.S. and South America.
Sing Your Song (A film by Susanne Rostock) - Most people know the lasting legacy of Harry Belafonte, the entertainer; this film unearths his significant contribution to and his leadership in the civil rights movement in America and to social justice globally.
Troubadours (Director: Morgan Neville) - A musical journey tracing the lives and careers of James Taylor and Carole King, pillars of the California singer/songwriter scene, which converged in and around LA's Troubadour Club in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
We Were Here (Director: David Weissman) - A deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.
Another Earth was released July 22nd, 2011 and stars Brit Marling, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava, William Mapother, Meggan Lennon, AJ Diana, Bruce Colbert, Paul S. Mezey. The film is directed by Mike Cahill.
All She Can was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, Julio Cedillo, Julian Works, Leticia Magaña, Amanda Rivas. The film is directed by Amy Wendel.
Circumstance was released August 26th, 2011 and stars Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho, Sina Amedson, Keon Mohajeri. The film is directed by Maryam Keshavarz.
Gun Hill Road was released August 5th, 2011 and stars Esai Morales, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Miriam Colon, Vincent Laresca, Franky G, Tyrone Brown. The film is directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green.
Here was released April 13th, 2012 and stars Ben Foster, Peter Coyote, Lubna Azabal, Narek Nersisyan, Armine Zeytounchian, Garik Chepchyan, Aren Vatyan, Ruzanna Shar. The film is directed by Braden King.
Higher Ground was released August 26th, 2011 and stars Vera Farmiga, Donna Murphy, John Hawkes, Dagmara Dominczyk, Nina Arianda, Taissa Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Bill Irwin. The film is directed by Vera Farmiga.
The Art of Getting By was released June 17th, 2011 and stars Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Sasha Spielberg, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ann Dowd, Maya Ri Sanchez, Blair Underwood, Ann Harada. The film is directed by Gavin Wiesen.
The Ledge was released July 8th, 2011 and stars Liv Tyler, Charlie Hunnam, Patrick Wilson, Christopher Gorham, Terrence Howard, Jaqueline Fleming, Monica Acosta, Jillian Batherson. The film is directed by Matthew Chapman.
Like Crazy was released October 28th, 2011 and stars Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Chris Messina. The film is directed by Drake Doremus.
Little Birds comes to theaters in 2012 and stars Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth, AnnaSophia Robb, Juno Temple, Chris Coy, Lauren Pennington, Scotty Noyd Jr., Kyle Gallner. The film is directed by Elgin James.
Another Happy Day was released November 18th, 2011 and stars Ellen Barkin, Ezra Miller, Ellen Burstyn, Demi Moore, Thomas Haden Church, Kate Bosworth, George Kennedy, Jeffrey DeMunn. The film is directed by Sam Levinson.
Martha Marcy May Marlene was released October 21st, 2011 and stars Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner, John Hawkes, Louisa Krause. The film is directed by Sean Durkin.
On the Ice was released February 17th, 2012 and stars Frank Qutuq Irelan, Adamina Kerr, John Miller, Josiah Patkotak, Rosabelle Kunnanna Rexford, Sierra Jade Sampson, Teddy Kyle Smith, Allison Warden. The film is directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean.
Pariah was released December 28th, 2011 and stars Kim Wayans, Afton Williamson, Aasha Davis, Adepero Oduye, Stephanie Andujar, Charles Parnell, Nina Daniels, Zabryna Guevara. The film is directed by Dee Rees.
Take Shelter was released September 30th, 2011 and stars Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Natasha Randall, Ron Kennard, Scott Knisley. The film is directed by Jeff Nichols.
Terri was released July 1st, 2011 and stars Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Bridger Zadina, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia, Tim Heidecker, Justin Prentice, Mary Anne McGarry. The film is directed by Azazel Jacobs.
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest was released July 8th, 2011 and stars Beastie Boys, Mary J. Blige, Common, Mike D, Phife Dawg, De La Soul, Yasiin Bey, Adam Horovitz. The film is directed by Michael Rapaport.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey was released October 21st, 2011 and stars Bill Barretta, Fran Brill, Kevin Clash, Joan Ganz Cooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Frank Oz, Martin P. Robinson. The film is directed by Constance Marks, Philip Shane.
Buck was released June 17th, 2011 and stars Buck Brannaman. The film is directed by Cindy Meehl.
Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence was released in 2011.
Crime After Crime was released in 2011.
Hot Coffee was released in 2011.
How to Die in Oregon was released in 2011.
If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front was released June 22nd, 2011. The film is directed by Marshall Curry.
The Last Mountain was released June 3rd, 2011. The film is directed by Bill Haney.
Miss Representation was released in 2011.
Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times was released June 17th, 2011 and stars David Carr. The film is directed by Andrew Rossi.
The Redemption of General Butt Naked was released in 2011.
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of The Toynbee Tiles was released September 2nd, 2011 and stars Justin Duerr, Colin Smith, Steve Weinik. The film is directed by Jon Foy.
Sing Your Song was released January 13th, 2012 and stars Harry Belafonte. The film is directed by Susanne Rostock.
Comments (5)
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The Soylent Green Monkey
Oh, "Red State" is not in competition. Which means its still there. Woot woot.
1 year agoby @soylentgreen2Flag
The Soylent Green Monkey
No "Red State". =(
1 year agoby @soylentgreen2Flag
Rudy
"General Butt Naked" sounds funny. I hope there's a movie as good as "Moon" and not like those stupid horror movies. From Horrorfest or something like that.
1 year agoby @rudyFlag
Daveactor7
Nice line up
1 year agoby @daveactor7Flag
Wichy
Wow, theres quite a few I would love to check out :D Great line-up Sundance, I would love to come out and check on some of these but we will see if anything works out...
1 year agoby @wichitagalzlFlag