Sundance 2014: U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
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14 titles
- DirectorJohn D. HarkriderStarsJohn D. HarkriderBarron ClaiborneLynn HillJohn betrayed his life-long best friend Barron, an act that almost put Barron in jail for life. Ten years later, John and Barron meet to talk and reach some type of resolution and forgiveness.
- DirectorMichael Rossato-BennettStarsDan CohenLouise DuenoNell HardieDan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.
- DirectorJeremiah ZagarStarsJoaquin PhoenixNicole KidmanHelen HuntA small-town murder in New England became one of the highest-profile cases of the twentieth century. As the first fully televised court case, the Pamela Smart trial rattled the consciousness of America. From gavel to gavel, a nation tuned in, and reality TV was born. Pulsating with sex, drugs, betrayal, and murder, the trial inspired 20 years of television shows, books, plays, and movies, including To Die For, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Gus Van Sant.
- DirectorBen CotnerRyan WhiteStarsTed OlsonChristopher D. DusseaultJeffrey J. ZarrilloA behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsStan AdelsteinLanice ArcherRobert BakkerA documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.
- DirectorStephanie SoechtigStarsMichele SimonKatie CouricBill ClintonAn examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorAndrew RossiStarsElizabeth ArmstrongRichard ArumJamshed BharuchaA documentary that questions the cost -- and value -- of higher education in the United States.
- DirectorMark GriecoColombia is the center of the new global gold rush and Marmato, a historic mining town, is the new frontier. Filmed over the course of nearly 6 years, MARMATO chronicles how the townspeople confront a Canadian mining company that wants the $20 Billion in gold beneath their homes.
- DirectorJeffrey RadiceStarsEnos CabellDave CashRoberto Clemente Jr.The life and times of major league pitcher Dock Ellis are explored in this revealing documentary.
- DirectorJesse MossStarsJay ReinkeAndrea ReinkeAlan MezoBroken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor risks everything to help them.
- DirectorCynthia HillStarsKit GruelleDeanna WaltersStacy CoxOklahoma Cop Deanna was kidnapped by Robbie, her estranged husband, and beaten in the cab of his truck over a harrowing four-day journey. They were pulled over by police and she was taken to the hospital. In spite of Deanna's devastating injuries, Robbie was not arrested. Private Violence, a feature-length documentary, follows Deanna's journey as she rebuilds her life and fights to place Robbie behind bars. Accompanying Deanna is Kit Gruelle, a domestic violence victim turned advocate who navigates the complex world of domestic violence courts, shelters, and law enforcement.
- DirectorAndrew Droz PalermoTracy Droz TragosStarsAlyssa JewellAndrew JewellElizabeth JewellRich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.
- DirectorEdet BelzbergStarsBenjamin FerenczRaphael LemkinMatt MitlerFour modern stories of remarkable courage while setting out to uncover the forgotten life of Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term 'genocide'. Inspired by Samantha Power's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, 'A Problem From Hell', 'Watchers of the Sky' traverses time and continents to explore genocide and the cycle of violence.