Slamdance News and Events

SLAMDANCE 2010 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION - SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN + COVERAGE SERVICE

2010-03-01T23:10:51Z

The Slamdance Screenplay Competition is dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. We welcome screenplays in every genre, any budget, on any topic, from anywhere in the world. A unique feature of the competition is providing constructive feedback for every entrant. In addition to this, we also offer a more intensive coverage service for a supplementary fee. Now in our fifteenth year, we have a history of highlighting talented, independent screenwriters and introducing them to the entertainment industry. We’ve established a strong track record through our competition successes and are committed to continuing our pursuit to champion outstanding new work.

Although our mission remains the same, the process for this years competition will be brand new. In years past, we’ve held a number of separate competitions for screenplays and this proved to be overly complicated. To simplify the process, this year every genre and format will compete in one competition, with the best piece of material taking home the grand prize. Awards will also be given to the best script in each category:

Feature
Short
Horror
Teleplay
Script Accessible

We look forward to your screenplay!

Slamdance 2010 Announces Festival Awards

2010-01-29T15:15:22Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2010 AWARD WINNERS

Park City, Utah – January 28, 2010 – Slamdance today announced its 2010 Award Winners. The 2010 Slamdance Film Festival, which concluded tonight with an Awards Ceremony at Red Banjo Pizza on Main Street, received a record number of over 5,000 submissions from every continent and programmed 91 films this year. 2010 marked the 16th anniversary of the Slamdance Film Festival, one of the few remaining film festivals whose sole mission is to support truly independent works from first-time filmmakers staying true to its mission of “by filmmakers, for filmmakers.”

There are three competitive divisions at Slamdance: Grand Jury, Audience Awards and Special Sponsored Awards provided by Kodak and Dos Equis. Selections from the Grand Jury and Audience Award winning films will be screened in several domestic venues throughout the year, including the IFC Center in New York City.

As always the Feature competitions are limited to first-time filmmakers working with production budgets of $1 million or less.

This year Slamdance expanded its community outside of Park City during the festival with the revolutionary Filmmaker Summit and new VOD/EST distribution agreement with Microsoft. The Filmmaker Summit brought together some of the best in the film industry streaming live from all over the world via Skype including delegates Peter Baxter, Paul Rachman, Jamie King, Brian Newman and Lance Weiler in Park City, Khavn de la Cruz in the Phillippines, Timo Vuorensola in Finland, and Christy Dena in Australia, to discuss new opportunities afforded to filmmakers by the democratization of new tools and technology. Audiences from around the world were invited to participate in the Summit by tuning into www.slamdance.com/summit and continue the conversation through Twitter with designated hashtags. Columbia University and University of Southern California were amongst several colleges that held live auditorium events of the Summit.

Yesterday, Slamdance’s new distribution partnership with Microsoft went live on both Zune and Xbox LIVE platforms with four films screened at the festival in Park City: Documentary Features “American Jihadist” and “Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story,” and Narrative Features “The Scenesters” and “The Wild Hunt.” The films are available for a seven day period for movie fans to rent though their computers or on Xbox LIVE until February 2, 2010.

“Slamdance 16 celebrated, as always, the best in independent film and emerging talent,” noted Peter Baxter, Co-Founder and President of Slamdance. “Congratulations to all of our winners and especially to all of our filmmakers who have come together this week to strengthen our community. This year’s festival also marked a first for Slamdance’s ambition of significantly widening its audience outside of Park City. The online Summit shared exhibition ideas and solutions with thousands of filmmakers around the world and our film program partnership with Microsoft has the potential of reaching millions of viewers.”

The winners of the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival and their prize packages are as follows:

GRAND JURY AWARDS

Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Narrative Film
Winner: SNOW AND ASHES, directed by Charles-Olivier Michaud
Special Jury Mention: ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS, directed by Conor Horgan
Winner also receives three 8-hour work days from POP Sound in Los Angeles for Audio Post Production Services; Panasonic AG-HPX170 Camera; Sony Software Package

Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Documentary Film
Winner: AMERICAN JIHADIST, directed by Mark Claywell
Winner also receives Sony Software Package

Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Animated Short
Winner: SEED, directed by Ben Richardson and Daniel Bird
Winner also receives Sony Software Package

Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Narrative Short
Winner: PRVI DAN MIRA (First Day of Peace), Mirko Rucnov
Special Jury Mention for a short documentary film: BOUT THAT BOUT, directed by Nico Sabenorio
Winner also receives Sony Software Package

