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Fri, Jan 29 2010 10:15 AM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Slamdance 2010 Announces Festival Awards
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: 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.
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
megan@slamdance.com
310.597.2380
Thu, Jan 21 2010 2:45 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT
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.
* 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
Sat, Jan 2 2010 1:10 AM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Welcome To Slamdance's 2010 Film Program - Buy Tickets Now!
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
Sat, Jan 2 2010 12:27 AM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Slamdance 2010 Film Schedule
Please note our schedule is set to Mountain Standard Time. The Filmmaker Summit and Fireside Chats are free events. For complete film program information and ticket purchases go to: 2010 Film Program and Tickets
Click on the schedule below to download a printable version:
Wed, Dec 30 2009 12:02 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Vote For Slamdance Anarchy Now! Online Films at Their Finest
Slamdance was founded on some of the same basic principles that have made the Internet what it is today -- free expression, individual empowerment, and creative chaos outside the influential sphere of "The Man." In the true spirit of our humble beginnings -- Slamdance 95, Anarchy in Utah -- Slamdance's Anarchy online competition is an extension of our mission to create greater exposure for first-time filmmakers and further empower them in the process of distributing their work.
Slamdance is dedicated to maximizing the amount of exposure Anarchy can create for filmmakers around the world. You, the audience decides who wins! Watch and vote for Anarchy online now
Thu, Dec 17 2009 6:59 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Special Screenings and Shorts Line-up Announced
Three Features Complete 2010 Special Screening Program Along with Steven Soderbergh’s Spalding Gray Documentary
64 Short Films Chosen from Around the World and of All Genres to Debut in Park City
***
LOS ANGELES - December 16, 2010 – Slamdance today announced the complete 2010 Special Screening program as well as the Short Film Competition slate for the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Following last week’s announcement of Steven Soderbergh’s world premiere “And Everything Is Going Fine,” Slamdance completes its Special Screening program with the world premiere of Jordan Brady’s documentary “I Am Comic”, featuring Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, and other top comedic talent; and British double bill of “Tony” directed by Gerard Johnson, and “Down Terrace” directed by Ben Wheatley.
“This year's Special Screenings reflect the creative spirit and filmmaking that defined Slamdance's founding years. From Steven Soderbergh's intimate portrait of the artist Spalding Gray, to Gerard Johnson's thrilling character study of the London suburbs, this year’s selection of films are unique stories by filmmakers with the drive to get them conveyed by whatever it takes,” says Paul Rachman, Special Screening programmer and East Coast Director of Slamdance.
In keeping with its tradition of showcasing fresh and innovative new voices in short film, Slamdance will also screen 36 narrative and experimental films, ten animations, twelve short documentaries, and seven mind bending horror shorts as part of its inaugural Twilight Shorts program. A few of the many highlights will be "Head In The Sand," a darkly humorous look at a naive soldier's tour of duty in Afghanistan; "Saturday Morning Blues," an intimate snapshot of an inner-city adolescent wrangling doses of knowledge and poison from her savvy best friend; and "Solatrium," a shimmering futuristic sci-fi piece designed entirely with found and recycled materials.
"In spite of the recession, we saw an increase in both quantity and quality of shorts submissions this year. Filmmakers conjured up miraculous production values with limited resources, and our programmers sifted carefully through each and every film to find the most accomplished and pioneering work,” stated Paul Sbrizzi, Captain of the Shorts Programming Committee.
Slamdance will screen the best new indie shorts from the United States, as well as Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
In addition to the competition shorts, Slamdance will screen five $99 Special shorts, so named for working within this tight budget. These films were produced by the organization in conjunction with Festival alumni, including Matthew Harrison’s “Hey Vendor” project, written by Slamdance 2009 short screenplay award winner Christopher Hlas. The $99 experimental comedy embraced work agreements provided by the Director's and Screen Actor's Guild.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
“I Am Comic” - directed by Jordan Brady (US). World Premiere, 86 mins.
Slamdance alum Jordan Brady (Dil Scallion) returns to Slamdance with his documentary about Stand-up comedians revealing the art and occupational hazards of their craft. With Sarah Silverman, Tommy Davidson, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, Jeff Foxworthy and Phyllis Diller
“Down Terrace” – directed by Ben Wheatley (UK). 89 mins.
A darkly comedic drama about a family of crooks whose daily travails tries to keep their criminal enterprise from falling apart. With Bob Hill, Rob Hill and Julia Deakin.
“Tony” – directed by Gerard Johnson (UK). US Premier, 72 mins.
Tony is an urban loner, but that doesn't stop him trying to make friends in the most gruesome of ways. With Peter Ferdinando. Ricky Grover, George Russo and Francis Pope.
“And Everything Is Going Fine” – directed by Steven Soderbergh (US). World Premiere. 89 mins. Previously Announced. Intimate documentary about the life and work of the late performance artist Spalding Gray.
NARRATIVE & Experimental SHORTS (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Blood From a Stone” - directed by Bill Palmer. World Premiere, 8 min.
Renegade cop Sean Sharpstone gets behind the wheel of his t-top Camaro, looking good, kicking ass and spitting one-liners in this tongue-in-cheek homage to “Fascist Action” films of the 1980’s.
“Bolt From the Blue” - directed by Sebastian Bear-McClard. World Premiere, 22 min
In the middle of a scheme at a computer repair shop, a comically self-deluded rap producer and petty thief meets the beautiful Poly, a DJ. . . She saves his day.
“Broken Records” - directed by Steven Cohen. World Premiere, 8 min.
A hilariously vapid sitcom parody takes a sinister turn when the characters discover they are trapped in their artificial and repetitious world.
“Brother” - directed by Mary Bing. 14 min.
A charmingly eccentric little boy torments and outwits his ballet-student sister, below the radar of their wealthy, Manhattan art-world mother.
“Celestial Avenue” - directed by Colin Cairnes. 20 min. (Australia)
An Australian woman’s blind date turns into sweetly surreal madcap comedy when she meets a Mandarin-speaking Caucasian kitchen worker and tries to fend off an undaunted suitor.
“The Constant” - directed by Raul Navarro. World Premiere, 3 min. (Spain)
A Spanish man feels a special vibe, and starts to let his freak out for the woman he’s brought home, but how much is too much?
“Eagles are Turning People into Horses” - directed by Brian McElhaney. World Premiere, 14 min.
Lyle wants to break up with his girlfriend. Too scared to do it honestly, he enacts a scheme to convince her that they MUST break up because he is on the frontlines of a vicious battle between man, beast and fowl.
“Feeder” - directed by Joseph Ernst. 4 minutes (Netherlands/UK)
A day in the life, from an entirely new perspective -- astonishing footage shot from inside a human being.
“Gayby” - directed by Jonathan Lisecki. World Premiere, 12 min.
A gay man and a straight woman decide to have a child together the old-fashioned way. Hey, it's a recession.
“GirlLikeMe” - directed by Rowland Jobson. North American Premiere, 12 min. (UK)
An intense modern-day Lolita from a broken home meets a middle-aged man for a date that quickly goes off the rails.
“Golden Prize” - directed by That Go. World Premiere, 3 min.
Apes & Androids do a drive by on your grandmomma with plenty of retro-futuristic style in this explosive music video.
“The Growing Season” - directed by Susan Sfarra. World Premiere, 18 min.
The subtle, meditative experience of a hot summer day, as an adolescent boy explores the world of trimming Christmas trees with his grandfather.
