Los Angeles, CA — Three music videos, a full slate of VR experiences, a youth talent show and more join the lineup for Sundance NEXT FEST, alongside short film screenings hosted by Nick Kroll, music acts including “Queen of Bounce” Big Freedia, and the Los Angeles premieres of some of the most talked-about films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Sundance NEXT FEST takes place August 12-14 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. More info and tickets ($15-25) at sundance.org/next.
WORLD PREMIERE MUSIC VIDEOS
Highlighting the connection between music and movies, three brand-new music videos have been added to the lineup.
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE – The video for Mark Pritchard’s “Beautiful People,” featuring vocals by Thom Yorke, screens just before Sunday’s afternoon screening of Iranian horror film Under the Shadow. Michal Marczak, who won the 2016 Sundance Film Festival award for World Cinema Documentary: Director for All These Sleepless Nights, directs the video, a nameless stranger’s exploration of a new world, set to Pritchard’s track, which Rolling Stone called “achingly gorgeous.”
ANNIE – A karaoke video turned fever dream in which Alan has to traverse B-roll cityscapes, taped over TV shows, and phone sex commercial breaks in search of a missing ex-lover. Shot over 8 cities on Neon Indian’s last tour of Asia, all libidinal hell breaks loose in this glistening meta ode to laserdisc-era sing alongs. Directed by Alan Palomo, Neon Indian himself, this is the world premiere video of the song which Pitchfork described as “very much an electro-pop song for when temperatures grow more humid, our actions less responsible and the nights longer.” Annie screens on Saturday afternoon, before the LA premiere of White Girl.
BEST TO YOU – A diverse cast, including Lorely Rodriguez (a.k.a Empress Of) and Amandla Stenberg, enacts a hopeful vision of love and belonging amidst modern anxieties, set to music from Freetown Sound, Devonté Hynes’ third album as Blood Orange. A film by Luke Gilford, commissioned by Devonté Hynes and choreographed by Emma Portner, Best to You screens at noon Saturday, before Morris From America.
VR LINEUP AND GOOGLE CARDBOARD GIVEAWAY
A curated slate of 12 mobile VR experiences will be available as part of Sundance NEXT FEST, representing some of the most compelling independent narrative and documentary VR storytelling today. Google Cardboards will be given away onsite at NEXT DOOR. The full lineup is detailed at sundance.org/VR; this selection has also been featured at the 2016 edition of New Frontier at the Sundance Film Festival, Slithering Screens program at MoMA, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Photo shown: The Click Effect
YOUNG FEMALE FILMMAKERS CREATE FESTIVAL TRAILER
Three young female filmmakers joined forces to create the irreverent, atmospheric festival trailer for Sundance NEXT FEST. Courtney Jines (director), Tara Clune (motion graphics) and Kayla Briët (music) collaborated on the trailer, which will run before each screening. All three women are part of the Institute’s Ignite Fellows Program, which offers 18-to-24-year-old artists year-round mentorship and industry experiences. The live action sequence stars Hannah Marks and Rhoda Pell. Watch the trailer here.
YOUTH GROUPS FOR MORRIS FROM AMERICA TALENT SHOW
Following Saturday’s noon screening of Morris from America, three young talent groups will take the stage for a talent show hosted by comedian Craig Robinson, who acts in the film. Participants include:
- 826LA, with a reading. 826LA is a non-profit organization that supports students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills.
- Inner-City Arts, with a dance routine. Inner-City Arts is an arts education provider in the heart of Skid Row, and works to create a safer, healthier Los Angeles.
- Stones Throw Records, with live beat-making. Stones Throw Records is an American independent music label based in Los Angeles and was founded by DJ Peanut Butter Wolf.
- Venice Arts, with a short film screening. Venice Arts is a nonprofit organization that ignites, expands and transforms the lives of Los Angeles’ low-income youth through photography and film education.
Photo shown: Inner-City Arts Repertory Dance Company, directed by Marissa Herrera
GAMES AND MORE AT OUTDOOR SOCIAL HUB
Sundance NEXT FEST this year includes NEXT DOOR, an outdoor social hub next to the Theatre for ticketholders to mingle before or after screenings and enjoy free temporary tattoos as well as drinks from Tequila Don Julio™, Stella Artois® and Trinchero Family Estates, salad samples from sweetgreen and sponsored games and photo/video opportunities from Acura, Adobe and Los Angeles Times.
FREE PANELS
The weekend also includes two free panels on film production, which are open to the public and sponsored by BitTorrent and FilmL.A. More info will be posted to sundance.org/next.
2016 Sundance NEXT FEST Full Lineup
Details and more information at sundance.org/next.
Friday, August 12, 2016
- 8:00 p.m.: LA Premiere of Lovesong + Shamir
- Lovesong – Director: So Yong Kim, Screenwriters: So Yong Kim, Bradley Rust Gray
- Musical performance by Shamir
Saturday, August 13, 2016
- Noon: World Premiere of Best to You + LA Premiere of Morris from America + Talent Show Hosted by Craig Robinson
- Best to You –Director: Luke Gilford, Artist: Blood Orange
- Morris from America – Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan
- Talent Show Hosted by Craig Robinson: Featuring participants from 826LA, Inner-City Arts, Stones Throw Records and Venice Arts
- 4:00 p.m.: World Premiere of Annie + LA Premiere of White Girl + Conversation with Elizabeth Wood and Special Guest
- Annie – Artist: Neon Indian
- White Girl – Director and screenwriter: Elizabeth Wood
- Conversation: A conversation with Elizabeth Wood and a special guest to be announced
- 8:00 p.m.: LA Premiere of Goat + Sunflower Bean
- Goat – Director: Andrew Neel, Screenwriters: David Gordon Green, Andrew Neel, Michael Roberts
- Musical Performance by Sunflower Bean
Sunday, August 14, 2016
- Noon: Downtown & Dirty Shorts, Hosted by Nick Kroll
- Affections – Director and screenwriter: Bridey Elliott
- The Procedure – Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder
- A Reasonable Request – Director: Andrew Laurich, Screenwriters: Gabriel Miller, Andrew Laurich
- Thunder Road – Director and screenwriter: Jim Cummings
- Too Legit – Director and screenwriter: Frankie Shaw
- 2:00 p.m.: Short Film Master Class
- 4:00 p.m.: World Premiere of Beautiful People + LA Premiere of Under the Shadow + Conversation with Special Guest
- Beautiful People – Director: Michal Marczak, Artist: Mark Pritchard, featuring Thom Yorke
- Under the Shadow – Director and screenwriter: Babak Anvari
- Conversation: A conversation between Babak Anvari and a special guest to be announced
- 8:00 p.m.: World Premiere of Royal + LA Premiere of The Greasy Strangler + Big Freedia
- Royal – Director: Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus
- The Greasy Strangler – Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard
- Musical Performance by Big Freedia
Sundance NEXT FEST supporters include: Principal Sponsors – Acura and Adobe; Major Sponsor – Kickstarter; Media Sponsor – Los Angeles Times; and Supporting Sponsors – Beachside Films, BitTorrent, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., FilmL.A., Inc., Stella Artois®, sweetgreen, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Tequila Don Julio™, Trinchero Family Estates, and Utah Film Commission.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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