SUNDANCE 2006 LINEUP, continued
November 29, 2005
Source: Indiewire
World Cinema Competition: Documentary
"5 Days," directed by Yoav Shamir
(Israel)
On August 15, 2005, Israel began to evacuate 8,000 Jewish settlers from
the Gaza Strip. In a unilateral move by the Israeli government, they
were removed from their homes to make way for 250,000 Palestinians.
With exclusive access to the Israeli Defense Forces and the General
in charge, seven film crews simultaneously follow key characters during
this historic five-day event. [North American Premiere]
"Angry Monk - Reflections on Tibet," directed
by Luc Schaedler(Switzerland)
A portrait of the rebellious Tibetan monk Gendun Choephel, this film
reveals a face of old and present-day Tibet that runs against popular
cliches. [North American Premiere]
"Black Gold," directed by Marc Francis
and Nick Francis
A cinematic journey that uncovers the world of coffee and trade from
the struggling Ethiopian bean grower to your coffee cup. [World Premiere]
"By the Ways, A Journey with William Eggleston,"
directed by Cedric Laty and Vincent Gerard
(France)
A journey through the southern United States home of William Eggleston
considered "the father of color photography." Eggleston's
persistent silence defies each truth revealed about his character. [North
American Premiere]
"Dear Pyongyang," directed by Yang
Yonghi (Japan)
A Korean-Japanese daughter explores her father's fierce political loyalty
to North Korea - costly to the point of breaking up his family. [North
American Premiere]
"The Giant Buddhas," directed by Christian
Frei (Switzerland)
A film about the destruction of the famous Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
An essay on fanaticism and faith, terror and tolerance, ignorance and
identity. [U.S. Premiere]
"Glastonbury," directed by Julian
Temple (U.K.)
A staggering range of music presented at England's annual Glastonbury
Festival, captures the spirit of important social changes over the last
30 years. [World Premiere]
"I Is For India," directed by Sandhya
Suri (England, Germany, Italy)
A tale of migration and belonging, told primarily through Super 8 films
and audio letters sent between India and England over a period of 40
years. [World Premiere]
"In the Pit," directed by Juan Carlos
Rulfo (Mexico)
According to Mexican legend, whenever a bridge is built the devil asks
for one soul, in exchange for keeping the bridge standing. This film
chronicles the daily lives of the workers building a second deck to
Mexico City's Periferico freeway - their hopes, dreams and struggle
for survival. [World Premiere]
"Into the Great Silence," directed by Philip
Groening (Germany)
The first film ever to examine life inside the Grande Chartreuse, the
mother house of legendary Carthusian Order. An austere, next to silent
meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. [U.S. Premiere]
"KZ," directed by Rex Bloomstein
(U.K.)
A look at the way thee town of Mauthausen, formerly the site of a German
concentration camp, faces the ultimate demons of its dark past. [North
American Premiere]
"No One," directed by Tin Dirdamal
(Mexico)
The story of Maria, a Central American immigrant forced to leave her
family in search of a better life. On her way to the United States,
she crosses Mexico where she encounters a nightmare. [U.S. Premiere]
"The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez,"
directed by Heidi Specogna (Germany)
Behind the heroic tale of the first U.S. soldier to die in the war in
Iraq, there unfolds the story of a Guatemalan street child drawn into
war by the promise of a green card in a foreign country. [World Premiere]
"Songbirds," directed by Brian Hill
(U.K.)