“Ha’agam (The Lake)” - directed by Boaz Lavie. 26 min. (Israel)
An Israeli man reluctantly agrees to bring his comically irresponsible slacker brother in on a very unusual family business
“Head in the Sand” - directed by David Baldwin, Jr. World Premiere, 15 min.
A man who grew up with cartoon fantasies of military life enlists for Afghanistan. But the lighthearted camaraderie of a soldier’s life is inevitably interrupted by the harsh realities of war.
“His White Eyes” - directed by Betty Jiang. US Premiere, 40 min. (Canada)
A raw and powerful exploration of cultural identity: an Asian girl falls in love with an absent White man in multi-cultural Vancouver.
“Horsefingers 2: But I am the Tiger” - directed by Kirsten Kearse. World Premiere, 8 min.
From birth to re-birth, a female Horsefingers accepts her silent, lyrical journey, following a changing map and animated arrows through the forest and metropolis.
“In Space” - directed by Visra Vichit Vadakan. World Premiere, 16 min. (Thailand)
A young Thai man living with his grandparents reluctantly becomes a Buddhist monk and finds a safe space between the present and the afterlife.
“Joey & Jerome’s Artistic Meaningful Indie Movie” - directed by Josh Bass. World Premiere, 18 min.
Two dudes, exposed to the lyrical, poetic world of independent film for the first time, are inspired to make their own lyrical, poetic independent film, with no money, resources, or know-how.
“Junko’s Shamisen” - directed by Solomon Friedman. World Premiere, 11 min. (Canada)
A young Japanese orphan and her mystical friend exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord, in a lavishly art-directed piece combining live action with multiple styles of animation.
“Latte America” - directed by Jesse Clark, Gabriel Caldwell & Enzo Zanatta. World Premiere, 10 min. (Canada)
Shot backwards in a single take, a seedy and surreal comical adventure in a future world in which coffee has been made illegal.
“LOWbASIC” - directed by Frank Rinaldi. World Premiere, 29 min.
Josh Intrator and Thomas Seely of Punk-Rock-Duo LOWbASiC struggle to maintain their friendship and sanity as they prepare to debut their music on Dr. Bob's Rock 'n Roll T.V. show FALSE MEDIA. LOWbASiC: Beat Your Media.
“Massacrator” - directed by Pierre Ayotte. World Premiere, 4 min. (Canada)
A young woman and Elvis, rising from the grave in spirited stop-motion, struggle to escape from a killer cyborg from the future.
“Members of the Resistance” - directed by Pegah Ghaemi. 15 min. (Iran, United Arab Emirates)
A villager carries a piece of modernity in a big box on his back all the way home. His family is exposed to the violence of Iran’s political uprising, and take action in their own way.
“Mixtape” - directed by Timothy S. Pfeffer & Peter Corina. World Premiere, 22 min.
Young Bobby lives to the rhythms of his tape recorder that he turns on whenever he feels like it. Follow him on a remarkable journey into a fantastic world of colors and sound.
“Mochi” - directed by Chung Lee. 19 min. (Taiwan & US)
A young private nurse from Indonesia tries to convince her needy old Taiwanese client to let her go home. Soon she realizes there is only one way to get free, and that it comes with a price.
“Monsters Down the Hall” - directed by S. Vollie Osborn. World Premiere, 14 min.
Michael, a young boy with a strung out single mom, has terrifying visions of what happens just outside their apartment.
“Mosquito” - directed by Jeremy Engle. World Premiere, 12 min.
The humiliation and struggle for redemption of a 13-year old Dominican boy, who fights to win the respect of his teenage tormentors on the streets of New York City in 1974.
“Off Season” - directed by Jonathan Van Tulleken. US Premiere, 13 min., (US & UK)
A transient who steals from summer cottages during the brutal winter of the off-season makes a haunting discovery.
“Olympus” - directed by Giovanni Fantoni Modena. World Premiere, 13 min. (Italy)
A photographer witnesses and gets drawn in to a ritualistic, violent mob scene at a hyperreal rally of terrifying power.
“Planet Sun” - directed by Matthew Atkinson. World Premiere, 15 min. (Canada)
The vacuous life of Shay, Stay and their friend, Fay, as they face the many trials and tribulations of working reception at a tanning salon in a strip mall, blossoms into an over-the-top music video fantasy.
“Prvi Dan Mira (First Day of Peace)” - directed by Mirko Rucnov. 16 min. (Bosnia and Herzegovina and US)
When a peace agreement is announced, a peasant undertakes a dangerous voyage to his still-volatile home village on the disputed Bosnian border, to plow his land.
“Sandhill Boys” - directed by Laura Klein. World Premiere, 20 min.
Amidst the tobacco barns and sandy fields of North Carolina, Donald relives the only meaningful moment of his past, and A.D. decides to tell the woman of his dreams that he loves her.
“Saturday Morning Blues” - directed by Yvonne Michelle Shirley. World Premiere, 12 min.
The light of morning brings a sleepover and a friendship to an abrupt and painful end, as an adolescent gets equal doses of knowledge and poison from her world-wise pal.
“Solatrium” - directed by Chris Bower. World Premiere, 20 min.
Bria Living, a female astronaut, attempts to cure her regret and ennui by abusing her medication. Little does she know she is the test subject for Nevco Corporation who is developing the experimental drug Solatrium.
“Surface Film” - directed by Varathit Uthaisri. World Premiere, 3 min.
What would the world be like from an underground perspective?
“Yes, Yesterday” - directed by Van Vu. World Premiere, 12 min.
On the Fourth of July in New York, a Chinese waiter crosses paths with a woman from his past; under the fireworks he has a chance to recapture what he lost on the same day a decade earlier.
ANIMATION SHORTS (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Deux Regards” - directed by Kangmin Kim. World Premiere, 3 min. (South Korea/US)
At the interstice between materiality and immateriality, Direct work on the filmstrip is digitally rendered, creating tension between surface and depth.
“Gul” - directed by Adnan Hussain. World Premiere, 9 min.
A young girl is awakened by her mother's dying breath. Raw, painted, computer animation is scored with Sindhi Folk music from Pakistan. Can love create hope in the face of oppression?
“Ledo and Ix Go to Town” - directed by Emily Carmichael. World Premiere, 7 min.
The titular 8-bit adventurers are back, this time headed towards a blot on the map that's either a village or brain fungus.
“Over the River and Thru the Higher Dimensions” - directed by Dillon Markey. World Premiere, 8 min.
A trip to Grandma's house takes a turn for the extraordinary when Grandma builds a teleporter and explains string theory.
“Patience of the Memory” - directed by Vuk Jevremovic. World Premiere, 7 min. (Germany & Spain)
A memory of Dresden, the city which was the most painted and destroyed in the last century, rendered in animated oil painting.
“Roue” - directed by Taili Wu. World Premiere, 5 min.
An animated self-portrait composed by fragments of dreams, childhood memories and emotions.
“Seed” - directed by Ben Richardson and Daniel Bird. World Premiere, 11 min. (Czech Republic)
An egg and an apple build competing broadcast towers that vie for the attention of a transistor radio.
“Synchronicity Series” - directed by Eileen Reynolds. 2 min. (Singapore)
Just as a school of fish operates in synchrony, this animation reveals the synchronous movement amongst a community of people, symbolizing an idealized view of the power of human cooperative action.
