My parents called tonight. They’re coming to Sundance. I choked a bit. I’ve lived in Park City since 1990 and this is a first. “Are you sure?” I queried. “Sundance is a zoo. There’s no parking, all of the restaurants are booked, it’s even more expensive around here than normal, the tickets are probably sold out….” Was there a Beginners Guide To Sundance out there anywhere?
“Your father and I want to see snow and Europe’s too far,” said Mom. “Plus, I’ve always wanted to stay at the St. Regis.” My folks are in their 80s. Back in the day, our vacations revolved around skiing but they retired the sticks decades ago. Still, you can’t help but miss the mountains in winter when you’ve spent almost your whole life playing in them.
I considered this new information. Parents who don’t ski but love film, snow and mountains. Sundance might just be the perfect vacation. When they’ve visited Park City in the past they’ve been bored. This is a town for adventure junkies. Once you’ve done the outlet mall, gotten a massage and fed on the “fine dining” there’s not much else for retired skiers around here.
I started my research. It’s one thing to have a media pass to Sundance for 20 years but clearly another to join as a general attendee. How then do I advise my parents, your average tourists, to make the most out of their time at Sundance? Looks like I was going to have to devise my own Beginners Guide To Sundance.
The Beginners Guide To Sundance Starts With Lodging
You won’t have a place to stay if you don’t have a place to stay. In other words, book your lodging early and don’t be picky. Everything in Park City is overpriced and still gets gobbled up the closer you get to those last ten days in January. My parents aren’t into crashing in a 3 bedroom place with four other people so they got a room at the St Regis with timeshare points that could have bought them a month in Hawaii. You can get a place in Salt Lake City for much less but the highway commute in January can be a nightmare if it dumps. It would suck to be stuck in a whiteout on I-80 while your movie played. BTW, the benefit of having a condo over a hotel room is the ability to cook. You can save a fortune on not dining out.
The Beginners Guide To Sundance Transpo: Call Uber
Photo by Michael R. Perry
No, Mom, you do not need a car. Split a cab, call Uber, book a shuttle. You DO NOT want a rental car in Park City during Sundance. The City shuts down Main Street to traffic, there’s zero parking available unless you want to pay $50 for lots that are normally free, and the congestion is ridiculous.
I hitched a ride from Park Avenue to the top of Main (two miles tops) last year and it took over an hour. The brightside was I got to spend that time chatting with a fascinating, charmingly abrasive, post production supervisor from New York who worked on several of my favorite films.
Park City brings in extra buses to handle the transportation. The free system runs like clockwork and rivals any you would find in a large metropolis. They run late into the night so you don’t need to worry about being stranded and the cast of characters on those buses- from local ski bums to Netflix execs- are priceless.
The Beginners Guide To Sundance Ticketing
Get a Sundance Ticket package if you can afford one. My parents will see as many movies as they can but if you don’t plan ahead individual tickets (which go on sale Jan. 17 for non-locals) sell out fast and you wind up standing in a cold waitlist line hoping someone doesn’t show.
There is a new ewaitlist system that eliminates standing in line TWICE to MAYBE get in but you’ll still have to be at the theater at least 30 minutes prior to showtime. You’ll also need to be somewhere with a strong signal. The waitlist opens one hour prior to the screening and if you get a number higher than 50 your chances of actually getting in are slim to none. You can often buy tickets off scalpers standing in front of the theater. Patrons wind up with extra tickets because friends or clients couldn’t make it in time or they decided to go to a party instead. I’ve gotten many a free ticket this way.
The Festival packages are pricey for non locals ($650) but in addition to 10 tickets ($250 value), they include Festival credentials for two peeps.
You can only plant your butt in a dark theater for so long. The pass gets you into the rocking ASCAP music café, the Cinema Café, the Filmmakers Lodge, and several other “credential-only” venues that host VIP events like cocktail receptions and filmmaker panel discussions. You also get a ticket to the opening night party but it’s not a bonus if you dislike blaring dance music and drunk 20-somethings.
The Cast of Sing Street by Bart Ryker
The Beginners Guide To Sundance Dining
“We want to go to the restaurants and experience the scene,” my Mom added. So does everyone else, Mom. If you get to Park City without reservations you will be ordering Domino’s and Davanza’s. Start booking the minute you know you’re coming. Three nights in town equals three reservations.
