The Latest
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Vampire Lovers, and Warpaint Close Out NEXT FEST
If Day 3 at Sundance NEXT FEST heralded the vigor of independent film, Sunday’s closing events celebrated the arrival of an assured new female filmmaking voice. Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night played like the satiating denouement to the four-day festival, transporting audiences to the film’s fictitious Bad City, a home to debauched drug users and other degenerates where a subdued vampire stalks the denizens. However improbable, our vampire “Girl,” stunningly portrayed by Sheila Vand, only changes her ways upon being seduced by a debonair romantic named Arash.
Jason Schwartzman, Werner Herzog, and Tinashe Round Out Day 3 at NEXT FEST
Vitality reigned at Day 3 of Sundance NEXT FEST. If skeptics needed a testament to the health and diversity of independent film, last night’s display was it, as stories from disparate communities throughout the country hit the screen.
First up was David and Nathan Zellner’s beautifully paced drama Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, which follows a young woman (Rinko Kikuchi) who ditches the austerity of Japanese work life and treks to Minnesota to discover the buried loot from the film Fargo.
Aubrey Plaza and Father John Misty Lead a Zombie-Themed Evening at NEXT FEST
Last night’s Sundance NEXT FEST opener at the Theatre at Ace Hotel felt more like a reunion of old pals than a glitzy Los Angeles premiere. Perhaps that’s what you get when Aubrey Plaza and Father John Misty take the helm as your unofficial co-hosts. The versatile pair was on hand for the Los Angeles premiere of Plaza’s zombie romance Life After Beth and a post-screening performance from indie crooner – and all-around droll entertainer – Father John Misty.
Producers: Let’s Hack Today’s Systems and Better Connect Audiences to Films
Each August, the professionals on the front lines of producing, distributing, and marketing independent films gather in the mountains of Utah to share their knowledge and experience with the Sundance Institute Producing Fellows at the Creative Producing Summit. The weekend was kicked off by Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper who posed a central question to Summit participants – “Are you more or less optimistic today about the health of independent film than you were five years ago?”
Keri Putnam, Sundance Institute’s Executive Director, shared her own response with the Summit community in remarks that helped to define the tone of the weekend and offered up a call to independent producers at large.
5 years ago.
Overcoming Adversity to Create Longevity: A Guide to Creative Producing
Sundance Institute held its annual Creative Producing Summit last weekend, a three-day gathering at the Sundance Resort that provides a forum for top industry professionals, producers, and directors to focus on three primary avenues of dialogue: narrative producing, documentary producing, and the state of the independent film industry. Below, Sundance Institute #ArtistServices staffer Missy Laney shares her takeaways from the weekend.At the start of the Creative Producing Summit, Festival director John Cooper posed a simple question to the group: “Looking back at the last five years, are you more or less optimistic about the industry?” With budgets shrinking, marketplaces becoming increasingly crowded, and projects becoming more ambitious, it could seem impossible to be able to survive as an independent producer.
Grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Support Feature Film Labs
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today that it has been awarded a grant for the second consecutive year from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to support professional training and development for emerging feature film artists. The grant supports four annual Labs hosted by the Institute’s renowned Feature Film Program (FFP): the June Screenwriters Lab, the Directors Lab, the Creative Producing Lab, and the Creative Producing Summit.
Sundance Institute’s Lab programs were built on a model established by Institute President & Founder Robert Redford in 1981 and give aspiring independent filmmakers the skills and knowledge they need to make theatrical motion pictures.
Introducing the Episodic Story Lab (and 6 Sundance Alumni Working in Television)
Breaking Bad, Mad Men, House of Cards, Girls, The Office—the list could continue ad infinitum. Whatever your show preference, it would appear we are firmly entrenched in the era of serialized entertainment, where one’s fluency in pop culture is directly proportionate to their consumption (see: binge watching) of scripted shows on television or online. For audiences, the medium’s attributes are clear: accessible content that can be ingested in one heaping dose or savored over time.
