Happy 2016, everyone! I sure hope you received some shopping money this holiday season, as this first week of horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases is a big one and we’ve got a lot to look forward to. Two of my personal favorites of 2015 are making their way home this week to Blu-ray and DVD—Deathgasm and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse—and Universal is serving up a double dose of terror with their releases of The Green Inferno and The Visit.
Scream Factory is also keeping busy with their double feature Blu-ray of The House Where Evil Dwells / Ghost Warrior and Over Your Dead Body, the latest from Takashi Miike. Other notable releases on January 5th include The Inhabitants, Wrecker, Condemned, and Kill Game.
Deathgasm (Dark Sky Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
High School is Hell! Metal-thrashing Brodie is an outcast in a sea of jocks and cheerleaders until he...
Scream Factory is also keeping busy with their double feature Blu-ray of The House Where Evil Dwells / Ghost Warrior and Over Your Dead Body, the latest from Takashi Miike. Other notable releases on January 5th include The Inhabitants, Wrecker, Condemned, and Kill Game.
Deathgasm (Dark Sky Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
High School is Hell! Metal-thrashing Brodie is an outcast in a sea of jocks and cheerleaders until he...
- 1/5/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Chilean writer-director Nicolas Lopez reunites with frequent collaborator Paz Bascunan for his upcoming comedy No Filter (Sin Filtro) and while she's not actually reprising her character from Lopez's hugely popular trio of Fuck My Life movies it's obvious that this is very much meant to live in a similar world. Built around fast paced gags in the wired-up middle classes of Santiago, this looks to be pure, populist comedy and exactly the sort of thing that Lopez is best at. Check out the teaser below....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/4/2015
- Screen Anarchy
If you missed Eli Roth's The Green Inferno in theaters, you'll soon be able to watch its cannabilistic carnage from your couch, as Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has set the horror film for a January 5th, 2016 Blu-ray / DVD debut.
Blu-ray.com reports the news of The Green Inferno Blu-ray / DVD release. According to the site, the Blu-ray's special features will include the following:
"Audio commentary with Co-Writer/Director/Producer Eli Roth, Producer Nicolas Lopez, and stars Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton, and Daryl Sabara"
Directed by Eli Roth, The Green Inferno stars Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Sky Ferreira, Daryl Sabara, and Aaron Burns. Below, we have a look at the Blu-ray's tentative cover art.
"In The Green Inferno, a group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.
Blu-ray.com reports the news of The Green Inferno Blu-ray / DVD release. According to the site, the Blu-ray's special features will include the following:
"Audio commentary with Co-Writer/Director/Producer Eli Roth, Producer Nicolas Lopez, and stars Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton, and Daryl Sabara"
Directed by Eli Roth, The Green Inferno stars Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Sky Ferreira, Daryl Sabara, and Aaron Burns. Below, we have a look at the Blu-ray's tentative cover art.
"In The Green Inferno, a group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.
- 11/6/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
There’s a popular saying that goes, “Nice guys finish last,” and that’s certainly the case for Keanu Reeves’ character in Eli Roth’s latest thriller, Knock Knock, which finds the veteran actor fighting off a pair of crazed women after a sultry night of fun that comes at a hefty price. Unlike most of his previous films, Roth subtly goes for the jugular with Knock Knock, building to a finale brimming with surreal tension and a wickedly dark sense of humor that left me both cringing and laughing.
In his first "Dad Role," Reeves stars in Knock Knock as Evan Webber, a likable and mostly happy husband and father who has been left home alone for the weekend to wrap up a looming architect project for work. One night, there’s a knock at his door from a pair of nymphets in the form of Genesis (Lorenza Izzo...
In his first "Dad Role," Reeves stars in Knock Knock as Evan Webber, a likable and mostly happy husband and father who has been left home alone for the weekend to wrap up a looming architect project for work. One night, there’s a knock at his door from a pair of nymphets in the form of Genesis (Lorenza Izzo...
- 10/8/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
While We’re Young: Roth’s Revisits Grindhouse Home Invasion
Genre director Eli Roth presents his first remake, Knock Knock, a rehash of a 1977 grindhouse thriller, Death Game (which starred Colleen Camp and Sondra Locke, both returning as producers), utilizing modern technology for this revamped mixture of home invasion nightmare and portrait of masculine anxiety. Entertaining as a bit of unintentional camp, Roth’s inability to reign in over-the-top antics from his wildly uneven cast members doffs its queasy sexual overtones nearly as soon as they begin to develop. Headliner Keanu Reeves, along with Roth’s own wife Lorenza Izzo, tend to run amok in a screenplay co-written by the director’s clutch of Chilean acolytes Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amodeo. Salty, overly exuberant bits of dialogue only solidify the film’s aptitude for off-putting ludicrousness, but for those inclined towards grungy, misanthropic portraits of cruel psychological games, it’s not a complete loss.
Genre director Eli Roth presents his first remake, Knock Knock, a rehash of a 1977 grindhouse thriller, Death Game (which starred Colleen Camp and Sondra Locke, both returning as producers), utilizing modern technology for this revamped mixture of home invasion nightmare and portrait of masculine anxiety. Entertaining as a bit of unintentional camp, Roth’s inability to reign in over-the-top antics from his wildly uneven cast members doffs its queasy sexual overtones nearly as soon as they begin to develop. Headliner Keanu Reeves, along with Roth’s own wife Lorenza Izzo, tend to run amok in a screenplay co-written by the director’s clutch of Chilean acolytes Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amodeo. Salty, overly exuberant bits of dialogue only solidify the film’s aptitude for off-putting ludicrousness, but for those inclined towards grungy, misanthropic portraits of cruel psychological games, it’s not a complete loss.
- 10/8/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Knock, Knock Lionsgate Premiere Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B+ Director: Eli Roth Written by: Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolas Lopez, Eli Roth Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp Screened at: Review, NYC, 9/16/15 Opens: October 9, 2015 If you heard a knock-knock at your door on a dark and stormy night and, looking through the keyhole saw two cute women in their early twenties who needed to use your phone and a bathroom, would you let them in? No? Then you’re a cold New Yorker, a narcissist, a Scrooge. That’s probably what went through the mind of [ Read More ]
The post Knock, Knock Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Knock, Knock Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/6/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
The Green Inferno
Written by Guillermo Amoedo, Eli Roth, and Nicholas Lopez
Directed by Eli Roth
USA, 2013
The notoriously lurid and savage films of the 1970s evidently served as Eli Roth’s primary inspiration for his latest playful excavation into the squealing recess of the human body, the elder of which is the infamous Cannibal Holocaust, whose naïve-innocents-abroad plot has been seized and given a contemporary twist here, although the title has been speared from an alternate moniker of 1988’s Natura Contro. This film’s putrid predecessor, Cannibal Holocaust, is one of the few films of the era to have a genuine and cruel edge to its proceedings, a real vibe that you’re risking your mental and spiritual health by viewing such distressing material, mostly due to the real animal cruelty, which has led the film to be quite rightly consigned to the dustbins of history. Thus, just how...