“Together!” - directed by David Sheahan. World Premiere, 4 min.
A moth and a roach, beating the odds – Together!
“Visit” - directed by Kangmin Kim. World Premiere, 7 min. (South Korea/US)
He visits a city. The city already forgot him. The city is still sinking in his dream. Only the lighthouse has his memory.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Point of Entry” - directed by Zeus Quijano, Jr. 26 min.
An intimate look at modern immigration.
“Bout that Bout” - directed by Nico Sabenorio. World Premiere, 26 min.
High school seniors in rural Florida come of age competing in an illegal after-school fight club.
“Cease & Desist” - directed by John Carluccio. World Premiere, 20 min.
Branding, addiction, sneaker culture and legal infringement are explored when artist/designer Ari Saal Forman mashes-ups the lively Newport cigarette brand into a cool Nike-like sneaker.
“Close to Home” - directed by Theo Rigby. 6 min.
The story of a father broken from the murder of his son, and a daughter waiting for the father that she once had.
“Finding D.Q.U.” - directed by Christopher Newman. World Premiere, 27 min.
In 2005 D-Q University, California's only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle, but its supporters fight to hold on to a dream that was never fully realized.
“Not a Willing Participant” - directed by Alex Barnes. World Premiere, 27 min. (Australia)
Aboriginal artist Vernon Ah Kee has been selected to represent Australia at the prestigious 53rd Venice Biennale of art. How will his important cultural work be perceived by the rest of the world?
“Poinciana Sunrise” - directed by Chuck Gomez. World Premiere, 20 min.
The life and spirit of the “Queen of the Road”, the only female member of The Highwaymen, a group of African-American Florida artists who created a beautiful and historic record of landscapes now lost to developers and modernization.
“Q & A” - directed by Tim & Mike Rauch. 4 min.
Joshua Littman, an inquisitive 12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome, interviews his mother Sarah about everything from cockroaches to her feelings about him as a son.
“Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis” - directed by Tom Dziedzic. 30 min.
A spiritual vision inspires Tom Lewis, a storyteller of quiet power, to open a neighborhood safe haven called The Fishing School and to turn hardship into hope for the children in his community.
“The Individualist” - directed by Zoë Banks. World Premiere, 19 min.
Tinkerer, musician, and inventor of the world's first solid-state heat engine, Ridgway Banks quietly solved the clean energy problem in his workshop 35 years ago, without fame, fortune or attention.
“The Sundowner” - directed by Steve Christolos. World Premiere, 19 min.
An engineer becomes a man of the sea on his handcrafted fifty-three foot sailboat, with the incredible ambition to sail around the world.
“Wahid’s Mobile Bookstore” - directed by Anjoo Khosia. World Premiere, 10 min. (US & India)
Nine-year-old Wahid makes a living selling pirated international bestsellers to customers stopping in their cars at traffic intersections in Mumbai, India.
Twilight Shorts (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Culebra” - directed by Sean Carter. World Premiere, 15 min.
A pregnant Mexican woman follows a shady human smuggler into an underground border crossing that goes terribly awry.
“Dance Macabre” - directed by Pedro Pires. 9 min. (Canada)
A chilling death sets the stage for a dark choreography.
“Love and Volts” - directed by Normand Daneau. World Premiere, 20 min. (Canada)
Donald works in a small town slaughterhouse. He is infatuated with Francine, an animal-loving young spinster who owns a pet shop. Will love be enough to overcome their differences and unite these two lonely souls?
“Prince of Milk” - directed by Eisuke Naitou. World Premiere, 15 min. (Japan)
A completely new type of erotic and grotesque horror film, covered with milk.
“Skinned” - directed by Wotsisname. World Premiere, 11 min. (UK)
“I f*** my patients,” a Spanish TV doctor tells a drunk woman in a park, marking the beginning of his dissent into turmoil.
“Sleep Now” - directed by Joseph Cahill. World Premiere, 12 min. (France)
A surreal horror-comedy in which a couple is abducted and taken to a strange dentist's office where two men perform a dark medical experiment on the woman and discover she is pregnant.
“Spunkbubble” - directed by Tom Browne. World Premiere, 12 min. (UK)
Three men are in search of something they can never possess and in a hotel room they meet. And die in a blizzard of extreme pornography and hardcore violence.
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.
# # #
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
310.597.2380
Thu, Dec 10 2009 8:12 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2010 FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
LOS ANGELES - December 10, 2010 – Slamdance today announced its 2010 Feature Competition slate of films selected from a record number of submissions for the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival taking place January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance will debut ten narrative and eight documentary feature films all programmed in line with its mission of “by filmmakers, for filmmakers.”
Competition filmmakers come to Park City this year like Slamdance alum Oren Peli did with independent sensation Paranormal Activity in 2008: as first-time feature directors working with limited budgets and without domestic theatrical distribution. This year’s subjects and cast, in Slamdance’s tradition of showcasing emerging diverse and independent voices include William Burroughs, a yellow brick road, Bolivian women’s wrestling, group sex, Gus Van Sant, Lemmy and H. P. Lovecraft.
“That’s Slamdance,” said President and Co-Founder Peter Baxter. “If you want to see the best in do-it-yourself - true independent filmmaking - Slamdance is the place to be. Our Sweet 16 outing will, as always, showcase emerging filmmaking talent at its finest.”
NARRATIVE COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted)
“Cummings Farm” - directed by Andrew Drazek. World Premier, 103 min
Cast: Laura Silverman
Cummings Farm is a disturbing comedy about an orgy at a lakeside strawberry farm. Three couples at the end their twenties give group sex a go, naively hoping it will grant them enlightenment.
“Drones” - directed by Amber Benson & Adam Busch. World Premier, 96 min
Cast: Angela Bettis, Jonathan M. Woodward
When Brian walks in on his best friend’s closet time, he discovers a universal threat to his life, job and the Earth itself!
“The Four-Faced Liar” - directed by Jacob Chase. World Premier, 100 min
Cast: Emily Peck, Marja-Lewis Ryan, Todd Kubrak
When small town couple, Molly and Greg, meets best friends Trip and Bridget, unexpected sparks fly. As friendship slides into passion, Molly must choose between a guy she took for granted, and the girl she can't resist.
“The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu” - directed by Henry Saine. World Premier, 82 min
Cast: Devin McGinn
Jeff is an ordinary guy that is stuck at a dead end job with a boring life, but when a strange old man gives him an Ancient relic and tells him that he is the last bloodline of H.P. Lovecraft. He and his friend Charlie embark on an adventure to protect the relic piece from falling into the hands of the Starspawn and his minions that wish to reunite the relic and release Cthulhu back into the world.
“One Hundred Mornings” - directed by Conor Horgan. (Ireland) US Premier, 85 min
Cast: Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan
Set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society, two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis.
“The Scenesters” - directed by Todd Berger, 96 min
Cast: Sherilyn Fenn, Suzanne May, Blaise Miller
In this dark comedy, when a serial killer starts picking off beautiful young hipsters on the east side of Los Angeles, a group of crime scene videographers hatch a plan to catch him.
“Snow and Ashes” - directed by Charles Olivier-Michaud. (Canada)World Premier, 104 min
Cast: Rhys Coiro, Lina Roessler, Frederic Gilles
A War Correspondent covers an armed conflict in Eastern Europe. When he wakes from a coma, Blaise discovers that his collaborator is missing and sets out to recapture the events that led to his friend’s disappearance.