Downview Prison in England is host to 250 women who have committed crimes
ranging from drug trafficking to manslaughter, but these women are also
mothers and caretakers. In a musical set in the prison, the women sing
about their lives and the crimes that led to their imprisonment. [North
American Premiere]
"Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of
Florence Broadhurst," directed by Gillian Armstrong (Australia)
Flamboyant design pioneer Florence Broadhust lived a colorful life,
but it is only now that her time has truly come, with her bold, exotic
wallpaper prints in huge demand internationally. [World Premiere]
"Viva Zapatero," directed by Sabina Guzzanti
(Italy)
A critical and playful look at censorship in Italy under Berlusconi
contrasted with other European nations. [North American Premiere]
World Cinema Competition: Dramatic
"13 Tzameti," directed and written by Gela
Babluani" (France) Sebastien has decided to follow instructions
intended for someone else. When he reaches his destination, he falls
into a degenerate, clandestine world of mental chaos. [North American
Premiere] CAST: Georges Babluani, Augustin Legrand, Aurelien Recoing
"Allegro," directed by Christoffer Boe;
written by Christoffer Boe and Mikael Wulff
(Denmark)
After a long absence, a famous amnesiac pianist returns to his native
Copenhagen where he is contacted by a mysterious messenger who leads
him back into his forgotten past. [North American Premiere]
CAST: Ulrich Thomsen, Helena Christensen, Henning Moritzen
"The Aura," directed by Fabian Bielinsky
(Argentina)
Epinoza is an introverted taxidermist who secretly dreams of executing
the perfect robbery. On his first-ever hunting trip, in the calm of
the Patagonian forest, his dreams are unexpectedly made reality with
one squeeze of the trigger. [North American Premiere]
CAST: Ricardo Darin, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandro Awada, Pablo Lester
"The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros," directed
by Auraeus Solito, written by Michiko Yamamoto
(Philippines)
Young Maxi's unquestioned devotion to his family of small-time criminals
in a Manila slum is undermined when he is befriended by a principled
young policeman. [U.S. Premiere]
"Eve & the Fire Horse," directed and
written by Julia Kwan (Canada)
Eve is a precocious nine-year-old growing up in a Vancouver Chinese
immigrant family where Confucian doctrines, superstitious obsessions
and divine visions abound. When Buddhism and Catholicism are thrown
into the mix, life for Eve and prim authoritative sister, Karena, escalates
into a fantasia of catastrophe, sainthood and cultural confusion. [U.S.
Premiere]
CAST: Vivian Wu, Phoebe Jojo Kut, Hollie Lo, Chan Chit Man Lester
"Grbavica," directed and written by Jasmila
Zbanic (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
A chilling story of a woman and her daughter as they fight to survive
in the painful aftermath of the recent Balkan war. [World Premiere]
CAST: Mirjana Karanovic, Leon Lucev, Luna Mijovic, Dejan Acimovic, Bogdan
Diklic, Semka Sokolovic, Jasna Zalaica
"The House of Sand," directed by Andrucha
Waddington, written by Elena Soarez (Brazil)
The story of a woman across three generations. In the remote dunes of
Brazil, Maria spends her life while an entire century passes by her,
her house and sand. [U.S. Premiere]
CAST: Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres
"Kiss Me Not on the Eyes," directed and
written by Jocelyne Saab [Lebanon]
An educated young Egyptian woman defends her artistic integrity as
a dancer and her social independence in the midst of modern Cairo's
culture wars. [U.S. Premiere]
CAST: Mohamed Mounir, Hanane Turk, Fathi Abelwahab, Aida Ryad, Sawsan
Badr, Walid Aooni
"Little Red Flowers," directed by Zhang
Yuan, written by Ning Dai and Zhang
Yuan (China)
A parable about the nature and complexities of being compelled to "fit
in" to a regimented society set in a post-revolutionary Chinese
orphanage. [World Premiere]
CAST: Dong Bowen, Ning Yuanyuan, Chen Manyuan, Zhao Rui, Li Xiaofeng
"Madeinusa," directed and written by Claudia
Llosa (Peru)
Madeinusa is a sweet girl who lives in an isolated religiously zealous
village in mountainous Peru. Everything changes when a geologist from
Lima arrives and unknowingly reshapes Madeinusa's destiny. [World Premiere]
CAST: - not provided -
"No. 2," directed and written by Toa
Fraser (New Zealand)
Nanna Maria's family has forgotten how to party. She's going to change
all that, make them come alive with the heat and passion of the South
Pacific. [World Premiere]
CAST: Ruby Dee, Tuva Novotny, Mia Blake, Taungaroa Emile
"One Last Dance," directed and written by
Max Makowski (Singapore) An assassin is hired to kill
the men responsible for kidnapping an important man's son. With every
death, the killer gets closer to the last kidnapper's name... his own.