Written by Guillermo Amoedo, Eli Roth, and Nicholas Lopez
Directed by Eli Roth
USA, 2013
The notoriously lurid and savage films of the 1970s evidently served as Eli Roth’s primary inspiration for his latest playful excavation into the squealing recess of the human body, the elder of which is the infamous Cannibal Holocaust, whose naïve-innocents-abroad plot has been seized and given a contemporary twist here, although the title has been speared from an alternate moniker of 1988’s Natura Contro. This film’s putrid predecessor, Cannibal Holocaust, is one of the few films of the era to have a genuine and cruel edge to its proceedings, a real vibe that you’re risking your mental and spiritual health by viewing such distressing material, mostly due to the real animal cruelty, which has led the film to be quite rightly consigned to the dustbins of history. Thus, just how...
- 9/21/2015
- by John
- SoundOnSight
Eli Roth’s Knock Knock debuts in October Lionsgate Premiere and Voltage Pictures have released a new TV spot for Knock Knock, the latest thriller from horror meister Eli Roth (Hostel, The Green Inferno, “Hemlock Grove”). Check out the Knock Knock commercial below! In the home invasion story, directed by Roth and co-written by Roth, Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo…
The post New TV Spot for Eli Roth’s Knock Knock is at the Door appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post New TV Spot for Eli Roth’s Knock Knock is at the Door appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 9/21/2015
- by Spencer Perry
- shocktillyoudrop.com
In Eli Roth's Knock Knock, Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves) hears a knock on his door that will change his life... and possibly end it. Ahead of the movie's release to theaters and VOD October 9th, we have a look at a brand new trailer.
"When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.
A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family man who falls into temptation and Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas as the seductresses who wreak havoc upon his life, turning a married man’s dark fantasy into his worst nightmare.
Knock Knock will be released by Lionsgate Premiere in theaters and On Demand on October 9th.
"When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.
A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family man who falls into temptation and Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas as the seductresses who wreak havoc upon his life, turning a married man’s dark fantasy into his worst nightmare.
Knock Knock will be released by Lionsgate Premiere in theaters and On Demand on October 9th.
- 8/31/2015
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
In Eli Roth's Knock Knock, Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves) hears a knock on his door that will change his life... and possibly end it, and Lionsgate Premiere will allow viewers to watch it all unfold on both the big and small screens when they release Knock Knock in theaters and VOD October 9th.
"When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.
A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family man who falls into temptation and Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas as the seductresses who wreak havoc upon his life, turning a married man’s dark fantasy into his worst nightmare.
Knock Knock will be...
"When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.
A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family man who falls into temptation and Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas as the seductresses who wreak havoc upon his life, turning a married man’s dark fantasy into his worst nightmare.
Knock Knock will be...
- 7/15/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Funny Games meets Fatal Attraction for a high-stakes date in this zeitgeist-tapping erotic thriller from Eli Roth featuring two hot strangers and an Uber-fueled plot twist
Related: Welcome to the orgy! How the sex movie got its groove back
Several production credits aside, Eli Roth has been lying low since the skilfully nasty Hostel initiated the torture-porn cycle a decade ago. We might, at a pinch, see signs of a maturing in his comeback film’s premise: here, female sexuality threatens not the snickering fratboys of his earlier work, but a middle-aged man who could stand for any number of ageing showbiz roués. With calculated perversity, Roth and co-writers Guillermo Amoedo and Nicolas Lopez attempt a crossbreed of Fatal Attraction and Funny Games, staging a sustained assault on the idyllic Hollywood retreat architect father-of-two Keanu Reeves shares with his loving artist wife).
Continue reading...
Related: Welcome to the orgy! How the sex movie got its groove back
Several production credits aside, Eli Roth has been lying low since the skilfully nasty Hostel initiated the torture-porn cycle a decade ago. We might, at a pinch, see signs of a maturing in his comeback film’s premise: here, female sexuality threatens not the snickering fratboys of his earlier work, but a middle-aged man who could stand for any number of ageing showbiz roués. With calculated perversity, Roth and co-writers Guillermo Amoedo and Nicolas Lopez attempt a crossbreed of Fatal Attraction and Funny Games, staging a sustained assault on the idyllic Hollywood retreat architect father-of-two Keanu Reeves shares with his loving artist wife).
Continue reading...
- 6/27/2015
- by Mike McCahill
- The Guardian - Film News
Eli Roth’s new movie, Knock Knock, is a home invasion thriller that finds Keanu Reeves as Evan Webber, a man who would seem to have life all worked out. He’s married to a wonderful woman, has two great kids, loves his job and even designed his own house. And as you can probably tell from this new poster, freshly landed with us from the man who directed it, things will be staying that way for precisely no time at all. When Webber answers the door to two young women, played by Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas, things take dark turn. From there, his world turns into a twisted nightmare as events turn weird. The two sirens seduce and then begin a series of torments that will find him desperately trying to fight back. We’re promised more psychological terror than gore on this one, and the teaser leaves enough to the imagination.
- 6/19/2015
- EmpireOnline
When a film gets the Eli Roth stamp of approval, it is likely to draw notice. Read More: Eli Roth on Losing His Sundance Virginity With Keanu Reeves and the Latest on 'The Green Inferno' That's the case with Guillermo Amoedo's supernatural thriller "The Stranger," which is opening in theaters and On Demand on June 12 under the banner "Eli Roth Presents 'The Stranger.'" If you're looking for an On Demand title, the Roth imprimatur is likely to pique your interest, which Amoedo appreciates. "I think that having Eli's name attached gives the film a lot of visibility, because there are so many horror films now out there," Amoedo told Indiewire. "It may help the film to have more visibility and bigger distribution, but then the audience has to decide." Produced through Roth and his Santiago-based partner Nicolas Lopez' Chilewood and executive produced by Cassian Elwes,...
- 6/12/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Out today from IFC Midnight is The Stranger, the latest bit of horror from Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolas Lopez and Eli Roth, perhaps now better known as the Chilewood collective. Roth, who’s worked with the filmmakers on The Green Inferno, Aftershock and Knock Knock introduces an exclusive look at the vampire film, the directorial debut of…
The post Eli Roth Introduces an Exclusive Look at The Stranger appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Eli Roth Introduces an Exclusive Look at The Stranger appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 6/12/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Directed by Guillermo Amoedo and executive produced by Eli Roth and Nicolas Lopez (who collaborated on Aftershock, The Green Inferno, and home invasion thriller Knock, Knock with Keanu Reeves), The Stranger is a vampire film that doesn't scream that it's a vampire film. In fact, it's very similar to the best parts of Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark. Cristobal Tapia Montt stars as the titular brooding stranger Martin, who appears at the house of Monica (Alessandra Guerzoni), a mostly irate nurse, and her son Peter (Nicolas Duran), a nice young kid. Martin inquires as to the whereabouts of his ex-lover Ana, and upon being pointed to the cemetery, harbors a severe death wish after learning that Ana has died. Morose and still as a statue, Martin...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/11/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Lionsgate has unveiled the first full trailer for Eli Roth‘s “Knock Knock,” which stars Keanu Reeves as a family man who is seduced and tortured by two psychotic women. Lorenza Izzo and Ana De Armas co-star alongside Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand and Colleen Camp. “Knock Knock” debuted at Sundance where it earned mixed reviews, though critics had high praise for Izzo and De Armas, who play the film’s sultry villains. Also Read: Keanu Reeves, 'John Wick' Filmmakers to Return for Sequel Roth wrote the script with his “Aftershock” collaborators Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo. Roth, Camp...