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Sparky Award for Best Narrative Film
Winner: THE WILD HUNT, directed by Alexandre Franchi
Winner also receives $5000 in Post Production Services from Post Factory, New York; $3500 in Legal Services from Pierce Law Group; Sony Software Package

Audience Sparky Award for Best Documentary Film
Winner: MIND OF THE DEMON: THE LARRY LINKOGLE STORY, directed by Adam Barker
Winner also receives $5000 in Post Production Services from Post Factory, New York; $3500 in Legal Services from Pierce Law Group; Sony Software Package

Audience Sparky Award for Best Anarchy Online Film
Winner: SUGAR STICK, directed by Laura Way
Winner also receives Sony Software Package

Spirit of Slamdance Sparky Short Film Award
Winner: MOSQUITO, directed by Jeremy Engle
Awarded by the Class of 2010 filmmakers to the film teams that best exhibit passion and talent, commitment to the independent community, and enthusiastically embrace all Slamdance has to offer.
Winner also receives Sony Software Package

SPONSORED AWARDS

Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography
Winner: GENERAL ORDERS NO. 9, directed by Robert Persons
Winner also receives 10,000 feet of Kodak film for the filmmaker to make their next feature

Dos Equis Most Interesting Film Award (and best Mumblecore film to NOT play SXSW)
Winner: THE SCENESTERS (including NOTHING BUT EVERYTHING), directed by Wallace Cotten

Slamdance also presented the 1ST Annual Script Accessible Screenplay Award sponsored by Lonely Seal Releasing to ALL THE WRONG REASONS written by Gia Milani. The Script Accessible Award is part of Slamdance’s year-round Writing Competition that received over 2,500 submissions in 2009.

Slamdance 2010 Awards are sponsored by Dos Equis, Kodak, Lonely Seal Releasing, Panasonic, Pierce Law Group, POP Sound and Sony Creative Packages.

About Slamdance

As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision. For the 2010 Festival, Slamdance received a record number of over 5,000 submissions. Slamdance Film Festival, presented again by Kodak, will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance lives by its mantra: "By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers." No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the festival, including Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster and Jared Hess. Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity” originally acquired from Slamdance has since grossed over $100 million at the Box Office and become Paramount’s most profitable film ever. New filmmakers and writers today realize Slamdance is a great place to launch their careers. For more information, log onto www.slamdance.com and follow Slamdance on Twitter and Facebook.

Slamdance's Official Beer sponsored by Dos Equis and Official Energy Drink sponsored by Monster.

# # #

Contact:

Megan MacLeod
megan@slamdance.com
310.597.2380

WATCH SLAMDANCE FILMS ON XBOX LIVE & ZUNE NOW

2010-01-25T20:14:10Z

NOW PLAYING

AMERICAN JIHADIST

THE MIND OF THE DEMON

THE SCENESTERS

THE WILD HUNT

CLICK EACH FILM TO WATCH

A NEW TYPE OF PROGRAM

FROM SLAMDANCE

SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT

2010-01-21T19:45:26Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT

Four Slamdance Films to Launch New Video Rental and Download to Own Program on Zune and Xbox Platforms

LOS ANGELES – January 21, 2010 – Slamdance today announced a worldwide video content collaboration with Microsoft on both Zune and Xbox platforms. The initiative will launch during the Slamdance Film Festival (January 21-28, Park City, UT) on January 27, 2010 with a four film, 7-day program providing video rental throughout North America.

Zune video Marketplace will make the selected films available on video-on-demand across North America on both Zune and Xbox platforms. During this 7-day period movie fans have the opportunity to rent some of the same films being screened at the Slamdance Film Festival on their computers or through Xbox LIVE. Price per film rentals during the festivals will range from 600 to 880 Microsoft Points*.

Thereafter, the video content from Slamdance will expand worldwide through the Zune Marketplace with year-round programs featuring download to own and rental videos to the more than 20 million Zune and Xbox LIVE members. The first films in the collaboration include two documentaries and two narratives, showcasing Slamdance’s range of emerging diverse and independent voices.

Additional Slamdance films will be added to the program throughout the coming enabling Slamdance to give an international audience the Slamdance programming experience without being in Park City.

“We’re very excited to be the exclusive digital presenter of the Slamdance Film Festival and bring its unique festival experience to our millions of marketplace users,” said Paul Davidson, manager of Global Video Content for Zune Video Marketplace. We share their passion for nurturing and supporting new talent and by offering the films in the marketplace; we hope to do just that.”