[World Premiere]
CAST: Francis Ng, Vivian Hsu, Ti Lung, Harvey Keitel, Joseph Quek
"The Peter Pan Formula," directed and written
by Cho Chang-Ho (South Korea)
An adolescent boy confronts premature independence as his mother lies
in a coma and he experiences the first tugs of sexual desires with an
older woman. [North American Premiere]
CAST: On Ju-Wan, Kim Ho-Jeong, Ok Ji-Yeong
"Princesas," directed and written by Fernando
Leon de Aranoa (Spain)
The story of two women who form an unbreakable friendship despite their
differences as they fight to make ends meet in the big city. [U.S. Premiere]
CAST: Candela Pena, Michaela Nevarez, Mariana Cordero, Luis Callejo
Llum Barrera
"Solo Dios Sabe," directed by Carlos
Bolado, written by Carlos Bolado and
Diane Weipert (Brazil/Mexico)
On a lark in Tijuana, a young Brazilian art student crosses paths with
a roguish Mexican journalist, sparking a cascade of events across both
Mexico and Brazil. [World Premiere]
CAST: Diego Luna, Alice Braga, Cecilia Suarez, Jose Maria Yazpik, Renata
Ahaneta, Damian Alcazar, Jesus Ochoa, Maria Dealves, Dagoberto Gilb
"Son of Man," directed by Mark Dornford-May,
written by Mark Dornford-May, Andiswa Kedama
and Pauline Malefane (South Africa)
A gripping journey of love, deception and betrayal, "Son of Man"
translates Jesus' life to modern-day South Africa, where a new politics
of compassion incites revolution during a military dictatorship. The
next collaboration from Dimpho di Kopane, a South African lyric theatre
ensemble whose "U-Carmen" garnered last year's Berlin Golden
Bear. [World Premiere]
Spectrum
"A Matter of Degrees," directed by Davis
Guggenheim (U.S.A.)
Al Gore has recently been traveling the world delivering a mesmerizing,
bracing and visually exciting presentation on global climate change,
proving that humankind must confront global warming now or face devastating
consequences. "Matter of Degrees" both captures that presentation
and explores Gore's journey as a worldwide environmental champion. [World
Premiere]
"Adam's Apples," directed and written by
Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark)
A dark comedy featuring a neo-Nazi sentenced to community service at
a church who clashes with the blindly devotional priest. [U.S. Premiere]
"All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise," directed
by Shari Cookson (U.S.A.)
In this documentary film, Rosie and Kellie O'Donnell create a floating
utopia for 500 gay and lesbian families. [World Premiere]
"Battle in Heaven," directed and written
by Carlos Reygadas (Mexico, France, Germany, Belgium)
Marcos and his wife kidnap a baby for ransom money, but it goes tragically
wrong when the infant dies. [U.S. Premiere]
CAST: Jr. Valentin, Soliman Cruz, Neil Ryan, Ping Medina, Bodjie Pascua,
Nathan Lopez
"Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs In On
Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture," directed Byron Hurt
(U.S.A.)
In this documentary film, a former college quarterback and hip-hop head
tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in hip-hop
culture. [World Premiere]
"Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon,"
directed by Peter Richardson (U.S.A.)
A documentary about a rural Oregon timber town that is torn apart when
a rift between conservative and liberal values in the school district
threatens a college scholarship that has paid the tuition of every local
graduate for the last 40 years. [World Premiere]
"Dreamland," directed by Jason Matzner
and written by Tom Willett (U.S.A.)
A young woman living in a trailer park in the desert struggles with
the question of caring for her hapless father and ill friend or fulfilling
her own destiny. [World Premiere]
CAST: Agnes Bruckner, John Corbett, Kelli Garner, Gina Gershon, Justin
Long, Brian Klugman
"EV Confidential: Who Killed the Electric Car,"
directed and written by Chris Paine (U.S.A.)
A documentary that investigates the death and resurrection of the electric
car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living
in our country's future. [World Premiere]
"Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out,"
directed and written by Stewart Copeland (U.S.A.)
A rare documentary compiled from the drummer's personal Super 8 footage
gives an intimate, inside look at what it was like to be a member of
the '80s rock band The Police, from CBGBs to Shea Stadium. [World Premiere]
"Factotum," directed by Bent Hamer
and written by Jim Stark (U.S.A.) Based on the novel
by cult author Charles Bukowski, "Factotum" is the story of
a man living on the edge; of a writer willing to risk everything to
make sure his life is poetry. [U.S. Premiere]
CAST: Matt Dillon, Lily Taylor, Fisher Stevens, Marisa Tomei
"Forgiving the Franklins," directed and
written by Jay Floyd (U.S.A.)
