Sundance has announced 16 additional films for their festival to be held January 15-25 in Park City, Utah. These films include one addition to each of the Premiere and American Spectrum categories, 12 Special Screenings, and two films from the Sundance Collection.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS:
“CITIZEN KING” by Orlando Bagwell and Noland Walker, USA ^ Framed by the “I Have a Dream” speech and his assassination in Memphis, this film weaves together archival footage, personal recollections, and eyewitness accounts to evoke a powerful sense of the time and key moments in Dr. Martin Luther King’s personal and political transformation as he struggled to dedicate himself beyond the civil rights movement and embrace a larger quest for equity and social justice in American society. This film will screen on the Martin Luther King Holiday, which this year celebrates his 75th birthday.
“DOGVILLE” by Lars von Trier, Denmark ^ This intriguing story of a young woman in search of refuge was filmed using a rare technique that can only be expected from award-winning director Lars von Trier. He unabashedly transports the film-going audience to a theatrical venue, brilliantly manipulating the viewer’s imagination and stretching the capacity of typical filmmaking.
“THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS” by Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier, Denmark ^ Using Leth’s 1967-era The Perfect Human—a 12-minute avant-garde exercise in irony and absurdity—the filmmaker remakes the short five times, with five obstacles imposed by von Trier. Undaunted by the task at hand, Leth produces a work that is nothing short of brilliant artistry.
“HOME” by Omelga Mthiyane, South Africa ^ Over 11,000 people lost their lives to political violence in the province of KwaZulu in the decade preceding the demise of apartheid in South Africa. Countless more were displaced from their homes and communities. Home is the personal journey of first-time director Omelga Mthiyane as she documents her aunt’s return to the home she was forced to abandon.
“THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT” by Harry Thomason and Nick Perry, USA ^ This incendiary documentary, based on the best-selling book by Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, offers a glimpse at the genesis of certain partisan vendettas and explores the myths and truths behind the nearly ten-year campaign to systematically destroy the political legacy of the Clintons.
“IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN” by Lesli Klainberg and Gini Reticker, USA ^ From classic coming- of- age stories (DOG FIGHT, THIRTEEN) to explosive sexuality (SECRETARY, GO FISH), this film explores women’s views, values, sensibilities, and concerns behind the scenes and on screen.
“LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF” by Thom Andersen, USA ^ This wickedly observant documentary about how the city of Los Angeles is represented in the movies seems to purposefully hypnotize viewers in order to sharpen our awareness of film elements normally taken for granted.
“THE MEANING OF THE BUFFALO” by Karin Slater, South Africa ^ The arid village of Lekgopung, South Africa, is home to the Balete—the People of the Buffalo. Karin Slater is a wildlife filmmaker who is an outsider to the village. This poetic documentary is her attempt to understand how the Balete people came to take the buffalo as a totem.
“PROTEUS” by David Lebrun, USA ^ The animated documentary Proteus explores the nineteenth century’s engagement with the undersea world through science, technology, painting, poetry and myth. The central figure of the film is biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, who found in the depths of the sea an ecstatic and almost mystical fusion of science and art.
“TRIGGERSTREET.COM” produced by Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti, and Ross Partridge, USA ^ The TriggerStreet.com Project highlights shorts from directors whose work has been selected by a web based community of over one hundred thousand filmmakers, screenwriters, and film enthusiasts. Founded by Dana Brunetti and actor Kevin Spacey, the project gives undiscovered auteurs an interactive platform where they can showcase talent and receive feedback from their peers.
“UNTIL THE VIOLENCE STOPS” by Abby Epstein, USA ^ In 2002, eight hundred cities participated in a movement to end violence against women and girls called V-Day. This documentary follows the extraordinary grassroots impact of V-Day in six international communities while exposing the pervasive and cultural forms of violence that women experience all over the world.
“THE YES MEN” by Chris Smith, Dan Ollman and Sarah Price, USA ^ In this fearless documentary, a group of American activists/pranksters pose as representatives of the World Trade Organization and accept speaking engagements on its behalf.
PREMIERES:
“THE CLEARING” by Pieter Jan Brugge, USA ^ (A WORK IN PROGRESS) After fulfilling the American dream and building a comfortable life for his family, a matter-of-fact man’s security is shattered when an aggressive stranger from the past takes him hostage. Forced to find a new way to deal with the anxiety and fear, the family man and his wife struggle with this new reality.
AMERICAN SPECTRUM:
THE CONTROL ROOM by Jehane Noujaim ^ This political documentary provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jezeera, the Arab world’s most popular news outlet. It’s an astonishing film that challenges our complacency and, perhaps, our assumptions.
SUNDANCE COLLECTION:
REPO MAN by Alex Cox, USA ^ This 1984 cult classic features Otto, a punk rocker-turned repossession expert who centers on his search for a mysterious Malibu carrying an odd cargo.
“SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG” by Melvin Van Peebles ^ Van Peebles’ 1971 film is a racially charged statement that focuses on the problem of police brutality and the undermining of the African American people, but does not overlook the high value of entertainment.
For more info, visit the Sundance website.