- 5/22/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
"A vampire film that doesn't scream that it's a vampire film," is how our own Michele "Izzy" Galgana began her review of The Stranger, which screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, last fall. Poised for release by IFC Midnight in select theaters and on demand in the U.S. on June 12, we've got a new trailer and poster to share. You can watch the former below -- featuring a quote from Izzy's review -- and feast your eyes on the latter alongside this text. Written and directed by Guillermo Amoedo, the English-language film is presented by Eli Roth, who serves as executive producer along with Nicolas Lopez. The official synopsis lays things out nicely: In this supernatural thriller, a mysterious man arrives in a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/30/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Park City - Sundance saw the debut of not one but two films that both fit the broad definition of a "horror film," each with decidedly strong ideas about gender politics, but only one of the two seems to me to be genuinely worthwhile. Eli Roth has become defined largely by the excesses of his films, and I'm sure that's perfectly fine with him. Like many life-long gorehounds, when finally given a chance to make his own films, he happily ladled on buckets of blood. What I found interesting about Eli's films is how he seemed to be working one theme repeatedly, constantly exploring the fear that people have of the unknown in the world around them. "Cabin Fever," "Hostel," "Hostel II," and "The Green Inferno" all feature characters leaving their homes, the places where they are comfortable, and heading out to some corner of the world where they are...
- 2/9/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
On paper, a thriller with Keanu Reeves directed by Eli Roth sounds like a slam dunk. Lionsgate agreed and has ponied up $2.5 million to distribute Knock Knock in theaters. We now have the first teaser for the film which looks like it could be a nice sleep to follow in the footsteps of the recent Keanu Reeves surprise hit John Wick. Based on a script by Roth and Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo, the cast also includes Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand and Colleen...
- 1/27/2015
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Keanu Reeves stars in the home invasion thriller alongside Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
Lionsgate is back in business with Eli Roth, as the studio has closed a deal to acquire the director’s home invasion thriller “Knock Knock” for $2.5 million, an individual close to the negotiations has told TheWrap.
Keanu Reeves stars as a married man left alone for the weekend who’s seduced and tortured by two beautiful young girls, played by Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas in her first English-language role.
The film premiered on Friday night at the Library and drew mixed reviews, with...
Lionsgate is back in business with Eli Roth, as the studio has closed a deal to acquire the director’s home invasion thriller “Knock Knock” for $2.5 million, an individual close to the negotiations has told TheWrap.
Keanu Reeves stars as a married man left alone for the weekend who’s seduced and tortured by two beautiful young girls, played by Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas in her first English-language role.
The film premiered on Friday night at the Library and drew mixed reviews, with...
- 1/27/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Sundance: The Orchard has taken North American rights to The Overnight as reports emerged that Lionsgate was closing on Chilewood psychosexual thriller Knock Knock.
The Orchard plans a wide theatrical release for The Overnight after reportedly stumping up $4m.
Patrick Brice directed the Us Dramatic Competition entry set over the course of one bizarre evening in Los Angeles and starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche.
Mark Duplass served as executive producer. ICM Partners and Submarine represented the film in association with Wme Global.
The Orchard is one of several new players in the Us distribution landscape hungry for content. The music company made its first foray into film last year and the release roster includes What We Do In The Shadows and Dior And I.
Meanwhile Lionsgate was said to be circling Chilewood thriller Knock Knock, Eli Roth’s non-horror outing that stars Keanu Reeves as a married man who invites two temptresses...
The Orchard plans a wide theatrical release for The Overnight after reportedly stumping up $4m.
Patrick Brice directed the Us Dramatic Competition entry set over the course of one bizarre evening in Los Angeles and starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche.
Mark Duplass served as executive producer. ICM Partners and Submarine represented the film in association with Wme Global.
The Orchard is one of several new players in the Us distribution landscape hungry for content. The music company made its first foray into film last year and the release roster includes What We Do In The Shadows and Dior And I.
Meanwhile Lionsgate was said to be circling Chilewood thriller Knock Knock, Eli Roth’s non-horror outing that stars Keanu Reeves as a married man who invites two temptresses...
- 1/26/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Film Festival Day 2:What did Keanu Reeves, Gary Cole, Winston Rauch, Michael Shannon, Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Jason Isaac, Eli Roth, Jonny Drubel, Ethan Hawk, Avan Jogia, Emile Hirsch, Bryan Buckley, Adam Scott, Nicholas Lopez, Lorenza Izza, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Isaacs, Jake Busey, Ana DeArmas, Nick Offerman, Kevin Bacon, Chris Pine do on day 2 of Sundance? They checked out cast of Ten Thousand Saints, Knock Knock and Dope all descended on Acura Studio to sign the hood of the new 2015 Acura Tlx.Acura will donate the proceeds from the highest bidder to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Ride […]...
- 1/26/2015
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Why don’t we get you out of those wet clothes? Oh, because you’re insane? Got it
“Knock Knock.” Who’s there? Just two hot-but-crazy chicks coming to ruin your life forever, Keanu Reeves.
Writer/director Eli Roth released a Sundance Film Festival teaser trailer for his new movie via his Facebook page Friday night, which at the time of this writing had accumulated roughly 14,000 viewers.
The dark film hits its stride when two beautiful young girls walk into a married man’s (Reeves) life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. It was set to make...
“Knock Knock.” Who’s there? Just two hot-but-crazy chicks coming to ruin your life forever, Keanu Reeves.
Writer/director Eli Roth released a Sundance Film Festival teaser trailer for his new movie via his Facebook page Friday night, which at the time of this writing had accumulated roughly 14,000 viewers.
The dark film hits its stride when two beautiful young girls walk into a married man’s (Reeves) life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. It was set to make...
- 1/24/2015
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Eli Roth has revealed the teaser trailer for his upcoming film, Knock Knock, which had its premiere on Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the Park City at Midnight section. In the film, directed by Roth and co-written by Roth, Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo, two beautiful young girls walk into a…
The post The Teaser for Eli Roth’s Knock Knock, Starring Keanu Reeves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post The Teaser for Eli Roth’s Knock Knock, Starring Keanu Reeves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 1/24/2015
- by Mirko
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Whenever I go to the Sundance Film Festival, the movies that I look forward to seeing most are the Park City At Midnight films. Those are the crazy fun genre movies that a lot of you would also enjoy watching. Sundance has announced the movie lineup for those film as well as the films in the Spotlight and New Frontier sections. It looks like there are a lot of cool movies that are going to be worth watching this year. Especially in the Park City At Midnight lineup. I'm really excited about going this year! Check out the Competition movie line-up here.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon,...
