Slamdance Film Festival

  • Slamdance Film Festival to Open with SKI BUM: THE WARREN MILLER STORY + Unveils Shorts Lineup

    Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story
    Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story

    The world premiere of the documentary Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story directed by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) will open the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival.  The documentary chronicles the life and times of legendary filmmaker Warren Miller, who served as a driving force in the development and promotion of skiing in America and throughout the world. Miller, who died earlier this year at the age of 93 while the documentary was still in production, sat with the filmmakers months before his passing in what would prove to be his final interview. 

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  • 25th Slamdance Film Festival Announces Narrative and Documentary Feature Films + New Breakouts Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_32888" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]We Are Thankful We Are Thankful[/caption] The Slamdance Film Festival today announced the Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition programs, as well as the lineup for its new Breakouts section, for their 25th edition, taking place January 25-31, 2019 in Park City. The feature competition lineup boasts 18 premieres, including 10 World, 4 North American, and 4 U.S. debuts. In addition to the United States, films come to Slamdance from countries around the globe, including Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Poland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. All competition films are feature length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million USD, and without US distribution. Featured films were selected by a team of Slamdance alumni via a blind submission process and are programmed democratically. Films in both categories are also eligible for the Audience Award and Spirit of Slamdance Award, the latter of which is voted upon by filmmakers at the festival. “When it comes to discovering talent, Slamdance has consistently shown that its artist led community can do it themselves,” said Slamdance Co-founder and President, Peter Baxter. “In a milestone year, our competition lineup symbolizes this ongoing endeavor. It’s full of incredible talent representing a global diversity that we believe will play a significant role in our cultural future.” In addition, the 2019 festival will see the return of the Russo Fellowship — a $25,000 prize launched in 2018 by celebrated festival alumni Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War) to enable a deserving filmmaker the opportunity to continue their journey with mentorship from the filmmaking duo. Presented by AGBO Films in partnership with the festival, the inaugural fellowship was awarded to filmmaker Yassmina Karajah for her narrative short Rupture. Also announced today is the lineup for the festival’s all-new Breakouts section. Breakouts are films by non-first-time-feature directors who demonstrate a determined vision of filmmaking that is instinctively becoming their own. These artists continue to push boundaries in genre and form, and are beacons of light that predict the future of film. Slamdance’s goal is to help daring and resilient filmmakers connect with bigger audiences and take their well-deserved place on the world cinema stage. The 2019 Breakouts feature the work of several Slamdance alumni, including Steven Soderbergh, who executive produced Beats,and Canadian filmmaker Alexandre Franchi who received the Audience Award for best Narrative Feature at the 2010 festival for The Wild Hunt. “Our newly minted Breakouts section celebrates a group of experienced directors, including some Slamdance alumni, who are genuinely intent on taking bigger risks with their storytelling and career paths,” said Paul Rachman, Slamdance co-conspirator and Breakouts programmer. “These are films from around the world that deliver a bold vision from filmmakers with drive and intent to establish their unique cinematic voices.” Established in 1995, Slamdance is dedicated to discovering and supporting new talents in independent filmmaking. In addition to the Russo Brothers, notable Slamdance alumni include: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity), Bong Joon Ho (Okja), Lena Dunham (Girls), Ari Aster (Hereditary), Gina Prince-Blythewood (Shots Fired), and Sean Baker (The Florida Project).

    2019 Slamdance Film Festival Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition

    NARRATIVE FEATURES

    A Great Lamp (USA) – World Premiere Director: Saad Qureshi Screenwriters: Saad Qureshi, Donald R. Monroe, Max Wilde On the river towns of North Carolina, two sad vandals and an unemployed loner wait for a fabled rocket launch. Cast: Max Wilde, Spencer Bang, Steven Maier, Julian Semilian, Laura Ingram Semilian, Netta Green, Connie Stewart, Smokey, Spaz Boni Bonita (Brazil, Argentina) – North American Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Daniel Barosa Reeling from the death of her mother, Beatriz moves to Brazil where she begins an intense and toxic relationship with Rogério, an older musician struggling with his family’s artistic legacy. Cast: Ailín Salas, Caco Ciocler Cat Sticks (India) – World Premiere Director: Ronny Sen Screenwriters: Ronny Sen, Soumyak Kanti DeBiswas A pack of Calcutta youth seek greater lust and life in their relentless pursuit of Brown Sugar (dirty heroin)… and it’s unsustainable high. Cast: Tanmay Dhanania, Sumeet Thakur, Joyraj Bhattacharjee, Rahul Dutta, Saurabh Saraswat, Sreejita Mitra, Raja Chakravorty, Kalpan Mitra Crystal Swan (Belarus, USA, Germany, Russia) – North American Premiere Director: Darya Zhuk Screenwriter: Helga Landauer In mid-90s Belarus, a young DJ’s big overseas plans get derailed when a typo on her Visa application sends her to a backwater factory town where she is determined to fake her way to the American dream. Cast: Alina Nassibulina, Ivan Mulin, Yury Borisov Dollhouse: The Eradication of Female Subjectivity from American Popular Culture (USA, Canada) – North American Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Nicole Brending A puppet-animation charting the rise and fall of fictional child pop star, Junie Spoons. Cast: Aneikit Bonnel, Sydney Bonar, Nicole Brending, Erik Hoover, Maggie Morrisson, Peter Ooley, Adam Sly Hurry Slowly (Norway) Director/Screenwriter: Anders Emblem Hurry Slowly follows Fiona over a few life-changing summer months on the north-western coast of Norway, where she juggle the care of her brother, her job at the local ferry and her interest in music. Cast: Amalie Ibsen Jensen, David Jakobsen, Lars Halvor Andreassen Impetus (Canada) – US Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Jennifer Alleyn In the process of her ongoing film shoot in New York City, a filmmaker finds herself questioning the origin of impulsion. As she tries to overcome loss through creation, an unexpected event enlightens her journey. Cast: Pascale Bussières, Emmanuel Schwartz, Jorn Reissner, Esfyr Dyachkov Lost Holiday (USA) – World Premiere Directors/Screenwriters:Michael Matthews, Thomas Matthews Two old highschool friends solve a Christmas mystery in D.C. Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Thomas Matthews, Keith Poulson, William Jackson Harper, Ismenia Mendes, Tone Tank, Joshua Leonard and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Spiral Farm (USA) – World Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Alec Tibaldi When two outsiders arrive on an isolated intentional community, seventeen-year old Anahita begins to question her role at home, and what a future out in the world-at-large could be. Cast: Piper de Palma, Amanda Plummer, Jade Fusco, Teo Halm, Cosimo Fusco, Landen Beattie, Akuyoe Graham, Kayleigh Gilbert The Vast of Night (USA) – World Premiere Director: Andrew Patterson Screenwriter: James Montague, Craig W. Sanger At the dawn of the space-race in America, two radio-obsessed teens discover a strange frequency over the airwaves that could change their lives, their small town, and all of Earth… forever. Cast: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer, Bruce Davis We Are Thankful (South Africa) – North American Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Joshua Magor When Siyabonga, a young South African actor hungry to expand his craft, gets wind of a movie production that is shooting in a neighboring town, the eager thespian decides to set out a journey that will take him away from his quiet home life and out into a bustling world of possibility. Cast: Siyabonga Majola, Sabelo Khoza, Xolani “X” Malinga, Amanda Ncube, Percy Mncedicy Zulu, Ntokozo Mkhize, Sibusiso “Sbu” Nzama, Luthando “Cminzah” Ngcobo

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    Behind the Bullet (USA) – World Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Heidi Yewman An in-depth look at four individuals who have pulled the trigger and the profound impact it’s had on their lives. The Beksinskis. A Sound and Picture Album (Poland) – US Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Marcin Borchardt A famous Polish painter known for his dark and twisted imagery chronicles his son’s troubled life from the 1950s through the millennium. Desolation Center (USA) – US Premiere Director: Stuart Swezey Screenwriters: Stuart Swezey, Tyler Hubby The untold story of a series of Reagan-era anarchic punk rock desert happenings that still reverberate throughout our culture. Dons of Disco (USA) Director: Jonathan Sutak A lip-syncing scandal pits an American singer against an Italian male model over the legacy of 1980s ‘Italo Disco’ star Den Harrow. Markie in Milwaukee (USA) – World Premiere Director: Matt Kliegman A mid-western transgender woman struggles with the prospect of de-transitioning under the pressures of her fundamentalist church, family and community. Memphis ‘69 (USA) – World Premiere Director: Joe LaMattina, Screenwriters: Joe LaMattina, Lisa LaMattina A year after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, a group of blues legends came together to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of Memphis, TN. This concert documentary, shot over 3 days in June of 1969, celebrates an American art form that unites us all. The Professional: A Stevie Blatz Story (USA) – US Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Daniel La Barbera A behind-the-scenes look at the magic of Stevie Blatz, an entertainment entrepreneur in Bethlehem, PA. Seadrift (USA) – World Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Tim Tsai In 1979, the fatal shooting of a white crab fisherman in a Texas fishing village ignites a maelstrom of hostilities against Vietnamese refugees along the Gulf Coast. Sudan: The Last Male Standing (USA, Kenya) – World Premiere Director: David Hambridge Through the conservation efforts of a rhino caretaker unit in Kenya, we peer past the headlines into the emptiness of extinction in real time.