“URFrenz” - directed by Jeff Phillips. World Premier, 84 min
Cast: Lily Holleman, Gayla Goehl, CaroleAnne Johnson
High school girls and their parents collide over the use of a popular social networking site when the identity and motives of an on-line boy come into question.
“The Wild Hunt” - directed by Alexandre Franchi. (Canada) World Premier, 95 min
Cast: Kaniehtiio Horn, Mark Anthony Krupa, Ricky Mabe
A medieval re-enactment game turns into a Shakespearean tragedy when a non-player crashes the event to win back his girlfriend.
“YellowBrickRoad” - directed by Andy Mitton & Jesse Holland. World Premier, 94 min
Cast: Cassidy Freeman, Lee Wilkof, Anessa Ramsey
An expedition looks for answers to something horrible in the forest, but the forest finds something horrible in them.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted)
“American Jihadist” - directed by Mark Claywell. US Premier. 72 min
What makes a man willing to kill and die for his religion?
“Biker Fox” - directed by Jeremy Lamberton. World Premier, 94 min
By taking the road less traveled, Biker Fox leads you to another dimension by "cogitating positive vibes to the cortex of your cerebellum" in this part documentary, part self-help testimonial.
“Candyman” - directed by Costa Botes. World Premier, 76 min
Candyman is the story of the rise and fall of David Klein, the man who invented Jelly Belly jelly beans. With Weired Al Yankovich
“General Orders No. 9” - directed by Robert Persons, 72 min
Take one last trip down the rabbit hole before it gets paved over. A history of the State of Georgia or Anywhere. Deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes county road becomes...
“Mamachas Del Ring” - directed by Betty M. Park. US Premier, 75 min
Bolivian women wrestlers throw down in the ring in this documentary about what it really means to fight like a girl. Carmen Rosa the Champion is their passionate leader, and is faced with a brutal decision when she is forced to choose between her love of sport and love of her family.
“Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story” - directed by Adam Barker, 62 min
The birth of freestyle motocross became the demise of the sport's most infamous legend. Narrated by Lemmy.
“Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae” - directed by Stascha Bader. (Canada) US Premier, 98 min
The singers and musicians of Jamaica’s Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform together again at a reunion concert in Kingston, and to tell their story. With Rita Marley
“William Burroughs: A Man Within” - directed by Yony Leyser. World Premier, 90 min
Leyser paints a tender portrait of the Beat author and American icon, whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned vibrant countercultural movements and reconfigured 20th century culture. With David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Peter Weller, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson.
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.
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
310.597.2380
Wed, Dec 9 2009 1:34 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
And Everything Is Going Fine at Slamdance - Steven Soderbergh's Premiere & Filmmaker Summit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Steven Soderbergh to premiere new film at 2010 Slamdance Film Festival and participate in revolutionary Filmmaker Summit
LOS ANGELES - December 9, 2010 - Steven Soderbergh's world premiere of And Everything Is Going Fine will be at the center of the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, along with his enduring support of independent filmmakers. His latest feature film intimately documents the life and work of the late performance artist Spalding Gray, a man with whom Soderbergh formed a special friendship.
Steven Soderbergh has maintained a dedicated and venerable role with Slamdance both by supporting the organization and working with many of its filmmakers. In 1996 he produced The Daytrippers, directed by Greg Mottola and winner of Slamdance's first Jury prize. The following year, he premiered his dadaist caper Schizopolis that led to meeting and then collaborating with first-time filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo.
“In every way Steven Soderbergh represents the spirit of Slamdance. This year he’s fully immersed himself within our community in support of the indie filmmaker by debuting an independently-made film about a renowned independent artist,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder.
Steven Soderbergh's involvement with Slamdance this year will also include his participation in The Filmmaker Summit. The Filmmaker Summit's mission is to invite all filmmakers, both in Park City and virtually, to collectively craft a new charter for filmmaking, storytelling and content distribution, with and by the global filmmaking community. Born out of reaction to the independent film industry within a current state of turmoil, this collaboration allocates filmmakers a better understanding and different avenues to find success afforded to them by new technology and democratization of new tools and processes.
"The democratization of the tools is disrupting how films are funded, produced, distributed and discovered,” says Lance Weiler, filmmaker and founder of the WorkBook Project. “The empowerment of filmmakers is a vision that the WorkBook Project shares with Slamdance and the Open Video Alliance. We're bringing together creative people from all over the world to join in a summit that has no boarders - to have a conversation about what is working and what is not on a global level. By opening up dialogue we hope that we can foster an international filmmaking community that is willing to experiment while sharing the results."
The premiere of And Everything Is Fine and the Filmmaker Summit will take place on Saturday, January 23 at Treasure Mountain Inn, Slamdance headquarters on Main Street.
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, Jared Hess and Oren Peli. 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.
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
Slamdance Film Festival
310.597.2380
Mon, Nov 16 2009 2:16 PM | Posted by Slamdance
Slamdance Recommends Van Lier's Indie Film Rule Book
Hey Slamdancers!
Do you have a festival strategy? Do you even understand what a festival strategy really is? Are you and your film positioned to entice agents, reps, press, jurors, distributors, awards, other festivals, and more potential work?
Most of the filmmakers I get to know every year, who have actually been accepted to the major festivals, had no idea how to answer these questions with any real confidence while they were already on the circuit.
As you’re all waiting to hear from Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and the rest of the 2010 film festivals, I want to make sure you know about my book, The Indie Film Rule Book.
YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK NOW! (www.lulu.com/
The Indie Film Rule Book is a strategic guide to truly independent film, covering everything from your initial concept, through festivals, and all the way to your next job. It helps make sure you and your film have the best opportunities possible, that you know how to take advantage of them, and that you use them to make even more opportunities. The book has great interviews, great insight, and fun stories that explain how to avoid all the mistakes most filmmakers make.
Every purchase also includes email access for professional consultation on your specific project.
In addition to my own very selfish reasons for wanting you to buy this book right now (baby needs a new pair of shoes), I also want to make sure that all the film festivals are as successful as they can be this year, and on top of that…
I want you to know what you’re doing NOW, before you’ve missed out on your opportunities.
Go read my blog, Indie Film Q & A with Heidi Van Lier at www.filmindependent.org, follow me on Twitter, and get to work!
The 2010 festival season is just about to start and if you don’t know what’s up, you may already be way behind.
Heidi
Heidi Van Lier is an indie filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She has made 3 feature films, “Chi Girl” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival, “Monday” which screened as a special screening at the Slamdance Film Festival, and “American Decaf” which will make the festival rounds in 2010. She attended the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and has been on juries and panels at over 50 film festivals and film conferences. Heidi now programs for the Slamdance Film Festival, produces and directs Slamdance TV during the festival, and continues to counsel countless filmmakers about indie film and festival strategy every year.
Mon, Oct 19 2009 6:59 PM | Posted by Peter Baxter
Slamdance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010; Pass, Ticket and Press Credential Information
Slamdance Film Festival 2010 will take place January 21-28 in Park City, Utah.
We are headquartered at Treasure Mountain Inn (TMI), 255 Main Street...a snowball throw from the Egyptian theater.
Festival passes available here.
For press credentials, please contact our PR Strategist Megan MacLeod. Megan's e-mail is megan@slamdance.com.
Please note our Festival passes sell out fast and are sold on a first come, first serve basis.