Private parties book out most of the restaurants. Still, the best spots to celeb spot if you can get in are the Riverhorse Café, Chimayo, Zoom, Yuki Yama and Prime Steakhouse. I recommended St Regis’ J & G Grill to my folks for the first Saturday night of the Fest to avoid the mayhem of Main. You can also eat someplace off Main that doesn’t take reservations – like Sammy’s Bistro, El Chubasco, The Blind Dog and our newest yummy Ganesh Indian Restaurant. If you just want something to eat and you want out of town anyway, locals head to Kimball Junction where you have a ton of options from Five Guys to Ghidotti’s.
That’s it for this first leg of our journey. Stay tuned for my Mom’s next phone call!
(Photo by Travis Wise)Sundance Institute has officially released who’s coming to Park City this January 19-29. Organizers promise the Sundance Film Festival lineup will be a full slate of provocative and agenda-setting indie films in categories like U.S. Competition, World Competition and NEXT, as well as a slate of environmentally focused programming under the Festival’s New Climate program.
“The films in this year’s Festival show the human sides of issues, people and places we don’t often see,” Said John Cooper, Sundance Film Festival Director. “Independent filmmakers, with their fearless, bold perspectives, are challenging us to witness our world’s whole story.”
The 113 chosen flicks chosen for the Sundance Film Festival lineup celebrate creativity and independence and the Fest itself raises money for world-wide, year-round public programs through the Sundance Institute. That’s more than $2.5 million in grants and 25 global residency Labs across theatre, film, New Frontier and episodic content.
Sundance Film Festival LineUp Takes On Climate Change
For the first time, the Festival is focusing its programming efforts to drive attention and action around a specific theme: climate change and environmental preservation. And not a year too soon. Just look at the slow, warm start to the ski season! Climate change is real.
The New Climate program builds on the Institute’s longstanding commitment to showcasing environmental films and projects. The Sundance Film Festival lineup includes Chasing Coral follows a team of divers, photographers and scientists documenting the world’s changing coral reefs; Trophy, an in-depth look at the controversial, multi-billion-dollar big-game hunting industry; Water & Power: A California Heist, an investigation of California’s convoluted water system; Plastic China, an examination of employee life at a Chinese recycling plant; and Machines, a portrait of the rhythm of life and work in a gigantic textile factory in Gujarat, India.
“My own engagement on climate change began more than 40 years ago, and the urgency I felt then has only grown stronger,” Said Robert Redford, Sundance’s founder.
For the 2017 Festival, 113 feature-length films were selected, representing 32 countries and 37 first-time filmmakers, including 20 in competition. These films were selected from a whopping 13,782 submissions including 4,068 feature-length films and 8,985 short films. When filmmakers say they are submitting to Sundance, they’re not kidding. As you can see, competition is tough.
Of the feature film submissions, 2,005 were from the U.S. and 2,063 were international. Ninety-eight feature films in the Sundance Film Festival lineup will be world premieres. In 2016, the Festival drew 46,600 attendees, generated $143.3 million in economic activity for the state of Utah and supported 1,400 local jobs.
Sundance Film Festival Lineup For U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Here are the 16 narrative feature films in the Dramatic Competition:
Band Aid / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Zoe Lister-Jones) — A couple who can’t stop fighting embark on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage: turning their fights into songs and starting a band. Cast: Zoe Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, Fred Armisen, Susie Essman, Hannah Simone, Ravi Patel. World Premiere
Beach Rats / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eliza Hittman) — An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online. Cast: Harris Dickinson, Madeline Weinstein, Kate Hodge, Neal Huff. World Premiere
Brigsby Bear/ U.S.A. (Director: Dave McCary, Screenwriters: Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney) — Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James’s life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself. Cast: Kyle Mooney, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins. World Premiere FILMED IN UTAH!!!