    BREAKOUT FEATURES

    Beats (UK) – North American Premiere Director: Brian Welsh, Screenwriter: Kieran Hurley, Brian Welsh A universal story of friendship, rebellion and the irresistible power of gathered youth – set to a soundtrack as eclectic and electrifying as the scene it gave birth to, BEATS is a story for our time. Cast: Cristian Ortega, Lorn Macdonald, Laura Fraser Demolition Girl (Japan) – World Premiere Director: Genta Matsugami, Screenwriters: Yoshitaka Kasui, Genta Matsugami A high-school girl who lives in a rural town in Japan struggles to define her own way in life. To help her impoverished family she works as a video fetish performer which leads to problems for her and her family with a criminal underworld. Cast: Aya Kitai,Hiroki Ino,Haruka Imo,Yura Komuro,Yota Kawase,Ko Maehara,Ryohei Abe,Nobu Morimoto Happy Face (Canada) – US Premiere Director: Alexandre Franchi, Screenwriter: Alexandre Franchi, Joëlle Bourjolly Desperate to become less shallow, a handsome teenage boy deforms his face with bandages and attends a support group for disfigured people. Cast: Robin L’Houmeau, Debbie Lynch-White, David Roche, E.R. Ruiz, Alison Midstokke, Cindy Nicholsen, Noémie Kocher. History of Love (Slovenia, Italy, Norway) – North American Premiere Director/Screenwriter: Sonja Prosenc A teenage swimmer/high diver Iva, endures a grieving process, as family secrets and mysteries, especially her mother’s, unveil. Cast: Doroteja Nadrah, Kristoffer Joner, Matej Zemljic, Zoja Florjanc Lukan, Matija Vastl, Zita Fusco

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  • 24th Slamdance Film Festival Awards – “Rock Steady Row” Wins Best Narrative Feature and Audience Award

    [caption id="attachment_26788" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]l-r. Bomani Story (Writer) and Trevor Stevens (Dir.) of Rock Steady Row.. Photo credit: Lauren Desbrg/SLAMDANCE Rock Steady Row – Winner of the Narrative Feature Award and the Audience Feature Award. l-r. Bomani Story (Writer) and Trevor Stevens (Dir.) of Rock Steady Row.. Photo credit: Lauren Desbrg/SLAMDANCE[/caption] The 24th Slamdance Film Festival wrapped last weekend and presented prizes to the winners of this year’s Sparky Awards in the Audience, Jury, and Sponsored Categories.  The festival also announced the recipients of three new awards: The Russo Brothers Fellowship, the CreativeFuture Innovation Award, and a curated Acting Award. The Sparky Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Rock Steady Row, directed by Trevor Stevens and written by Bomani Story.  “Rock Steady Row is a shining star in genre, young adult themes, and ‘save the day’ filmmaking. Done creatively in a comic book meets George Miller meets John Carpenter universe. Sharply directed by Trevor Stevens and written by Bomani Story. With strong ingenuity not commonly seen at this budget and experience level, Rock Steady Row stands tall,” said jurors. [caption id="attachment_26791" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End Winner of the Best Documentary Feature Award l-r.Pablo Bryant (Dir.), Ted Collins (Producer) of Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End. Photo Credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End
    Winner of the Best Documentary Feature Award l-r.Pablo Bryant (Dir.), Ted Collins (Producer) of Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End. Photo Credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE[/caption] The jury shared, “Crafted with the same rugged earnestness and political incorrectness as its subject, this fast paced, exceptionally told portrait creates a complex, funny and layered depiction of a cartoonist who embodies the principles of free speech while revealing the trappings of such an existence. Just like Fish’s cartoons, Mr, Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End is a gateway to hard political discourse, challenging social norms and forcing us to look more closely at what tolerance means. For showing us what is lost when political art is sacrificed to subscription fees, and capturing its subject with the same raw idealism that keeps Fish drawing, we give the Feature Documentary Award to Mr. Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End.” During the Awards Ceremony, the festival also announced the recipient of the highly anticipated The Russo Brothers Fellowship. The $25,000 prize, presented by AGBO Films in partnership with the festival, is designed to enable a deserving filmmaker the opportunity to continue their journey with mentorship from Joe and Anthony as well as development support from their studio. The 2018 recipient of the inaugural Russo Brothers Fellowship is Yassmina Karajah, director of the narrative short, Rupture. The Festival also presented the inaugural CreativeFeature Innovation Award. Slamdance and CreativeFuture have partnered for years to support new talent in the world of film and educate creatives on the importance of protecting their work. This inaugural Award is given to an emerging filmmaker who exhibits the innovative spirit of filmmaking. The CreativeFuture Innovation Award went to Shunsaku Hayashi for his animated short film, Railment. Additionally, a curated Acting Award was presented to Rhaechyl Walker for her breakout performance in, My Name Is Myeisha.  “When we started this project seven years ago on a stage at an open mic night, the thought of our story being amplified on a silver screen never entered my mind.” said Walker. “I am so proud, and beyond honored to be a part of such a powerful force of artistic expression that has found its way into many hearts, planted a seed, and nourished souls. Thank you Slamdance for providing this amazing platform, and for this phenomenal award.” The George Starks Spirit Of Slamdance Award went to Wendy McColm, director of Birds Without Feathers. Formerly known as the Spirit of Slamdance Award, the prize was renamed in the honor of George Starks. Starks, who passed away last summer, was a longtime friend of Slamdance and served as the festival’s Utah Producer. [caption id="attachment_26789" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]My Name Is Myeisha Winner of the Audience Beyond Feature Award. Actress Rhaechyl Walker was also honored with an Acting Award. l-r. Alex Hines, John Merchant, Rhaechyl Walker, Dee Dee Stephens of My Name Is Myeisha. Photo credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE My Name Is Myeisha Winner of the Audience Beyond Feature Award. Actress Rhaechyl Walker was also honored with an Acting Award. l-r. Alex Hines, John Merchant, Rhaechyl Walker, Dee Dee Stephens of My Name Is Myeisha. Photo credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE[/caption] Awards were also given to festival favorites, voted on by Slamdance audiences. The Narrative Feature Audience Award was presented to Rock Steady Row, directed by Trevor Stevens. Freedom For The Wolf, directed by Rupert Russell, received the Documentary Feature Audience Award, The Beyond Feature Audience Award was awarded to My Name Is Myeisha, directed by Gus Krieger. The festival also recognized the Audience Award runners-up in their respective feature categories: Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Dir: Bert Scholiers), MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) and Funny Story (Dir.: Michael Gallagher).   A full list of winners is below:

    Jury Awards | Narrative Features

    Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize – Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens) Honorable Mentions: Fake Tattoos (Dir.: Pascal Plante) and Lovers (Dir.: Niels Holstein Kaa)

    Jury Awards | Documentary Features, Documentary Shorts

    Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize – Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End (Dir.: Pablo Bryant) Honorable Mention – MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize – Nueva Vida (Dir.: Jonathan Seligson) Honorable Mention: The Last Man You Meet (Dir.: Chris Bone)

    Jury Awards – Narrative Shorts

    Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah) Honorable Mention: Goodbye, Brooklyn (Dir.: Daniel Jaffe)

    Jury Awards – Experimental Shorts/ Animated Shorts

    Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Are You Tired Of Forever? (Dir.: Caitlin Craggs) Honorable Mention: Silica (Dir.: Pia Borg) Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Interstitial (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi) Honorable Mention: Satellite Strangers (Dir.: James Bascara)

    Slamdance Acting Award:

    Rhaechyl Walker (My Name is Myeisha)

    Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner:

    Wendy McColm (Dir. of Birds Without Feathers)

    CreativeFuture Innovation Award:

    Railment (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi)

    The Russo Brothers Fellowship Award Winner:

    Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah)

    Audience Awards:

    Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens) Runner up: Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Dir.: Bert Scholiers) Audience Award for Documentary Feature: Freedom For The Wolf (Dir.: Rupert Russell) Runner up: MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) Audience Award for Beyond Feature: My Name Is Myeisha (Dir.: Gus Krieger) Runner up: Funny Story (Dir.: Michael Gallagher)

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  • 2018 Slamdance Film Festival to Open with World Premiere of “Pick Of The Litter”

    [caption id="attachment_26597" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Pick Of The Litter Pick Of The Litter[/caption] The Special Screenings program for the 24th edition of the Slamdance Film Festival features provocative work from remarkable talent that celebrates the festival’s DIY spirit. The festival will present four features in the Special Screenings Program: Bernard and Huey, directed by Dan Mirvish; Roll With Me, directed by Lisa France; Quest, directed by Santiago Rizzo; and the world premiere of Pick Of The Litter, directed by Don Hardy and Slamdance alumni Dana Nachman. Pick Of The Litter will screen as the festival’s Opening Night Film presentation.  The Special Screenings program will also feature the festival’s closing night film, Bernard and Huey, a narrative feature directed by Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish and written by Pulitzer Prize and Oscar-winning cartoonist, playwright, and screenwriter, Jules Feiffer. Slamdance will host a filmmaker discussion with Slamdance Alumni, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo. The conversation, moderated by Slamdance Co-Founder and President Peter Baxter, will highlight the filmmaking duo’s history with the fest and impart career insight for the this year’s class of Slamdance filmmakers. During the discussion, Slamdance will also honor the Russo Brothers with the Founders Award, which is presented to a Slamdance alumni who has continued to support the indie spirit of the festival well into their careers. The award was first presented in 2015 to director Christopher Nolan (Inception, Dunkirk). The 2018 Slamdance Film Festival will run January 19-25.

    SPECIAL SCREENING LINEUP

    Bernard and Huey (USA) – Narrative Feature Director: Dan Mirvish Screenwriter: Jules Feiffer Synopsis: From a script by Oscar/Pulitzer-winner Jules Feiffer (Carnal Knowledge), this is the story of two men behaving badly, and the strong women who rein them in. Cast: Jim Rash, David Koechner, Mae Whitman, Sasha Alexander, Eka Darville, Richard Kind, Nancy Travis, Bellamy Young Pick Of The Litter (USA) World Premiere – Documentary Feature Directors: Dana Nachman, Don Hardy Screenwriter: Dana Nachman Synopsis: Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from birth through the day they make it to become a Guide Dog and into the hands of a blind person, or… get cut from the program. The audience comes along on the two-year odyssey as the five dogs train to become guide dogs. Only the best dog will make the cut. Quest (USA) Narrative Feature Director: Santiago Rizzo Synopsis: Quest is a non-romantic story of love, about a friendship between a 12-year-old graffiti addict who faces constant abuse from his step-father, and a teacher named Tim Moellering who believes there is no such thing as a bad kid — only a bad situation. Based on the stories of their lives, the first draft of Quest was written by director Santiago Rizzo and his teacher Tim Moellering. This is their story. Screenwriters: Santiago Rizzo, Darren Anderson Cast: Dash Mihok, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lakeith Stanfield, Betsy Brandt, Greg Kasyan, Marlyne Barrett, Sepideh Moafi, Tobit Raphael Roll With Me (USA) Documentary Feature Director: Lisa France Screenwriter: Jeff Buccellato, Lisa France Documentary Subjects: Gabriel Cordell, Christopher Kawas Synopsis: After hitting rock-bottom, a newly sober paraplegic attempts to save his gang-banger nephew’s life by bringing him along on a 3,100-mile wheelchair trek across the United States. What starts out as a challenge to push an unmodified wheelchair from California to New York, morphs into a transcendent journey.