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon,...
- 12/6/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
John Nein was not always a Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival — it’s only been eight years. When he began at Sundance in 2002 he was always watching movies of course. More than that, like John Cooper said, he just didn’t shut up when he was in the room; he was opinionated and spoke his opinions. He also always liked international cinema as he was born in Ireland and grew up in The Netherlands, Belgium and London where his father worked for international companies. When he was 12 he came to the U.S.
The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
Next <=>
Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
tt3694760 autoPossibil...
The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
Next <=>
Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
tt3694760 autoPossibil...
- 12/6/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Fans of writer/director Eli Roth have two very different films to look forward to: The Green Inferno, an homage to Italian cannibal movies, and Knock Knock, a home intrusion psychological thriller. While the theatrical release of the former is delayed, the latter, which stars Keanu Reeves, will make its world premiere as part of Sundance’s Park City at Midnight lineup, and the first batch of photos from the film have been unveiled.
“Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man’s life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare.”
Directed by Eli Roth off a script he wrote with Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, and Colleen Camp.
In addition to Knock Knock, the Park City at Midnight selections also include Hellions, It Follows, The Hallow, and more. The Sundance Film Festival...
“Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man’s life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare.”
Directed by Eli Roth off a script he wrote with Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, and Colleen Camp.
In addition to Knock Knock, the Park City at Midnight selections also include Hellions, It Follows, The Hallow, and more. The Sundance Film Festival...
- 12/5/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
99 Homes
Following yesterday’s announcement of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s In-Competition films, the festival has released its lineup of Spotlight, Park City At Midnight and New Frontier Films.
Among the lineup is 99 Homes, Ramin Bahrani’s Middle-America drama on foreclosures starring Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield. The film premiered at Toronto and Venice earlier this year and will finally get a release early in 2015. Joining it are the British Independent Film Award-nominated ’71, and the much hyped Eden from Mia Hansen-Løve and Girlhood from Céline Sciamma.
On the At Midnight circuit, the hot ticket is Knock Knock from Director Eli Roth and starring Keanu Reeves in what Deadline describes as a “psychosexual home invasion pic”.
Also included in this announcement is a lineup of New Frontier art installations that will be visible across Park City, including one called Way to Go by artist Vincent Morisset, a big collaborator with Arcade Fire.
Following yesterday’s announcement of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s In-Competition films, the festival has released its lineup of Spotlight, Park City At Midnight and New Frontier Films.
Among the lineup is 99 Homes, Ramin Bahrani’s Middle-America drama on foreclosures starring Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield. The film premiered at Toronto and Venice earlier this year and will finally get a release early in 2015. Joining it are the British Independent Film Award-nominated ’71, and the much hyped Eden from Mia Hansen-Løve and Girlhood from Céline Sciamma.
On the At Midnight circuit, the hot ticket is Knock Knock from Director Eli Roth and starring Keanu Reeves in what Deadline describes as a “psychosexual home invasion pic”.
Also included in this announcement is a lineup of New Frontier art installations that will be visible across Park City, including one called Way to Go by artist Vincent Morisset, a big collaborator with Arcade Fire.
- 12/5/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Eli Roth's next film, Knock Knock will premiere as part of the Midnight section at January's Sundance Film Fest and the first images from the film have appeared online.
Knock Knock was written in collaboration with Roth, Aftershock director Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo.
Synopsis:
Keanu Reeves stars as Evan Webber, a happily married architect who appears to have everything a man could ever dream of – a loving and successful wife, two beautiful children and an expensive home. During a weekend alone, his peaceful existence is interrupted by the sudden arrival of two lost and seemingly innocent young girls. After naively inviting them in while they wait for a taxi, the night takes a sudden and disturbing turn when a debaucherous mistake evolves into a living nig [Continued ...]...
Knock Knock was written in collaboration with Roth, Aftershock director Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo.
Synopsis:
Keanu Reeves stars as Evan Webber, a happily married architect who appears to have everything a man could ever dream of – a loving and successful wife, two beautiful children and an expensive home. During a weekend alone, his peaceful existence is interrupted by the sudden arrival of two lost and seemingly innocent young girls. After naively inviting them in while they wait for a taxi, the night takes a sudden and disturbing turn when a debaucherous mistake evolves into a living nig [Continued ...]...
- 12/4/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Last year’s batch of eight films included the almost critic-proof trio of Adam Wingard’s The Guest, Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement’s What We Do in the Shadows and the major revelation in Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook. After showings at Cannes and Tiff, David Robert Mitchell finds his It Follows (see pic above) also landing at Sundance and being surrounded by seven world preem titles coming from a little bit everywhere on the planet. Here are the fearful eight:
Cop Car/ U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) —Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim.World Premiere
The Hallow/ Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) —When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground,...
Cop Car/ U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) —Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim.World Premiere
The Hallow/ Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) —When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground,...
- 12/4/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Here's what we know about Knock Knock, the upcoming Eli Roth-directed film that will premiere in the Midnight section at January's Sundance Film Fest. Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. The movie stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, and Colleen Camp. It's written by Roth along with Aftershock director Nicolas Lopez and frequent collaborator Guillermo Amoedo. We've got 6 hot stills for you to check out below....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/4/2014
- Screen Anarchy
It’s less than two months until the streets and theaters of Park City are going to be packed with filmmakers, film fans and buyers attending the 2015 Sundance Film Festival from January 22 to February 1. Yesterday the Robert Redford-founded fest announced its U.S. and World Cinema dramatic and documentary competition selections along with the pics in its Next section. Today, with some Andrew Garfield, Keanu Reeves, Greta Gerwig, Kevin Bacon and Charlotte Rampling starrers among them, Sundance revealed its non-competitive Spotlight and Park City At Midnight slates along with the films and installations of the New Frontier category - see the full list below.
Like yesterday’s slate announcements there are some big, big screen names appearing at Sundance this year. Garfield, who has that other gig as certain webslinger, is in the Ramin Bahrani-directed 99 Homes with Michael Shannon and Laura Dern. Having played at Tiff and Venice,...
Like yesterday’s slate announcements there are some big, big screen names appearing at Sundance this year. Garfield, who has that other gig as certain webslinger, is in the Ramin Bahrani-directed 99 Homes with Michael Shannon and Laura Dern. Having played at Tiff and Venice,...
- 12/4/2014
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline
Each year, the midnight shift at Sundance belongs to me, and that's the way I like it. I've had some of my most memorable experiences at the festival happen as part of the midnight screenings, and I look forward to this announcement every year. I'm surprised to see "It Follows" there. That's been playing festivals since Cannes, and while it's good, I wouldn't expect to see Sundance use one of the slots for a film that's been seen as much as this one has already. The hottest ticket will most likely be "Knock Knock," with Eli Roth directing Keanu Reeves. I like that Eli has fallen in with Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo as his new constant collaborators, and this one sounds like it could be nasty fun, which is Eli's sweet spot. I'm excited about the Kevin Bacon movie, which sounds like a darker, actual-real-world-repercussions version of "Let's Be Cops,...