Slamdance President and Co-Founder Peter Baxter says, “Slamdance has a true independent identity and proven track record of unearthing great films. It’s time now to be progressive and unleash our film programs outside of the festival and directly help filmmakers find popular, worldwide audiences. The standard of Slamdance films deserve this much and we believe the audience will respond.”

Films selected for Zune and Xbox distribution are:

Making its US premiere, American Jihadist (directed by Mark Claywell) examines the life and times of Isa Abdullah Ali, and African-American Muslim from the ghettos of Washington, DC, labeled a “known terrorist” by the U.S. Defense Department though he’s never been charged with any crime. Ali fought for six years in Lebanon and Bosnia and was shot multiple times for his religion. What makes a person willing to pick up a gun for their religion? Are the underlying causes purely religious? Or might religious militancy be a means of addressing chronic social, economic and political issues? And what do the answers mean for the wider Islamic World? These questions underlie American Jihadist.

Adam Barker directs the documentary Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story, a brutally honest look into the life and mind of one of the most out-spoken, forward-thinking, visionaries ever to come out of the motor-sports industry. Larry Linkogle is a world-record holding dirt-bike legend whose off-the-cuff antics and aggressive "never sell out" attitude was the spark that kick-started the entire freestyle motocross revolution. But as the new sport took off beyond expectations, so did Larry’s battles with his inner demons. A heart-wrenching account of the demise of the sport's most infamous legend, Mind of the Demon's timeline is told through incredible archival footage, and interviews with every top industry name. Past and present storylines intertwine to drive the film toward one of only two possible conclusions: the most unlikely inspirational comeback story of all time or a nosedive into a black hole of self-destruction. Narrated by Lemmy Kilmister of Motorheard, the film features interviews with sport talents including Carey Hart, Christian Fletcher, Mike Metzger, Seth Enslow and Jeff Emig among others.

The Scenesters is an innovative and quirky murder mystery that both honors and deconstructs the conventions of the classic 'who-done-it?' film noir. A dark comedy that uses the 'found footage' approach to storytelling, the film compiles supposed 'real' clips from a variety of sources - courtroom transcripts, crime scene videography, news reports, etc - all detailing how a group of Los Angeles twentysomethings got mixed up in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a prolific serial killer. The film's soundtrack (and plot) features indie-rock favorites The Airborne Toxic Event, The Cribs, The Sonics, Wallpaper, Le Switch, and many many more. A film by Todd Berger, the film also stars Sherilyn Fenn, Suzanne May, Blaise Miller and Jeff Grace.

Making its world premiere, a modern medieval saga The Wild Hunt tells the story of Erik Magnusson, a young man who decides to follow his estranged girlfriend Evelyn into a medieval re-enactment game when he discovers that she has been seduced by one of the players. As the down-to-earth Erik treks deeper into the game in search of his love, he inadvertently disrupts the delicate balance of the make believe fantasy-land. Passions are unleashed. Rules are broken. Reality and fantasy collide. The good-hearted game turns into a tragedy of mythic proportion. Directed by Alexandre Franchi, the film’s cast includes Kaniehtiio Horn, Mark Anthony Krupa, and Ricky Mabe.

About Slamdance
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision. For the 2010 Festival, Slamdance received a record number of over 5,000 submissions. Slamdance Film Festival, presented again by Kodak, will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance lives by its mantra: "By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers." No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the festival, including Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster and Jared Hess. Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity” originally acquired from Slamdance has since grossed over $100 million at the Box Office and become Paramount’s most profitable film ever. New filmmakers and writers today realize Slamdance is a great place to launch their careers. For more information, log onto www.slamdance.com and follow Slamdance on Twitter and Facebook.

Slamdance's Official Beer Sponsored by Dos Equis and Official Energy Drink sponsored by Monster.

* Microsoft Points can be purchased on Zune.net, Xbox.com, from the Zune PC software or Xbox LIVE. Microsoft Points are available in the following quantities; 500 Microsoft Points for $6.25, 1000 Microsoft Points for $12.50, 2000 Microsoft Points for $25.00, 5000 Microsoft Points for $62.50 (USD)

# # #

Press Contact:
Megan MacLeod
megan@slamdance.com
310.597.2380

Welcome To Slamdance's 2010 Film Program - Buy Tickets Now!

2010-01-02T06:10:38Z

Welcome to Slamdance 2010

This year we will, as always, showcase emerging filmmaking talent at its finest. If you want to see the best in true independent filmmaking Slamdance is the place to be. Thank you to all of our programmers – filmmakers themselves, staff, sponsors and TMI for making the Festival happen. Thank you also to b-side for helping us with what you are about to see...

Here's to a sweet 16, Peter Baxter