    POLYTECHNIC PROGRAM

    The State of Film / Crowdfunding for Career Independence With Emily Best & Gerry Maravilla Friday, January 19 – Noon – 1:30pm Emily Best and Gerry Maravilla from Seed&Spark are here to share how crowdfunding can be an important tool for raising funds, widening your audience, and communicating with current and future fans in order to ensure that this isn’t the only project you make – it’s one of many in your lengthy filmmaking career. You’ll also find out why data, inclusion, and distro all factor into your success on Seed&Spark, the only platform with a 75% success rate for filmmakers. Learn why crowd-building has to occur before crowd-funding, how to set a realistic campaign goal, how to craft an effective pitch video, what the unique Seed&Spark feedback process is like, and how to continue your connection with your community after your campaign ends. Two Brothers, Twenty Years: The Russo Brothers’ Past and Future With Joe and Anthony Russo Saturday, January 20 – Noon – 1:30pm From their 1997 Slamdance premiere to their establishment of The Russo Brothers Fellowship at Slamdance 2018, Anthony and Joe Russo have seen the film industry change more (and more quickly) than it ever has before. While working on myriad projects over two decades, the Russos have seen old-fashioned theater-going give way to pocket computers, streaming services, and endless OnDemand options. Amidst these changes, the brothers rose to studio heights while retaining the authenticity and artist-driven focus of independent filmmakers. As mentors and partners, Anthony and Joe spend lunchtime with us, deconstructing the mythology of their own “indie success story,” and openly sharing the challenges they’ve faced and wisdom they’ve gained. (De)escalation Room by Columbia DSL With Lance Weiler and Nick Fortugno Sunday, January 21 – Noon – 2pm What if we built an environment inspired by negative conversations and behaviors found on social media platforms and in the real world? Inside of this environment, situations quickly escalate. But this time, we would be able to do something about it. The goal of the (De)escalation Room project is to design a creative framework that allows people to take the lead in creating their own immersive, collaborative experiences. Within these experiences, they’ll be able to teach each other how to identify escalating situations and safely de-escalate them; change norms around escalation; and leave room for self and group reflection on the process. At Slamdance this January, Columbia DSL will present the next iteration of the (De)escalation Room. This workshop-style experience will transform audience members into participants, working together to collaboratively explore de-escalation. When I Was You I Wish I Knew: The Ins and Outs of Distribution With John Charles Meyer & Cullen Hoback Monday, January 22 – Noon – 1:30pm Slamdance alums John Charles Meyer (Dave Made a Maze) and Cullen Hoback (What Lies Upstream) remember how exhausting, overwhelming, and scary a time like this can be, no matter what sort of distribution possibilities you’re considering. Social Media Charm School With Julie Keck and guest “influencer” Tuesday, January 23 – Noon – 1:30pm In this time of BRB and OMG, charm and relationship building can seem like a lost art. However, a little charm can go a long way, especially if you’re trying to gather a following for your amazing cinematic endeavors. In this session, find out how to put your best face forward on social media to make real connections with your audience, potential collaborators, influencers, ambassadors, and friends. Based on years for filmmaking, film marketing, and social media experience, Julie Keck from Seed&Spark will walk you through the platforms you should be on, how much time you should spend on them, how to strike the right tone, how to use social media during a crowdfunding or other campaign, and how to do all of this and still have time left over to, you know, make movies. Bonus: Everyone who attends will get a free digital copy of Julie’s book Social Media Charm School. Happy early birthday. Art Of The Pitch With Julie Keck & Emily Best Wednesday, January 24 – Noon – 1:30pm Your dream project is often rattling around in your head (and then on your laptop) for years before you share it with anyone else. And when it’s time to share it with potential collaborators, investors, or audience members, it can be hard to sum up all of your hard work into a quick 5-minute pitch. Don’t worry – you’ll get there. It just takes practice. This workshop-style program is for filmmakers ready to start putting their work into the world, as effectively as possible. Emily Best and Julie Keck of Seed&Spark will share tips about how to present your idea to different audience, how to prepare for meetings, and why practice is your friend. Be prepared to practice your 5-minute pitch in a safe and secure space, with others in your shoes. And if we’re lucky, we might ask you to pitch to the whole group. No time like the present to build your audience, right? You do not have to have a practices, readied pitch to attend this session, only an idea for your next project and a willingness to both share your idea and listen to others. Ready? Let’s do this. Life As a Truly Independent Filmmaker: A Survival Guide With Noel Lawrence, Robert Koehler, Titanic Sinclair, Jennifer Goodridge, and Alissa Torvinen Thursday, January 25 – Noon – 1:30pm While the fine arts emphasize the aesthetic and imaginative freedom of creators, the ‘entertainment’ industry is based upon commercial success. However, a small but vocal minority of auteurs practice cinema as an art form. Some of them work in avant-garde film. Others spend years constructing a couple minutes of animation. A precious few become renowned ‘cult’ directors. All of them feel compelled to pursue personal visions. But in order to produce work that goes against the grain, these filmmakers must take roads less traveled in their career path. How is that possible? This discussion explores how career artists survive in a system that does not favor the bold. If you are wondering how to pay your rent without selling out to the man, this panel may be for you. Daily Legal Clinics With Pierce Law Group Friday, January 19 – Monday, January 22 – 10am-11am Pierce Law Group will be providing an all-encompassing look at the process of funding, producing, and distributing films, television, and new media. Our team will offer in-depth looks at the many factors in getting an independent project off the ground, from script clearance and E & O insurance, to actor and writer agreements, to on-set safety, to finding distribution, as well as a look at the litigation side of the entertainment industry. We examine current legal trends from the perspective of the independent filmmaker, and create an open forum during which filmmakers can engage in a discussion about the perpetually changing legal landscape.

    DIG LINEUP

    (De)escalation Room Columbia University’s School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab and School of Social Work’s SAFElab, and is led by storyteller, entrepreneur and Slamdance Alumnus Lance Weiler and Nick Fortugno. The goal of the (De)escalation Room project is to design a creative framework that will allow people to take the lead in creating their own experience. Within these experiences, they’ll be able to teach each other how to identify escalating situations and safely de-escalate them; change norms around escalation; and leave room for self and group reflection on the process BVOVB: Bruising Vengeance of the Vintage Boxer by Michal Rostocki Your glory days as a boxer are long gone. Once a champ, now a bum. All you care about is beer and your dog – Max the Rottweiler. Unfortunately your faithful dog has been stolen and you must get him back and punish the ones responsible. The game is inspired by classic arcade brawlers (Double Dragon, Final Fight) with many enemies, some boss fights and a simple storyline. All in the style of old silent movies with a ragtime themed soundtrack. Both characters and backgrounds are based on original black-and-white photos from the ‘20s and ‘30s. The Game: The Game by Angela Washko The Game: The Game is a video game presenting the practices of several prominent seduction coaches (aka pick-up artists) through the format of a dating simulator. In the game these pick-up gurus attempt to seduce the player using their signature techniques taken verbatim from their instructional books and video materials. The game sets up the opportunity for players to explore the complexity of the construction of social behaviors around dating as well as the experience of being a femme-presenting individual navigating this complicated terrain. Washko hopes to add levels of complexity to public conversations around both pick-up and feminism which have both found themselves most often presented in highly polarized, dichotomous positions in mainstream media.

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  • 2018 Slamdance Film Festival Complete Beyond and Shorts Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_26593" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Goodbye, Brooklyn Goodbye, Brooklyn[/caption] This year’s 2018 Slamdance Film Festival which kicks off on Friday January 19 thru 25 in Park City, Utah,  will feature an impressive Beyond and Shorts programs for their 24th edition.  The short film lineup showcases productions from 26 countries, with shorts in the Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Anarchy and Experimental sections all eligible for the 2018 Oscar® Qualifying Shorts competition. Several Slamdance Alumni return with highly anticipated presentations in the Beyond lineup. All films in this highly-selective program are made by emerging filmmakers working just beyond their first features.
    “The films in the Beyond Program exhibit singular directorial vision while sharing a common commitment to challenge audiences to step outside their comfort zones,” says Beyond programmer, Josh Mandel. “These bold and adventurous filmmakers represent the most current voices in American independent film, and will continue to push boundaries in the years ahead.”Along with continued standout programming in every category, Anarchy Shorts promises another year of exuberantly subversive cinema. “The Department of Anarchy has curated a diverse program of sublime, dangerous, and deviant films that provide shock therapy to the soul.” says Anarchy Shorts programmer, Noel Lawrence. “We hope to provoke, challenge, and enlighten audiences by smashing the status quo on any and all levels.”