Burning Sands/ U.S.A. (Director: Gerard McMurray, Screenwriters: Christine Berg, Gerard McMurray) — Deep into a fraternity’s Hell Week, a favored pledge is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Cast: Trevor Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, Trevante Rhodes. World Premiere
Crown Heights/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ruskin) — When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend, Carl King, devotes his life to proving Colin’s innocence. Adapted from This American Life, this is the incredible true story of their harrowing quest for justice. Cast: Keith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha, Natalie Paul, Bill Camp, Nestor Carbonell, Amari Cheatom. World Premiere
Golden Exits / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry) — The arrival of a young foreign girl disrupts the lives and emotional balances of two Brooklyn families. Cast: Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny. World Premiere
The Hero / U.S.A. (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch) — Lee, a former Western film icon, is living a comfortable existence lending his golden voice to advertisements and smoking weed. After receiving a lifetime achievement award and unexpected news, Lee reexamines his past, while a chance meeting with a sardonic comic has him looking to the future. Cast: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, Katherine Ross. World Premiere
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves, alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy, Devon Graye. World Premiere. DAY ONE
Ingrid Goes West / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Spicer, Screenwriters: Matt Spicer, David Branson Smith) — A young woman becomes obsessed with an Instagram lifestyle blogger and moves to Los Angeles to try and befriend her in real life. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen. World Premiere
Landline / U.S.A. (Director: Gillian Robespierre, Screenwriters: Elisabeth Holm, Gillian Robespierre) — Two sisters come of age in ’90s New York when they discover their dad’s affair—and it turns out he’s not the only cheater in the family. Everyone still smokes inside, no one has a cell phone and the Jacobs finally connect through lying, cheating and hibachi. Cast: Jenny Slate, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, Jay Duplass, Finn Wittrock. World Premiere
Novitiate / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Maggie Betts) — In the early 1960s, during the Vatican II era, a young woman training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, sexuality and the changing church. Cast: Margaret Qualley, Melissa Leo, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Agron, Morgan Saylor. World Premiere
Patti Cake$/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Geremy Jasper) — Straight out of Jersey comes Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, an aspiring rapper fighting through a world of strip malls and strip clubs on an unlikely quest for glory. Cast: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty. World Premiere
Roxanne Roxanne / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — The most feared battle emcee in early-’80s NYC was a fierce teenager from the Queensbridge projects with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At age 14, hustling the streets to provide for her family, Roxanne Shanté was well on her way to becoming a hip-hop legend. Cast: Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, Shenell Edmonds. World Premiere
To the Bone / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marti Noxon) — In a last-ditch effort to battle her severe anorexia, 20-year-old Ellen enters a group recovery home. With the help of an unconventional doctor, Ellen and the other residents go on a sometimes-funny, sometimes-harrowing journey that leads to the ultimate question—is life worth living? Cast: Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp, Liana Liberato. World Premiere
Walking Out / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Alex Smith, Andrew Smith) — A father and son struggle to connect on any level until a brutal encounter with a predator in the heart of the wilderness leaves them both seriously injured. If they are to survive, the boy must carry his father to safety. Cast: Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman, Alex Neustaedter, Lily Gladstone. World Premiere
The Yellow Birds / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Moors, Screenwriter: David Lowery) — Two young men enlist in the army and are deployed to fight in the Gulf War. After an unthinkable tragedy, the surviving soldier struggles to balance his promise of silence with the truth and a mourning mother’s search for peace. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Patric, Toni Collette, Jennifer Aniston. World Premiere
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Sundance Film Festival lineup of 16 world-premiere American documentaries will illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day.