Please note Film Festival tickets go on sale January 1, 2010 from this site. Half of our Festival tickets will be retained for on site purchase at our TMI Box Office opening January 21 at 9am.
Please call us if you have any questions on 323 466 1786.
We are looking forward to seeing you at Slamdance 2010!
Slamdance 2010 Announces Festival Awards
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: 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.
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
megan@slamdance.com
310.597.2380
SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT
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.
* 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!
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
Slamdance 2010 Film Schedule
Please note our schedule is set to Mountain Standard Time. The Filmmaker Summit and Fireside Chats are free events. For complete film program information and ticket purchases go to: 2010 Film Program and Tickets
Click on the schedule below to download a printable version:
Vote For Slamdance Anarchy Now! Online Films at Their Finest
Slamdance was founded on some of the same basic principles that have made the Internet what it is today -- free expression, individual empowerment, and creative chaos outside the influential sphere of "The Man." In the true spirit of our humble beginnings -- Slamdance 95, Anarchy in Utah -- Slamdance's Anarchy online competition is an extension of our mission to create greater exposure for first-time filmmakers and further empower them in the process of distributing their work.
Slamdance is dedicated to maximizing the amount of exposure Anarchy can create for filmmakers around the world. You, the audience decides who wins! Watch and vote for Anarchy online now
Special Screenings and Shorts Line-up Announced
Three Features Complete 2010 Special Screening Program Along with Steven Soderbergh’s Spalding Gray Documentary
64 Short Films Chosen from Around the World and of All Genres to Debut in Park City
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LOS ANGELES - December 16, 2010 – Slamdance today announced the complete 2010 Special Screening program as well as the Short Film Competition slate for the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Following last week’s announcement of Steven Soderbergh’s world premiere “And Everything Is Going Fine,” Slamdance completes its Special Screening program with the world premiere of Jordan Brady’s documentary “I Am Comic”, featuring Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, and other top comedic talent; and British double bill of “Tony” directed by Gerard Johnson, and “Down Terrace” directed by Ben Wheatley.
“This year's Special Screenings reflect the creative spirit and filmmaking that defined Slamdance's founding years. From Steven Soderbergh's intimate portrait of the artist Spalding Gray, to Gerard Johnson's thrilling character study of the London suburbs, this year’s selection of films are unique stories by filmmakers with the drive to get them conveyed by whatever it takes,” says Paul Rachman, Special Screening programmer and East Coast Director of Slamdance.
In keeping with its tradition of showcasing fresh and innovative new voices in short film, Slamdance will also screen 36 narrative and experimental films, ten animations, twelve short documentaries, and seven mind bending horror shorts as part of its inaugural Twilight Shorts program. A few of the many highlights will be "Head In The Sand," a darkly humorous look at a naive soldier's tour of duty in Afghanistan; "Saturday Morning Blues," an intimate snapshot of an inner-city adolescent wrangling doses of knowledge and poison from her savvy best friend; and "Solatrium," a shimmering futuristic sci-fi piece designed entirely with found and recycled materials.
"In spite of the recession, we saw an increase in both quantity and quality of shorts submissions this year. Filmmakers conjured up miraculous production values with limited resources, and our programmers sifted carefully through each and every film to find the most accomplished and pioneering work,” stated Paul Sbrizzi, Captain of the Shorts Programming Committee.
Slamdance will screen the best new indie shorts from the United States, as well as Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
In addition to the competition shorts, Slamdance will screen five $99 Special shorts, so named for working within this tight budget. These films were produced by the organization in conjunction with Festival alumni, including Matthew Harrison’s “Hey Vendor” project, written by Slamdance 2009 short screenplay award winner Christopher Hlas. The $99 experimental comedy embraced work agreements provided by the Director's and Screen Actor's Guild.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
“I Am Comic” - directed by Jordan Brady (US). World Premiere, 86 mins.
Slamdance alum Jordan Brady (Dil Scallion) returns to Slamdance with his documentary about Stand-up comedians revealing the art and occupational hazards of their craft. With Sarah Silverman, Tommy Davidson, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, Jeff Foxworthy and Phyllis Diller
“Down Terrace” – directed by Ben Wheatley (UK). 89 mins.
A darkly comedic drama about a family of crooks whose daily travails tries to keep their criminal enterprise from falling apart. With Bob Hill, Rob Hill and Julia Deakin.
“Tony” – directed by Gerard Johnson (UK). US Premier, 72 mins.
Tony is an urban loner, but that doesn't stop him trying to make friends in the most gruesome of ways. With Peter Ferdinando. Ricky Grover, George Russo and Francis Pope.
“And Everything Is Going Fine” – directed by Steven Soderbergh (US). World Premiere. 89 mins. Previously Announced. Intimate documentary about the life and work of the late performance artist Spalding Gray.
NARRATIVE & Experimental SHORTS (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Blood From a Stone” - directed by Bill Palmer. World Premiere, 8 min.
Renegade cop Sean Sharpstone gets behind the wheel of his t-top Camaro, looking good, kicking ass and spitting one-liners in this tongue-in-cheek homage to “Fascist Action” films of the 1980’s.
“Bolt From the Blue” - directed by Sebastian Bear-McClard. World Premiere, 22 min
In the middle of a scheme at a computer repair shop, a comically self-deluded rap producer and petty thief meets the beautiful Poly, a DJ. . . She saves his day.
“Broken Records” - directed by Steven Cohen. World Premiere, 8 min.
A hilariously vapid sitcom parody takes a sinister turn when the characters discover they are trapped in their artificial and repetitious world.
“Brother” - directed by Mary Bing. 14 min.
A charmingly eccentric little boy torments and outwits his ballet-student sister, below the radar of their wealthy, Manhattan art-world mother.
“Celestial Avenue” - directed by Colin Cairnes. 20 min. (Australia)
An Australian woman’s blind date turns into sweetly surreal madcap comedy when she meets a Mandarin-speaking Caucasian kitchen worker and tries to fend off an undaunted suitor.
“The Constant” - directed by Raul Navarro. World Premiere, 3 min. (Spain)
A Spanish man feels a special vibe, and starts to let his freak out for the woman he’s brought home, but how much is too much?
“Eagles are Turning People into Horses” - directed by Brian McElhaney. World Premiere, 14 min.
Lyle wants to break up with his girlfriend. Too scared to do it honestly, he enacts a scheme to convince her that they MUST break up because he is on the frontlines of a vicious battle between man, beast and fowl.
“Feeder” - directed by Joseph Ernst. 4 minutes (Netherlands/UK)
A day in the life, from an entirely new perspective -- astonishing footage shot from inside a human being.
“Gayby” - directed by Jonathan Lisecki. World Premiere, 12 min.
A gay man and a straight woman decide to have a child together the old-fashioned way. Hey, it's a recession.
“GirlLikeMe” - directed by Rowland Jobson. North American Premiere, 12 min. (UK)
An intense modern-day Lolita from a broken home meets a middle-aged man for a date that quickly goes off the rails.
“Golden Prize” - directed by That Go. World Premiere, 3 min.
Apes & Androids do a drive by on your grandmomma with plenty of retro-futuristic style in this explosive music video.
“The Growing Season” - directed by Susan Sfarra. World Premiere, 18 min.
The subtle, meditative experience of a hot summer day, as an adolescent boy explores the world of trimming Christmas trees with his grandfather.