A repressed God fearing Southern family is spiritually changed by an
auto accident and their transformation puts them at odds with the conservative
values of their community. [World Premiere]
CAST: Robertson Dean, Teresa Willis, Aviva, Vince Pavia, Mark Blackwell
"Jewboy," directed and written by Tony
Krawitz (Australia)
"Jewboy" is a film about a young orthodox man searching for
his place in the world, his family and his faith. [North American Premiere]
CAST: Ewen Leslie, Naomi Wilson, Saskia Burmeister, Leah Vandenberg,
Nicholas Eadle, Chris Haywood, Nathan Besser, Alice McConnell
"Journey from the Fall," directed and written
by Ham Tran (Thailand, U.S.A.)
Set during the thirteenth anniversary of the Vietnam War, "Journey
from the Fall" tells the epic story of a family who is painfully
torn apart by the war, forced to emigrate across a dangerous sea, reunified
and struggling to survive in America. [North American Premiere]
CAST: Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Diem Lien, Nguyen Thai Nguyen, Khanh
Doan, Cat Ly
"La Tragedia de Macario," directed and written
by Pablo Veliz (U.S.A.)
A drama inspired by the tragic, true events of immigrants struggling
to cross the Mexican-American border. [World Premiere]
CAST: Rogelio Ramos, Milicent Figueroa, Tina Rodriguez, Victor Agustin,
Juanito Castro, Allan Horwath
"Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man," directed by
Lian Lunson (U.S.A.)
An ubiquitous influence even as he remains elusively elsewhere, ladies
and gentlemen, this documentary shows Leonard Cohen is back. [U.S. Premiere]
"Man Push Cart," directed and written by
Ramin Bahrani (Iran/U.S.A.) The story of a former Pakistani rock star
who now sells coffee and donuts from his push cart on the streets of
Manhattan. [North American Premiere]
CAST: Ahmad Razvi, Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval.
"Off the Black," directed and written by
James Ponsoldt (U.S.A.)
An unusual friendship develops between an aging high school baseball
umpire and a teenage pitcher after the young player vandalizes the older
man's house. [World Premiere]
CAST: Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sally Kirkland, Timothy
Hutton
"Open Window," directed and written by Mia
Goldman (U.S.A.)
A struggling young photographer and an assistant professor are newly
engaged and madly in love when their lives are shattered by a random
act of violence. [World Premiere]
CAST: Robin Tunney, Joel Edgerton, Cybil Shepherd, Matt Keeslar, Scott
Wilson, Shirley Knight, Elliott Gould
"The Proposition," directed by John
Hillcoat, written by Nick Cave (Australia)
Set at the end of the bushranger era, this atmospheric Australian epic
tale concern family, loyalty and betrayal. [U.S. Premiere]
"Punching at the Sun," directed and written
by Tanuj Chopra (U.S.A.)
In the aftermath of 9/11 and his older brother's murder, a fiery South
Asian teen struggles to find a path between rage and redemption on the
streets of Elmhurst, Queens. [World Premiere]
CAST: Misu Khan, Nino Edmonds, Ferdusy Dia, Mohammed Mirza, Kazi Rehman,
Taran Singh, Hassan El-Gendi
"Special," directed and written by Jeremy
Passmore and Hal Haberman (U.S.A.)
Les Franken leads a painfully unremarkable life as a meter maid until
he enrolls in a drug study for an experimental anti-depressant. [World
Premiere]
CAST: Michael Rapaport, Alexandra Holden, Josh Peck, Robert Baker, Paul
Blackthrone, Jack Kehler, Ian Bohen
"What Remains," directed by Steven
Cantor (U.S.A.)
An investigation into the creative process and life of controversial
and celebrated American photographer Sally Mann. [World Premiere]
"Who Needs Sleep?" directed by Haskell
Wexler (U.S.A.)
Unsettled by the preventable death of a co-worker, filmmaker Haskell
Wexler shows in this documentary that sleep deprivation and long work
hours are a deadly combination. [World Premiere]
"Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner,"
directed by Freida Lee Mock (U.S.A.) This documentary
is a rich tapestry of the personal and political life of Tony Kushner,
the award-winning playwright and activist whose provocative and truthful
work has contributed to a national dialogue on the most pressing issues
of our times. [World Premiere]
Frontier
"A Darkness Swallowed," directed and written
by Betzy Bromberg (U.S.A.)
A personal investigation of cellular memory, a bio-meta-physical musical,
"A Darkness Swallowed" is a meditation of the evanescent traces
of memory and loss.