- 12/4/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Veterans Day is traditionally observed Nov. 11, but technology consulting firm Sharp Decisions has made the act of giving back to vets a top priorities year-round. Vets of all ages across the country struggle to find work. According to NBC Washington, vets in the 18-to-25-year-old bracket face a 20 percent unemployment rate; 60 percent report having difficulty securing a job. Sharp Decision's V.E.T.S. (Vocation, Education and Training for Service Members) Program aims to change that. The initiative helps veterans transition from the war zone to the civilian workforce by training them in a familiar "boot camp" environment. These former...
- 11/11/2014
- by Saryn Chorney, @sarynthumps
- PEOPLE.com
Voltage Pictures to begin sales on horror remake based on the original Eli Roth script.
Voltage Pictures will commence international sales at Afm on the Cabin Fever remake - shot entirely from Eli Roth’s original script that sparked his 2002 horror breakout.
Armory Films and Pelican Point Media are financing the story of college students partying in a cabin who fall prey to a flesh-eating virus. Travis Zariwny will direct.
Los Angeles-based Armory – the producers on Zombeavers – produces Cabin Fever alongside Cassian Elwes and Contend. Elwes and CAA jointly represent Us rights.
Contend’s Evan Astrowsky, who produced the original with Roth, serves as producer with Armory Films’ Chris Lemole and Tim Zajaros.
Executive producers are Elwes, Roth, Ike Suri and Jaclyn Ann Suri and Peter Fruchtman.
Principal photography is underway in Portland, Oregon. Gage Golightly, Dustin Ingram, Samuel Davis, Matthew Daddario and Nadine Crocker star.
The filmmakers plan to dedicate the film to Susan Jackson, who died...
Voltage Pictures will commence international sales at Afm on the Cabin Fever remake - shot entirely from Eli Roth’s original script that sparked his 2002 horror breakout.
Armory Films and Pelican Point Media are financing the story of college students partying in a cabin who fall prey to a flesh-eating virus. Travis Zariwny will direct.
Los Angeles-based Armory – the producers on Zombeavers – produces Cabin Fever alongside Cassian Elwes and Contend. Elwes and CAA jointly represent Us rights.
Contend’s Evan Astrowsky, who produced the original with Roth, serves as producer with Armory Films’ Chris Lemole and Tim Zajaros.
Executive producers are Elwes, Roth, Ike Suri and Jaclyn Ann Suri and Peter Fruchtman.
Principal photography is underway in Portland, Oregon. Gage Golightly, Dustin Ingram, Samuel Davis, Matthew Daddario and Nadine Crocker star.
The filmmakers plan to dedicate the film to Susan Jackson, who died...
- 10/20/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Directed by Guillermo Amoedo and executive produced by Eli Roth and Nicolas Lopez (who collaborated on Aftershock, The Green Inferno, and next year's home invasion thriller Knock, Knock with Keanu Reeves), The Stranger is a vampire film that doesn't scream that it's a vampire film. In fact, it's very similar to the best parts of Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark. Cristobal Tapia Montt stars as the titular brooding stranger Martin, who appears at the house of Monica (Alessandra Guerzoni), a mostly irate nurse, and her son Peter (Nicolas Duran), a nice young kid. Martin inquires as to the whereabouts of his ex-lover Ana, and upon being pointed to the cemetery, harbors a severe death wish after learning that Ana has died. Morose and still as a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/29/2014
- Screen Anarchy
While his cannibal film The Green Inferno toured the film festival circuit, director Eli Roth took the earlier part of this year to helm Knock Knock in Chile. Penned by Roth, Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo, the film found the helmer of Cabin Fever and Hostel working with Keanu Reeves as well as Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas.
On the Nerdist podcast over the summer, Roth expressed how quickly the production moved and he was hoping to perhaps get it ready for the Toronto International Film Festival. (That did not happen for whatever reason, obviously.) The film is said to find Reeves playing a married man whose family is out of town. His life takes a terrifying turn when two women show up at his house.
The post Eli Roth Doesn’t Consider Knock, Knock a Horror Film appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
On the Nerdist podcast over the summer, Roth expressed how quickly the production moved and he was hoping to perhaps get it ready for the Toronto International Film Festival. (That did not happen for whatever reason, obviously.) The film is said to find Reeves playing a married man whose family is out of town. His life takes a terrifying turn when two women show up at his house.
The post Eli Roth Doesn’t Consider Knock, Knock a Horror Film appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 9/26/2014
- by Ryan Turek
- shocktillyoudrop.com
The pair will give a keynote speech, present Fantastic Fest’s Latin American market’s first La De Dios award and talk about their Chilewood partnership.
Roth and Lopez have made The Green Inferno (pictured), Aftershock, Knock Knock and latest production The Stranger written and directed by Guillermo Amoedo.
Fantastic Fest will host the world premiere of The Stranger on September 19 and runs from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas.
“I’ve had an amazing experience, both creatively and financially in Chile partnering with Nicolas Lopez and Miguel Asensio,” said Roth.
“Their whole approach to filmmaking is completely different from anywhere in the world, and I’ve found it to be far more creative as well as cost-effective.
“As the business changes and contracts and costs are cut filmmakers need to find ways to make their films without sacrificing quality or scope. We’re making theatrical genre films for a global audience, building Santiago...
Roth and Lopez have made The Green Inferno (pictured), Aftershock, Knock Knock and latest production The Stranger written and directed by Guillermo Amoedo.
Fantastic Fest will host the world premiere of The Stranger on September 19 and runs from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas.
“I’ve had an amazing experience, both creatively and financially in Chile partnering with Nicolas Lopez and Miguel Asensio,” said Roth.
“Their whole approach to filmmaking is completely different from anywhere in the world, and I’ve found it to be far more creative as well as cost-effective.
“As the business changes and contracts and costs are cut filmmakers need to find ways to make their films without sacrificing quality or scope. We’re making theatrical genre films for a global audience, building Santiago...
- 9/4/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Longtime fan Tal Zimerman's new documentary Why Horror? has gotten itself a rather sexy new one-sheet featuring artwork by acclaimed horror artist Gary Pullin. The flick will be haunting Canuck theatres this Halloween via WTFilms.
Why Horror? delves into the psychology of horror around the world. Among the interviewed subjects are names like George Romero and John Carpenter as well as Eli Roth, Alexandre Aja, Alex de la Iglesia, Ben Wheatley, Simon Barrett, Takashi Shimizu, Don Coscarelli, and Nicolas Lopez.
"For us who are fans of horror films and are dedicated to selling them, this is a dream come true," said WTFilms co-founder Gregory Chambet. "It’s fascinating to see that people from any country or gender are horror lovers and that scary movies translate the same everywhere. This is a love letter to genre, and it couldn’t be more fitting for WTFilms."
In the meantime, check out...