    BEYOND PROGRAM

    Back at the Staircase (USA) World Premiere Director: Drew Britton Five distinctive people, each with a flimsy coping strategy, find themselves stuck together after an accident. Cast: Jennifer Lafleur, Stephen Plunkett, Leonora Pitts, Mickey O’Hagan, Logan Lark, Heather LaVine Funny Story (USA) World Premiere Director: Michael Gallagher After years of being a neglectful father, a womanizing TV star decides to crash his estranged daughter’s vacation in Big Sur. Cast: Matthew Glave, Emily Bett Rickards, Jana Winternitz, Nikki Limo, Lily Holleman, Jessica Diggins, Pete Gardner, Reginald VelJohnson My Name is Myeisha (USA) World Premiere Director: Gus Krieger A beloved teenager crosses over into a hip-hop-musical dreamscape at the moment of her tragic death and contemplates her life; what it was and what it could have been. Cast: Rhaechyl Walker, John Merchant, Dominique Toney, Dee Dee Stephens, Yvette Cason, Gregg Daniel The Rainbow Experiment (USA) World Premiere Director: Christina Kallas An investigation uncovers more than just blame at a Manhattan high school when a science experiment permanently injures a student. Cast: Chris Beetem, Francis Benhamou, Christian Coulson, Kevin Kane, Nina Mehta, Laura Pruden, Connor Siemer, Lauren Sowa, Swann Gruen, Christine McLaughlin Savage Youth (USA) World Premiere Director: Michael Curtis Johnson The lives of six troubled teens in a racially-divided small town take a violent turn over drugs and broken hearts. Based on true events. Cast: Grace Victoria Cox, Tequan Richmond, Will Brittain, Chloe Levine, Mitchell Edwards, J. Michael Trautmann, Sasha Feldman, Tomas Pais

    NARRATIVE SHORTS

    The 99 Steps Left from the Square (Finland, Turkey) Director: Sevgi Eker The iron gate safeguarding an old man’s peace is opened. Cast: Sirin Erensoy, Yasemin Erensoy, Salih Kalafatoglu, Hasan Kurun Abbas Kiarostami; The Director (Iran) Director: Mohsen Khodabakhshi A boy wants to take a photo with Abbas Kiarostami… Cast: Mani Sherafat – Nazli Gorgani – Shahed Sherafat Audition (USA) Director: Richard Van Unable to find a sitter, an aspiring actress has no choice but to drag her 3-year old son to her audition. Cast: Shaquita Lopez, Nezih Lopez, Ernest Walker Jr, Laura Price Clean Blood (USA) World Premiere Director: Jordan Michael Blake A family drama about Christmas, The Apocalypse and an IMMACULATELY PREGNANT man. Cast: Jordan Michael Blake, Stephanie Allynne Falling (USA) World Premiere Director: Ewen Wright A potentially psychosomatic white man, a woman stuck in a vortex of “man-splaining,” and a young black man caught in a racially charged standoff are set on a collision course as society falls apart around them in this absurdist dark comedy. Cast: Sarah Hollis, Elijah Reed, Davey Johnson Flatbush Misdemeanors (USA) Director: Dan Perlman, Kevin Iso Longtime friends Dan and Kevin adjust to their evolving surroundings in the unforgiving environment of Flatbush, Brooklyn. A raw comedy of city life. Cast: Drew Dowdey, Kareem Green, Kevin Iso, Dan Perlman Goodbye, Brooklyn (USA) World Premiere Director: Daniel Jaffe Struggling with New York living, Dana Schapiro decides to move, saying goodbye to a neighborhood that can barely remember who she is… Cast: Michelle Uranowitz, Angela Pietropinto, Luke Marinkovich, Ione Saunders Hail Mary Country (USA) World Premiere Director: Tannaz Hazemi Macho grandmother Irene Dandy has to defend her family of football fanatics from a gang led by a cocky thief named Nora. Cast: Vera Cherny, Catherine Taber, Lori Jean Wilson, Alison Yates Iris (Canada) Director: Gabrielle Demers As the storm rages outside a special lust for Laura grows inside Emanuelle. Cast: Marie Babbini, Daphné Germain Katalysis (Sweden) World Premiere Director: Ashley Michael Briggs A doctor and an artist use Anna’s body as an tool to further their own professional progress. Cast: Moa Nilsson, Adam Stålhammar, Peter Hildén, Anna Ladegaard The Knits (Canada) US Premiere Director: Lisa Birke A sweater, lovingly and arduously knit by a mother, incrementally unravels as her daughter treks her way across Canada by foot. Cast: Barbara Birke; Lisa Birke Magic Bullet (USA) World Premiere Director: Amanda Lovejoy Street A psychologist combats grief with self-soothing rituals; a shopping network host obliterates hers in a self-destructive haze. They collide in a televised confrontation. Cast: Rosemarie DeWitt, Molly Parker Night on Floating Island (Australia) North American Premiere Director: Jack Atherton From a storm drain, a strange man watches a tourist rollerblading through an unfamiliar nightscape in search of his missing girlfriend or an anonymous sexual encounter in a park. Cast: Gavin Drumm, Annie Schofield, André Shannon, Kate Coates Ok, Call Me Back (USA) Director: Emily Ann Hoffman Craving companionship, a woman leaves a voicemail late at night. Cast: Emily Ann Hoffman Onikuma (Italy, USA) Director: Alessia Cecchet Surrounded by a foreign landscape, two women will understand that demons can come in different forms. Cast: Sandy Siquier, Sarineh Garapetian Parthenon (USA) Director: Frank Mosley A naked body moves a stranger to empathy. Cast: Lily Baldwin, Tallie Medel, Thiago Martins Reunion 1 (USA) World Premiere Director: Brock Neilson The artist re-enters a space from their childhood as an adult and is struck both by the haunting tone of the setting and an indelible memory from the past. Rupture (Jordan, Canada) US Premiere Director: Yassmina Karajah Rupture follows the journey of four Arab kids whose repressed traumas surface during their quest to find a public pool in their new city. Cast: Asaad Al Arid Salam Almarzouq Hussein Al Ahmad Wazira Al Ahmad Slap Happy (Canada) US Premiere Director: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli A dysfunctional couple with a penchant for twisted sexual fantasies fight to stay together as their relationship crumbles over the course of a day. Cast: Jesse LaVercombe, Madeleine Sims-Fewer That Thing (USA) World Premiere Director: Dan Roe Tabby is conflicted about Patrick’s sexual quirk. Cast: Claire Lucido, Sam Yarabek The Things You Think I’m Thinking (Canada) US Premiere Director: Sherren Lee A black male burn-survivor and amputee goes on a date with a regularly-abled man for the first time since his accident, ten years ago. Cast: Prince Amponsah, Jesse LaVercombe Transmission (USA) Director: Morgan McGlothan Father, daughter, and her 1999 Toyota Camry. Cast: Darrin McGlothan, Morgan McGlothan The Troubled Troubadour (South Korea) North American Premiere Director: Forest Ian Etsler & Sébastien Simon An embittered old musician embarks on a journey which becomes the outward manifestation of his inner landscape. Cast: Kasuga “Hachi” Hirofumi, Tetsu Kono, Lee Hwajin, Kang Saneh Welcome To Bushwick (USA) World Premiere Director: Henry Jinings On the heels of a successful first date, Evan and Marceline end up back at her place. Cast: Tim Platt, Liba Vaynberg Whales (Iran) North American Premiere Director: Behnam Abedi A police officer and a soldier are assigned to investigate a case wherein seven dead bodies are found on a beach. Cast: Majid Norouzi, Khosrow Shahraz, Majid Aghakarimi

    DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM

    Big Surf (USA) Director: Brian Smee San Francisquito Cyn, March 12th, 1928: The sound a horse makes as it’s drowning. Do I Have Boobs Now? (Canada) Director: Milena Salazar, Joella Cabalu A trans activist’s journey to challenge Facebook and Instagram’s censorship policies. Ex Nihilo (Finland) World Premiere Director: Timo Wright Ex Nihilo is an experimental short documentary about a doomsday seed vault, an advanced robot and a cryonics facility. Homeland (Belgium) Director: Sam Peeters Homeland is a creative documentary about right-wing populism and narrow-mindedness in the Belgian suburbs. House (Iceland, USA) Director: Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson A meditation on emigration and immigration, house and home. Icon (Poland) US Premiere Director: Wojciech Kasperski An old doctor who has spent his life working at a psychiatric hospital in the Siberian countryside – The place, which was inaccessible for film crews, can be shown thanks to its residents, some of whom spent several decades at the hospital. The Last Man You Meet (USA) Director: Chris Bone Take an exclusive look inside the gritty business of death as a third-generation funeral director reflects on his life. Lorem Ipsum (pain itself) (USA) Director: Gabrielle Kash A handmade look at why artists hate making, and keep making art. Nueva Vida (USA) Director: Jonathan Seligson A ball, some brains, and a lot of fluids. A cautionary true tale on the dangers of playing soccer from my dear brother, Kenny. Phototaxis (USA) Director: Melissa Ferrari Rooted in nonfiction, “Phototaxis” connects Mothman, a prophetic demon in West Virginia folklore, and Narcotics Anonymous, the primary treatment program in West Virginia’s addiction epidemic. Pocket Sized Feminism (USA) Director: Valerie Schenkman “This house is for wallpaper women. What good is wallpaper that speaks?” Women speak out about women’s rights, or human rights. Quiet Hours (USA) Director: Paul Szynol Donald Hall, America’s Poet Laureate and winner of the National Medal of Arts, lives in the fragile space between loneliness and solitude. Taobao (USA) Director: Noah Sheldon Modelling for China’s largest online shopping site, Taobao. True Love in Pueblo Textil (Cuba, USA) US Premiere Director: Horatio Baltz Nine-year-old Maribel explains to us how it feels to be stricken with the world’s oldest infliction: love. Where Are You From (USA, China) Director: Xizi “Cecilia” Hua In a world where western values dominate, coming to America as a “Parachute Kid” makes the filmmaker feel ashamed of her “Chinese” and “foreign” identity.