Casting JonBenet / U.S.A., Australia (Director: Kitty Green) — The unsolved death of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey remains the world’s most sensational child murder case. Over 15 months, responses, reflections and performances were elicited from the Ramsey’s Colorado hometown community, creating a bold work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime inspired. World Premiere
Chasing Coral / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE
City of Ghosts / U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Heineman) — With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today. World Premiere
Dina / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story. World Premiere
Dolores / U.S.A. (Director: Peter Bratt) — Dolores Huerta bucks 1950s gender conventions by co-founding the country’s first farmworkers’ union. Wrestling with raising 11 children, gender bias, union defeat and victory, and nearly dying after a San Francisco Police beating, Dolores emerges with a vision that connects her newfound feminism with racial and class justice. World Premiere
The Force / U.S.A. (Director: Pete Nicks) — This cinema verité look at the long-troubled Oakland Police Department goes deep inside their struggles to confront federal demands for reform, a popular uprising following events in Ferguson and an explosive scandal. World Premiere
ICARUS / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Fogel) — When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death and Olympic Gold—exposing the biggest scandal in sports history. World Premiere
The New Radical / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Bhala Lough) — Uncompromising millennial radicals from the United States and the United Kingdom attack the system through dangerous technological means, which evolves into a high-stakes game with world authorities in the midst of a dramatically changing political landscape. World Premiere
NOBODY SPEAK: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and Trials of a Free Press / U.S.A. (Director: Brian Knappenberger) — The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against freedom of the press, and raised important questions about how big money can silence media. This film is an examination of the perils and duties of the free press in an age of inequality. World Premiere
Quest/ U.S.A. (Director: Jonathan Olshefski) — For over a decade, this portrait of a North Philadelphia family and the creative sanctuary offered by their home music studio was filmed with vérité intimacy. The family’s 10-year journey is an illumination of race and class in America, and it’s a testament to love, healing and hope. World Premiere
STEP / U.S.A. (Director: Amanda Lipitz) — The senior year of a girls’ high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families to attend college. The girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in their troubled city. World Premiere
Strong Island / U.S.A., Denmark (Director: Yance Ford) — Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception, and re-imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake, challenging us to change. World Premiere
Trophy / U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz, Co-Director: Christina Clusiau) — This in-depth look into the powerhouse industries of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Africa unravels the complex consequences of treating animals as commodities. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE
Unrest / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Brea) — When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s “all in her head.” Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families’ stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot. World Premiere
Water & Power: A California Heist / U.S.A. (Director: Marina Zenovich) — In California’s convoluted water system, notorious water barons find ways to structure a state-engineered system to their own advantage. This examination into their centers of power shows small farmers and everyday citizens facing drought and a new, debilitating groundwater crisis. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE
Whose Streets? / U.S.A. (Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director: Damon Davis) — A nonfiction account of the Ferguson uprising told by the people who lived it, this is an unflinching look at how the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown inspired a community to fight back—and sparked a global movement. World Premiere. DAY ONE
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Twelve films in the Sundance Film Festival lineup are from emerging filmmaking talents around the world are part of the Sundance Film Festival lineup to offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Axolotl Overkill / Germany (Director and screenwriter: Helene Hegemann) — Mifti, age 16, lives in Berlin with a cast of characters including her half-siblings; their rich, self-involved father; and her junkie friend Ophelia. As she mourns her recently deceased mother, she begins to develop an obsession with Alice, an enigmatic, and much older, white-collar criminal.
Berlin Syndrome / Australia (Director: Cate Shortland, Screenwriter: Shaun Grant) — A passionate holiday romance takes an unexpected and sinister turn when an Australian photographer wakes one morning in a Berlin apartment and is unable to leave.
Carpinteros (Woodpeckers) / Dominican Republic (Director and screenwriter: José María Cabral) — Julián finds love and a reason for living in the last place imaginable: the Dominican Republic’s Najayo Prison. His romance with fellow prisoner Yanelly must develop through sign language and without the knowledge of dozens of guards.
Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! / Brazil, Netherlands, France, Paraguay (Director and screenwriter: Felipe Bragança) — In this fable about love and memories, Joca is a 13-year-old Brazilian boy in love with an indigenous Paraguayan girl. To conquer her love, he must face the violent region’s war-torn past and the secrets of his elder brother, Fernando, a motorcycle cowboy.
Family Life / Chile (Directors: Alicia Scherson, Cristián Jiménez, Screenwriter: Alejandro Zambra) — While house-sitting for a distant cousin, a lonely man fabricates the existence of a vindictive ex-wife withholding his daughter, in order to gain the sympathy of the single mother he has just met.
Free and Easy / Hong Kong (Director: Jun Geng, Screenwriters: Jun Geng, Yuhua Feng, Bing Liu) — When a traveling soap salesman arrives in a desolate Chinese town, a crime occurs, and sets the strange residents against each other with tragicomic results.
God’s Own Country / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Francis Lee) — Springtime in Yorkshire: isolated young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker, employed for the lambing season, ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.
My Happy Family / Georgia (Directors: Nana & Simon, Screenwriter: Nana Ekvtimishvili) — Tbilisi, Georgia, 2016: In a patriarchal society, an ordinary Georgian family lives with three generations under one roof. All are shocked when 52-year-old Manana decides to move out from her parents’ home and live alone. Without her family and her husband, a journey into the unknown begins.
The Nile Hilton Incident / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Tarik Saleh) — In Cairo, weeks before the 2011 revolution, Police Detective Noredin is working in the infamous Kasr el-Nil Police Station when he is handed the case of a murdered singer. He soon realizes that the investigation concerns the power elite, close to the President’s inner circle.