“Ha’agam (The Lake)” - directed by Boaz Lavie. 26 min. (Israel)
An Israeli man reluctantly agrees to bring his comically irresponsible slacker brother in on a very unusual family business
“Head in the Sand” - directed by David Baldwin, Jr. World Premiere, 15 min.
A man who grew up with cartoon fantasies of military life enlists for Afghanistan. But the lighthearted camaraderie of a soldier’s life is inevitably interrupted by the harsh realities of war.
“His White Eyes” - directed by Betty Jiang. US Premiere, 40 min. (Canada)
A raw and powerful exploration of cultural identity: an Asian girl falls in love with an absent White man in multi-cultural Vancouver.
“Horsefingers 2: But I am the Tiger” - directed by Kirsten Kearse. World Premiere, 8 min.
From birth to re-birth, a female Horsefingers accepts her silent, lyrical journey, following a changing map and animated arrows through the forest and metropolis.
“In Space” - directed by Visra Vichit Vadakan. World Premiere, 16 min. (Thailand)
A young Thai man living with his grandparents reluctantly becomes a Buddhist monk and finds a safe space between the present and the afterlife.
“Joey & Jerome’s Artistic Meaningful Indie Movie” - directed by Josh Bass. World Premiere, 18 min.
Two dudes, exposed to the lyrical, poetic world of independent film for the first time, are inspired to make their own lyrical, poetic independent film, with no money, resources, or know-how.
“Junko’s Shamisen” - directed by Solomon Friedman. World Premiere, 11 min. (Canada)
A young Japanese orphan and her mystical friend exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord, in a lavishly art-directed piece combining live action with multiple styles of animation.
“Latte America” - directed by Jesse Clark, Gabriel Caldwell & Enzo Zanatta. World Premiere, 10 min. (Canada)
Shot backwards in a single take, a seedy and surreal comical adventure in a future world in which coffee has been made illegal.
“LOWbASIC” - directed by Frank Rinaldi. World Premiere, 29 min.
Josh Intrator and Thomas Seely of Punk-Rock-Duo LOWbASiC struggle to maintain their friendship and sanity as they prepare to debut their music on Dr. Bob's Rock 'n Roll T.V. show FALSE MEDIA. LOWbASiC: Beat Your Media.
“Massacrator” - directed by Pierre Ayotte. World Premiere, 4 min. (Canada)
A young woman and Elvis, rising from the grave in spirited stop-motion, struggle to escape from a killer cyborg from the future.
“Members of the Resistance” - directed by Pegah Ghaemi. 15 min. (Iran, United Arab Emirates)
A villager carries a piece of modernity in a big box on his back all the way home. His family is exposed to the violence of Iran’s political uprising, and take action in their own way.
“Mixtape” - directed by Timothy S. Pfeffer & Peter Corina. World Premiere, 22 min.
Young Bobby lives to the rhythms of his tape recorder that he turns on whenever he feels like it. Follow him on a remarkable journey into a fantastic world of colors and sound.
“Mochi” - directed by Chung Lee. 19 min. (Taiwan & US)
A young private nurse from Indonesia tries to convince her needy old Taiwanese client to let her go home. Soon she realizes there is only one way to get free, and that it comes with a price.
“Monsters Down the Hall” - directed by S. Vollie Osborn. World Premiere, 14 min.
Michael, a young boy with a strung out single mom, has terrifying visions of what happens just outside their apartment.
“Mosquito” - directed by Jeremy Engle. World Premiere, 12 min.
The humiliation and struggle for redemption of a 13-year old Dominican boy, who fights to win the respect of his teenage tormentors on the streets of New York City in 1974.
“Off Season” - directed by Jonathan Van Tulleken. US Premiere, 13 min., (US & UK)
A transient who steals from summer cottages during the brutal winter of the off-season makes a haunting discovery.
“Olympus” - directed by Giovanni Fantoni Modena. World Premiere, 13 min. (Italy)
A photographer witnesses and gets drawn in to a ritualistic, violent mob scene at a hyperreal rally of terrifying power.
“Planet Sun” - directed by Matthew Atkinson. World Premiere, 15 min. (Canada)
The vacuous life of Shay, Stay and their friend, Fay, as they face the many trials and tribulations of working reception at a tanning salon in a strip mall, blossoms into an over-the-top music video fantasy.
“Prvi Dan Mira (First Day of Peace)” - directed by Mirko Rucnov. 16 min. (Bosnia and Herzegovina and US)
When a peace agreement is announced, a peasant undertakes a dangerous voyage to his still-volatile home village on the disputed Bosnian border, to plow his land.
“Sandhill Boys” - directed by Laura Klein. World Premiere, 20 min.
Amidst the tobacco barns and sandy fields of North Carolina, Donald relives the only meaningful moment of his past, and A.D. decides to tell the woman of his dreams that he loves her.
“Saturday Morning Blues” - directed by Yvonne Michelle Shirley. World Premiere, 12 min.
The light of morning brings a sleepover and a friendship to an abrupt and painful end, as an adolescent gets equal doses of knowledge and poison from her world-wise pal.
“Solatrium” - directed by Chris Bower. World Premiere, 20 min.
Bria Living, a female astronaut, attempts to cure her regret and ennui by abusing her medication. Little does she know she is the test subject for Nevco Corporation who is developing the experimental drug Solatrium.
“Surface Film” - directed by Varathit Uthaisri. World Premiere, 3 min.
What would the world be like from an underground perspective?
“Yes, Yesterday” - directed by Van Vu. World Premiere, 12 min.
On the Fourth of July in New York, a Chinese waiter crosses paths with a woman from his past; under the fireworks he has a chance to recapture what he lost on the same day a decade earlier.
ANIMATION SHORTS (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Deux Regards” - directed by Kangmin Kim. World Premiere, 3 min. (South Korea/US)
At the interstice between materiality and immateriality, Direct work on the filmstrip is digitally rendered, creating tension between surface and depth.
“Gul” - directed by Adnan Hussain. World Premiere, 9 min.
A young girl is awakened by her mother's dying breath. Raw, painted, computer animation is scored with Sindhi Folk music from Pakistan. Can love create hope in the face of oppression?
“Ledo and Ix Go to Town” - directed by Emily Carmichael. World Premiere, 7 min.
The titular 8-bit adventurers are back, this time headed towards a blot on the map that's either a village or brain fungus.
“Over the River and Thru the Higher Dimensions” - directed by Dillon Markey. World Premiere, 8 min.
A trip to Grandma's house takes a turn for the extraordinary when Grandma builds a teleporter and explains string theory.
“Patience of the Memory” - directed by Vuk Jevremovic. World Premiere, 7 min. (Germany & Spain)
A memory of Dresden, the city which was the most painted and destroyed in the last century, rendered in animated oil painting.
“Roue” - directed by Taili Wu. World Premiere, 5 min.
An animated self-portrait composed by fragments of dreams, childhood memories and emotions.
“Seed” - directed by Ben Richardson and Daniel Bird. World Premiere, 11 min. (Czech Republic)
An egg and an apple build competing broadcast towers that vie for the attention of a transistor radio.
“Synchronicity Series” - directed by Eileen Reynolds. 2 min. (Singapore)
Just as a school of fish operates in synchrony, this animation reveals the synchronous movement amongst a community of people, symbolizing an idealized view of the power of human cooperative action.
“Together!” - directed by David Sheahan. World Premiere, 4 min.
A moth and a roach, beating the odds – Together!