Why Horror? delves into the psychology of horror around the world. Among the interviewed subjects are names like George Romero and John Carpenter as well as Eli Roth, Alexandre Aja, Alex de la Iglesia, Ben Wheatley, Simon Barrett, Takashi Shimizu, Don Coscarelli, and Nicolas Lopez.
"For us who are fans of horror films and are dedicated to selling them, this is a dream come true," said WTFilms co-founder Gregory Chambet. "It’s fascinating to see that people from any country or gender are horror lovers and that scary movies translate the same everywhere. This is a love letter to genre, and it couldn’t be more fitting for WTFilms."
In the meantime, check out...
- 8/28/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
I shudder at the thought of being a victim. This very feeling has built the mega industry of horror. But to be food? That’s fear and helplessness on a whole new level. Nanai Games has tapped into the fear of being lower on the food chain by bring us The Green Inferno: Survival, a mobile game based on the Eli Roth film.
The game, much like the film, takes place after a plane crash in the Peruvian forest. You are tasked with protecting the eight survivors from wave after wave of flesh-ripping, intestine-chewing, genital-gorging cannibals.
Play will include various traps and weapons so you will need to develop a strategy if you don’t want to end up impaled on a roasting spit.
Nanai Games was founded by a group of Chilean enthusiasts and programmers, which include Nicolas Lopez, a collaborator of Roth’s. Nanai has also warned...
The game, much like the film, takes place after a plane crash in the Peruvian forest. You are tasked with protecting the eight survivors from wave after wave of flesh-ripping, intestine-chewing, genital-gorging cannibals.
Play will include various traps and weapons so you will need to develop a strategy if you don’t want to end up impaled on a roasting spit.
Nanai Games was founded by a group of Chilean enthusiasts and programmers, which include Nicolas Lopez, a collaborator of Roth’s. Nanai has also warned...
- 8/1/2014
- by Scott Dell
- DreadCentral.com
What is it about horror that we love so much? Why are we so into being terrified and seeing innocent people killed in the most brutal ways? Have you ever pondered these questions? Longtime fan Tal Zimerman has, and he's made a documentary that sets out to answer them.
Screen Daily reports that WTFilms will be bringing Zimerman's documentary Why Horror?, which delves into the psychology of horror around the world, to Cannes. Among the interviewed subjects are names like George Romero and John Carpenter as well as Eli Roth, Alexandre Aja, Alex de la Iglesia, Ben Wheatley, Simon Barrett, Takashi Shimizu, Don Coscarelli, and Nicolas Lopez.
"For us who are fans of horror films and are dedicated to selling them, this is a dream come true," said WTFilms co-founder Gregory Chambet. "It’s fascinating to see that people from any country or gender are horror lovers and that scary movies translate the same everywhere.
Screen Daily reports that WTFilms will be bringing Zimerman's documentary Why Horror?, which delves into the psychology of horror around the world, to Cannes. Among the interviewed subjects are names like George Romero and John Carpenter as well as Eli Roth, Alexandre Aja, Alex de la Iglesia, Ben Wheatley, Simon Barrett, Takashi Shimizu, Don Coscarelli, and Nicolas Lopez.
"For us who are fans of horror films and are dedicated to selling them, this is a dream come true," said WTFilms co-founder Gregory Chambet. "It’s fascinating to see that people from any country or gender are horror lovers and that scary movies translate the same everywhere.
- 5/9/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
New non-fiction slate from the genre specialist also features Korea by Yann Moix and Why Horror?.
French genre specialist WTFilms has picked up sales on documentary La Bare, which goes behind the scenes at the famous male stripper club La Bare in Dallas, as part of a move into non-fiction.
WTFilms co-founders Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chamet say the move is a natural one for their Paris-based company, which has built up a strong reputation for its genre-based fiction slate in recent years.
“We love genre but want to tackle every aspect of its wide range”, said Stephanides
“Great films like Jodorowsky’s Dune and Room 237 have inspired us. Our name means we want to sell intense, rock ’n’ roll movies, and that is valid for documentaries as well.”
La Bare was written and directed by Joe Manganiello, who played Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike. The film, which premiered at Slamdance in January, will be released...
French genre specialist WTFilms has picked up sales on documentary La Bare, which goes behind the scenes at the famous male stripper club La Bare in Dallas, as part of a move into non-fiction.
WTFilms co-founders Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chamet say the move is a natural one for their Paris-based company, which has built up a strong reputation for its genre-based fiction slate in recent years.
“We love genre but want to tackle every aspect of its wide range”, said Stephanides
“Great films like Jodorowsky’s Dune and Room 237 have inspired us. Our name means we want to sell intense, rock ’n’ roll movies, and that is valid for documentaries as well.”
La Bare was written and directed by Joe Manganiello, who played Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike. The film, which premiered at Slamdance in January, will be released...
- 5/9/2014
- ScreenDaily
New non-fiction slate from the genre specialist also features Korea by Yann Moix and Why Horror?.
French genre specialist WTFilms has picked up sales on documentary La Bare, which goes behind the scenes at the famous male stripper club La Bare in Dallas, as part of a move into non-fiction.
WTFilms co-founders Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chamet say the move is a natural one for their Paris-based company, which has built up a strong reputation for its genre-based fiction slate in recent years.
“We love genre but want to tackle every aspect of its wide range”, said Stephanides
“Great films like Jodorowsky’s Dune and Room 237 have inspired us. Our name means we want to sell intense, rock ’n’ roll movies, and that is valid for documentaries as well.”
La Bare was written and directed by Joe Manganiello, who played Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike. The film, which premiered at Slamdance in January, will be released...
French genre specialist WTFilms has picked up sales on documentary La Bare, which goes behind the scenes at the famous male stripper club La Bare in Dallas, as part of a move into non-fiction.
WTFilms co-founders Dimitri Stephanides and Gregory Chamet say the move is a natural one for their Paris-based company, which has built up a strong reputation for its genre-based fiction slate in recent years.
“We love genre but want to tackle every aspect of its wide range”, said Stephanides
“Great films like Jodorowsky’s Dune and Room 237 have inspired us. Our name means we want to sell intense, rock ’n’ roll movies, and that is valid for documentaries as well.”
La Bare was written and directed by Joe Manganiello, who played Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike. The film, which premiered at Slamdance in January, will be released...
- 5/9/2014
- ScreenDaily
El Mercado Fantastico is back. The international co-production market for genre films is putting out a wide alert to find projects made by Latino filmmakers currently in development, pre-production or post. Finalists will go to Austin during this year’s Fantastic Fest (September 18-25) and be hooked up with potential production partners, sales agents, and distributors. The market is co-produced with Canana and El Rey so you know the platform will attract heavyweight investors and partners.
Seize this unique opportunity to fast track your film, and who knows, your film could be distinguished in a future Fantastic Fest program with as many uncouth visual reference icons that fit your crazy film’s themes i.e. Fishhook Violence, Puppet Sex, Pedophilia, Decapitation, Lactation…. You have until May 31′st to submit
Along with accepting classic genre staples like horror, action and fantasy, projects can run the genre gamut and include animation, westerns, dark comedies, sci-fi, basically anything other than your run of the mill drama. In its second year, the market will select 12-14 projects and new this year, will select four films in post to screen as works in progress.