Pop Aye / Singapore, Thailand (Director and screenwriter: Kirsten Tan) — On a chance encounter, a disenchanted architect bumps into his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok. Excited, he takes his elephant on a journey across Thailand in search of the farm where they grew up together.
Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language) / Mexico (Director: Ernesto Contreras, Screenwriter: Carlos Contreras) — The last two speakers of a millennia-old language haven’t spoken in 50 years, when a young linguist tries to bring them together. Yet hidden in the past, in the heart of the jungle, lies a secret concerning the fate of the Zikril language.
The Wound / South Africa (Director: John Trengove, Screenwriters: John Trengove, Thando Mgqolozana, Malusi Bengu) — Xolani, a lonely factory worker, travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best-kept secret, a forbidden love, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Twelve documentaries in the Sundance Film Festival lineup are by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Good Postman / Finland, Bulgaria (Director: Tonislav Hristov) — In a small Bulgarian village troubled by the ongoing refugee crisis, a local postman runs for mayor—and learns that even minor deeds can outweigh good intentions. North American Premiere
In Loco Parentis / Ireland, Spain (Directors: Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane) — John and Amanda teach Latin, English and guitar at a fantastical, stately home-turned-school. Nearly 50-year careers are drawing to a close for the pair who have become legends with the mantra: “Reading! ‘Rithmetic! Rock ‘n’ roll!” But for pupil and teacher alike, leaving is the hardest lesson. North American Premiere
It’s Not Yet Dark / Ireland (Director: Frankie Fenton) — This is the incredible story of Simon Fitzmaurice, a young filmmaker who becomes completely paralyzed from motor neurone disease but goes on to direct an award-winning feature film through the use of his eyes. International Premiere
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Piscatella) — When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents. World Premiere
Last Men in Aleppo / Denmark (Directors: Feras Fayyad, Steen Johannessen) — After five years of war in Syria, Aleppo’s remaining residents prepare themselves for a siege. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud, founding members of The White Helmets, have remained in the city to help their fellow citizens—and experience daily life, death, struggle and triumph in a city under fire. World Premiere
Machines / India, Germany, Finland (Director: Rahul Jain) — This intimate, observant portrayal of the rhythm of life and work in a gigantic textile factory in Gujarat, India, moves through the corridors and bowels of the enormously disorienting structure—taking the viewer on a journey of dehumanizing physical labor and intense hardship. North American Premiere. NEW CLIMATE
Motherland / U.S.A., Philippines (Director: Ramona Diaz) — The planet’s busiest maternity hospital is located in one of its poorest and most populous countries: the Philippines. There, poor women face devastating consequences as their country struggles with reproductive health policy and the politics of conservative Catholic ideologies. World Premiere
Plastic China / China (Director: Jiu-liang Wang) — Yi-Jie, an 11-year-old girl, works alongside her parents in a recycling facility while dreaming of attending school. Kun, the facility’s ambitious foreman, dreams of a better life. Through the eyes and hands of those who handle its refuse, comes an examination of global consumption and culture. International Premiere. NEW CLIMATE
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World / Canada (Director: Catherine Bainbridge) — This powerful documentary about the role of Native Americans in contemporary music history—featuring some of the greatest music stars of our time—exposes a critical missing chapter, revealing how indigenous musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives and, through their contributions, influenced popular culture. World Premiere
Tokyo Idols / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Kyoko Miyake) — This exploration of Japan’s fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies. World Premiere
WINNIE / France (Director: Pascale Lamche) — While her husband served a life sentence, paradoxically kept safe and morally uncontaminated, Winnie Mandela rode the raw violence of apartheid, fighting on the front line and underground. This is the untold story of the mysterious forces that combined to take her down, labeling him a saint, her, a sinner. World Premiere
The Workers Cup / United Kingdom (Director: Adam Sobel) — Inside Qatar’s labor camps, African and Asian migrant workers building the facilities of the 2022 World Cup compete in a football tournament of their own. World Premiere. DAY ONE
NEXT Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Presented by Adobe.