“Visit” - directed by Kangmin Kim. World Premiere, 7 min. (South Korea/US)
He visits a city. The city already forgot him. The city is still sinking in his dream. Only the lighthouse has his memory.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Point of Entry” - directed by Zeus Quijano, Jr. 26 min.
An intimate look at modern immigration.
“Bout that Bout” - directed by Nico Sabenorio. World Premiere, 26 min.
High school seniors in rural Florida come of age competing in an illegal after-school fight club.
“Cease & Desist” - directed by John Carluccio. World Premiere, 20 min.
Branding, addiction, sneaker culture and legal infringement are explored when artist/designer Ari Saal Forman mashes-ups the lively Newport cigarette brand into a cool Nike-like sneaker.
“Close to Home” - directed by Theo Rigby. 6 min.
The story of a father broken from the murder of his son, and a daughter waiting for the father that she once had.
“Finding D.Q.U.” - directed by Christopher Newman. World Premiere, 27 min.
In 2005 D-Q University, California's only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle, but its supporters fight to hold on to a dream that was never fully realized.
“Not a Willing Participant” - directed by Alex Barnes. World Premiere, 27 min. (Australia)
Aboriginal artist Vernon Ah Kee has been selected to represent Australia at the prestigious 53rd Venice Biennale of art. How will his important cultural work be perceived by the rest of the world?
“Poinciana Sunrise” - directed by Chuck Gomez. World Premiere, 20 min.
The life and spirit of the “Queen of the Road”, the only female member of The Highwaymen, a group of African-American Florida artists who created a beautiful and historic record of landscapes now lost to developers and modernization.
“Q & A” - directed by Tim & Mike Rauch. 4 min.
Joshua Littman, an inquisitive 12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome, interviews his mother Sarah about everything from cockroaches to her feelings about him as a son.
“Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis” - directed by Tom Dziedzic. 30 min.
A spiritual vision inspires Tom Lewis, a storyteller of quiet power, to open a neighborhood safe haven called The Fishing School and to turn hardship into hope for the children in his community.
“The Individualist” - directed by Zoë Banks. World Premiere, 19 min.
Tinkerer, musician, and inventor of the world's first solid-state heat engine, Ridgway Banks quietly solved the clean energy problem in his workshop 35 years ago, without fame, fortune or attention.
“The Sundowner” - directed by Steve Christolos. World Premiere, 19 min.
An engineer becomes a man of the sea on his handcrafted fifty-three foot sailboat, with the incredible ambition to sail around the world.
“Wahid’s Mobile Bookstore” - directed by Anjoo Khosia. World Premiere, 10 min. (US & India)
Nine-year-old Wahid makes a living selling pirated international bestsellers to customers stopping in their cars at traffic intersections in Mumbai, India.
Twilight Shorts (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
“Culebra” - directed by Sean Carter. World Premiere, 15 min.
A pregnant Mexican woman follows a shady human smuggler into an underground border crossing that goes terribly awry.
“Dance Macabre” - directed by Pedro Pires. 9 min. (Canada)
A chilling death sets the stage for a dark choreography.
“Love and Volts” - directed by Normand Daneau. World Premiere, 20 min. (Canada)
Donald works in a small town slaughterhouse. He is infatuated with Francine, an animal-loving young spinster who owns a pet shop. Will love be enough to overcome their differences and unite these two lonely souls?
“Prince of Milk” - directed by Eisuke Naitou. World Premiere, 15 min. (Japan)
A completely new type of erotic and grotesque horror film, covered with milk.
“Skinned” - directed by Wotsisname. World Premiere, 11 min. (UK)
“I f*** my patients,” a Spanish TV doctor tells a drunk woman in a park, marking the beginning of his dissent into turmoil.
“Sleep Now” - directed by Joseph Cahill. World Premiere, 12 min. (France)
A surreal horror-comedy in which a couple is abducted and taken to a strange dentist's office where two men perform a dark medical experiment on the woman and discover she is pregnant.
“Spunkbubble” - directed by Tom Browne. World Premiere, 12 min. (UK)
Three men are in search of something they can never possess and in a hotel room they meet. And die in a blizzard of extreme pornography and hardcore violence.
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.
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Contact:
Megan MacLeod
310.597.2380
SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2010 FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
LOS ANGELES - December 10, 2010 – Slamdance today announced its 2010 Feature Competition slate of films selected from a record number of submissions for the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival taking place January 21-28, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance will debut ten narrative and eight documentary feature films all programmed in line with its mission of “by filmmakers, for filmmakers.”
Competition filmmakers come to Park City this year like Slamdance alum Oren Peli did with independent sensation Paranormal Activity in 2008: as first-time feature directors working with limited budgets and without domestic theatrical distribution. This year’s subjects and cast, in Slamdance’s tradition of showcasing emerging diverse and independent voices include William Burroughs, a yellow brick road, Bolivian women’s wrestling, group sex, Gus Van Sant, Lemmy and H. P. Lovecraft.
“That’s Slamdance,” said President and Co-Founder Peter Baxter. “If you want to see the best in do-it-yourself - true independent filmmaking - Slamdance is the place to be. Our Sweet 16 outing will, as always, showcase emerging filmmaking talent at its finest.”
NARRATIVE COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted)
“Cummings Farm” - directed by Andrew Drazek. World Premier, 103 min
Cast: Laura Silverman
Cummings Farm is a disturbing comedy about an orgy at a lakeside strawberry farm. Three couples at the end their twenties give group sex a go, naively hoping it will grant them enlightenment.
“Drones” - directed by Amber Benson & Adam Busch. World Premier, 96 min
Cast: Angela Bettis, Jonathan M. Woodward
When Brian walks in on his best friend’s closet time, he discovers a universal threat to his life, job and the Earth itself!
“The Four-Faced Liar” - directed by Jacob Chase. World Premier, 100 min
Cast: Emily Peck, Marja-Lewis Ryan, Todd Kubrak
When small town couple, Molly and Greg, meets best friends Trip and Bridget, unexpected sparks fly. As friendship slides into passion, Molly must choose between a guy she took for granted, and the girl she can't resist.
“The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu” - directed by Henry Saine. World Premier, 82 min
Cast: Devin McGinn
Jeff is an ordinary guy that is stuck at a dead end job with a boring life, but when a strange old man gives him an Ancient relic and tells him that he is the last bloodline of H.P. Lovecraft. He and his friend Charlie embark on an adventure to protect the relic piece from falling into the hands of the Starspawn and his minions that wish to reunite the relic and release Cthulhu back into the world.
“One Hundred Mornings” - directed by Conor Horgan. (Ireland) US Premier, 85 min
Cast: Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan
Set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society, two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis.
“The Scenesters” - directed by Todd Berger, 96 min
Cast: Sherilyn Fenn, Suzanne May, Blaise Miller
In this dark comedy, when a serial killer starts picking off beautiful young hipsters on the east side of Los Angeles, a group of crime scene videographers hatch a plan to catch him.
“Snow and Ashes” - directed by Charles Olivier-Michaud. (Canada)World Premier, 104 min
Cast: Rhys Coiro, Lina Roessler, Frederic Gilles
A War Correspondent covers an armed conflict in Eastern Europe. When he wakes from a coma, Blaise discovers that his collaborator is missing and sets out to recapture the events that led to his friend’s disappearance.
“URFrenz” - directed by Jeff Phillips. World Premier, 84 min
Cast: Lily Holleman, Gayla Goehl, CaroleAnne Johnson
High school girls and their parents collide over the use of a popular social networking site when the identity and motives of an on-line boy come into question.