Since 2005, Fantastic Fest has nailed its epic niche of being the ultimate festival for a ravenous movie geek audience who embraces the rigorously curated fantastic program. And the international film marketplace has taken note, snapping up rights to several film titles that have screened in the Fantastic Fest program. El Mercado Fantastico feels like a natural step for them to incubate their specialty and sustain their grip on all films fantastic.
Director of Programming Rodney Perkins, along with Festival Director Kristin Bell are and heavily scouting for submissions. They received around 100 submissions last year and Rodney told me that overall, the quality was very high. Out of the 16 participating projects, a majority were by directors and producers who have had previous films in the festival. Rodney says they are looking to mix it up with bringing new talent to the surface, but also choosing projects by filmmakers with proven track records in making good movies and the quality of their new projects.
Rodney commented, “Some of the most interesting genre directors in the world are based out of countries like Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. Fantastic Fest has featured numerous films from these and other countries. A lot of these talented people don’t get recognized globally, particularly in the U.S. We want to do what we can to help them make films and expose their work to a broader international audience.”
Like Rodney says, since its inception, Fantastic Fest has supported and premiered films from Spanish filmmakers like Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes, Open Windows), Eugenio Mira (Agnosia, Grand Piano), Chileans like Ernesto Diaz Espinosa (Kiltro, Mandrill), Nicolas Lopez (Santos, Aftershock) and Mexicans Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes The Devil), and Jorge Michel Grau (Somos Lo Que Hay), among other filmmakers from all over South America and the Caribbean.
A number of projects that were in pre-production when they participated in the inaugural market last September are already coming to fruition. Notably Isaac Ezban’s feature debut El Incidente, produced by Andrea Quiroz (Here Comes the Devil), is completed and will screen at Ventana Sur’s Blood Window showcase at Cannes Marche du Film. Edgar Nito’s project Tatewari is steadily advancing and recently announced a new associate producer. The team from Uruguayan project Small Town found the producing partners for their film, Dios Local from the market last year. Dios Local is almost complete and is represented for international sales by the French company Elle Driver.
So what are you waiting for? I know there has got to be more than 100 Latino made genre projects out there. They aren’t just looking for international Latinos but U.S. native Latinos to represent. At least one of the filmmakers/producers should be some kind of Latino. Get your application together to submit asap. I was on the documentary jury last year which awarded Best Documentary to Jodorowsky’s Dune and Best Director to Shaul Shwarz for (Now on Netflix and iTunes) so I know firsthand this festival is a vital film festival. Plus, there’s really nowhere else you’ll find such sanctioned festival shenanigans like Helicopter Hog Hunting, Filmmaker Shotgun outings, the Schlitz chuggin Award Ceremony rite, Nerd rap, Karaoke and Debates that are settled with a good ol boxing fight.
Seize this unique opportunity to fast track your film, and who knows, your film could be distinguished in a future Fantastic Fest program with as many uncouth visual reference icons that fit your crazy film’s themes i.e. Fishhook Violence, Puppet Sex, Pedophilia, Decapitation, Lactation…. You have until May 31′st to submit
Along with accepting classic genre staples like horror, action and fantasy, projects can run the genre gamut and include animation, westerns, dark comedies, sci-fi, basically anything other than your run of the mill drama. In its second year, the market will select 12-14 projects and new this year, will select four films in post to screen as works in progress.
Since 2005, Fantastic Fest has nailed its epic niche of being the ultimate festival for a ravenous movie geek audience who embraces the rigorously curated fantastic program. And the international film marketplace has taken note, snapping up rights to several film titles that have screened in the Fantastic Fest program. El Mercado Fantastico feels like a natural step for them to incubate their specialty and sustain their grip on all films fantastic.
Director of Programming Rodney Perkins, along with Festival Director Kristin Bell are and heavily scouting for submissions. They received around 100 submissions last year and Rodney told me that overall, the quality was very high. Out of the 16 participating projects, a majority were by directors and producers who have had previous films in the festival. Rodney says they are looking to mix it up with bringing new talent to the surface, but also choosing projects by filmmakers with proven track records in making good movies and the quality of their new projects.
Rodney commented, “Some of the most interesting genre directors in the world are based out of countries like Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. Fantastic Fest has featured numerous films from these and other countries. A lot of these talented people don’t get recognized globally, particularly in the U.S. We want to do what we can to help them make films and expose their work to a broader international audience.”
Like Rodney says, since its inception, Fantastic Fest has supported and premiered films from Spanish filmmakers like Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes, Open Windows), Eugenio Mira (Agnosia, Grand Piano), Chileans like Ernesto Diaz Espinosa (Kiltro, Mandrill), Nicolas Lopez (Santos, Aftershock) and Mexicans Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes The Devil), and Jorge Michel Grau (Somos Lo Que Hay), among other filmmakers from all over South America and the Caribbean.
A number of projects that were in pre-production when they participated in the inaugural market last September are already coming to fruition. Notably Isaac Ezban’s feature debut El Incidente, produced by Andrea Quiroz (Here Comes the Devil), is completed and will screen at Ventana Sur’s Blood Window showcase at Cannes Marche du Film. Edgar Nito’s project Tatewari is steadily advancing and recently announced a new associate producer. The team from Uruguayan project Small Town found the producing partners for their film, Dios Local from the market last year. Dios Local is almost complete and is represented for international sales by the French company Elle Driver.
So what are you waiting for? I know there has got to be more than 100 Latino made genre projects out there. They aren’t just looking for international Latinos but U.S. native Latinos to represent. At least one of the filmmakers/producers should be some kind of Latino. Get your application together to submit asap. I was on the documentary jury last year which awarded Best Documentary to Jodorowsky’s Dune and Best Director to Shaul Shwarz for (Now on Netflix and iTunes) so I know firsthand this festival is a vital film festival. Plus, there’s really nowhere else you’ll find such sanctioned festival shenanigans like Helicopter Hog Hunting, Filmmaker Shotgun outings, the Schlitz chuggin Award Ceremony rite, Nerd rap, Karaoke and Debates that are settled with a good ol boxing fight.
- 5/7/2014
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: The biggest title announced so far for the upcoming Cannes market is an erotic psycho-thriller that pairs director Eli Roth with Keanu Reeves.
Production on the Camp Grey, Black Bear Pictures and Sobras International Pictures co-production is underway in Santiago, Chile, and Voltage chief Nicolas Chartier hopes to show footage on the Croisette.
Knock Knock stars Reeves as a married man home alone who is visited by two beauties who throw his life into disarray.
Lorenza Izzo, the star of Roth’s upcoming cannibal horror The Green Inferno, also stars alongside Ana de Armas.
The cast includes Ignacia Allamand, the Chilean telenovela star whose feature credits include The Green Inferno and Aftershock, which Roth co-wrote and produced and Nicolas Lopez directed.
Producers are Colleen Camp, Roth, Lopez, Miguel Asensio, Tim DeGraye and Cassian Elwes, who represents Us rights with CAA.