    ANIMATION SHORTS PROGRAM

    Airport (Switzerland, Croatia) Director: Michaela Müller An exploration of the place in modern society where the limits of borders, security, and tolerance are constantly tested. Ascribed Achievements (Iran) Director: Samaneh Shojaei A man’s suicide attempt leads to the idea that fate is breakable. Black Dog (USA) Director: Joshua Dean Tuthill A dark family drama set during the space race of the 1960’s, utilizing stop-motion animation and archival footage to elucidate a time of heated social and political tension. Gusla ou les Malins (France) US Premiere Director: Adrienne Nowak Adrienne goes back to Poland to see her grandmother and ask her family about communism. In their cozy kitchen she will learn about the spirits that haunt the Polish imagination and the unexpected superstitions used to face them. Icebergs (USA, Greece) North American Premiere Director: Eirini Vianelli An existential, dark comedy of 14 stop-motion vignettes both mundane and absurd. Interstitial (Japan) North American Premiere Director: Shunsaku Hayashi A hybrid project of a painting and additive animation exploring a spacelessness of humanity in the defined space of a canvas of a continuous horizon. Mak (USA) Director: Natalya Serebrennikova Searching for opium, Big Macs, and cultural identity, a teenager visits her hometown in Russia and finds that her best friend has already grown up. Mountain Castle Mountain Flower Plastic (USA) Director: Annapurna Kumar The most efficient containers can store multiple pieces of information in the same location, intersecting from different angles. Railment (Japan) Director: Shunsaku Hayashi In the anonymous crowds of commuter rail lines, it’s possible to move at high speeds while remaining perfectly still. The Realm of Deepest Knowing (South Korea) Director: Kim Seung-hee A playful exploration of how knowing someone on the deepest level becomes a love that spans across objects. Red Fat Cat (Germany) Director: Klaus Hoefs A singer-songwriter animation confronting the dichotomy of drowned refugees washing up on a public beach while residents go about their settled, everyday lives filled with antique cars, dogs, and cats. Satellite Strangers (USA) World Premiere Director: James Bascara A zoom into a microscopic world reveals a strange cacophony.

    EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS PROGRAM

    38 River Road (USA, Switzerland) Director: Josh Weissbach Fear resides in the gesture of a telling. Are you tired of forever? (USA) World Premiere Director: Caitlin Craggs A surreal meditation on the experience of self. Cloud Of Petals (USA) Director: Sarah Meyohas At the former Bell Labs, sixteen workers photograph 100,000 individual rose petals to map out an artificial intelligence algorithm that learns to generate new petals forever. I’m Not Sure (Germany) World Premiere Director: Gabriel Hensche By confronting an app with Surrealist paintings I’m Not Sure explores the psychology of artificial intelligence. No Stories Now (USA) Director: CT Bishop Hopefully, in moving toward weakness, there can be recognition of false relief. Silica (Australia, UK) Director: Pia Borg An unseen location scout explores an opal mining town in South Australia in this sci-fi-laced essay film, which finds in this semi-deserted region both the traces of indigenous culture and remnants of cinema history.

    ANARCHY SHORTS PROGRAM

    AniMal (Iran) Director: Bahram Ark, Bahman Ark A man disguises himself as a ram to cross a border into another land. Cast: Davoud Nourpour Breaker (Japan) Director: Philippe McKie In tomorrow’s Tokyo, the technologically-enhanced body of a young mercenary hacker is overrun by a sentient data weapon. Cast: Yuka Tomatsu / Arisa Hanzawa / Kazuya Shimizu Clipping. – “Back Up” (USA) US Premiere Director: Anna Zlokovic An unnamed filmmaker stumbles upon a horrifying discovery—an underground cult-like society where adults have baby faces and milk is the drug of choice. Cast: Daveed Diggs, Antwon, Signor Benedick The Moor Information Superhighway (USA) World Premiere Director: Mathew Nelson A man participates in an experiment to test artificial intelligence in driverless cars. Cast: Luke Banham, Elias Harger, Anna Faye Hunter , Michael Lee Little Wonder (USA) World Premiere Director: Jojo Carlman This refreshing tale of puppet sexuality follows Username: Stray_Cat as he trolls internet dating sites and vaguely meditates on the loneliness of death. Cast: Christine Moore, Daegan Palmero, Brisco Diggs, and David Breen III Love After TIme (Taiwan) Director: Tsai Tsung-han After a nuclear explosion, two mutant humans fall in love. Cast: Lee Hong chi, Nana Lee Manila Death Squad (Phillipines, USA) Director: Dean Colin Marcial An ambitious journalist challenges the leader of a violent vigilante group to a high-stakes drinking game. Its outcome may score her a scoop… or a bullet to the head. Cast: Sid Lucero, Annicka Dolonius The Order of the Orchid (USA) World Premiere Director: Alex Italics A lonely spinster’s failed attempt at arranging flowers summons an ominous shadowy figure that sends her into a psychedelic netherworld to confront her own mediocrity. Cast: Juliette James, Sean T. Randolph Santa Ana (Spain, USA) North American Premiere Director: César Pesquera Part art-film, part documentary, Santa Ana aims to elucidate the link between evil and the famed Santa Ana winds, extremely dry down-slope winds in Southern California supposedly responsible for a tense, uneasy, wrathful mood among the people of Los Angeles. Steve’s Kinkoes (USA) World Premiere Director: Emma Debany A man copies posters for his missing (and dead) cat at an otherworldly 24/7 photocopy shop. What will happen to him if he stays forever? Cast: Timmy Gibson, Chance Bartels, John Archer Lundgren

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  • Michael Curtis Johnson’s “Savage Youth” to World Premiere at Slamdance Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_26587" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Grace Victoria Cox in 'Savage Youth' (PRNewsfoto/HIVENTURE MEDIA SA) Grace Victoria Cox in ‘Savage Youth’[/caption] “Savage Youth”, directed by Michael Curtis Johnson (“Hunky Dory“), and produced by Michael Peluso (Producer of TV’s “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent”) has been officially selected to premiere worldwide at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival.  Savage Youth will be featured in the “Beyond” program. “The films in the Beyond Program exhibit singular directorial vision while sharing a common commitment to challenge audiences to step outside their comfort zones”, says Beyond programmer, Josh Mandel. “These bold and adventurous filmmakers represent the most current voices in American independent film, and will continue to push boundaries in the years ahead.” A brutal examination of doomed youth exiled to society’s edge, “Savage Youth” portrays the lives of six troubled teens in a racially-divided small town while events take a violent turn over drugs and broken hearts. The worldwide Premier will be on Monday the 22nd of January 2018 at 21:45 at the “Gallery”, Slamdance HQ, Screening Rooms and Filmmaker Lounge. Thomas Sanne, Director of Hiventure Media SA, has quoted: “We are thrilled to participate in such an exciting Festival with this amazing project and team behind it, in which we believe strongly. We are especially honoured as this is our first foray as Hiventure Media into Film, and are excited by what the future will bring.” Starring Grace Victoria Cox (“Heathers”, “Under the Dome”, “Twin Peaks”), Tequan Richmond (“General Hospital”, “The Shield”, “CSI”, “Everybody Hates Chris”), Will Brittain (“Kong: Skull Island”, “Everybody Wants Some!!”), Chloe Levine (“The OA”, “House of Cards”, “The Transfiguration”), it is based on true events. Steve Dollar, the “Wall Street Journal Online” and “Billboard” contributor, has quoted: “Savage Youth (…), is both stylized and understated in its slow-burn towards a brutal true-crime episode drawn from events in the filmmaker’s hometown of Joliet.”

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  • Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2018 Feature Film Competition Lineup + Russo Fellowship Award

    [caption id="attachment_25678" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]Rock Steady Row Rock Steady Row[/caption] The Slamdance Film Festival today unveiled its narrative and documentary feature film competition lineup for its 24th edition, taking place January 19 to 25, 2018 in Park City, Utah. The feature competition lineup will showcase 10 narrative and eight documentary features. All competition films are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million and without U.S. distribution. Captain America: Civil War directors and alumni Anthony and Joe Russo are partnering with Slamdance for the inaugural Russo Fellowship award. The award winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and mentorship from the Russo brothers in the development of the winner’s next project at their new Los Angeles-based studio. Every participating filmmaker at the 2018 festival is eligible for this prize. The award will be presented annually. “The Russo brothers exemplify our ‘by filmmakers for filmmakers’ paradigm,” says Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter. “They are joined by a great number of dedicated alumni who’ve shown when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, Slamdance’s independent and grassroots film community really can do it themselves.” “Born out of rejection, Slamdance’s artist-led group continues to discover cutting edge talent creating work outside of convention. Our 2018 competition lineup is daring, varied, and vivid. It represents the spirit of our time and leads us into the future.”