Columbus / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kogonada) — Casey lives with her mother in a little-known Midwestern town haunted by the promise of modernism. Jin, a visitor from the other side of the world, attends to his dying father. Burdened by the future, they find respite in one another and the architecture that surrounds them. Cast: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, Michelle Forbes. World Premiere
Dayveon/ U.S.A. (Director: Amman Abbasi, Screenwriters: Amman Abbasi, Steven Reneau) — In the wake of his older brother’s death, 13-year-old Dayveon spends the sweltering summer days roaming his rural Arkansas town. When he falls in with a local gang, he becomes drawn to the camaraderie and violence of their world. Cast: Devin Blackmon, Kordell “KD” Johnson, Dontrell Bright, Chasity Moore, Lachion Buckingham, Marquell Manning. World Premiere. DAY ONE
Deidra & Laney Rob a Train / U.S.A. (Director: Sydney Freeland, Screenwriter: Shelby Farrell) — Two teenage sisters start robbing trains to make ends meet after their single mother’s emotional meltdown in an electronics store lands her in jail. Cast: Ashleigh Murray, Rachel Crow, Tim Blake Nelson, David Sullivan, Danielle Nicolet, Sasheer Zamata. World Premiere
A Ghost Story/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) — This is the story of a ghost and the house he haunts. Cast: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Will Oldham, Sonia Acevedo, Rob Zabrecky, Liz Franke. World Premiere
Gook / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Justin Chon) — Eli and Daniel, two Korean American brothers who own a struggling women’s shoe store, have an unlikely friendship with 11-year-old Kamilla. On the first day of the 1992 L.A. riots, the trio must defend their store—and contemplate the meaning of family, their personal dreams and the future. Cast: Justin Chon, Simone Baker, David So, Curtiss Cook Jr., Sang Chon, Ben Munoz. World Premiere
L.A. Times/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Morgan) — In this classically styled comedy of manners set in Los Angeles, sophisticated thirtysomethings try to determine whether ideal happiness exists in coupledom or if the perfectly suited couple is actually just an urban myth. Cast: Michelle Morgan, Dree Hemingway, Jorma Taccone, Kentucker Audley, Margarita Levieva, Adam Shapiro. World Premiere
Lemon / U.S.A. (Director: Janicza Bravo, Screenwriters: Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman) — A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his blind girlfriend. Cast: Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Nia Long, Shiri Appleby, Fred Melamed. World Premiere
Menashe / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Z Weinstein, Screenwriters: Joshua Z Weinstein, Alex Lipschultz, Musa Syeed) — Within Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood. Cast: Menashe Lustig. World Premiere
Person to Person/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dustin Guy Defa) — A record collector hustles for a big score while his heartbroken roommate tries to erase a terrible mistake, a teenager bears witness to her best friend’s new relationship and a rookie reporter, alongside her demanding supervisor, chases the clues of a murder case involving a life-weary clock shop owner. Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, Philip Baker Hall, Bene Coopersmith, George Sample III. World Premiere
Thoroughbred / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Cory Finley) — Two teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. In the process, they learn that neither is what she seems to be—and that a murder might solve both of their problems. Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks, Francie Swift, Kaili Vernoff. World Premiere
“Haven’t you read the Bullshit Artist’s Handbook?” My boyfriend laughed at me. Stephen Folker’s Overdue was a horror story in every way. Well, ok, no one died a horrible bloody death but the promise of a fun, feature horror film experience surely got macheted. To be honest, the red flags dotted the playing field like battleship pieces. But I filed those away because 1) I am an actor who wants to work and 2) Backstage was for professionals, right? It’s not like I found this opportunity surfing Craigslist.
It all began with a post on Backstage- an online resource for movie industry professionals. A guy named Stephen Folker was casting for kids for his drama script. After three Skype meetings and umpteen lengthy phone conversations he chose my daughter Sage, then 9 (she’s 10 now), for his lead. I read the script he wrote and thought it was terrific and the perfect opportunity to showcase her talent. There would be no pay unless he raised more money. The film never got made.
But during that year Folker talked to me about another script he wrote and which he also posted on Backstage. It was a horror comedy called Overdue about a serial killer who takes it personally when you don’t return your library books. Apparently someone gave Folker money to do this one and he was hunting for a cast and shoot date.
He went on and on about the potential for Overdue and how great he wanted to make it. He said he already had an actress cast but she “wasn’t very good” and she knew nothing about making a character real or taking direction. He had seen my work, read my resume, watched me over the year and played into my actor’s psyche- he recognized my talent. In an instant I was in and she was out. You bet I was flattered. Are you seeing the red flag yet? In the back of my mind I thought, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” In other words, if he could do that to her, he could also do it to me.