Sundance Institute and The Metroplex To Present Sundance Film Festival – Hong Kong Selects
(August 1, 2014) Sundance Institute and The Metroplex will present Sundance Film Festival – Hong Kong Selects, a screening series of new American independent films accompanied by a delegation of filmmakers and Festival organizers from September 19 to 28, 2014, at the newly opened cineplex in Kowloon Bay in Hong Kong. Drawing on the Sundance Film Festival’s 30-year history of discovery and innovation and The Metroplex’s commitment to supporting film culture, Sundance Film Festival – Hong Kong Selects will offer the Hong Kong premieres of eight new films direct from the 2014 Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.
Sundance Film Festival Hong Kong Selects Premieres 8 Films-this-september
The Sundance Film Festival is headed east. No, that doesn’t mean the Festival will be departing its snow globe-like wonderland in Park City. Instead, Sundance Institute and The Metroplex will present Sundance Film Festival – Hong Kong Selects, a screening series of new American independent films accompanied by a delegation of filmmakers and Festival organizers from September 19 to 28, 2014, at the newly opened cineplex in Kowloon Bay in Hong Kong.
August Now Playing: A Big-Headed Fassbender in Frank, Dinosaur 13, and The One I Love
How do we really know that it’s Michael Fassbender behind that lollipop-shaped fake head in Frank? Frankly (sorry), the evidence is equivocal – but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Beyond that playfully absurd film that casts Fassbender as a Daft Punk-esque musician (that is to say, full of enigma), August is a breakout month for Sundance films of all shapes and sizes. Fan-favorite and Audience Award winner Dinosaur 13 retains the childlike wonder of our dinosaur-loving days with a tension-filled documentary about the legal battle over the largest T-rex ever discovered, and indie film veterans Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss suffer through the throes of a combusting relationship in The One I Love.
Inspired By: Playwrights Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson on Fantasia, Opera
Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson recently wrapped up their work at the three-week Theatre Lab at Sundance Resort where they rehearsed, revised, and rewrote parts of their in-progress play The Good Book. The play tells the story of how the Bible became the most powerful collection of texts in human history. Below, the writing duo discuss their sources of creative inspiration for sundance.
Sundance to Host a Creative Film Producing Initiatives Jul 28–Aug 4, 2014
Park City, UT—Sundance Institute today announced the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, both held the week of July 28 at the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. These activities are part of the Institute’s year-round Creative Producing Initiative, which encompasses a series of Labs, Fellowships and other signature events that support independent producers. The Creative Producing Labs and Summit wrap the summer season of 10 residential Labs hosted in Utah by Sundance Institute, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theatre projects from the United States and around the world.
A New Frontier Opera Transports 20th Century New York City to Present Day
In October 2013, Joshua Frankel (Director) and Judd Greenstein (Composer)participated in the New Frontier Story Lab with the project Untitled Opera about Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. This innovative opera explores the epic battles between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses over the future of New York City. From Jacobs’ victory in stopping Moses’ destruction of Washington Square Park, to Moses’ efforts to build the Lower Manhattan Expressway across SoHo, this work catalyzes an important conversation about what principles and values our generation will use in building, managing and sustaining urban spaces in the 21st Century.
Tinashe’s 2014 Rise Heralds a Refreshing New R&B Talent
There are meteoric ascents, and then there is Tinashe, whose debut single “2 On” has forcefully climbed its way into ‘Top 40’ charts since its January unveiling. It’s a case of spontaneous buzz that can occasionally draw skepticism, whether warranted or not, from critics and listeners alike. But even if it belies her refreshing charm, Tinashe’s staying – and star– power is self-evident, as is her role as a catalyst in an undefined realm of nouveau R&B.
Film Composers Share Their Favorite Scores and Soundtracks of All Time
In contemplating your favorite films of all time, chances are that most of the relevant works exhibit an exceptional—or at least serviceable—film score. At the same time, many of us would be hard-pressed to allude to a favorite score without first mentioning our predilection for the film itself. If that’s you, think of this list as a handy resource for the film-score illiterate.