    2018 Slamdance Film Festival Feature Film Competition Lineup

    NARRATIVE FEATURES

    Birds Without Feathers (USA) World Premiere Director: Wendy McColm Screenwriter: Wendy McColm Desperate for human interaction, six emotionally damaged individuals risk self respect, shedding their disillusionment in a last grasp for happiness. A cruel-world comedy populated by struggling Instagram stars, Russian cowboys, Self-help gurus and more, their lives collide and crash in astounding ways. Cast: Wendy McColm, Lenae Day Cooper Oznowicz, William Gabriel Greer, Sara Estefanos, and Alexander Stasko Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Belgium) World Premiere Director: Bert Scholiers Screenwriter: Bert Scholiers Two Girls. One Night. Magical Candy Consumed. Twenty-somethings, Charlie and Hannah, find themselves strolling through the city as events take a wildly surreal turn. Transported to a trippy galaxy, filled with cosmic wisdom and contradictions, the pair learn to realize the search for love can take many forms. Cast: Evelien Bosmans, Daphne Wellens, Patrick Vervueren Fake Tattoos (Canada) US Premiere Director: Pascal Plante Screenwriter: Pascal Plante Shy Theo finds himself unexpectedly kicked in the heart by a punk-rock romance on his 18th birthday as Mag bursts into his life for a rollicking encounter. Set against a backdrop of music and mayhem, this coming-of-age tale, explores the thrashing fragility of summer love as life choices and separation loom with no true answers in sight. Cast: Anthony Therrien, Rose-Marie Perreault Fish Bones (USA) World Premiere Director: Joanne Mony Park Screenwriter: Joanne Mony Park Hana, a Korean immigrant on winter break, is caught between worlds. While struggling to find peace with her conservative mother and the expectations surrounding her future, Hana finds herself falling for Nico, a tender and affectionate Latina music producer. Cast: Joony Kim, Cris Gris Human Affairs (USA) World Premiere Director: Charlie Birns Screenwriter: Charlie Birns This richly earnest drama follows Geneviève, a surrogate who must reckon with her ambivalence about the pregnancy and her precarious feelings for the parents-to-be. Cast: Dominic Fumusa, Kerry Condon, David Harbour, Julie Sokolowski Lovers (Denmark) US Premiere Director: Niels Holstein Kaa Screenwriter: Magnus B. B. Lysbakken In the streets, parks and cafes of Copenhagen, a triptych of love stories come to vivid life. Framed with a superb naturalism, these tales through the seasons tackle the ever rising tide of loneliness and self-doubt that can come in the face of new love. Cast: Marie Mailand, Niklas Herskind, Nina Terese Rask M/M (Canada, Germany) World Premiere Director: Drew Lint Screenwriter: Drew Lint Wayward Canadian, Matthew, crushed by the isolation of being new to Berlin, turns his sexual desires toward Matthias that spiral into a dark fixation of assumed identity. Soon, this obsessive power struggle between the two, careens toward brutal passion and violence in a bid for dominance. Cast: Antoine Lahaie, Nicolas Maxim Endlicher Rock Steady Row (USA) World Premiere Director: Trevor Stevens Screenwriter: Bomani Story Demented chaos rules this bizarro-world college campus where the reigning gang-frats target a freshman, who dare crosses their path. Trapped between a blaze of twisted ‘Mad Max’ style power games, he shrewdly plays both sides, fueling apocalyptic-sized battles that escalate to ensnare the school Dean who’s coming unglued. Cast: Heston Horwin, Diamond White, Logan Huffman, Isaac Alisma, Allie Marie Evans, Larry Miller, Peter Gilroy Songs in the Sun (Denmark) US Premiere Director: Kristian Sejrbo Lidegaard Screenwriter: Allan Hyde, Kristian Sejrbo Lidegaard Off the coast of Denmark, young Anna discovers she is the only lifeline to ailing childhood friend Julie and Sonja, Julie’s apathetic mother. Over the course of one momentous afternoon, Anna will learn the healing power of belief and myth-making in everyday living Cast: Emma Sehested Høeg, Charlotte Munck, Victoria Carmen Sonne The Starry Sky Above Me (France) US Premiere Director: Ilan Klipper Screenwriter: Ilan Klipper, Raphaël Neal Bruno is happy to live out his days luxuriating in the existential highs and lows only a brilliant literary mind can appreciate. But when his loved ones seek to intervene with the help of a psychiatrist, Bruno’s bohemian lifestyle may in fact be the perfect anecdote to the colorless, PC lives they didn’t know they hated. Cast: Laurent Poitrenaux, Camille Chamoux, Marilyne Canto, Alma Jodorowsky, François Chattot, Michèle Moretti, Frank Williams

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    Circus Ecuador (Ecuador, USA) World Premiere Directors: Ashley Bishop and Jim Brassard James and Ashley travel to the jungles of Ecuador to make a documentary about a school being built for an indigenous community only to discover that the community may or may not be involved in aliens, gold smuggling, human trafficking, and murder. Freedom for the Wolf (Germany, USA) Director: Rupert Russell From Hong Kong to Tunisia to Bollywood, people are fighting against elected leaders dismantling freedom and democracy. These seemingly disparate international stories are cohesively tied into what is happening in the US to reach some very compelling conclusions. Ingrid (USA) World Premiere Director: Morrisa Maltz An intimate look at a woman who left her life as a successful fashion designer and mother in Texas to become a reclusive hermit, immersed in nature, focused solely on creating art. Instant Dreams (Netherlands) North American Premiere Director: Willem Baptist An essayistic quest for the secret of instant film, the magic appeal of Polaroid and what that tells us about the fascinating relationship we have with the photographic image. Man on Fire (USA) World Premiere Director: Joel Fendelman Grand Saline, Texas was a sleepy, unremarkable town–until a white preacher lit himself on fire to protest the town’s racism in 2014. MexMan (USA) World Premiere Director: Josh Polon Germán is a young artist and filmmaker struggling to complete his first feature film and express his undying love to a girl, while secretly living at an airport and trying to stay sane. Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End (USA) Director: Pablo Bryant This personal documentary follows a controversial political cartoonist as he struggles to provide for his family and stay true to his creativity in a world where biting satiric humor has an ever-diminishing commercial value. Sunnyside (Belgium, Netherlands) North American Premiere Director: Frederik Carbon On a seaside mountain in Northern California two old friends (one a visionary architect and the other an influential sound artist) dream, talk, live, and create.

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  • ‘HONEY BUDDIES’ ‘THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK’ ‘DRIFTWOOD’ Win Top Awards at Slamdance Film Festival

    HONEY BUDDIES by Alex Simmons The 22nd Slamdance Film Festival announced the feature and short film recipients of this year’s Sparky awards in the Audience, Jury, and Sponsored Categories. The Audience Award for Narrative Feature went to HONEY BUDDIES by Alex Simmons (pictured), and the Audience Award for Documentary Feature went to THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK by Brian Golden David. THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK by Brian Golden David also won the Jury Award for Documentary Feature, and DRIFTWOOD by Paul Taylor is the winner of the Jury Award for Narrative Feature. “Congratulations to all of the filmmakers this year. Outside of winning a Sparky, as a collective they showed us the power of real independent film and how much it enriches our lives,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-founder. AUDIENCE AWARDS Audience Award for Narrative Feature: HONEY BUDDIES dir. by Alex Simmons When David is dumped just days before his wedding, Flula, his upbeat and very German best man, convinces him to go on David’s honeymoon together: a seven-day backpacking trip through the Oregon wilderness. On the trail, the two friends meet a conspiracy theorist, a friendly backpacker, and a bloodthirsty predator, on an unrelenting trek that tests their friendship and their lives. Audience Award for Documentary Feature: THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK dir. by Brian Golden David The Million Dollar Duck dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government. The Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, spawning a uniquely American subculture brimming with talent, big money, and migratory birds. The film follows the artists who competitively paint waterfowl in their obsessive quests to win the “Olympics of wildlife art.” JURY AWARDS – NARRATIVE This year’s Slamdance Narrative Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Julie La’Bassiere, Erik Jambor, & Damon Russell. Jury Award for Narrative Feature: DRIFTWOOD dir. by Paul Taylor “A thoroughly original outsider voice that leaves us eager to see what the filmmaker creates next.” The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group. Jury Honorable Mention for Acting-Narrative Feature: HUNKY DORY dir. by Michael Curtis Johnson, starring Tomas Pais and Edouard Holdener “Two breakout performances; a heartfelt story about love and families, both biological and chosen.” JURY AWARDS – DOCUMENTARY This year’s Slamdance Documentary Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Skizz Cyzyk, Vanessa Hope, & Steve Yu. Jury Award for Documentary Feature: THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, dir. by Brian Golden Davis “With humor and empathy, The Million Dollar Duck looks into the little-known world of avid, nature-loving duck painters who seek to win the glory and financial dividend of being on a federal stamp. Artfully shot and edited, with a colorful cast of characters, the film weaves these human stories into the larger picture of how the annual competition has served to create and protect America’s many wildlife refuges. It’s about more than the duck.” The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group. Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature: ART OF THE PRANK, dir. by Andrea Marini “Shining a spotlight on an interesting person whose mission isn’t likely to get exposure from the media, since the media is his deserving victim. Told with a mischievous glee, the artfulness of this film mirrors its content.” Jury Award for Documentary Short: IF MAMA AIN’T HAPPY, NOBODY’S HAPPY, dir. by Mea de Jong “Multi-generational traditions examined from two very different perspectives within a family. Charming sweetness and comedic sadness, all rolled into one thought-provoking short film. A film that makes clear the power of women who go it alone and take charge of their lives when men disappoint.” The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®. Jury Honorable Mention for Cinematography- Documentary Short: THE BULLET, dir. by Jordan Bahat, cinematography by Mike Gioulakis “Beautiful cinematography offering a peek into a profession most of us would never consider. And who doesn’t love the circus?” JURY AWARDS – SHORT FILMS The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Steve Montal, Ina Pira, and Mark Shapiro. Jury Award for Narrative Short: WINTER HYMNS, dir. by Dusty Mancinelli “A story where innocence, mischief and brazen confidence abruptly meet at a tragic crossroads. There is beauty and sadness here, and the director handles both with natural, unpretentious skill.” The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®. Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Short: THE BEAST, dir. by Daina Oniunas Pusic “The Beast, produced in Croatia, portrays the strained and codependent relationship of two aging women. It is a sophisticated and elegant portrayal of anger and despair.” Jury Award for Animation Short: MY DAD, dir. by Marcus Armitage “My Dad expresses compelling universal themes — the director’s powerful, heartbreaking message and the film’s bold, colorful palette are perfectly suited to his experimental animation format.” The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®. Jury Honorable Mention for Animation Short: FLAWS, dir. by Josh Shaffner “Flaws brilliantly portrays the trajectory of life and death within a world of helplessness. It beautifully interlaces images, icons, words and music to deliver a powerful piece of thought-provoking cinema in under three minutes.” The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by esteemed industry members Wally Chung, Dekker Dreyer, & Jack Sargeant. Jury Award for Experimental Short: INFRASTRUCTURES, dir. by Aurèle Ferrier “A pensive and serene vision that challenges the audience to consider and reevaluate not just the structure of film, but also the world in which we live.” Jury Honorable Mention for Experimental Short: CUP OF STARS, dir. by Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart “The beauty of the mutable universe and the individual; finding the transcendent in the everyday.” Jury Award for Anarchy Short: DISCO INFERNO, dir. by Alice Waddington “An emerging voice with a powerful aesthetic that pays homage to classic cinema while simultaneously affirming a future for visionary film.” Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short: GWILLIAM, dir. by Brian Lonano “Fucking visceral. A fresh take on goblin fun.” Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short: HI HOW ARE YOU DANIEL JOHNSTON? dir. by Gabriel Sunday “A dream meditation on music creativity, mental health, and lost love. A poignant journey into the psyche of the creative mind.” SPECIAL AWARDS Spirit of Slamdance Award: Cast and crew of FURSONAS, dir. by Dominic Rodriguez The Spirit of Slamdance is awarded by the filmmakers of Slamdance 2016. It goes to the filmmaker who best embodies the spirit of the festival, creatively promoting their film, joyfully participating in screenings and events, and generally putting good energy into the festival. The Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking awards were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Jeremy Osbern, Misti Boland, Lindsey Haun, Michael Dunaway, Ben Kasulke, Leah Shore & Tina Mabry. Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Grand Prize: SMALL TALK dir. by Hilary Campbell Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention: YOU WILL FIND A WAY dir. by A.J. Molle Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention: EYES OF THE CITY, dir. by Luke Randall