"Cinnamon," directed and written by Kevin
Everson (U.S.A.)
This experimental feature film provides a glimpse into the world of
African American drag racing with the story that contrasts the consistent
routine of a bank teller and mechanic as they prepare for the sport.
[World Premiere]
"Old Joy," directed by Kelly Reichardt
and written by Jonathan Raymond and Kelly
Reichardt (U.S.A.)
The story of two old friends who reunite for a weekend camping trip
in Oregon's Cascade mountain range. As the two seekers move through
the beautiful landscapes, they move through confusion, sudden insight,
and spiritual battles. [World Premiere]
"Pine Flat," directed and written by Sharon
Lockhart (U.S.A.)
An intimate portrait of a town's children set in the stunning landscape
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Both an anthropological look at youth
and a meditation on solitude, nature, socialization and the line between
fact and fiction. [World Premiere]
"Wild Tigers I Have Known," directed and
written by Cam Archer (U.S.A.) A lyrical coming of
age story about a 13-year-old boy who learns to cope with his newfound
sexuality and his unrequited love for the cool kid in school. [World
Premiere]
CAST: Malcolm Stumpf, Patrick White, Max Paradise, Hailey Anne Nelson,
Fairuza Balk, Kim Dickens, Lydia Lunch
Frontier Live:
"Our Second Date," artists: Jennifer
McCoy and Kevin McCoy (U.S.A.)
The McCoy's latest installation is a miniature movie set gearred for
live robotic cinema that puts the production, post-production, and exhibition
of a film all in one room.
Park City at Midnight
"American Hardcore," directed by Paul
Rachman and written by Steven Blush
(U.S.A.)
Inspired by Steven Bush's book, "American Hardcore: A Tribal History,"
Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground
hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. [World Premiere]
"Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That!" directed
by Nathanial Hornblower (U.S.A.)
On October 9, 2004 the Beastie Boys handded out 50 HI 8 cameras to audience
members at their sold-out performance in New York's Madison Square Garden.
This film is the result. [World Premiere]
"The Descent," directed and written by Neil
Marshall (U.S.A.)
An all-female caving expedition goes horribly wrong as the explorers
become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
[North American Premiere]
CAST: MyAnna Buring, Craig Conway, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Molly Kayll,
Shauna Macdonald, Oliver Milbum, Saskia Mulder, Nora Kane Noone, Alex
Reid
"Destricted," directors and screenwriters:
Matthew Barney, Larry Clark, Gaspar
Noe, Marco Brambilla, Sam Taylor Wood
(U.S.A.)
Art meets sexuality in this unprecedented compilation of erotic art
films made by the leading visual artists and filmmakers working today.
[World Premiere]
"The Foot Fist Way," directed and written
by Jody Hill (U.S.A.)
A Tae Kwon Do instructor who is king of his small kingdom, tries to
keep it together after his wife cheats on him, taking his anger out
on everyone around him in the funniest way ever. [World Premiere]
CAST: Danny McBride, Mary jane Bostwick, Spencer Moreno, Carlos Lopez,
Ben Best, Jody Hill
"Moonshine," directed by Roger Ingraham,
written by Roger Ingraham and Lori Isbell Salvage
(U.S.A.)
In the rural Midwest, a young convenience store clerk burdened with
new love and family troubles, mysteriously begins to turn into a vampire.
[World Premiere]
CAST: Brian Greer, Sarah Ingraham, Gareth Duvall, Ginny Fitzpatrick,
Carol Neiman, Eric Almassy, Raymond Turturro, Thea McCarlan, Theodore
Bouloukos, Jay Maynard, Zachary Sandler, Kim Houston
"Salvage," directed and written by Josh
Crook and Jeff Crook (U.S.A.)
World College student Claire is stalked and murdered by serial killer
Duke Desmond. Claire assumes it was a nightmare and wakes up to relive
the day of her death over and over until she uncovers the terrifying
mystery that guides her fate. [World Premiere]
CAST: Chris Ferry
"Subject Two," directed and written by Philip
Chidel (U.S.A.)
A troubled medical student volunteers for resurrection experiments -
and is killed over and over again by a reclusive doctor intent on reinventing
life. [World Premiere]
CAST: Christian Oliver, Dean Stapleton, Courtney Mace, Jurgen Jones
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