Reeves serves as executive producer alongside Teddy Schwarzman, Peter Traynor, Larry Spiegel and [link...
Production on the Camp Grey, Black Bear Pictures and Sobras International Pictures co-production is underway in Santiago, Chile, and Voltage chief Nicolas Chartier hopes to show footage on the Croisette.
Knock Knock stars Reeves as a married man home alone who is visited by two beauties who throw his life into disarray.
Lorenza Izzo, the star of Roth’s upcoming cannibal horror The Green Inferno, also stars alongside Ana de Armas.
The cast includes Ignacia Allamand, the Chilean telenovela star whose feature credits include The Green Inferno and Aftershock, which Roth co-wrote and produced and Nicolas Lopez directed.
Producers are Colleen Camp, Roth, Lopez, Miguel Asensio, Tim DeGraye and Cassian Elwes, who represents Us rights with CAA.
Reeves serves as executive producer alongside Teddy Schwarzman, Peter Traynor, Larry Spiegel and [link...
- 4/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The biggest title announced so far for the upcoming Cannes market is an erotic psycho-thriller that pairs director Eli Roth with Keanu Reeves.
Production on the Camp Grey, Black Bear Pictures and Sobras International Pictures co-production is underway in Santiago, Chile, and Voltage chief Nicolas Chartier hopes to show footage on the Croisette.
Knock Knock stars Reeves as a married man home alone who is visited by two beauties who throw his life into disarray.
Lorenza Izzo, the star of Roth’s upcoming cannibal horror The Green Inferno, also stars alongside Ana de Armas.
The cast includes Ignacia Allamand, the Chilean telenovela star whose feature credits include The Green Inferno and Aftershock, which Roth co-wrote and produced and Nicolas Lopez directed.
Producers are Colleen Camp, Roth, Lopez, Miguel Asensio, Tim DeGraye and Cassian Elwes, who represents Us rights with CAA.
Reeves serves as executive producer alongside Teddy Schwarzman, Peter Traynor, Larry Spiegel and [link...
Production on the Camp Grey, Black Bear Pictures and Sobras International Pictures co-production is underway in Santiago, Chile, and Voltage chief Nicolas Chartier hopes to show footage on the Croisette.
Knock Knock stars Reeves as a married man home alone who is visited by two beauties who throw his life into disarray.
Lorenza Izzo, the star of Roth’s upcoming cannibal horror The Green Inferno, also stars alongside Ana de Armas.
The cast includes Ignacia Allamand, the Chilean telenovela star whose feature credits include The Green Inferno and Aftershock, which Roth co-wrote and produced and Nicolas Lopez directed.
Producers are Colleen Camp, Roth, Lopez, Miguel Asensio, Tim DeGraye and Cassian Elwes, who represents Us rights with CAA.
Reeves serves as executive producer alongside Teddy Schwarzman, Peter Traynor, Larry Spiegel and [link...
- 4/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Not literally, you nutcase! We're just updating yesterday's story in which we told you Eli is making a new untitled movie in Las Vegas. The shooting title of the movie is being called Drowned for now. No other new details are available.
Casting is under way on the supernatural thriller that Roth co-wrote with Aftershock collaborator Nicolas Lopez and director Jessica Chandler. Roth is also producing, and the film's casting agent is currently seeking talent in the Las Vegas area.
"Right now we’re casting for principal speaking roles in the film, and I would like to use as many local actors and non-actors as I can find," said casting director John Jackson. "I need two little girls — one 6 years old, one 8 years old — I need college students, people in (their) 60s and 70s, all races, all types of individuals."
There are 37 speaking roles in the film, and many of...
Casting is under way on the supernatural thriller that Roth co-wrote with Aftershock collaborator Nicolas Lopez and director Jessica Chandler. Roth is also producing, and the film's casting agent is currently seeking talent in the Las Vegas area.
"Right now we’re casting for principal speaking roles in the film, and I would like to use as many local actors and non-actors as I can find," said casting director John Jackson. "I need two little girls — one 6 years old, one 8 years old — I need college students, people in (their) 60s and 70s, all races, all types of individuals."
There are 37 speaking roles in the film, and many of...
- 4/25/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Eli Roth has a whole lot on his plate right now with his latest directorial effort, The Green Inferno, soon headed our way and a flick called Knock Knock in the works.
Today comes word that he's also heading into paranormal territory with another upcoming project, and you can find out all about it by reading on!
Per the Las Vegas Review Journal, casting is under way on an untitled supernatural thriller that Roth co-wrote with Aftershock collaborator Nicolas Lopez and director Jessica Chandler. Roth is also producing, and the film's casting agent is currently seeking talent in the Las Vegas area.
"Right now we’re casting for principal speaking roles in the film, and I would like to use as many local actors and non-actors as I can find," said casting director John Jackson. "I need two little girls — one 6 years old, one 8 years old — I need college students,...
Today comes word that he's also heading into paranormal territory with another upcoming project, and you can find out all about it by reading on!
Per the Las Vegas Review Journal, casting is under way on an untitled supernatural thriller that Roth co-wrote with Aftershock collaborator Nicolas Lopez and director Jessica Chandler. Roth is also producing, and the film's casting agent is currently seeking talent in the Las Vegas area.
"Right now we’re casting for principal speaking roles in the film, and I would like to use as many local actors and non-actors as I can find," said casting director John Jackson. "I need two little girls — one 6 years old, one 8 years old — I need college students,...
- 4/23/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Despite a limited filmography, filmmaker Eli Roth has made a name for himself in the horror genre, most notably for his 2005 feature Hostel and its 2007 followup Hostel II. With the latter marking his last feature film, many were excited to learn that Roth was once again working on a new feature film following a transition to a tv series and acting roles. Titled The Green Inferno, Roth also takes on co-writing duties alongside directing, working on the script with Guillermo Amoedo and Nicolas Lopez. The cast includes Sky Ferreira, Ariel Levy, and Lorenza Izzo, and the first trailer for the film has now been released. The trailer can be seen below.
(Source: Badass Digest)
The post ‘The Green Inferno’, directed by Eli Roth, releases its first trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.
(Source: Badass Digest)
The post ‘The Green Inferno’, directed by Eli Roth, releases its first trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 4/17/2014
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Eli Roth's latest offering of globe-trotting terror takes us deep into the Peruvian rain forests, where a group of good-time-lovin' student activists soon find themselves abandoned and at the mercy of a savage, flesh-craving tribe of indigenous cannibals. Roth again joins forces with Aftershock director Nicolas Lopez, with the Chilean filmmaker this time providing Producer and Co-Writer duties while Roth directs. While the results are just as gory, manic and populated almost entirely by unlikable characters, something about the disgusting nature of the cannibal sub-genre makes their particular combination of decidedly off-colour humour and celebratory carnage a much better fit than it did in the disaster movie setting of their previous collaboration.I saw The Green Inferno when it screened back at Fantastic Fest last September, and...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/17/2014
- Screen Anarchy
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.