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  • 2016 Slamdance Film Festival Reveals Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition Lineup

    Hunky Dory, Michael Curtis Johnson The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival taking place from January 22rd to 28th, 2016 in Park City, Utah, announced their Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition. The programs for its 22nd Festival edition includes 12 narrative and 8 documentary films;  16 premieres – 12 World, 3 North American, and 1 US premieres. NARRATIVE FEATURES PROGRAM All the Colors of the Night Director: Pedro Severien; Screenwriter: Luiz Otávio Pereira (Brazil) Iris wakes up in her spacious seafront apartment, discovers a body in the living room and enlists the help of other women, setting off a spiral of redemption in an atmospheric drama of dark imagery and questionable reality. Cast: Sabrina Greve, Sandra Possani, Brenda Ligia, Giovanna Simões, Rômulo Braga Alvin’s Harmonious World of Opposites Director & Screenwriter: Platon Theodoris (Australia/Indonesia) North American Premiere Agoraphobic Alvin prefers stuffed pandas and online shopping to the aggressive rantings of his neighbor Virginia, until the sludge seeping from his ceiling forces him to search for answers in this offbeat comedy with a tender heart. Cast: Teik-Kim Pok, Vashti Hughes, Dessy Fitri, Ailis Logan, Nitin Vengurlekar, Tina Andrews, Alicia O’Donnel Chemical Cut Director & Screenwriter: Marjorie Conrad (USA) World Premiere 23-year-old Irene is an artistic misfit turned LA model busy searching for identity, inspiration and a kindred spirit while surrounded by competition, absurdity, and so many nude bras. Cast: Marjorie Conrad, Ian Coster, Leah Rudick, Michael Lucid, Stephen Saban, Deven Green, Nicolas Coster, Vicki Marlane Driftwood Director & Screenwriter: Paul Taylor (USA) World Premiere A young woman washes ashore and is claimed and conditioned by an older man in this intricately layered, dialogue-free exploration of familial roles, isolation and captivity. Cast: Joslyn Jensen, Paul C. Kelly, Michael Fentin Honey Buddies Director: Alex Simmons; Screenwriters: Alex Simmons, David Giuntoli, Flula Borg (USA) World Premiere Jilted groom David is convinced by his excitable best man Flula to continue with his planned honeymoon, a backcountry trek in the mountains of Oregon, in a highly comedic ode to friendship and the great outdoors. Cast: David Giuntoli, Flula Borg, Brian T. Finney, Claire Coffee, Jeanne Syquia Hunky Dory (pictured in main image) Director: Michael Curtis Johnson; Screenwriters: Michael Curtis Johnson, Tomas Pais (USA) World Premiere After his ex disappears, Sidney, a dive bar drag queen, is forced to look after his 11-year-old son in a tale of unconventional fatherhood, the fear of mediocrity, and the pulsing reality of dreams deferred. Cast: Tomas Pais, Peter Van Norden, Jeff Newburg, Joy Darash, Edouard Holdener, Nora Rothman, Chad Borden, Chad Hartigan If There’s A Hell Below Director: Nathan Williams; Screenwriters: Nathan Williams, Matthew Williams (USA) World Premiere In a desolate landscape, an ambitious young journalist in a dusty car meets covertly with a national security whistleblower, and their roving exchange becomes increasingly cloaked in paranoia, tension and escalating threat. Cast: Conner Marx, Carol Roscoe, Paul Budraitis, Mark Carr Last Summer Director: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli; Screenwriters: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli, Igort (Italy) US Premiere Last Summer, Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli Set on board a luxury yacht in sparkling international waters, this tense and stylish drama captures the four final days a mother is granted with her 6-year-old son to say goodbye after losing a custody battle. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Yorick van Wageningen, Lucy Griffiths, Laura Bach, Daniel Ball, Ken Brady The Lesson Director & Screenwriter: Ruth Platt (UK) North American Premiere A grisly study of the relationship between a tormented teacher and the troubled teens who bear his wrath once he snaps; this morally challenging horror film is dark, claustrophobic, and shockingly eloquent. Cast: Evan Bendall, Robert Hands, Michaela Prchalova, Tom Cox, Rory Coltart, Dolya Gavaniski, Michael Swatton, Charlotte Croft MAD Director & Screenwriter: Robert G. Putka (USA) World Premiere A matriarch past the point of a nervous breakdown, her two daughters that don’t give a damn, and the heat-seeking missiles of resentment they toss at each other create a lively backdrop for this dark and dramatic comedy. Cast: Jennifer Lafleur, Maryann Plunkett, Eilis Cahill, Mark Reeb, David Sullivan, Conor Casey, Shaun Weiss, Chris Doubek Neptune Director: Derek Kimball; Screenwriters: Derek Kimball, Matthew Konkel (USA) Set in the late 1980s on an island off the coast of Maine, an orphan girl raised by the church becomes obsessed by the disappearance of a classmate, and her haunted dreams and visions propel her to push past her sheltered life. Cast: Jane Ackermann, Tony Reilly, William McDonough III, Christine Louise Marshall, Dylan Chestnutt, Maureen Butler The Tail Job Directors & Screenwriters: Bryan Moses, Daniel Millar (Australia) World Premiere Nicholas hires a taxi driver to follow his fiancé when he suspects her of cheating in this micro-budget comedy action tale that makes every wrong turn crackle with genuine humor and unexpected insight. Cast: Blair Dwyer, Craig Anderson, Laura Hughes, Kellie Clarke, Dorje Swallow, Grant Dodwell, Gary Waddell, Ursula Mills DOCUMENTARY FEATURES PROGRAM 1ha 43a Director & Screenwriter: Monika Pirch (Germany) North American Premiere After inheriting a plot of farming land near Dusseldorf, Monika explores the potential of her field through administrative, historic and poetic methods and manages to reconnect with the land and her ancestry in a beautiful and unexpected way. Art of the Prank Director & Screenwriter: Andrea Marini (USA) Legendary funny man Joey Skaggs has been pulling Americas chain since 1965. His next hoax? Film festivals. Cast: Joey Skaggs, Robert Forster, Peter Maloney, Charlie Todd, Richard Johnson, Buck Wolf, Sarah Farrell, Jeff Cohen Dead Hands Dig Deep Director: Jai Love; Screenwriters: Jai Love, Spencer Heath (USA/Australia ) World Premiere From the isolation of his secluded desert compound Edwin Borsheim, founder of the shock metal band Kettle Cadaver, ruminates on a life of violence, mayhem and personal destruction lived on the absolute edge of the known musical universe. Fursonas Director & Screenwriter: Dominic Rodriguez (USA) World Premiere Fursonas, Dominic Rodriguez Like any community, the Furry world is one with gossipers, dreamers, followers, whistleblowers and the one guy who wants to rule them all. Los Punks; We Are All We Have Director: Angela Boatwright; Screenwriter: Christine Triano (USA) World Premiere A cobbled-together family of Hispanic youth comprise the thriving backyard punk scene of South Central and East L.A.: bands, fans, and production are interwoven into a sub-culture of thrash, noise and pits. Cast: Gary Alvarez, Nacho Corrupted, April Desmadre, Jennie Oi, Alex Pedorro, Natalie Rodriguera The Million Dollar Duck Director: Brian Golden Davis; Screenwriter: Martin J. Smith (USA) World Premiere Artists from different walks of life vie to win the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the U.S. government. Cast: The Hautman Brothers, Rebekah Nastav, Tim Taylor, Dee Dee Murry, Rob McBroom, Adam Grimm Myrtle Beach Directors: Neil Rough, Michael Fuller (Canada) World Premiere Myrtle Beach is a disturbingly intimate peek into the lives of the deviants, outcasts and forget-me-nows that inhabit this deformed stepsister of Coney Island. Peanut Gallery Director & Screenwriter: Molly Gandour (USA) An intimate and unflinching exploration of one family’s tragic loss and their attempt to heal after decades of silence. Cast: Jackson Gandour, Mary Jane Gandour, Molly Gandour, Aimee Gandour

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  • Slamdance to Release the Wrestling Doc THE RESURRECTION OF JAKE THE SNAKE | TRAILER