“The Wild Hunt” - directed by Alexandre Franchi. (Canada) World Premier, 95 min
Cast: Kaniehtiio Horn, Mark Anthony Krupa, Ricky Mabe
A medieval re-enactment game turns into a Shakespearean tragedy when a non-player crashes the event to win back his girlfriend.
“YellowBrickRoad” - directed by Andy Mitton & Jesse Holland. World Premier, 94 min
Cast: Cassidy Freeman, Lee Wilkof, Anessa Ramsey
An expedition looks for answers to something horrible in the forest, but the forest finds something horrible in them.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted)
“American Jihadist” - directed by Mark Claywell. US Premier. 72 min
What makes a man willing to kill and die for his religion?
“Biker Fox” - directed by Jeremy Lamberton. World Premier, 94 min
By taking the road less traveled, Biker Fox leads you to another dimension by "cogitating positive vibes to the cortex of your cerebellum" in this part documentary, part self-help testimonial.
“Candyman” - directed by Costa Botes. World Premier, 76 min
Candyman is the story of the rise and fall of David Klein, the man who invented Jelly Belly jelly beans. With Weired Al Yankovich
“General Orders No. 9” - directed by Robert Persons, 72 min
Take one last trip down the rabbit hole before it gets paved over. A history of the State of Georgia or Anywhere. Deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes county road becomes...
“Mamachas Del Ring” - directed by Betty M. Park. US Premier, 75 min
Bolivian women wrestlers throw down in the ring in this documentary about what it really means to fight like a girl. Carmen Rosa the Champion is their passionate leader, and is faced with a brutal decision when she is forced to choose between her love of sport and love of her family.
“Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story” - directed by Adam Barker, 62 min
The birth of freestyle motocross became the demise of the sport's most infamous legend. Narrated by Lemmy.
“Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae” - directed by Stascha Bader. (Canada) US Premier, 98 min
The singers and musicians of Jamaica’s Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform together again at a reunion concert in Kingston, and to tell their story. With Rita Marley
“William Burroughs: A Man Within” - directed by Yony Leyser. World Premier, 90 min
Leyser paints a tender portrait of the Beat author and American icon, whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned vibrant countercultural movements and reconfigured 20th century culture. With David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Peter Weller, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson.
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.
Contact:
Megan MacLeod
310.597.2380
And Everything Is Going Fine at Slamdance - Steven Soderbergh's Premiere & Filmmaker Summit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Steven Soderbergh to premiere new film at 2010 Slamdance Film Festival and participate in revolutionary Filmmaker Summit
LOS ANGELES - December 9, 2010 - Steven Soderbergh's world premiere of And Everything Is Going Fine will be at the center of the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, along with his enduring support of independent filmmakers. His latest feature film intimately documents the life and work of the late performance artist Spalding Gray, a man with whom Soderbergh formed a special friendship.
Steven Soderbergh has maintained a dedicated and venerable role with Slamdance both by supporting the organization and working with many of its filmmakers. In 1996 he produced The Daytrippers, directed by Greg Mottola and winner of Slamdance's first Jury prize. The following year, he premiered his dadaist caper Schizopolis that led to meeting and then collaborating with first-time filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo.
“In every way Steven Soderbergh represents the spirit of Slamdance. This year he’s fully immersed himself within our community in support of the indie filmmaker by debuting an independently-made film about a renowned independent artist,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder.
Steven Soderbergh's involvement with Slamdance this year will also include his participation in The Filmmaker Summit. The Filmmaker Summit's mission is to invite all filmmakers, both in Park City and virtually, to collectively craft a new charter for filmmaking, storytelling and content distribution, with and by the global filmmaking community. Born out of reaction to the independent film industry within a current state of turmoil, this collaboration allocates filmmakers a better understanding and different avenues to find success afforded to them by new technology and democratization of new tools and processes.
"The democratization of the tools is disrupting how films are funded, produced, distributed and discovered,” says Lance Weiler, filmmaker and founder of the WorkBook Project. “The empowerment of filmmakers is a vision that the WorkBook Project shares with Slamdance and the Open Video Alliance. We're bringing together creative people from all over the world to join in a summit that has no boarders - to have a conversation about what is working and what is not on a global level. By opening up dialogue we hope that we can foster an international filmmaking community that is willing to experiment while sharing the results."
The premiere of And Everything Is Fine and the Filmmaker Summit will take place on Saturday, January 23 at Treasure Mountain Inn, Slamdance headquarters on Main Street.
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, Jared Hess and Oren Peli. 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.
Contact: Megan MacLeod Slamdance Film Festival 310.597.2380
Slamdance Recommends Van Lier's Indie Film Rule Book
Hey Slamdancers!
Do you have a festival strategy? Do you even understand what a festival strategy really is? Are you and your film positioned to entice agents, reps, press, jurors, distributors, awards, other festivals, and more potential work?
Most of the filmmakers I get to know every year, who have actually been accepted to the major festivals, had no idea how to answer these questions with any real confidence while they were already on the circuit.
As you’re all waiting to hear from Slamdance, Sundance, SXSW, and the rest of the 2010 film festivals, I want to make sure you know about my book, The Indie Film Rule Book.
YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK NOW! (www.lulu.com/
The Indie Film Rule Book is a strategic guide to truly independent film, covering everything from your initial concept, through festivals, and all the way to your next job. It helps make sure you and your film have the best opportunities possible, that you know how to take advantage of them, and that you use them to make even more opportunities. The book has great interviews, great insight, and fun stories that explain how to avoid all the mistakes most filmmakers make.
Every purchase also includes email access for professional consultation on your specific project.
In addition to my own very selfish reasons for wanting you to buy this book right now (baby needs a new pair of shoes), I also want to make sure that all the film festivals are as successful as they can be this year, and on top of that…
I want you to know what you’re doing NOW, before you’ve missed out on your opportunities.
Go read my blog, Indie Film Q & A with Heidi Van Lier at www.filmindependent.org, follow me on Twitter, and get to work!
The 2010 festival season is just about to start and if you don’t know what’s up, you may already be way behind.
Heidi
Heidi Van Lier is an indie filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She has made 3 feature films, “Chi Girl” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival, “Monday” which screened as a special screening at the Slamdance Film Festival, and “American Decaf” which will make the festival rounds in 2010. She attended the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and has been on juries and panels at over 50 film festivals and film conferences. Heidi now programs for the Slamdance Film Festival, produces and directs Slamdance TV during the festival, and continues to counsel countless filmmakers about indie film and festival strategy every year.
Slamdance Film Festival, January 21-28, 2010; Pass, Ticket and Press Credential Information
Slamdance Film Festival 2010 will take place January 21-28 in Park City, Utah.
We are headquartered at Treasure Mountain Inn (TMI), 255 Main Street...a snowball throw from the Egyptian theater.
Festival passes available here.
For press credentials, please contact our PR Strategist Megan MacLeod. Megan's e-mail is megan@slamdance.com.
Please note our Festival passes sell out fast and are sold on a first come, first serve basis.
Please note Film Festival tickets go on sale January 1, 2010 from this site. Half of our Festival tickets will be retained for on site purchase at our TMI Box Office opening January 21 at 9am.
Please call us if you have any questions on 323 466 1786.
We are looking forward to seeing you at Slamdance 2010!