The Sundance Institute has announced its line-up of films for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival 2015, scheduled to take place in Park City, Utah from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1 next year. The lists include those in the Premieres (see below) and Documentary Premieres section, as well as films in the Sundance Kids, New Frontier, Park City at Midnight, Spotlight, NEXT <=>, and the U.S. and World Cinema Competitions, with the lineup of short films to be announced soon. The festival is expected to bring together an excellent collection of full-length movies and short films, along with other presentations, music events, and discussions.
"The work of independent artists inevitably reflects the state of our culture and the times in which we live," Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute, said. "Their stories are often irreverent, challenging, compelling and unexpected, and not only possess the power to move and hopefully inspire audiences, but also to speak to our shared humanity."
Since 1985, the festival has been a venue for non-conventional films that have gained acclaim for their unique perspective and fresh take. Among the films that were featured in this event are: Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild" which was nominated for four Oscars; Valerie Faris' "Little Miss Sunshine," winner of two Academy awards out of four nominations; Luc Jacquet's "March of the Penguins," which took home an Academy award for Best Documentary Feature; "The Blair Witch Project" by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, which grossed $248.6 million at the box office; among many others.
This year, there were 2,016 feature film submissions from U.S. filmmakers and 2,089 from other countries for a total of 4,105 feature-length film submissions. Of these, 118 were selected, 45 from first-time filmmakers. There were also 8,061 submissions in the short film category, for a total of 12,166 submissions.
There are 16 feature films vying in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and 12 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, while there are 16 entries in the U.S. Documentary Competition and 12 in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
There are 16 films in the Premieres sections, which features actors like Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Lopez, Orlando Bloom, Wynona Ryder, Viola Davis, Ryan Reynolds, Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Richard Dreyfuss, among many others.
"Filmmakers in the Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections, many of whom are returning to the Festival, do not shy away from controversial, challenging and provocative subject matter," said John Cooper, the director of the Sundance Film Festival. "Their work enrages, engages and entertains audiences, shining a light on issues and people we thought we knew."
Below is the list of films in the out-of-competition Premieres section, as listed by the Sundance Institute:
"Brooklyn" / United Kingdom — 1950s Ireland: Eilis must confront a terrible dilemma — a heartbreaking choice between two men and two countries, between duty and true love.
- Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent.
- Director: John Crowley
- Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, based on the book by Colm Tóibín
"Digging for Fire" / U.S.A. — The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend.
- Cast: Jake Johnson, Rosemarie Dewitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick.
- Director: Joe Swanberg
- Screenwriters: Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg
"Don Verdean" / U.S.A. — Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud.
- Cast: Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Amy Ryan, Danny McBride, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte.
- Director: Jared Hess
- Screenwriters: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess
"End of the Tour" / U.S.A. — This story of the five-day 1996 interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace explores the tenuous yet intense relationship that develops between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave, sharing laughs and also concealing and revealing their hidden vulnerabilities.
- Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, Ron Livingston.
- Director: James Ponsoldt
- Screenwriter: Donald Margulies
"Experimenter" / U.S.A. — "Experimenter" is based on the true story of famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who in 1961 conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans' willingness to obey authority by using electric shock. We follow Milgram from meeting his wife through his controversial experiments that sparked public outcry.
- Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Taryn Manning, John Leguizamo.
- Director and screenwriter: Michael Almereyda
"Grandma" / U.S.A. — Self-described misanthrope Elle Reid has her protective bubble burst when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, shows up needing help. The two of them go on a day-long journey that causes Elle to come to terms with her past and Sage to confront her future.
- Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott.
- Director and screenwriter: Paul Weitz
"I Am Michael" / U.S.A. — The controversial true story of a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor.
- Cast: James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts.
- Director: Justin Kelly
- Screenwriters: Justin Kelly, Stacey Miller
"I'll See You in My Dreams" / U.S.A. — A sudden loss disrupts Carol's orderly life, propelling her into the dating world for the first time in 20 years. Finally living in the present tense, she finds herself swept up in not one, but two unexpected relationships that challenge her assumptions about what it means to grow old.
- Cast: Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman.
- Director: Brett Haley
- Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch
"Last Days in the Desert" / U.S.A. — Ewan McGregor is Jesus — and the Devil — in an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis, setting himself up for a dramatic test.
- Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ciarán Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Tye Sheridan.
- Director and screenwriter: Rodrigo Garcia
"Lila & Eve" / U.S.A. — Lila, a grief-stricken mother reeling from her son's murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve, who urges her to take matters into her own hands to track down her son's killers. They soon embark on a journey of revenge, but also recovery.
- Cast: Viola Davis, Jennifer Lopez, Shea Whigham, Julius Tennon, Ron Caldwell, Aml Ameen.
- Director: Charles Stone III
- Screenwriter: Patrick Gilfillan
"Mississippi Grind" / U.S.A. — Gerry is a talented poker player whose habit is getting the best of him. He convinces younger player Curtis to join him on a road trip, and they begin gambling their way towards a high-stakes game in New Orleans. During their journey, true motivations are revealed, and the two bond.
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Alfre Woodard, Robin Weigert.
- Directors and screenwriters: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
"Mistress America" / U.S.A. — Tracy, a lonely college freshman in New York, is rescued from her solitude by her soon-to-be stepsister Brooke, an adventurous gal about town who entangles her in alluringly mad schemes. "Mistress America" is a comedy about dream-chasing, score-settling, makeshift families, and cat-stealing.
- Cast: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke.
- Director: Noah Baumbach
- Screenwriters: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig
"Seoul Searching" / U.S.A., Korea — "Seoul Searching" is a comedy set in the '80s about a group of foreign-born Korean teenagers who meet at a Seoul summer camp to learn what it means to be Korean. The three boys, from the U.S., Mexico, and Germany, then meet three girls who rock their world.
- Cast: Justin Chon, Jessika Van, In-pyo Cha, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Byul Kang.
- Director and screenwriter: Benson Lee
"Sleeping With Other People" / U.S.A. — Jake and Lainey impulsively lose their virginity to each other in college. When their paths cross twelve years later in NYC, they realize they both have become serial cheaters. Bonding over their chronic infidelity, they form a platonic friendship to support each other in their quests for healthy romantic relationships.
- Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Jason Mantzoukas, Natasha Lyonne.
- Director and screenwriter: Leslye Headland
"Ten Thousand Saints" / U.S.A. — Based on the acclaimed novel, "Ten Thousand Saints" follows three lost kids and their equally lost parents as they come of age in New York's East Village in the era of CBGB, yuppies, and the tinderbox of gentrification that exploded into the Tompkins Square Park Riot of 1988.
- Cast: Ethan Hawke, Asa Butterfield, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Hailee Steinfeld, Emile Hirsch.
- Directors: Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman
- Screenwriters: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
"Zipper" / U.S.A. — Sam Ellis is a man on the rise — a hot-shot federal prosecutor on the cusp of a bright political future. But what was meant to be a one-time experience with an escort turns into a growing addiction — a new demon threatening to destroy his life, family, and career.
- Cast: Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, Richar Dreyfuss, Ray Winstone, John Cho, Dianna Agron.
- Director: Mora Stephens
- Screenwriters: Mora Stephens, Joel Viertel