    The Resurrection of Jake the Snake Slamdance will partner with the filmmakers of The Resurrection of Jake the Snake for the multi-city theatrical release of the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival favorite documentary beginning in Portland, Oregon on September 2nd. The Portland Film Festival will host the film’s release with a special event screening of the documentary and a Q&A session moderated by UFC superstar Chael Sonnen with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page and director Steve Yu. The event format is a key element of the film’s continuing theatrical release with personal appearances by Jake “The Snake” Roberts, filmmakers and special guests. The theatrical release marks the initiation of Slamdance Presents, a new distribution moniker for Slamdance’s world premier programs dedicated to creating theatrical and other innovative commercial opportunities for independent filmmakers. The inspiring documentary feature opened the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival and went on to win critical acclaim as well as this unique theatrical distribution partnership with Slamdance Presents. When The Resurrection of Jake the Snake screens at Portland Film Festival, it may very well be the first time two festivals have come together to support a nationwide release of an independent film. Directed by Steve Yu, The Resurrection of Jake the Snake documents one of the most famous professional wrestlers in the world, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, as he battles his personal demons in a struggle to reclaim his life and the family that had given up on him. The feature-length documentary is also features Diamond Dallas Page and Scott Hall (aka Razor Ramon). Diamond Dallas Page is the film’s producer. We’re thrilled that Slamdance believes enough in our documentary to pursue this innovative theatrical strategy,” said the film’s director Steve Yu, “As filmmakers we were fortunate to be at the right place at the right time, and capturing Jake’s incredible story was as compelling as any fictional narrative – except this was 100% real.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwntL5wVWk Find Tickets Now Portland Film Festival. Portland, OR. Wednesday September 2, 2015. 8:15pm. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan Portland, OR 97219 Tickets Here Living Room Theater. Portland, OR. September 6-11, 2015. 341 SW Tenth Avenue Portland, OR 97205 Tickets Here Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. Atlanta, GA. September 18-24, 2015. 931 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Tickets Here  

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  • Sony Pictures to Release Branden Kramer’s Cyber-Suspense Thriller RATTER | VIDEO

    RATTER, starring Ashley Benson Sony Pictures has picked up first-time feature filmmaker Branden Kramer’s cyber-suspense thriller RATTER, starring Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”). RATTER debuted in competition at the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival and will have its Los Angeles Premiere on Sunday, June 14, at 9:40pm PST in the Nightfall section of this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. Written and directed by Kramer, RATTER is based on the short film Webcam, which has been viewed more than six million times on Vimeo. Benson stars as Emma, a graduate student living alone in New York City. She is being watched by a “Ratter” who stalks her by hacking into all of her personal technology–laptop, cell phone, and other web connected devices–to record her most intimate moments. Eventually the video feeds aren’t enough and the stalker moves from the virtual to the physical – with disturbing consequences. The film also stars Matt McGorry (“Orange Is the New Black”) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (The Switch). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si4dNU6AQJU

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  • Winners and Awards of 2015 Slamdance Film Festival

     ACROSS THE SEAACROSS THE SEA

    The 21st Slamdance Film Festival announced the feature and short film recipients of this year’s awards in the Audience, Jury, and Sponsored Categories. 

    “Congratulations to the winners of Slamdance and indeed to all of the filmmakers this year. The 2015 festival has shown us once again that if you want to see the best of real independent film, Slamdance is the place to be,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-founder. 

    AUDIENCE AWARDS

    Audience Award for Narrative Feature: ACROSS THE SEA, dir. by Nisan Dağ & Esra Saydam
    Damla is a Turkish immigrant estranged from her homeland; she lives in New York City with her husband, Kevin, and they’re expecting their first child. But Damla is still haunted by memories of her first love and when she returns to Turkey with Kevin she has to confront a troubling secret from her past.

    Audience Award for Documentary Feature: SWEET MICKY FOR PRESIDENT, dir. by Ben Patterson
    Music and politics collide when international music star Pras Michel of the Fugees returns to his homeland of Haiti, following the devastating earthquake of 2010, to mobilize a presidential campaign for Haiti’s most controversial musician: Michel Martelly aka Sweet Micky. The politically inexperienced pair set out against a corrupt government, civil unrest, and a fixed election.

    JURY AWARDS – NARRATIVE

    This year’s Slamdance Narrative Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Richard Lorber, Todd Looby and Emilie Upczak. 

    Jury Award for Narrative Feature: TIRED MOONLIGHT, dir. by Britni West
    “A masterful fusion of cinematic vision and poetic narrative, Tired Moonlight effortlessly transports you from the prosaic surroundings of its poignant characters’ lives into a realm of unexpected beauty and spiritual authenticity with an unforced craftsmanship.”
    The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group.

    Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature: THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE, dir. by Perry Blackshear
    “With rare filmmaking skill, brains, precision and outstanding performances, Perry Blackshear and his cast and crew silence critics who claim very small and contained films like this can’t be riveting and brilliant.”

    Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature: ACROSS THE SEA, dir. by Nisan Dağ & Esra Saydam
    “Through transcendent cinematography trained on the mystical Mediterranean setting and wonderful minute of uncertain love, directors Nisan Dağ and Esra Saydam provide a beautiful, intense and honest look at a relationship in peril.”

    JURY AWARDS – DOCUMENTARY

    This year’s Slamdance Documentary Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Paige Williams, Josh Leake and Bryan Storkel.

    Jury Award for Documentary Feature: SWEET MICKY FOR PRESIDENT, dir. by Ben Patterson
    “Sweet Micky For President takes the audience on an unbelievable, wild ride through difficult Haitian politics, in a story that is both entertaining and educational. The film is an enormous accomplishment for first-time director Ben Patterson and is a great example of why Slamdance exists – to celebrate new works by new directors whose films can help change our perspective on the world – one story at a time.”
    The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group.

    Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature: 20 YEARS OF MADNESS, dir. by Jeremy Royce
    “Reminding us that it’s never too late to chase your dreams, 20 Years of Madness is brimming with stunning cinematography, eccentric characters and a heartfelt story about the desire to do something great while confronting the reality of failure.”

    Jury Award for Documentary Short: THE SOLITUDE OF MEMORY, dir. by Juan Pablo González
    “Juan Pablo González paints a vivid and eloquent portrait of a devoted father and the love for his son, drawing deep emotions from the viewer through his use of gorgeous cinematography, moving music and an incredibly honest, trusting main subject.”
    The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.

    Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Short: DOLPHIN LOVER, dir. by Kareem Tabsch
    “Storytelling is an art form, and this film is a prime example of using this medium in a beautiful way to tell a seriously fucked-up, but very true and engaging story.”

    JURY AWARDS – SHORT FILMS

    The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Sarah Cornell, Rory Haines and Elle Schneider. 

    Jury Award for Narrative Short: STAY AWAKE, dir. by Jamie Sisley
    “Stay Awake exhibits a remarkable empathy for characters who find themselves trapped in an unenviable moral dilemma. The cast’s stand-out performances convey a depth of emotion few short films are able to achieve.”
    The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.

    Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Short: 09:55 – 11:05, INGRID EKMAN, BERGSGATAN 4B, dir. by Christine Berglund & Sophie Vukovic
    “A complex, captivating and thoughtful slice of humanity. Delicately shot, with beautiful performances from both women, the film sears itself into your emotional core and remains there for days.”

    Jury Award for Animation Short: THE PRIDE OF STRATHMOOR, dir. by Einar Baldvin
    “The Pride of Strathmoor is akin to a short, unpleasant trip to the insane asylum. The Poe-esque rendering of madness is perfectly complemented by the inventively textured animation.”
    The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.

    Jury Honorable Mention for Animation Short: HIPOPOTAMY, dir. by Piotr Dumala
    “An outstanding display of technical craft, the authentic animation style of Hipopotamy accentuates the uncomfortable story.”

    The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by esteemed industry members Eve Cohen and Dan Brawley. 

    Jury Award for Experimental Short: RED LUCK dir. by Mike Olenick
    “If anything represents the experimental spirit of Slamdance, it’s this tin-foiled caper – an original and striking film full of layered and unexpected images. The film manages to offer a million different narrative paths – from dark and funny to weird and sparkly. A perfect example of a singular experimental work that is easy to watch again and again.”

    Jury Award for Anarchy Short: DEVIANCE, dir. by Aron Kantor
    “Deviance is the kind of raunchy nonsense that Slamdance embraces. A perverse pleasure diving in and out of reality that left us half-boned and just slightly numb from laughing. If anarchy at Slamdance is an anti-genre, then Deviance is the battle cry of ‘fuck the system.”

    Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short: SEA DEVIL, dir. by Dean C. Marcial & Brett Potter
    “A mythological tale without true beginning or end, this cinematic anarchy short pushes the edges of traditional storytelling, weaving three stories into one, and leaves you hanging. A bold work full of questions, puzzles and refreshing choices – another blazing Borscht experiment.”

    SPECIAL AWARDS

    Spirit of Slamdance Award: THINK INK, dir. by Wally Chung
    The Spirit of Slamdance is awarded by the filmmakers of Slamdance 2015. It goes to the filmmaker who best embodies the spirit of the festival, creatively promoting their film, joyfully participating in screenings and events, and generally putting good energy into the festival. 

    The Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking awards were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Amber Benson, Todd Berger, Kent Osborne, and Damon Russell. 

    Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Grand Prize: COMING TO, dir. by Lindsey Haun, DP Spencer Rollins, starring Jacob Demonte-Finn
    “A film that includes a little bit of everything in a very short time. Mystery, laughs, an impressive performance, and some mighty fine camerawork and cinematography. And like any great short film, it has you desperately wanting to know what happens next.”
    The award winner was granted a 512gb Digital Bolex D16 Camera.

    Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention: THE CHARACTER STUDY, dir.& DP Luke Pelizzari
    “Creating tension in any film is hard, but to do it so effectively and gracefully with a very simple premise is truly an achievement of storytelling.”

    Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention: ISOBEL, dir. by Marie Jamora, DP Jason McLagan
    “Perfectly capturing the theme of filmmaking on your own terms, this short highlights the magic and wonder of childhood when anything is creatively possible.”

    Kodak Director’s Prize: DETRITUS, dir. by T.J. Misny
    Given on behalf of Kodak to a promising new filmmaker making bold, film-worthy directorial choices. The filmmaker was awarded a $10,000 credit for Kodak film stock to be used on their next proj

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