Stephen Folker’s Overdue Payment
Overdue, according to Folker, also had a pea-sized budget. Right off the bat I told him I would only head to Iowa (from Utah) if it wouldn’t cost me anything. I was willing to take a chance on deferred pay but he needed to cover my expenses. “That sounds reasonable. We are all in this together and there’s no money for anyone,” he confided. I secretly wondered why, then, was he posting on Backstage- an international online resource for the movie industry. If you can’t afford to bring talent in, you should be posting on Facebook and Craigslist not a forum where actors across the country will be wanting to audition. I kept my mouth shut.
I’m all for helping friends with passion projects but we’re talking me driving halfway across the country for someone I didn’t know and who liked to talk sh*t about everyone he’s ever worked with and fire when they’ve challenged him. He ranted about one actor who came to film his first horror flick (for free) because the actor didn’t want to go into the woods until they made sure the site was clear of poison ivy. “I’ll never work with him again. Can you believe that?” he said in shock. Uh, yeah. You don’t have a set medic, you don’t have workers comp and your actor is out of state so there’s no health insurance coverage. I would want the set checked for poison ivy, snakes and dumbasses too. I kept my mouth shut.
Folker had a script, he had already reimbursed me for my Iowa AirBnB so I did believe this project was going to happen. I had even purchased the scariest wardrobe for Overdue I had ever seen. Which he also promised to reimburse. I was ready to drive. A lead in a horror film would be a blast to produce even if it sucked beans. But my instincts told me a handshake (or some promises over the phone) wasn’t enough.
The word exploitation came to mind. A horror film sells- even really bad ones. And Folker had sold his last one and was also posting a low budget webseries. With now a track record, a decent enough script and actors who might know what they were doing this time he could even score a cult hit (an actor can dream after all). Folker needed to share if he was going to continue to make money off his talent.
Points off the Backend
“If the $100/day is an issue, how about “points off the backend”?” I suggested. I wasn’t really sure what backend points meant other than that’s what some actors do when they want to do a project and the producer doesn’t have the budget…. which is itself odd. He has the money to pay the crew, the sound, the post but no money for the actors? Well, ok, but I wasn’t going to literally work for nothing and I told him that. If his other actors wanted to work for free, God bless ‘em. But for me to travel all that way, I personally wanted a stake in the project. “I was going to suggest that,” he said. “If it were me, I’d do points over deferred too.” I set about doing my research.
Leo DiCaprio did a backend deal with Inception and made his biggest payday ever. Jonah Hill too; for The Wolf Of Wall Street. But no one’s going to f&^k with Jonah or Leo. “You never ever get backend,” a producer friend advised. “Doesn’t matter what the wording says. In 100 movies, we’ve never had to pay our back ends. There’s always a way to calculate against it.” Sigh.
I was pretty sure that with either deferred or points, I wasn’t going to see a dime. However, having it negotiated and in writing still made it feel legit and professional. Plus, it might net me something down the line in case it pulled a Blair Witch. We’re all aware of stories of indie hits like Spinal Tap, where investors and producers make money and the actors make squat. Don’t get me wrong. I will and have totally worked for craft services and credit but we agreed on deferred or points. Free was never on the table for Overdue.
Full Steam Ahead For Overdue?
Time came to drive, I sent the deal memo with exactly what we had talked about over the past month. “I’m not giving you 2 percent and no f&#king way will you have access to my accounting,” he said when he read it. “My other actors are thrilled for this exposure I’m giving them. None of us are professionals here. We’re just making our sh*tty little movies hoping that one day our hobby might become something more. That memo is great for a real production but not this.” Whaaaat?
All of a sudden I felt the tug of manipulation- one of my all-time biggest buttons. “You’re the only one who wants an agreement in writing; I take care of my people and I wouldn’t screw anyone over; I fired my New York actor so you could have this shot; what if I made you pay me $1000 every time you used a clip from my movie to market yourself? That’s the value you’re getting; I’m starting to get a headache and this feels like drama; don’t you think you’re being extreme?” The message was clear- back off or I’ll replace you too.
