Drug addictions, broken homes, hate crimes, deaths of loved ones, failed relationships and a washed up metal band going through therapy. What is this, rehab? Nope, it’s the line-up of films in the Dramatic, American Spectrum and Documentary Competition categories for the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. More films will be announced later on in the week. But for now, look what’s going to be playing in snowy Park City this January…
DRAMATIC COMPETITION
“The Best Thief in the World” (world premiere) ^ 11-year-old Izzy breaks into apartments to mess with people’s minds, and to create an alternate, more controlled world than the one he lives in with his family and friends. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Jacob Kornbluth ^ CAST: Mary-Louise Parker, Audra McDonald, Michael Silverman, David Warshofsky, Lois Smith, Margo Martindale
“Book of Love” (world premiere) ^ On a hot summer day in suburbia, a high school history teacher and his restless wife befriend a lonely, enigmatic teenage boy. This unlikely friendship leads to unexpected consequences. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Alan Brown ^ CAST: Frances O’Connor, Simon Baker, Gregory Smith, Bryce Dallas Howard
“Brother to Brother” ^ An elderly luminary of the Harlem Renaissance inspires a gay, African-American art student as he struggles to find his place in the world. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Rodney Evans ^ CAST: Aunjanue Ellis, Earle Hyman, Anthony Mackie, Larry Gilliard, Jr.
“Chrystal” (world premiere) ^ Joe was in prison for drugs and a car accident that left his wife Chrystal badly injured and their child missing in the Ozarks. After Joe comes home, they must try to come to terms with their history. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Ray McKinnon ^ CAST: Lisa Blount, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Fickes, Walt Goggins, Kathryn Howell, James Intveld, Max Kasch, Harry J. Lennix, Ray McKinnon, Harry Dean Stanton
“Down to the Bone” (world premiere) ^ In a small town in upstate NY, a woman struggles to raise two sons, keep her stale marriage together, and manage a secret cocaine habit. ^ DIRECTOR: Debra Granik; WRITERS: Debra Granik and Richard Lieske ^ CAST: Vera Farmiga, Hugh Dillon, Clint Jordan, Caridad De La Luz
“Easy” (U.S. premiere) ^ Jamie, a sharp-witted, sexy young woman, is a self-described “jerk magnet.” When she finds herself in a love triangle with two seemingly decent men, she struggles to make the right choice. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Jane Weinstock ^ CAST: Marguerite Moreau, Brian F. O’Byrne, Naveen Andrews, Emily Deschanel, John Rothman, Caroline Goodall, D.B. Woodside, Lanette Ware
“Evergreen” (world premiere) ^ A young girl seduced by a boy’s affluent, seemingly idyllic family, goes to unusual extremes to gain acceptance and escape her poverty-stricken homelife. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Enid Zentelis ^ CAST: Cara Seymour, Mary Kay Place, Bruce Davison, Noah Fleiss, Gary Farmer, Lynn Cohen Addie Land
“Garden State” (world premiere) ^ Andrew Largeman returns home for the first time in ten years to attend his mother’s funeral. While home, he is reunited with the world he left behind and meets a girl who will change his life. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Zach Braff ^ CAST: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, Jean Smart, Rob Liebman, Method Man
“Harry and Max” (world premiere) ^ Two brothers — a 24 year-old boy-band singer whose career is in decline, and a 16 year-old up-and-coming teen idol — come to terms with their dysfunctional past and deep affection for each other. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Christopher Munch ^ CAST: Bryce Johnson, Cole Williams, Rain Phoenix, Tom Gilroy, Michelle Phillips, Justin Zachary
“Maria Full of Grace” (world premiere) ^ Maria Alvarez, a defiant 17-year-old rural Colombian girl, undergoes a harrowing journey when she naively agrees to transport a half-kilo of heroin to the U.S. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Joshua Marston ^ CAST: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez, John Alex Toro, Patricia Rae, Orlando Tobon
“Napoleon Dynamite” (world premiere) ^ Napoleon Dynamite is stuck in rural Idaho, navigating his adolescence in moonboots. When Napoleon’s social life hits a new low, he uses his dance and ninja skills to triumph over adversity. ^ DIRECTOR: Jared Hess ^ WRITERS: Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess ^ CAST: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez, Aaron Ruell, Tina Majorino, Haylie Duff, Diedrich Bader, Sandy Martin, Shondrella Avery, Ellen Dubin, Emily Kennard, Carmen Brady
“November” (world premiere) ^ Photographer Sophie Jacobs’ boyfriend is tragically shot to death in a convenience store. As she struggles to cope, her life splinters, and the line between fantasy and reality becomes alarmingly blurred. ^ DIRECTOR: Greg Harrison ^ WRITER: Benjamin Brand ^ CAST: Courtney Cox, James Le Gros, Michael Ealy, Nora Dunn, Nick Offerman, Anne Archer
“One Point 0” (world premiere) ^ A young computer programmer discovers he has become the test subject for a dangerous secret experiment in corporate advertising. ^ DIRECTORS & WRITERS: Jeff Renfroe and Marteinn Thorsson ^ CAST: Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Unger, Udo Kier, Lance Henriksen
“Primer” (world premiere) ^ Two small-time entrepreneurs are in over their heads when a side effect of their latest invention provides more than they ever expected and quickly defines the limit of their trust. ^ DIRECTOR & WRITER: Shane Carruth ^ CAST: David Sullivan, Shane Carruth, Carrie Crawford, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
“We Don’t Live Here Anymore” (world premiere) ^ “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” explores a married man’s affair with his best friend’s wife and the subtle machinations that ultimately lead to calamitous emotional entanglements. ^ DIRECTOR: John Curran ^ WRITER: Larry Gross ^ CAST: Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Peter Krause, and Naomi Watts
“The Woodsman” (world premiere) ^ “The Woodsman” is a haunting tale of a convicted child molester who attempts to rebuild his life despite the odds society places against him. ^ DIRECTOR: Nicole Kassell ^ WRITERS: Nicole Kassell, and Stephen Fechter ^ CAST: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt, Mos Def, Eve, Michael Shannon, David Alan Grier
Get the American Spectrum selections in part two of SUNDANCE 2004 LINE-UP ANNOUNCED>>>