But here’s where his calculations erred. 1) I could care less about his ‘exposure’. I was doing this for the adventure and challenge. 2) I don’t trust anyone who says I’m a good guy, you can trust me. 3) If I want to make free movies I don’t have to drive 17 hours. Utah’s a hotbed for them. 4) I’m a really mellow person but when you treat me like I’m difficult just because I’m a woman standing up for what’s right, I want to punch you in the face.
I calmly replied, “No I’m not being extreme. I just want in writing what we already agreed to.” I read his counter offer memo: 2% Of Netted Foreign Sales garnered from Sales Agent from initial sale. Payment will be made after Producer receives payment and recoups expenses for territory or territories in regard to deliverables / out of pocket foreign marketing expenses. This deal is limited to foreign sales only and will not include domestic (US & Canada), theatrical, Cable, VOD, DVD or Web Related Sales. The language was clear- you’re working for free. And it begged the question, “If you’re making a sh*tty little horror film that will never sell what the hell are you hiding?
I sent him a message- “let’s just go back to deferred and forget about the points. That’s obviously an issue.” Long story, short-er. He replaced me in less than 24 hours to film a feature that started in two days. I can only guess that the actor is a local, doing it for free and Folker doesn’t have to pay her expenses or have anything in writing other than his own, one-sided talent release. He got what he wanted for his “sh*tty little movie”. Why he wasted both our time remains a mystery.
I dodged a bullet but I can’t help feeling jaded. Sites like Backstage, Actors Access, Casting Networks etc. can’t weed out every predator and protect eager actors, and often we overlook the obvious for the opportunity to perform. Maybe it’s time we all go back and re-read that Handbook.
I stepped out of the rain and into High West Distillery tonight to join Yeti as they wandered into Park City for their Stories from the Yeti Wild Film Tour. First off, I have to admit that High West caters the best parties in Park City. The food and drinks- Dead Man’s Boot, yum!, can’t be beat. Ok, back to the affair. The garage area was wall-to-wall locals, there to not only watch some seriously cool short films but support American Rivers and their pledge to protect 5000 miles of rivers by 2018.
The organization fights for wild, free-flowing rivers (no dams), restores damaged and polluted rivers, and helps to preserve riverside land. Every dime collected at Yeti’s parties will go directly to the non-profit.
Yeti Film Tour Gets Flowing
Yeti’s partnership with AR is a natural marriage seeing as how their audience lives on the water and they tell these really awesome stories. My favorite of the night was part of the My Old Man series called The Last Best Man.
To say you weren’t a supporter of tonight’s event would be to say you don’t support clean water and flowing rivers. What happens to them effects all of us whether you love fishing or have never been on a boat. You have to applaud Yeti for their generous sponsorship, their platform for filmmakers’ voices and the bomber products they’ve crafted that travel easily between home and the wild.
If you are interested in learning more about the partnership or just want to be inspired by the films go to Yeti Stories.
By the way, make sure you pour a cold one into one of those slick Yeti tumblers when you kick back to watch the Yeti Film Tour!
We’re talking winter in August. Whaaaat? Screw summer. There are those that live for the white stuff; trailers for Warren Miller and TGR, gear previews from Powder Magazine, pre-season ski workouts; and the ability to purchase tickets for the first-ever First Chair Festival where all of your bro-brah peers will gather.
On Sept. 17, Powder and Newschoolers.com will bring all of the celebration into one venue on one day with ski film premieres, live music performances from Too Short and BoomBox, a pro rail jam on real snow, a giant gear sale, live fashion show, pro athlete meet & greets, a giant pop-up retail experience, food vendors, and craft beer.
First Chair Festival is the first, and only, skiing event of its kind in North America and it’s happening in Utah- The Complex at 500 W 100 S to be exact. Get ready to spend all day watching ski porn like Level 1 Productions’ “Pleasure” and Good Company’s “Vice Versa,” and watch top urban skiers compete over a two-story rail set up.
A giant retail experience with early season sales on gear, product giveaways, pro athlete appearances and autograph signings will round out the festivities in addition to plenty of food and full-service bars from the area’s best local vendors (21+ to drink). Organizers have yet to announce what bands will be performing or what sponsors are involved but with a month to go, there’s plenty of time to gather a decent line-up.
Gates open to the giant block party at 1 p.m. and the whole thing closes down around 10 p.m.
Tickets are $20 before Sept. 16, 2016 and $25 at the door. VIP passes are $45/55 respectively.
